Text 5781, 101 rader
Skriven 2006-09-21 22:51:00 av JOAN MACDIARMID (1:123/140)
     Kommentar till en text av MICHAEL LOO
Ärende: Weggies 279
===================
 Hi, Michael,

 ML> The good thing I've found about Wegmans is that even where
 ML> it's the 800-lb gorilla, the quality remains high and the
 ML> pricing (although high on a lot of items) on the fair side.

 It's still a fairly young chain with strong family ties with
 the founder, and a fairly small chain so the central office
 can keep strong influence on all the units. A publicly traded
 chain like Kroger, or the various entities under the Ahold
 banner, like your Stop and Shop, doesn't have as much personal
 interest in the  quality at the main offices. Bean-counters rule.

 JM> has to do with state laws on pricing. Where my Mom lives,
 JM> a state authority sets minimium prices for eggs and milk
 JM> according to a farmers' cooperative scheme, so they never
 JM> go on "sale" unless they are near the sell-by date.

 ML> What happens to a farmer who defies the cooperative in one
 ML> way or another? Is it just ostracism, or are there substantial
 ML> penalties? I'm wondering about constitutional issues too.

 I don't know how they work it in Alabama, just that
 the control is at the retail level.

 JM> She envies my fresh-milk pricing, but tells me about
 JM> "deals" she can get on other stuff I cannot imagine!

 ML> Things even out. Sometimes peculiarly. Up in New England,
 ML> for some reason, meat (beef, especially) was until just last
 ML> year substantially cheaper than elsewhere in the country,
 ML> even in the stockyard states.

 Maybe you had a competition on prices you didn't know
 about, so stores were taking less mark-up. The other
 side of the Wegmans effect on staples pricing (forcing
 other majors to match those routine pricings) is that I
 do think Wegmans is rather high on meats, and the other
 majors tend not to underprice them much very often.
 That's why I value this independent grocer who is
 offering specials on meat and fish way under the prices
 the majors tend to offer, and more in line with what I
 think is reasonable considering the constant effect of
 inflation (and some of the prices I have seen in Alabama
 and Georgia). So far I haven't been burned on quality by
 the independent, either, at least not on meats.

 JM> I couldn't shop efficiently without access to a car,

 ML> One major criterion in my choice of apartments was
 ML> walking distance to a grocery store!

 I understand that! It's a pity the market has trended
 to fewer and fewer superstores in an area, killing off
 the smaller unit chain stores that used to be nestled
 close to residential areas. I couldn't  walk to a
 decent grocery from my Mom's house any more, either,
 as I used to when I was a teen. Even then, it was about
 5 blocks, but if Mom needed only a few things like a
 pack of burger buns and a head of lettuce, it was
 reasonable to pack one of us kids off to fetch it. That
 one got trashed by an interstate spur my neighborhood
 fought unsuccessfully. There was another store about 8
 blocks away, but that was a Winn-Dixie, most of which
 folded in the last few years. I hope Mom's driving
 skills remain good for a long while!

 ML> I agree with that. I can't understand people who just have
 ML> to have hamburgers when the ground beef is $3/lb and can't
 ML> wait until it's $1.79.
 JM> Or have a plan when the stuff goes on sale but only
 JM> for 4-5 pounds at a time.

 ML> Yay for chili and spaghetti sauce.

 Which goes with Dale's note that a good freezer is
 useful for the bulk sales, too. Chili and spaghetti
 sauce can be made from frozen lumps just fine. I
 find I don't like burger patties made from frozen/
 thawed bulk hamburg as well. The moisture distribution
 seems to have changed. Once in a while, though, I do
 take the time to "patty" up a bunch of sale ground
 beef, separating each patty with 2 sheets of waxed
 paper, which seems to work out OK. It's a pain
 to do it, but good for quickie weekend lunches or
 "got-a-meeting-tonight" suppers.

 ---
 DD> I did a quick search on eBay, found an auction closing within the
 DD> hour,  bid, won, and paid for the item and spent a total of U$4.98
 DD> including  P & P. Bargains are good.
 ML> Bargains are good IF you NEED stuff.

 Hear, hear! I am trying to avoid getting any more
 stuff I don't really need! At least food bargains
 we can eat up and not store endlessly!

 Joan MacDiarmid
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