Guest guest Posted January 21, 2005 Report Share Posted January 21, 2005 Cy, Yes I remember those days of the old markets that delivered stuff. As for shifting item locations, yes it is ad that supermarkets feel the need relocate items. At first I thought it was just to promote impulse buying, and that IS part of the equation. But the fundamental principle here is that the longer a store can keep you shopping, the more items you will buy. The thinking goes that for every 10 minutes you spend in the store, you are likely to buy at least $10 more in merchandise. (It could be higher now, this idea has been around for years.) This is why it's so important to develop a shopping list and stick to it, despite the relocation of items you wish to buy. This will cut your grocery costs down if you tell yourself that yo uwill only buy what's on your list. If there's something you like that you see by surprise, you tell yourself " Well, that's nice, but I'll put it on my list for next time. " I try very hard not to giv into impulse buying. And in some cases when an item is relocated, you can't find it without some help, and then it's aggravating trying to get that help, or even worse, walking out of the store without the item you wanted. Wouldn't it be nice if stores would quit this practice? Fat chance. Bill Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 21, 2005 Report Share Posted January 21, 2005 Cy, Unfortunately, the caliber of help in a store is not dictated by how smart that person is, it's how CHEAP they are. Employers don't consider a person's ability to read or communicat anymore, all they consider is keeping the bottom line black. They will put up with subgrade help as long as it's cheap. And you know what's really aggravating? (Here I go on my soapbox for the day, and please, I'm not meaning to slam race or nationality, but just to make a valid point.) So much of the help these days is expected to be bilingual. OK, that's fine, but when I actually find help only to find that person speaks Spanish but NO ENGLISH, I'm in a pickle. What happened to the BI-lingual? See, it's OK if they can speak Spanish, but it doesn't matter if they don't speak English. We just have to " give them a break " and " be understanding. " Oh I better stop now before I really get going on this. It's what I run up against as I look for work, the " Spanish " issue. And with my mild hearing impairment I doubt I'd ever be able to learn Spanish well enough, as it's hard enough understanding the way some people speak English. So, as the Spanish say, " que lastima. " (I probably spelled it wrong <G>). Whew! Enough venting for one day. Think I've heated up the apartment with my hot air...... Bill Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 21, 2005 Report Share Posted January 21, 2005 When I was living in Baltimore, we had a really neat delivery service though it was short-lived. You would call in your order and set up a delivery date. When the items were delivered you would pay for them plus a nominal delivery charge, and for the most part it was pretty cool. Except that sometimes you didn't get the brand you specified and had to put up with it. Then one fine day we got this letter in the mail saying the delivery service was bellying up. Of course a lot of people like myself complained about the demise of the delivery service and suddenly it was going to be revised because of " popular demand. " Except for one small catch. The previous $2.50 delivery charge was now something like $15, and if I remember right, you had to prepay the delivery charge. Bye-bye delivery service. We started doing our own grocery shopping and taking it home in a cab. And back here in Riverside, we still go to the grocery store with a little cart, get our groceries and then board the bus back home. Fortunately, our buses here don't have steps, it's just flat so you can rol the cart right on to the bus. Works for us. Bill Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 21, 2005 Report Share Posted January 21, 2005 When I was living in Baltimore, we had a really neat delivery service though it was short-lived. You would call in your order and set up a delivery date. When the items were delivered you would pay for them plus a nominal delivery charge, and for the most part it was pretty cool. Except that sometimes you didn't get the brand you specified and had to put up with it. Then one fine day we got this letter in the mail saying the delivery service was bellying up. Of course a lot of people like myself complained about the demise of the delivery service and suddenly it was going to be revised because of " popular demand. " Except for one small catch. The previous $2.50 delivery charge was now something like $15, and if I remember right, you had to prepay the delivery charge. Bye-bye delivery service. We started doing our own grocery shopping and taking it home in a cab. And back here in Riverside, we still go to the grocery store with a little cart, get our groceries and then board the bus back home. Fortunately, our buses here don't have steps, it's just flat so you can rol the cart right on to the bus. Works for us. Bill Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 21, 2005 Report Share Posted January 21, 2005 When I was living in Baltimore, we had a really neat delivery service though it was short-lived. You would call in your order and set up a delivery date. When the items were delivered you would pay for them plus a nominal delivery charge, and for the most part it was pretty cool. Except that sometimes you didn't get the brand you specified and had to put up with it. Then one fine day we got this letter in the mail saying the delivery service was bellying up. Of course a lot of people like myself complained about the demise of the delivery service and suddenly it was going to be revised because of " popular demand. " Except for one small catch. The previous $2.50 delivery charge was now something like $15, and if I remember right, you had to prepay the delivery charge. Bye-bye delivery service. We started doing our own grocery shopping and taking it home in a cab. And back here in Riverside, we still go to the grocery store with a little cart, get our groceries and then board the bus back home. Fortunately, our buses here don't have steps, it's just flat so you can rol the cart right on to the bus. Works for us. Bill Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 21, 2005 Report Share Posted January 21, 2005 Bill, I know what you mean by not being able to learn a foreign language in order to carry on a conversation in it. I did not learn until I was 38 years of age that I had a hearing disability, and that is probably why I am one of the world's worse spellers today and have always been. Re: Shopping problems > > Cy, > > Unfortunately, the caliber of help in a store is not dictated by how smart > that person is, it's how CHEAP they are. Employers don't consider a > person's > ability to read or communicat anymore, all they consider is keeping the > bottom line black. They will put up with subgrade help as long as it's > cheap. And you know what's really aggravating? (Here I go on my soapbox > for > the day, and please, I'm not meaning to slam race or nationality, but just > to make a valid point.) So much of the help these days is expected to be > bilingual. OK, that's fine, but when I actually find help only to find > that > person speaks Spanish but NO ENGLISH, I'm in a pickle. What happened to > the > BI-lingual? See, it's OK if they can speak Spanish, but it doesn't matter > if > they don't speak English. We just have to " give them a break " and " be > understanding. " Oh I better stop now before I really get going on this. > It's > what I run up against as I look for work, the " Spanish " issue. And with my > mild hearing impairment I doubt I'd ever be able to learn Spanish well > enough, as it's hard enough understanding the way some people speak > English. > So, as the Spanish say, " que lastima. " (I probably spelled it wrong <G>). > > Whew! > > Enough venting for one day. Think I've heated up the apartment with my hot > air...... > > > Bill > > > > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 21, 2005 Report Share Posted January 21, 2005 Bill, I know what you mean by not being able to learn a foreign language in order to carry on a conversation in it. I did not learn until I was 38 years of age that I had a hearing disability, and that is probably why I am one of the world's worse spellers today and have always been. Re: Shopping problems > > Cy, > > Unfortunately, the caliber of help in a store is not dictated by how smart > that person is, it's how CHEAP they are. Employers don't consider a > person's > ability to read or communicat anymore, all they consider is keeping the > bottom line black. They will put up with subgrade help as long as it's > cheap. And you know what's really aggravating? (Here I go on my soapbox > for > the day, and please, I'm not meaning to slam race or nationality, but just > to make a valid point.) So much of the help these days is expected to be > bilingual. OK, that's fine, but when I actually find help only to find > that > person speaks Spanish but NO ENGLISH, I'm in a pickle. What happened to > the > BI-lingual? See, it's OK if they can speak Spanish, but it doesn't matter > if > they don't speak English. We just have to " give them a break " and " be > understanding. " Oh I better stop now before I really get going on this. > It's > what I run up against as I look for work, the " Spanish " issue. And with my > mild hearing impairment I doubt I'd ever be able to learn Spanish well > enough, as it's hard enough understanding the way some people speak > English. > So, as the Spanish say, " que lastima. " (I probably spelled it wrong <G>). > > Whew! > > Enough venting for one day. Think I've heated up the apartment with my hot > air...... > > > Bill > > > > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 21, 2005 Report Share Posted January 21, 2005 Bill, Yup, you got it pegged... Way back in the 60s K-Mart had a practice of keeping you in the check out line as long as possible for the same reason. They had lines marked by ropes and rails. I don't care if there were only two people in the entire store you were going to be in the check out line for about fifteen minutes. Wal-Mart now seems to be practicing the same tactics in that they just don't open up additional check out lines although the lines are probably 20 minutes long. Crystal and I figure it is about $100 for each hour you spend in Wal-Mart... You are absolutely correct in that you can save a lot of money by sticking strictly to your shopping list. Knowing your prices is another way to save a lot of money. Stores have " lost leaders " which they will advertise in order to get you in the door. If you only purchase those items which are, indeed, a bargain and leave the rest alone you will be much better off. Albertson's is very good at jacking up the price in order to reduce it and mark it as a sale item - many times for more than it sold for in the first place. Now, as a blind consumer we are at a tremendous disadvantage because we may not have easy access to a store as other folks do. We may not be able to just hop in and pick up the bargains and we may not have access to the prices which are usually posted in fliers and newspaper advertisements. To paraphrase an old saying " It is really hard to remember that your original mission was to find out how many carbs the items had when you are completely frustrated by just trying to find the stupid product in the first place. " Cy, the very Ancient Okie... Re: Shopping problems Cy, Yes I remember those days of the old markets that delivered stuff. As for shifting item locations, yes it is ad that supermarkets feel the need relocate items. At first I thought it was just to promote impulse buying, and that IS part of the equation. But the fundamental principle here is that the longer a store can keep you shopping, the more items you will buy. The thinking goes that for every 10 minutes you spend in the store, you are likely to buy at least $10 more in merchandise. (It could be higher now, this idea has been around for years.) This is why it's so important to develop a shopping list and stick to it, despite the relocation of items you wish to buy. This will cut your grocery costs down if you tell yourself that yo uwill only buy what's on your list. If there's something you like that you see by surprise, you tell yourself " Well, that's nice, but I'll put it on my list for next time. " I try very hard not to giv into impulse buying. And in some cases when an item is relocated, you can't find it without some help, and then it's aggravating trying to get that help, or even worse, walking out of the store without the item you wanted. Wouldn't it be nice if stores would quit this practice? Fat chance. Bill Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 21, 2005 Report Share Posted January 21, 2005 Bill, Yup, you got it pegged... Way back in the 60s K-Mart had a practice of keeping you in the check out line as long as possible for the same reason. They had lines marked by ropes and rails. I don't care if there were only two people in the entire store you were going to be in the check out line for about fifteen minutes. Wal-Mart now seems to be practicing the same tactics in that they just don't open up additional check out lines although the lines are probably 20 minutes long. Crystal and I figure it is about $100 for each hour you spend in Wal-Mart... You are absolutely correct in that you can save a lot of money by sticking strictly to your shopping list. Knowing your prices is another way to save a lot of money. Stores have " lost leaders " which they will advertise in order to get you in the door. If you only purchase those items which are, indeed, a bargain and leave the rest alone you will be much better off. Albertson's is very good at jacking up the price in order to reduce it and mark it as a sale item - many times for more than it sold for in the first place. Now, as a blind consumer we are at a tremendous disadvantage because we may not have easy access to a store as other folks do. We may not be able to just hop in and pick up the bargains and we may not have access to the prices which are usually posted in fliers and newspaper advertisements. To paraphrase an old saying " It is really hard to remember that your original mission was to find out how many carbs the items had when you are completely frustrated by just trying to find the stupid product in the first place. " Cy, the very Ancient Okie... Re: Shopping problems Cy, Yes I remember those days of the old markets that delivered stuff. As for shifting item locations, yes it is ad that supermarkets feel the need relocate items. At first I thought it was just to promote impulse buying, and that IS part of the equation. But the fundamental principle here is that the longer a store can keep you shopping, the more items you will buy. The thinking goes that for every 10 minutes you spend in the store, you are likely to buy at least $10 more in merchandise. (It could be higher now, this idea has been around for years.) This is why it's so important to develop a shopping list and stick to it, despite the relocation of items you wish to buy. This will cut your grocery costs down if you tell yourself that yo uwill only buy what's on your list. If there's something you like that you see by surprise, you tell yourself " Well, that's nice, but I'll put it on my list for next time. " I try very hard not to giv into impulse buying. And in some cases when an item is relocated, you can't find it without some help, and then it's aggravating trying to get that help, or even worse, walking out of the store without the item you wanted. Wouldn't it be nice if stores would quit this practice? Fat chance. Bill Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 21, 2005 Report Share Posted January 21, 2005 Dar, Was this in Denver or Billings? Dad... Re: Shopping problems They call it the senior buss. It goes to the apartment picks you up and brings you back to the same apartment building. They all have special days that this is done. This one was Wednesdays. The stores know about this shopping buss weekly. No the city buss is a different matter. --Dar --Every Saint has a Past, Every Sinner has a Future Re: Shopping problems > > Dar, > > Did the store provide the bus or was this a special city bus of some > kind? If it was the store's bus, then making sure you were back on it > WOULD be their problem. If it was a city bus, then it's NOT the > store's problem UNLESS others were given help and you weren't, in the > same allotted time that others got to shop in the store. I realize > this is a generalization, but the question here is WHO is responsible > and why. We do have a thin line to tow here, too, because when we get > special help, along with it comes the > concept of what the store's rsponsibility is and what part is OUR > responsibility? I say this only because I have seen too many blind people > act like the world owes them something and expect everything done for them > no matter what the consequence, and I don't think that's how most of us > want > to be perceived. (If we were all real demanding, pretty soon we wouldn't > get > help from anyone, they would just avoid us altogether.) > > There are SO many things in a store these days that make it more > difficult for the blind and visually impaired to shop independently > and it's a frustrating ordeal for far too many. Even for those of us > with some sight, looking for items that keep getting moved around in > the store is one big chore, then finding the price for it which may > involve stooping to the floor and pulling out a magnifier to read a > price sticker is another, or trying to > read ingredients or nutrition info on a package is another. And for the > totally blind, this is even a BIGGER ordeal. > > One supermarket that is really good about this, back in the Baltimore > area, > is SuperFresh. They do make a point of offering help to the disabled and > for > that I commend them. I wish other stores would follow suit. Unfortunately, > I > see so little of this in most stores. > > I hope in the future that you will have better luck with the bus > you're using and that the people taking you to and from won't just > leave without you. That's awful! And very stressful. > > Take care and go have a nice weekend! > > > Bill Powers > > > > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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