Unmitigated Gall

[SifuPhil]

Have read some terrible things lately about how Amazon employees are treated . . .

Photos or it never happened.

I do shop online but enjoy the human interaction with people at local mom 'n' pop stores.

Besides, how does one manage shoplifting online . . . ???

Easy - you hack into their database, add your name and addy as a long-standing customer who is awaiting their shipment ...

I don't consider shopping for groceries online a viable alternative. It is super expensive and the choices are limited. I am a hands on shopper and can't give up control to someone else to pick out my cuts of meat, fruits and veggies. Freshness is also another factor, when you buy perishable items in the grocery store, they have already suffered from transit and waiting around on the shelf, add extra shipping time to that for online shopping and the quality is bound to suffer. I don't relish the thought of having a beef roast making it's rounds across the country via the postal service.

OK, all valid points - makes sense.

As far as pollutants from China, I don't purchase food from or processed in China, and you will run into this problem no matter where you shop. The key is reading the label and knowing where the food comes from. For instance, just because canned salmon says it is from Alaska, that doesn't mean it's not processed in China. You have to read the label carefully to determine this.

Very true.

Online perishable grocery shopping might be an experiment you could conduct and let us know the results of. If the quality, price, selection, delivery and shipping costs are in line with what I can buy locally, I'm in. I would love not to have to drive an hour each way to the store and back. In the meantime, my money is not going there.

Not quite online and certainly not fresh, but for years back when I was married the wife would buy every two weeks from a company named Schwan's. Their freezer truck would come to the door, you'd tell them what you wanted and they'd pull it out of the truck. If they were out they'd bring it the next time. UPDATE: Now of course you can shop with them online, which is basically just placing your order ahead of time and them delivering it.

As you can probably imagine with frozen foods, some of them were very good, most were average and a few were "stay away at any cost". Speaking of costs, yes, they cost a bit more on the surface, but you're saving on gas, aggravation, long lines, traffic ... the frozen pizzas were pretty good, the frozen veggies edible and their meats were actually pretty good.

Of course it depends upon one's individual palette - I'm not very choosey, or at least I wasn't back then. If your tastes run more to farm-fresh veggies and freshly slaughtered meats then no, the online shopping "experience" won't do much for you.

As far as Wal-Mart vs. online grocery shopping, if I still shopped for real groceries instead of bread and butter I'd STILL want to try online buying, just on the principle that I would be denying W-M my chump change. In fact, I'd probably go back to Schwan's. I still order a pizza from them once in a while when they come calling, and although it's a dollar or so more than Domino's and not quite as large it's still a very tasty item. Yeah, I have to fire up the oven to cook it, but hey, that gives me quality time with the cat and dog.

The issue of slave labor in India and Mexico are up to those countries to fix, just as we have to fix and set our own economic policies. Walmart is not forcing those countries to engage in slave labor practices, the people are not enslaved or indentured by Walmart. It is up to the people of those countries to fix their own political and economic system. The economic standards are set by the country, not Walmart.

Oh, now, c'mon, Ozzie - that's a cop-out! MANY American companies refuse to engage in slave-labor practices - it's an ethical choice one makes when one is setting up the business. W-M chose to go down that dark path in pursuit of the almighty dollar - don't tell me that that is India's (China's, etc.) fault. You wave a roast chicken in front of a starving man's nose he's going to grab for it, even if it means degrading himself in the process.

I am not going on a guilt trip over a third world country's economic policies. We have enough trouble surviving in this country these days. Also, I didn't say price was king. I was lamenting on the lack of viable shopping options in rural areas. If there were options and pricing was a bit higher, but still competitive, I would patronize those places.

Maybe that's the trade-off you make living in a rural area - cheaper prices in exchange for your soul. :highly_amused:

As it is, the small local grocery store here charges 30-40% higher than Walmart for their store brand items. I buy my produce there and some meats as the quality is far better than Walmart. I shop their ads for some deals weekly. I will not buy fresh meat from Walmart, unless it is frozen turkeys or packaged meats from a known supplier.

So you just get your staples from W-M? I suppose that's a start ...

There are two pharmacies in town which are proud of their drugs, and I don't do personal business in this town where everyone is the target of gossip. Point in case: My neighbor was recently sued by the local pharmacy to the tune of $5000 for a Medicare mix up. The gossip was all over town before the papers were served. So, local is not always better, doubt this would have happened with a Walmart pharmacy.

I'm sure W-M has more than their fair share of pharmacy horror stories.

Just saying, there are trade-offs to consider living in a rural area, and you can't paint people who shop at Walmart with a broad brush.

LOL - speaking of trade-offs ... no, I don't want to paint everyone with the same broad brush but it's exceedingly difficult not to. It's like allowing a conquering army to take over your county and then meekly go to them for the daily ration of grub. There have to be SOME guerrilla fighters around to even up the score ... This company has got the majority of Americans believing they're the next-best thing to sliced cat's pajamas, when in reality they are just another ruthless, money-hungry mega-corporation with no more scruples than a dog in heat.

I do a lot of shopping online but not for groceries. No telling what condition a package of chicken livers or a T-bone steak would be in by the time the mail came. I don't even go to the mailbox every day.

There IS something called dry-ice packaging, ya' know ... layful:

But yeah, I can see why you'd be concerned if your chicken livers arrived wrapped in only bubble-wrap - sure, it would be fun poking the bubbles but those livers would be kind of sad ...

 

[Ozarkgal]

Phil:

Of course it depends upon one's individual palette - I'm not very choosey, or at least I wasn't back then. If your tastes run more to farm-fresh veggies and freshly slaughtered meats then no, the online shopping "experience" won't do much for you.

My point. Used to have a Schwan's truck come around regularly in Texas. Haven't seen one here, but in any event their prices are spendy and the food isn't something you would want to exist on as a primary source.

Oh, now, c'mon, Ozzie - that's a cop-out! MANY American companies refuse to engage in slave-labor practices - it's an ethical choice one makes when one is setting up the business. W-M chose to go down that dark path in pursuit of the almighty dollar - don't tell me that that is India's (China's, etc.) fault. You wave a roast chicken in front of a starving man's nose he's going to grab for it, even if it means degrading himself in the process.

Far and few between are the companies that are so high minded. A few that do carry exclusively American made or non-third world produced goods, are just that. Exclusive to the people that can afford to pay the price for their wares.
Who's Ozzie?

So you just get your staples from W-M? I suppose that's a start ...

And a finish until such time there is a competitor in my area that supply my needs.

This company has got the majority of Americans believing they're the next-best thing to sliced cat's pajamas, when in reality they are just another ruthless, money-hungry mega-corporation with no more scruples than a dog in heat.

Isn't this the American way now? Screw unto others before they screw unto you. This idealism is promoted by crooked, ruthless politicians who are in the pockets of these corporations.

I know you may view this as a cop out, but I am way past the point of caring about any of it. There is absolutely nothing I can do to fix a system that has been sliding downhill toward hell for years. Maybe I'm like the starving man degrading himself for a roast chicken.

Maybe that's the trade-off you make living in a rural area - cheaper prices in exchange for your soul. :highly_amused:

I just want to live my life as far away and detached from it all as possible..

Because we're friends, I'll forgive you for this crass remark. With this, I'm done here.nthego:

 

[SifuPhil]

Phil:

My point. Used to have a Schwan's truck come around regularly in Texas. Haven't seen one here, but in any event their prices are spendy and the food isn't something you would want to exist on as a primary source.

Tell that to my ex-.

Their prices aren't THAT bad, compared to say eating out or shopping at Dean & Deluca.

Far and few between are the companies that are so high minded. A few that do carry exclusively American made or non-third world produced goods, are just that. Exclusive to the people that can afford to pay the price for their wares.

Or that choose to play the world awareness game.

Who's Ozzie?

You are, of course.

And a finish until such time there is a competitor in my area that supply my needs.

Don't want to pay those few extra dollars at the local store, huh?

Isn't this the American way now? Screw unto others before they screw unto you. This idealism is promoted by crooked, ruthless politicians who are in the pockets of these corporations.

Very true.

I know you may view this as a cop out, but I am way past the point of caring about any of it. There is absolutely nothing I can do to fix a system that has been sliding downhill toward hell for years. Maybe I'm like the starving man degrading himself for a roast chicken.

No, I understand what you're saying. I'm the same way in a lot of things - I just don't give two rat's butts anymore about a lot of topics.

I just want to live my life as far away and detached from it all as possible..

Also understandable.

Because we're friends, I'll forgive you for this crass remark. With this, I'm done here.nthego:

Crass? Moi?!?

crass

kras/

adjective
adjective: crass; comparative adjective: crasser; superlative adjective: crassest
1.
lacking sensitivity, refinement, or intelligence.
"the crass assumptions that men make about women"

synonyms:

stupid, insensitive, mindless, thoughtless, ignorant, witless, oafish, boorish, asinine, coarse, gross, graceless, tasteless, tactless, clumsy, heavy-handed, blundering

I am NOT clumsy!