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Post by Evil Yoda on Mar 29, 2024 19:38:08 GMT -5
So, I was looking for radishes, a vegetable I enjoy. And I see the ones are Walmart have a terrible rating. How, I wondered, do you get radishes wrong? It turns out most of the ratings were from people using curbside pickup who were unhappy at the quality of the radishes they received. They must not have gotten the memo: the very best case scenario is that a shopping proxy is indifferent to the quality. If you watch those beleaguered folks work, you will see they do not have the time or inclination to rummage the produce looking for the best available bag. You'll get whatever bag their meathook touches first. In the worst case scenario, the manager has probably advised them that the curbside customer won't notice poor quality until he gets home and then is unlikely to make the return trip! So, might as well drop the worst stuff on him!
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Post by ishmael on Mar 30, 2024 7:03:26 GMT -5
So, I was looking for radishes, a vegetable I enjoy. And I see the ones are Walmart have a terrible rating. How, I wondered, do you get radishes wrong? It turns out most of the ratings were from people using curbside pickup who were unhappy at the quality of the radishes they received. They must not have gotten the memo: the very best case scenario is that a shopping proxy is indifferent to the quality. If you watch those beleaguered folks work, you will see they do not have the time or inclination to rummage the produce looking for the best available bag. You'll get whatever bag their meathook touches first. In the worst case scenario, the manager has probably advised them that the curbside customer won't notice poor quality until he gets home and then is unlikely to make the return trip! So, might as well drop the worst stuff on him! Sounds like while people may not understand curbside pick up, the manager seems to understand it pretty well. I wonder how many folks actually go back to the store.
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up2
Full Member
Posts: 1,867
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Post by up2 on Mar 30, 2024 7:32:43 GMT -5
So, I was looking for radishes, a vegetable I enjoy. And I see the ones are Walmart have a terrible rating. How, I wondered, do you get radishes wrong? It turns out most of the ratings were from people using curbside pickup who were unhappy at the quality of the radishes they received. They must not have gotten the memo: the very best case scenario is that a shopping proxy is indifferent to the quality. If you watch those beleaguered folks work, you will see they do not have the time or inclination to rummage the produce looking for the best available bag. You'll get whatever bag their meathook touches first. In the worst case scenario, the manager has probably advised them that the curbside customer won't notice poor quality until he gets home and then is unlikely to make the return trip! So, might as well drop the worst stuff on him! Sounds like while people may not understand curbside pick up, the manager seems to understand it pretty well. I wonder how many folks actually go back to the store. As my father always would say, "another step step in the long march of separation between the customer and the farmer." He's long since passed but his comment would always be raised whenever there were examples like these. There once was a time when you knew the owner of a local market, who knew the owners of a the local farms who delivered the products sold. Of course those things were seasonal, so you didn't find strawberries in December and oranges in summer. When supermarkets slowly replaced the local general stores, the selections expanded, as did the regions from which the products were supplied, creating distance and separation if you will between the customer, the seller, and the vendor. Now we can get virtually any product from anywhere in the world at any time of the year. I'm glad we at least force the labeling to say product from (insert country of origin) but along the supply chain which has expanded, do we really know much about the food we buy? What the farmer used, the soil content, herbicides, etc. Not to mention the sanitation standards of the ships in which carried these goods to warehouses, and the quality of the those who then break down those shipments into smaller lots for delivery, and so on? Separation. It seems as though curbside pick-up is yet another step in this awful trend. We're now relying on some stranger to select our produce and bag it up in the name of convenience. For those who genuinely need to have this service due to disabilities, I can sympathize with EY's observation. For those who just do it as a matter of utter convenience of skipping through the selection process, not so much. Just some random thoughts swirling around my head while I try to finish my coffee and shake off the morning grumpiness. Happy Easter to those who celebrate! And enjoy this lovely Saturday.
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Post by ishmael on Mar 30, 2024 7:39:56 GMT -5
Sounds like while people may not understand curbside pick up, the manager seems to understand it pretty well. I wonder how many folks actually go back to the store. As my father always would say, "another step step in the long march of separation between the customer and the farmer." He's long since passed but his comment would always be raised whenever there were examples like these. There once was a time when you knew the owner of a local market, who knew the owners of a the local farms who delivered the products sold. Of course those things were seasonal, so you didn't find strawberries in December and oranges in summer. When supermarkets slowly replaced the local general stores, the selections expanded, as did the regions from which the products were supplied, creating distance and separation if you will between the customer, the seller, and the vendor. Now we can get virtually any product from anywhere in the world at any time of the year. I'm glad we at least force the labeling to say product from (insert country of origin) but along the supply chain which has expanded, do we really know much about the food we buy? What the farmer used, the soil content, herbicides, etc. Not to mention the sanitation standards of the ships in which carried these goods to warehouses, and the quality of the those who then break down those shipments into smaller lots for delivery, and so on? Separation. It seems as though curbside pick-up is yet another step in this awful trend. We're now relying on some stranger to select our produce and bag it up in the name of convenience. For those who genuinely need to have this service due to disabilities, I can sympathize with EY's observation. For those who just do it as a matter of utter convenience of skipping through the selection process, not so much. Just some random thoughts swirling around my head while I try to finish my coffee and shake off the morning grumpiness. Happy Easter to those who celebrate! And enjoy this lovely Saturday. ^This^ I like to cook and can't imagine having some supermarket employee pick out my products for me.
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Post by microg on Mar 30, 2024 8:30:51 GMT -5
I have always selected my own groceries, even during Covid. I'm not terribly picky but given the prices now, I really want to make sure the items are right. Also, I hate radishes. Sorry. I'm okay now.
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Post by Evil Yoda on Mar 30, 2024 10:08:21 GMT -5
I, too, like to select my own food. I eat a lot of produce, and I have developed tastes for certain things. I know what strawberries that won't taste good look like, likewise celery, radishes, etc.
If curbside becomes unattractive that benefits me in this way: employees picking orders for others literally do not care where they leave their order cart. They'll block the entire aisle if that's convenient for them. I don't understand why store managers permit that, unless it really is that difficult to find employees and people will quit if they get told not to do things a particular way. Maybe these are the people whose parents drove them one block to the bus stop and then sat with them until the bus actually got there - folks who, the first time life throws them a curve, will fold faster than Superman on laundry day.
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