# How does Omaha Steaks stay in business? No really, how? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [April 27, 2012, 5:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-omaha-steaks-stay-in-business-no-really-how/620104 "2012-04-27T05:18:55Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Athena](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/35a633/32.png) [@Athena](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Athena)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2012, 3:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-omaha-steaks-stay-in-business-no-really-how/620104/21 "2012-04-27T15:50:17Z")
> [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](#): > > Ouch. You need better meat departments in your grocery stores! > > We’ve got people that keep sending us Omaha steaks. They’re pretty ordinary at best, and not nearly so good as what we can find in the grocers, even at our local Pig (Shop the Pig!!) > > They’re not bad when used in stews and chowders or stroganoff, though. Cook’s Illustrated did a taste test of mail-order steaks back in 2003, and they agree with you. They tried Strip Steaks, and here’s the list: **Highly Recommended** Lobel’s Wagyu Boneless Strip Steak Niman Ranch New York Steak Coleman Natural Boneless Strip Steak Peter Luger Strip Steak **Recommended** Lobel’s Boneless Strip Steak Allen Brothers Dry-Agend Boneless Sirloin Strip Steak Generic Supermarket Choice Boneless Strip Steak **Not Recommended** Omaha Boneless Strip Steak Omaha Private Reserve Strip Steak ---
**Author:** ![Lightray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lightray/32/391_2.png) [@Lightray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lightray)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2012, 4:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-omaha-steaks-stay-in-business-no-really-how/620104/22 "2012-04-27T16:40:51Z")
> [@gwendee](#): > > Same with Harry and David. I get Harry & David gifts for my parents. My dad loves their specialty jellies and jams, which you’d have to go to a specialty store to find anyway – blackberry, boysenberry, other oddballs. And their fresh fruit, while quite overpriced, is also fabulous. (although my 3yo niece was _not_ impressed that Uncle Lightray got grandma fruit for her birthday: “Fruit! I mean, what the heck! Birthday fruit, what the heck!”) ---
**Author:** ![Sattua](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sattua/32/11906_2.png) [@Sattua](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sattua)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2012, 4:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-omaha-steaks-stay-in-business-no-really-how/620104/23 "2012-04-27T16:54:57Z")
> [@Kimstu](#): > > [hijack] 😕 Why wouldn’t one wear a mink coat in Indiana (assuming, that is, that one doesn’t have any ethical objections to animal-fur garments)? Indiana can get pretty damn cold. > [/hijack] Because it looks pretentious and offputtingly out-of-place there; absolutely nobody has them. It doesn’t even impress people there, it just looks weird. Yes it gets cold. You wear a down parka. ---
**Author:** ![salinqmind](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3ec8ea/32.png) [@salinqmind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/salinqmind)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2012, 5:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-omaha-steaks-stay-in-business-no-really-how/620104/24 "2012-04-27T17:01:41Z")
Vermont Country Store sells ridiculously priced food items, too. They do have a couple of jellies that are hard to find, like beach plum, but any good sized grocery store has shelves full of all kinds of jellies and preserves, store brand to goor-may, that are a lot cheaper. But it’s the gift thing, again - ‘we have to send them SOMETHING - how about a selection of jams from this catalog?’ I have received a box of Harry & David pears at Christmas from my brother. I got the impression he was buying ‘gift towers’ for business people gifts and just tacked on a box of pears for me. ‘Cool, that takes care of my sister, now for Al Jones at Acme, Inc., how about …’. :rolleyes: And I have a good friend, she and husband retired, who LOVE Omaha steaks and order boxes and boxes. I don’t know where they get the money, maybe they buy them with a credit card. She shops shops shops SHOPS every day, it’s not like she doesn’t have time to drive to a meat market and buy stuff there. ---
**Author:** ![kath94](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/67e7ee/32.png) [@kath94](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kath94)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2012, 5:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-omaha-steaks-stay-in-business-no-really-how/620104/25 "2012-04-27T17:04:13Z")
My husband’s company sent him an Omaha Steaks gift box last Christmas. It consisted of 4 steaks & a cheesecake. I’m sure the company paid far too much for it, but it was an easy gift for them. Just order up a bunch of gift boxes, provide addresses, and they’re off. Easy for the company, appreciated by the staff. I think part of the allure IS the exhorbitant price. It gives the illusion of quality, and brand snobs can feel superior when gifting them. ---
**Author:** ![Kimstu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ecd19e/32.png) [@Kimstu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimstu)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2012, 5:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-omaha-steaks-stay-in-business-no-really-how/620104/26 "2012-04-27T17:18:51Z")
> [@Sattua](#): > > Because it looks pretentious and offputtingly out-of-place there; absolutely nobody has them. It doesn’t even impress people there, it just looks weird. Yes it gets cold. You wear a down parka. 'Kay, I guess it must have something to do with **where** she is in Indiana. Because there are several fur stores in Indianapolis and other Indiana cities, and I presume the reason they stay in business is because some Indianans do buy, and presumably wear, fur coats. ---
**Author:** ![KneadToKnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kneadtoknow/32/3999_2.png) [@KneadToKnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KneadToKnow)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2012, 5:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-omaha-steaks-stay-in-business-no-really-how/620104/27 "2012-04-27T17:19:44Z")
I will say this for them: a friend gave me and my then-wife a gift pack back in grad school, and that cooler was _amazing_. It lived for over a decade. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2012, 5:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-omaha-steaks-stay-in-business-no-really-how/620104/28 "2012-04-27T17:24:25Z")
> [@KneadToKnow](#): > > I will say this for them: a friend gave me and my then-wife a gift pack back in grad school, and that cooler was _amazing_. It lived for over a decade. We still have all of ours. We use them to transport perishables to picnics and the like. ---
**Author:** ![Mrs.Cake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/2acd7d/32.png) [@Mrs.Cake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mrs.Cake)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2012, 5:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-omaha-steaks-stay-in-business-no-really-how/620104/29 "2012-04-27T17:25:38Z")
When we’ve gotten them they were corporate gifts, usually from my husband’s bosses. I did buy a gift pack once as an additional Xmas gift for my sister and her husband. They had both been laid off and money for basics was tight, and I did not know him very well beyond knowing he liked to barbeque. She says he was very happy with it and so were the dogs. ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2012, 5:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-omaha-steaks-stay-in-business-no-really-how/620104/30 "2012-04-27T17:29:24Z")
> [@gotpasswords](#): > > There’s certainly nothing wrong with them. I’ve had them before and they’re about as good as what Outback serves. Not fantastic, but at least a bit better than what’s sold at most grocery stores. They are utterly average. If your local grocery doesn’t have a good beef selection (and I agree, many don’t), Costco always has good beef at reasonable prices. Plus, you can often find prime cuts, which most supermarkets (besides Whole Foods) usually don’t. Your better supermarkets will also have dry aged beef–I don’t seem to recall Costco having dry aged, but I may be mistaken. ---
**Author:** ![purplehorseshoe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/purplehorseshoe/32/2996_2.png) [@purplehorseshoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/purplehorseshoe)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2012, 5:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-omaha-steaks-stay-in-business-no-really-how/620104/31 "2012-04-27T17:29:43Z")
Yep, we still have the cooler, too. Their potatoes au gratin are great - I once stopped by the store just to get those, like a damn vegetarian or something. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![zoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zoid/32/336_2.png) [@zoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/zoid)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2012, 5:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-omaha-steaks-stay-in-business-no-really-how/620104/32 "2012-04-27T17:40:59Z")
If the thing about a meat company that sticks in your mind is the potatoes I think that says all there is to say. ---
**Author:** ![rhythmonly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ee59a6/32.png) [@rhythmonly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rhythmonly)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2012, 6:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-omaha-steaks-stay-in-business-no-really-how/620104/33 "2012-04-27T18:02:54Z")
I tried Omaha Steaks once. Once. Completely average taste; the hush puppies (whatever those tennis ball looking things were) were inedible. Still have the cooler. Works great. ---
**Author:** ![Shark\_Sandwich](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f04885/32.png) [@Shark\_Sandwich](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shark_Sandwich)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2012, 6:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-omaha-steaks-stay-in-business-no-really-how/620104/34 "2012-04-27T18:45:58Z")
I had a friend who used to buy from them. They guy came to the house and sold them all of this food, but darn it, they didn’t have the freezer space to store it all. Oh, and you’re not going to cook those high-quality steaks on THAT grill are you? You need a much better, nicer grill to do these babies justice. So they signed up for the payment plan for the grill and the stand-up freezer. At about a 200% mark up from what he could’ve bought at Home Depot or Sears. ---
**Author:** ![gotpasswords](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c57346/32.png) [@gotpasswords](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gotpasswords)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2012, 6:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-omaha-steaks-stay-in-business-no-really-how/620104/35 "2012-04-27T18:53:08Z")
[QUOTE=Qadgop the Mercotan] Ouch. You need better meat departments in your grocery stores! [/QUOTE] No argument there. I’m not even sure if the local grocery store has a butcher, or if meat is delivered pre-cut and the “butcher” is just packaging it. I pine for the days when I was able to go to the store and get two inch-thick ribeyes or whatever cut to order, but this place seems to be a culinary black hole. ---
**Author:** ![ralph124c](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/8797f3/32.png) [@ralph124c](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ralph124c)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2012, 6:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-omaha-steaks-stay-in-business-no-really-how/620104/36 "2012-04-27T18:59:41Z")
> [@salinqmind](#): > > Vermont Country Store sells ridiculously priced food items, too. They do have a couple of jellies that are hard to find, like beach plum, but any good sized grocery store has shelves full of all kinds of jellies and preserves, store brand to goor-may, that are a lot cheaper. But it’s the gift thing, again - ‘we have to send them SOMETHING - how about a selection of jams from this catalog?’ > > I have received a box of Harry & David pears at Christmas from my brother. I got the impression he was buying ‘gift towers’ for business people gifts and just tacked on a box of pears for me. ‘Cool, that takes care of my sister, now for Al Jones at Acme, Inc., how about ..’. :rolleyes: > > And I have a good friend, she and husband retired, who LOVE Omaha steaks and order boxes and boxes. I don’t know where they get the money, maybe they buy them with a credit card. She shops shops shops SHOPS every day, it’s not like she doesn’t have time to drive to a meat market and buy stuff there. Interesting comment regarding beach plum jelly. I live on Cape Cod, and the beaches here are covered with beach plum bushes. It is just a wild plum-small, and tasteless-cultivated plums are much better. Tourists seem to go gaga over the stuff-why, I have no idea. To me, they are almost tasteless. ---
**Author:** ![Nawth\_Chucka](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/c57346/32.png) [@Nawth\_Chucka](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nawth_Chucka)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2012, 7:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-omaha-steaks-stay-in-business-no-really-how/620104/37 "2012-04-27T19:18:25Z")
We send them as gifts a half dozen times a year as a way to say, “Wish we lived near enough to you to have dinner together for \_\_\_ occasion.” We buy them in a way w/ discount codes and the like that we wind up paying a fraction of the listed price and about what you’d spend in a store. Plus, free sturdy-enough-to-be-a-stool cooler and hours of fun w/ the dry ice! Win win! They are also quick to fix any issue as was noted in a previous post. A bag of au gratin had a hole in it and a new box was shipped out that day. ---
**Author:** ![Push\_You\_Down](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/push_you_down/32/9095_2.png) [@Push\_You\_Down](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Push_You_Down)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2012, 7:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-omaha-steaks-stay-in-business-no-really-how/620104/38 "2012-04-27T19:21:47Z")
…I buy my parents a box for Christmas every year. They are on ebates as well, so when I order using some discount, I also get a little cash back. I do it because my dad likes steak and likes to grill, but they don’t really buy steak for themselves anymore. It’s a nice treat for them. But I seriously get something in the mail from them once a week…and sometimes phone calls. ---
**Author:** ![kelly5078](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/6f9a4e/32.png) [@kelly5078](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kelly5078)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2012, 7:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-omaha-steaks-stay-in-business-no-really-how/620104/39 "2012-04-27T19:22:16Z")
I imagine they’re an impulse purchase people make on the way home from the Thomas Kinkade gallery. ---
**Author:** ![psiekier](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/psiekier/32/116_2.png) [@psiekier](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/psiekier)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2012, 8:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-omaha-steaks-stay-in-business-no-really-how/620104/40 "2012-04-27T20:42:40Z")
> [@Homo\_litoralis](#): > > Just to push the swindle further into the stratosphere, they have this section called “Private Reserve” where the cuts offered “can only be described as perfect.” Filet mignon is “on sale” now for $65 a pound. > > There’s even such a thing as “Private Reserve” potatoes that cost over six bucks per “absolutely amazing” pound. For a potato! > > If someone sent me a six-dollar potato, I would not be absolutely amazed. I would think they were an idiot. Try to imagine this being read aloud by Leonard Nimoy: > [@Publilius Syrus](#): > > “Everything is worth what its purchaser will pay for it.” [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-omaha-steaks-stay-in-business-no-really-how/620104.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-does-omaha-steaks-stay-in-business-no-really-how/620104.md?page=3)