# Your grocery store complaints **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [July 30, 2011, 1:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-grocery-store-complaints/590830 "2011-07-30T13:41:09Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 7
**Author:** ![alphaboi867](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alphaboi867/32/3898_2.png) [@alphaboi867](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alphaboi867)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2011, 8:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-grocery-store-complaints/590830/121 "2011-08-02T20:18:28Z")
> [@salinqmind](#): > > …- The service desk: waiting behind Big Winners buying lottery tickets, or people cashing their paychecks. Shouldn’t they be doing that at a gas station or 7-11?..( Gas stations and convenience stores don’t usually accept checks, let alone allow people to cash their paychecks there. Also they don’t have as much cash on hand as supermarkets so if you have a “big” ($100 or more) winning lottery ticket you end up with a money order instead of that cash you wanted. ---
**Author:** ![StarvingButStrong](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/starvingbutstrong/32/335_2.png) [@StarvingButStrong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StarvingButStrong)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2011, 10:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-grocery-store-complaints/590830/122 "2011-08-02T22:52:34Z")
> [@perfectparanoia](#): > > You’re joking, right? You don’t have a full menu plan based on what is in season, what’s on sale and what you already have at home before you leave and therefore detailed list of what you need sorted by store department? > > The thought of going into a store without knowing what I needed. \ Well, I have a few menu ideas (and a list of whatever standard stuff I know we are low or out of) but a lot of time it’s a matter of What looks good? Is there an interesting Manager’s Special? Oh, look, they have marked down the chops because they are getting close to the sell by date. And then I revamp to take advantage of random good stuff. 🆒 ---
**Author:** ![Yookeroo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yookeroo/32/323_2.png) [@Yookeroo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yookeroo)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2011, 11:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-grocery-store-complaints/590830/123 "2011-08-02T23:54:48Z")
> [@ladyfoxfyre](#): > > Yeah, I just love those ads that pop up for websites that I have previously visited and follow me all around my web browser too. It doesn’t seem stalkerish and creepy at all. To-may-to, to-mah-to. Never seen 'em. And I doubt they are the result of grocery store loyalty cards. And if I did see them, I really don’t think I’d be compelled to buy from said advertiser. Were those goalposts heavy? ---
**Author:** ![ladyfoxfyre](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ad7895/32.png) [@ladyfoxfyre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ladyfoxfyre)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2011, 12:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-grocery-store-complaints/590830/124 "2011-08-03T00:08:30Z")
> [@Yookeroo](#): > > Never seen 'em. And I doubt they are the result of grocery store loyalty cards. And if I did see them, I really don’t think I’d be compelled to buy from said advertiser. > > Were those goalposts heavy? I didn’t realize the issue of annoying marketing techniques across various medium was an unfair comparison. Or that you had so much invested in your impervious resistance to ad campaigns. ---
**Author:** ![Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eyebrows_0f_doom/32/3119_2.png) [@Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eyebrows_0f_Doom)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2011, 1:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-grocery-store-complaints/590830/125 "2011-08-03T01:39:57Z")
> [@ladyfoxfyre](#): > > They use the purchase data and sell it to marketing firms so they can track the pattern of purchases. The marketing firms use this information to design more effective ads that will compel you to buy more things you would otherwise have avoided. Did you really think the grocery stores were just so benevolent that they’d knock off $0.50 of every item for scanning a plastic card? And again I ask, what ads? Do you mean ads like signs in the store itself? Ads in the Sunday paper? Where are all these ads that are going to compel me to buy something I wouldn’t have bought anyway? ---
**Author:** ![ladyfoxfyre](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ad7895/32.png) [@ladyfoxfyre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ladyfoxfyre)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2011, 1:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-grocery-store-complaints/590830/126 "2011-08-03T01:50:19Z")
> [@Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](#): > > And again I ask, what ads? Do you mean ads like signs in the store itself? Ads in the Sunday paper? Where are all these ads that are going to compel me to buy something I wouldn’t have bought anyway? Is this whole situation really that foreign to people? Marketing firms use the information about what things you buy to determine patterns in order to better market other products to you. Here’s a [good article on the topic.](http://www.consumeraffairs.com/news04/2005/loyalty_cards.html) > [@the article](#): > > Supermarket chains care. So does CVS. So much so that they use discount cards (referred to as “membership” or “loyalty” cards) to offer you what seem like great bargains. They use the cards to keep tabs on what you purchase, how often you shop, and what your buying preferences are. > > And, just as data brokers like ChoicePoint collect personal data and use it to build an aggregate “profile” of individual consumers, supermarket chains use their stored data to target buyers with “special” offers and “preferred” advertisements from their marketing partners. > > [snip] > > Many users consider the idea of targeted marketing a boon – if they like one kind of product, why wouldn’t they want to get offers for similar products? That’s the entire point of marketing. To get you to buy things, even if it’s not what you went there to buy, or to position products in such a way that it is psychologically similar to what you went there to buy, to encourage you to purchase more. I really had no idea this knowledge was not more widespread. Did you all really think they were just being super nice by dropping $0.50 off the price of toothpaste? No, it’s to track trends and improve their sales numbers. ---
**Author:** ![control-z](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/eada6e/32.png) [@control-z](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/control-z)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2011, 4:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-grocery-store-complaints/590830/127 "2011-08-03T16:03:04Z")
Long lines and checks. Open up some damn registers! I’m not going to stand and wait 20 or 30 minutes to give you money. Take my money or I’ll put down my items and leave. This is the primary reason I do not go to grocery stores. And checks, why use checks when debit cards are so easy and do the same thing? They don’t help the long line situation at all. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2011, 4:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-grocery-store-complaints/590830/128 "2011-08-03T16:18:26Z")
> [@ladyfoxfyre](#): > > That’s the entire point of marketing. To get you to buy things, even if it’s not what you went there to buy, or to position products in such a way that it is psychologically similar to what you went there to buy, to encourage you to purchase more. I really had no idea this knowledge was not more widespread. Did you all really think they were just being super nice by dropping $0.50 off the price of toothpaste? No, it’s to track trends and improve their sales numbers. And this is wrong _how_? If using my loyalty card means that I’ll get $.50 off the next time I buy toothpaste at that store, and that price is lower than I could find somewhere else, I’ll shop where I get the discount. Big deal. As for “related items,” sometimes these really pay off. I’ve discovered brands I wouldn’t have purchased without the discount coupon that I really like. Marketing drives everything, as noted. Why are people complaining about it? ---
**Author:** ![drbhoneydew](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d78d45/32.png) [@drbhoneydew](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drbhoneydew)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2011, 4:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-grocery-store-complaints/590830/129 "2011-08-03T16:37:50Z")
> [@alphaboi867](#): > > What exactly are you complaining about here? 😕 Are you complaining about not getting the sale price (ie being charged $3.00 for a widget that’s on sale “2 for $4”)? Because if you are the cashier doesn’t have any control over that. Some places will still give you the reduced price even if you’re being fewer items; others won’t. The cashier can’t just overide a pricing policy set by corporate (even managers seldom do that). > > Now if that single widget does ring up for $2.00 and the cashier is still trying to get you to buy two then yes, that is annoying. This tends to be the conversation: “These are buy one get one free today!” “Yes, I know - thanks. But I only want one” “But it’s buy one get one free” :smack: That’s the point my brain goes into meltdown. I’ve explained that I only want one, yet I’m effectively being told that I am stupid for passing up a bargain that I wouldn’t get any benefit out of - the other half would just go to waste. I really hate unnecessary waste, and I know that any further explanation would sound incredibly patronising, and I know the offer can’t be adjusted to get one for half price. Gah! ---
**Author:** ![StarvingButStrong](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/starvingbutstrong/32/335_2.png) [@StarvingButStrong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StarvingButStrong)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2011, 5:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-grocery-store-complaints/590830/130 "2011-08-03T17:04:25Z")
> [@drbhoneydew](#): > > That’s the point my brain goes into meltdown. I’ve explained that I only want one, yet I’m effectively being told that I am stupid for passing up a bargain that I wouldn’t get any benefit out of - the other half would just go to waste. I really hate unnecessary waste, and I know that any further explanation would sound incredibly patronising, and I know the offer can’t be adjusted to get one for half price. Gah! I’m sure not all grocery stores do this, but where I shop they have a big box at the exit for people to donate stuff to the local food pantry. Whenever it’s a BOGO on something I only need one of, I just put the second into the charity box. Ditto for the ‘free item’ coupons I sometimes get – so what if I don’t happen to like mac’n’cheese? Take the freebie and give it away. I’m sure there is someone having hard times who’d be happy to get it. Of course, don’t do this if it’s ice cream or other perishable. Judging by what I see in the donation box, a heck of a lot of other people do the same. ---
**Author:** ![Smeghead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f1d935/32.png) [@Smeghead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smeghead)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2011, 5:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-grocery-store-complaints/590830/131 "2011-08-03T17:05:42Z")
> [@silenus](#): > > And this is wrong _how_? If using my loyalty card means that I’ll get $.50 off the next time I buy toothpaste at that store, and that price is lower than I could find somewhere else, I’ll shop where I get the discount. Big deal. > > As for “related items,” sometimes these really pay off. I’ve discovered brands I wouldn’t have purchased without the discount coupon that I really like. Marketing drives everything, as noted. Why are people complaining about it? I’m leery of turning this into another “loyalty cards are great/evil” thread - we’ve done that plenty of times before. Let me put it very simply. Grocery store chains are putting massive efforts into these cards. They have to make the cards, get people to sign up for them, scan them with every transaction, record the data, use it in some way, provide the associated coupons or whatnot, etc, etc. The usual counterargument at this point is that they’re really not spending a whole lot to keep the system running, but that’s not the point. The point is that the stores are spending _something_ to do this, and from what I’ve seen, nearly every single chain out there has hopped on the bandwagon. Does anyone honestly believe that they would be doing this if there weren’t massive profits to be had from these cards? That they’re doing it out of the goodness of their hearts to give us lower prices? Which, lest we forget, they’re perfectly capable of giving us without cards. OK, so cards = more money for the stores. Well, where does that money come from? There are, no doubt, a lot of factors here, but ultimately, grocery stores get their money from US. We give them money, they give us food. So, however you want to spin it, or whatever tortuous path the money chain takes, cards mean that MORE money transfers from our pockets to theirs. It’s simple logic, and it should be immediately obvious to anyone who stops to think about it. But that’s the trick. They throw up all kinds of distractions to prevent that from happening - also known as “marketing”. ---
**Author:** ![LaurenIpsum](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7993a0/32.png) [@LaurenIpsum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LaurenIpsum)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2011, 5:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-grocery-store-complaints/590830/132 "2011-08-03T17:50:40Z")
> [@Lynn\_Bodoni](#): > > Banks have the right idea. ONE line, and when a teller is done with a customer, s/he signals the next person in line. For a grocery store, the checker should signal when the first transaction is being paid for, to enable the next person to start unloading the cart. I don’t have a cite for this, because I can’t remember where I read it. But I read an online article a few years ago that said some store(s) did a study that showed customers prefer “the look” of multiple short lines to one long line. So if they see one long line (no matter how fast it’s moving) some of them may be inclined to leave without making their purchase because they don’t want to wait. But having multiple short lines gives the impression (however false) of there being a shorter wait. ---
**Author:** ![Enderw24](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ba9def/32.png) [@Enderw24](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enderw24)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2011, 6:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-grocery-store-complaints/590830/133 "2011-08-03T18:39:23Z")
I have no illusions that grocery stores are doing loyalty cards out of the goodness of their hearts. I know full well they’re tracking my purchases. For fuck’s sake, people. They’re not implanting chips in your teeth. They’re telling you that you can save 50 cents on agranola bar purchase and giving you a free salad every 10th purchase. If you don’t want to save 50 cents or get those free leefy greens, then you’re best to not sign up. Me? I’d take your card too if it saved me $1.00 on granola bars. Market research me twice! ---
**Author:** ![Smeghead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f1d935/32.png) [@Smeghead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smeghead)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2011, 6:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-grocery-store-complaints/590830/134 "2011-08-03T18:42:34Z")
> [@Enderw24](#): > > I have no illusions that grocery stores are doing loyalty cards out of the goodness of their hearts. I know full well they’re tracking my purchases. > > For fuck’s sake, people. They’re not implanting chips in your teeth. They’re telling you that you can save 50 cents on agranola bar purchase and giving you a free salad every 10th purchase. If you don’t want to save 50 cents or get those free leefy greens, then you’re best to not sign up. Me? I’d take your card too if it saved me $1.00 on granola bars. Market research me twice! But that’s exactly what I’m talking about. They may offer you an occasional flashy discount, but they’re bringing in MORE MONEY overall. That means that 50 cents off is offset by an extra dime on your milk, or a quarter on your bread. You _will_ end up paying more overall. You HAVE to for the system to work, and it obviously works very, very well, as evidenced by how many stores use it. ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2011, 6:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-grocery-store-complaints/590830/135 "2011-08-03T18:48:59Z")
Well, no. I don’t have to pay more. Just somebody has to pay more. 😃 And if they make their money by jacking up the prices on stuff I don’t buy, then I don’t care. We shop at three or more stores for groceries anyway. If the loyalty card store has higher prices on milk, we just buy it at Store #2 when we next shop there. No huhu. ---
**Author:** ![Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eyebrows_0f_doom/32/3119_2.png) [@Eyebrows\_0f\_Doom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eyebrows_0f_Doom)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2011, 9:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-grocery-store-complaints/590830/136 "2011-08-03T21:13:16Z")
> [@ladyfoxfyre](#): > > That’s the entire point of marketing. To get you to buy things, even if it’s not what you went there to buy, or to position products in such a way that it is psychologically similar to what you went there to buy, to encourage you to purchase more. I really had no idea this knowledge was not more widespread. Did you all really think they were just being super nice by dropping $0.50 off the price of toothpaste? No, it’s to track trends and improve their sales numbers. OK, and then… what? That is what I am missing here. So the store knows that I purchase tons of Vitamin Water or a specific brand of sauce when it goes on sale. How does that then get turned into me purchasing something else? So they are tracking what sells. Who cares? How is that even a thing at all? 😕 Your original objection to the loyalty cards was that they cause “ads” and you still have not said what ads and where. Boy, people here get really paranoid if anyone anywhere knows anything about them, even if it’s the most benign information. ---
**Author:** ![kushiel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/bbce88/32.png) [@kushiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kushiel)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2011, 10:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-grocery-store-complaints/590830/137 "2011-08-03T22:43:46Z")
No bakery bulk bins. Yeah, I can throw those extra baked goods into the freezer, but they never taste as good after being unthawed. ☹ > [@Smeghead](#): > > I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again, even though I know exactly how big a can of worms it’ll open: > > FUCK LOYALTY CARDS! > > Sadly, we don’t have a single store around here that doesn’t extort you into carrying one. > > Also, selection in this area is absolute crap, but that’s more about where we live than grocery stores being useless. Three years living here, and we’ve never once managed to get a whole week’s shopping done at one store. Safeway lets you give a phone number instead of the physical card. Safeway is the only place I want to be my mother. > [@runner pat](#): > > Or she’s going to use her ATM card _for the first time_. > > Or the 600th time and she doesn’t remember how. Or her PIN. Or she tries to pay with a gas card. Or Macy’s. My dad gave up and just hands the card to whichever family member he’s with. > [@Lynn\_Bodoni](#): > > Banks have the right idea. ONE line, and when a teller is done with a customer, s/he signals the next person in line. For a grocery store, the checker should signal when the first transaction is being paid for, to enable the next person to start unloading the cart. Walmart does that in their express lanes here. It’s pretty awesome. ---
**Author:** ![tumbleddown](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e9bcb4/32.png) [@tumbleddown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tumbleddown)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2011, 12:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-grocery-store-complaints/590830/138 "2011-08-04T00:14:28Z")
This is a shopper complaint, not a store complaint. Stop cutting off people using the motorized carts. Yes, I know the carts aren’t as fast as you are on feet. Guess what else they aren’t? Equipped with **brakes**. They stop because the throttle is off, not because a brake is applied, and that means that their stopping time? About two to three times of yours on feet. Also? They weigh about 200 pounds plus the weight of the passenger and their groceries and handle like a load of wet terrycloth towels. Not only do they not stop fast, the ability to steer around an obstacle is limited as well. Especially an obstacle created by an inconsiderate jackass. Do the math. You can wait five seconds for me to roll past you instead of barrelling out of the aisle without looking for people down at “on wheels” height and expecting me to let you pass when that means I’m forced to try to stop several hundred mechanized pounds dead without any actual means to do so. Stop that crap, people on feet. Or enjoy being hit, because I’m not stopping for people who don’t look any more. I’ve wrenched my wrist yanking my hand away from the throttle more times than I can count, and I’m not doing it any more. ---
**Author:** ![divemaster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/divemaster/32/78_2.png) [@divemaster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/divemaster)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2011, 2:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-grocery-store-complaints/590830/139 "2011-08-04T02:01:33Z")
Ok, so I’m shopping. I head for the most remote, out of the way aisle in the store. Let’s say I’m after octopus eyeballs. Ah, here they are, octopus eyeballs! No one is in the aisle. No one has been in this aisle all day. Possibly no one has been in this aisle since the store opened 15 years ago. There’s cobwebs across the aisle. Crickets chirping. _Perfect place to let out a fart_. Oh, sweet relief! But then all of a sudden there are 20 people crowding around looking for octopus eyeballs. WTF! At the checkout–I am a great coupon shopper. I always get the correct item and make sure I purchase the correct amount. I even place each coupon _directly on top of the item being purchased_. The cashier will inevitably gather them all up in a stack and scan them after all the items. But half of them aren’t programmed into the system and don’t scan. Cashier: This coupon doesn’t scan. Did you purchase 2 Suave shampoos? Me: Of course, that’s what the coupon is for. Cashier: Well it deosn’t scan. And that’s my fault because…? Cashier: (Dig dig dig through the bag–oh, here are the shampoos, huh, I don’t know what the problem is–I’ll have to call the manager. You know what comes next–flipping the light so it blinks; anyone else in the line rolls their eyes and sighs–the dreaded blinking light. Repeat for half the coupons–all of which are 100% valid but somehow can’t be processed. ☹ ---
**Author:** ![Moonlitherial](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4bbf92/32.png) [@Moonlitherial](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moonlitherial)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2011, 2:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-grocery-store-complaints/590830/140 "2011-08-04T02:09:07Z")
Oh oh I remember the one I hate. The store emails me coupons which I then must print out. When I bring them into the store the conversation goes something like this - Cashier - We don’t accept internet coupons Me - These aren’t from the internet you emailed them to me C - But you printed them yourself Me - Yes that was the only option unless you can scan it off my phone - Here is the email from your corp. C- We don’t accept internet coupons Me - _head/counter_ Later with manager: Me- Is there a reason your company is mailing me coupons you won’t let me use in your store? Him - There is too much fraud in internet coupons Me - Great I understand that - so why do you keep mailing them to me Him - We can’t accept them Me - Okay stop mailing them to customers then if no one can use them. Him - Oh other stores accept them Me - Are you saying that THIS store _looks around at the average 80yr old clientele_ has more internet fraud than your other stores?? Him - We can’t accept them Me - _head/shopping cart_ Later that same night Me - Emails complaint to corp Corp responds with Thanks for your feedback, please enjoy these coupons. Me - _head/desk_ [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-grocery-store-complaints/590830.md?page=6) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-grocery-store-complaints/590830.md?page=8)