Your grocery store complaints

[tumbleddown]

@Balthisar

Observe right of way. If I’m in the main aisle and you’re on the secondary aisle, stop! Don’t just barrel out into the main aisle. It’s just like driving. Hell, it is driving.

Not just on secondary vs. main aisles. Every time I go shopping, I have this experience at least once. I’ll be motoring along down a secondary aisle on my side of the aisle (keeping to the right, just like driving) and someone on feet whose side of the aisle is blocked with a column or display or another shopper or whatever will just keep walking toward me on my side of the aisle, without any awareness that they’re playing chicken with about 600 pounds of mechanized rolling doom. Because I have decency and a moral objection to running into their cart and knocking them over backwards, I’m always the one that has to pull up short because they feel entitled to be on my side of the aisle because they’re faster.

That crap? Knock that crap off, people.

@perfectparanoia

I just don’t get how this is a privacy issue (sign up as a name that is not yours with an address that is not yours).

Seriously, all of my affinity cards are in the name of Noya F. Geschäft.

[overlyverbose]

@ladyfoxfyre

I’ll give a personal example of how annoying this is. One time, my mother was in town and wanted to stop by CVS to grab a couple things. I gave her my CVS card to scan when she made her purchase. Turns out she bought a bottle of Beano during her trip. So every week for like 3 fucking years I would get a coupon for Beano printed out with my receipt. Apparently the purchase of Beano one time on my card fucked with their algorithm so badly that they assumed I needed it nearly constantly, and were constantly printing coupons for it for years afterward. Yeah, just throw it away, I know. But it was a constant reminder of “we know everything that you’ve ever purchased, ever”.

I think that’s true of most credit cards, actually. I went to a seminar once on consumer data and target marketing. All purchases you make through a credit card are logged and most are available for sale to other companies. One of the speakers was a privacy policy specialist for an insurance company. We were talking after one of the breakouts, and he told me that there are 33,000 points of data that can be saved and bought and sold on people. These include single data points, such as “overly bought chips at the store” to “overly owns a mini-van but is single and has a fishing license.” These are important, especially to an insurance company, because things like that can tell you a lot about the overall health of a person, even things that you wouldn’t imagine had anything to do with health. For example, he indicated that based on their research, someone who owned a mini-van but had no kids was more likely to be fat than someone who didn’t. Someone who has a fishing license is more likely to smoke than most people. Keep in mind that these are all trends and don’t mean that everyone who buys X does Y.

It’s actually kind of scary how much data is available on any given person. In my opinion, loyalty cards are the least of my concern. That information is already out there for more or less any enterprising company to buy.

[etv78]

@Foxy40

Unfortunately, getting on the cashier is pointless. They are usually told not to say a word when people have an overage of items on the express lane. Leave the poor cashier out of it. Generally he/she isn’t permitted to turn the person away.

I’m on EBT and I’ve NEVER gotten any “lip” from anybody! Maybe I’m lucky.

[Alley_Dweller]

@Smeghead

The efficiency possibility had occurred to me. However, I don’t see how having individualized data would increase their ability to do this over simple aggregated data. In other words, for this purpose, knowing “last month we sold X number of these and Y number of those” should be just as useful as knowing “Person A bought 3 of these and person B bought 4 of these…”

The goal of the supermarket is to make the most money overall. Their weekly ads have loss-leaders, items which they sell below cost, in the hopes that they will attract shoppers who buy something else, not just the loss-leader. Profits on individual items can be sacrificed to increase overall profitability of the store.

So let’s say marinated artichoke hearts aren’t selling very quickly, but chopped liver is. You are evaluating your store’s inventory. If you don’t have individualized data, you decide “let’s get rid of the marinated artichoke hearts and devote the space to more varieties of chopped liver!”

But you do have individualized data. You look at who’s buying. You say “Holy smokes! The marinated artichoke hearts are being bought mainly by the top 10% of our profitable customers. They never buy chopped liver. The typical chopped liver buyer is someone who mainly comes in to clear the shelves of loss-leaders. Even with the chopped liver sales, we don’t make an overall profit on these guys.” Your inventory decision: Don’t alienate your top most profitable customers, save the marinated artichoke hearts. The cherry-pickers can go somewhere else and we won’t miss them, so let’s get rid of the chopped liver. That’s the most efficient decision in terms of making a profit for the store.

[Yookeroo]

@ladyfoxfyre

Listen, I don’t know what beef you have with me over this issue, it’s clear you don’t give a shit and I do, so trying to convince me that they’re doing it “Oh so they can better serve their customers!!!” is a waste of time and incorrect to boot. Their goal is to make more money off you, period.

Well, duh. One way to do this is to give your customers better service. Knowing what customers want so you know what to offer them serves the customer.

@ladyfoxfyre

Yeah, because I said that they’re evil. :rolleyes: No, I said it’s annoying. And facilitates them learning how to better exploit their customers in order to sell them more shit. You’re fine with receiving targeted ads because they “help them help their customers more”. I have sat in on corporate discussions for providers of loyalty cards, I can assure you they are not talking about how “awesome it would be if we could just make our customers save more money!”.

There are ways to better serve a customer other than saving them money. A store carrying products I want does me service. And makes them more money.

@ladyfoxfyre

They’re talking about how people who use cards spend on average 24% more per visit to the store than shoppers who don’t use loyalty cards. And how if they see you buy brand name X product, and offer you a coupon for Store Brand X product, their profit margins will increase by 36% when you likely buy that product instead of the brand next time.

Yeah. So? And if I try to store brand (is this me being compelled?)and find it inferior, I won’t buy it again. But if the store brand saves me money and is as good as other brands, I’m saving money. If that helps their bottom line, more power to them for offering the same quality at a better price.

[Annie-Xmas]

@etv78

I’m on EBT and I’ve NEVER gotten any “lip” from anybody! Maybe I’m lucky.

This was in refeerence to my comments about cashiers allowing people with more than the limited number of items in express lanes.

Once your transaction is complete, get out of the checkout lane. Do not stand there counting your change, reading your receipt and checking your bags for five minutes while other people have to stand there waiting behind you.

[Rebo]

@MsWhatsit

I once got a notification of a food recall printed out on my grocery receipt because they knew I’d purchased the item in question, due to my using a shopper’s card. I mean, those five jars of Spaghetti-Os (don’t judge me) probably wouldn’t have killed anyone anyway, but I wouldn’t have known about the recall without the notice on my receipt. Yes, I know that’s not what the shopper’s cards were originally meant for, but it’s a nice little side bonus. And I don’t care about the targeted ads either. I’m going to get ads either way so they might as well be targeted.

I got an automated phone call this morning about a ground turkey recall. The turkey may possibly have salmonella. I can take the turkey back to the store and get a refund. (I won’t - I just threw it away because I’m lazy.) They called me earlier this year about a frozen spinach recall, too.

I’m very glad they called me. All thanks to my shopper’s card! They send me coupons and e-coupons all the time. I only shop at that particular store (see “lazy” comment above) so it makes good sense for me to take advantage of discounts for products I’m going to buy anyway!

[Buttercup_Smith]

Since when does a quart size jar of Hellman’s mayo cost $8.34? Since you started the fuel perks reward card. I’m looking at you Winn Dixie.

[MPB_in_Salt_Lake]

I noticed that a few Dopers have brought up EBT (“Food Stamp”) cards.

I hesitate to post this, but what the hell…

Just yesterday, I was in the check-out line and there was a young woman (25 or so, I would guess) in front of me with a cartful of groceries on the conveyor belt, so I put my few items on the belt and then used the divider stick to separate our items.

Because I was waiting in close quarters, (and maybe because the young woman was fairly attractive, except for the extensive tattoo on her lower back) I happened to note to myself that damn near everything she was buying was gourmet, organic, premium, high-end, name brand stuff—It was clear that she had some VERY discriminating tastes; She was obviously going for only top-of-the-line food, and racking up quite the heavy bill in the process. (one of her purchases was a small tub of fresh, gourmet salsa, made by a local Mexican restaurant here in Salt Lake, which sells for $5.99, which is why I never buy it for myself, even though it’s fucking excellent stuff)

Anyway, as I am sure you can all see where I am going with this, when the food was all rung up, she handed the cashier an envelope and told her that she had just received this benefit card in the mail (I guess food stamps are all electronic these days?) and didn’t yet know how to use it.

The clerk explained that she would have to pay cash for her 12 pack of Heineken and for her Camel Lights, (and probably some other stuff too) and then proceeded to complete the transaction.

Just a little food for thought.

(I of course didn’t say a word to anyone about my personal thoughts on the matter. As I only had some juice and yogurt, I got out quickly and then happened to see the young lady loading her food into a beat-up old car next to where I was parked)

[Frank]

@MPB_in_Salt_Lake

I noticed that a few Dopers have brought up EBT (“Food Stamp”) cards.

I hesitate to post this, but what the hell…

How is this anecdote relevant to the thread?

[Annie-Xmas]

To get my EBT card, I had to go to the Social Service office, give them a lot of paperwork, then go again to be photographed and get the card after I entered my four digit code into a machine.

I doubt any state sends them in the mail in this age of mail theft.

Yes, people have commented on my purchases made with the food card. One lovely lady told me that, instead of buying sugar-free drink mix (the el cheapo brand is 8 sticks for a buck), I should drink water. She had three 6 packs of Coke cans!

[kiz]

@StarvingButStrong

I don’t even know what a ‘bakery bulk bin’ is. Do you mean the plastic boxes they keep the various flavors of bagels in?

Exactlly

An example of a bakery bulk case (it’s midway down the page)

[Lynn_Bodoni]

And why is it that I can’t find just plain bagels? I can find blueberry and chocolate chip and onion bagels. I can find mini bagels. But can I find a plain bagel that will fit into my toaster? No, I cannot.

[StarvingButStrong]

Bah! Who wants plain bagels?

Cinnamon raisin rulez!

[Lynn_Bodoni]

I want plain bagels. I prefer to avoid raisins, as my mother thought that raisins were the Perfect Snack and I got them all the time as a kid. And even though I love cinnamon, I want to put cream cheese and ham on my toasted bagels. My toasted PLAIN bagels.

I will be happy to give you my share of cinnamon raisin bagels.

[Foxy40]

@Lynn_Bodoni

And why is it that I can’t find just plain bagels? I can find blueberry and chocolate chip and onion bagels. I can find mini bagels. But can I find a plain bagel that will fit into my toaster? No, I cannot.

Totally with you on this. As are my coworkers apparently. Every week one of our business associates brings in a dozen bagels and every week the one plain and one poppy seed get eaten and the blueberry, cranberry, raisins, and whatever else ends up in the trash. I guess some may like these flavored bagels but apparently none of these people happen to work for me.

I gently mentioned to him that he may want to just get a dozen plain as that is everyone’s preference and he said the ones he picks up are prepackaged by the door so he just grabs a bunch of them for his clients.

Seems like a total waste of money but I tried.

[Annie-Xmas]

@Lynn_Bodoni

And why is it that I can’t find just plain bagels? I can find blueberry and chocolate chip and onion bagels. I can find mini bagels. But can I find a plain bagel that will fit into my toaster? No, I cannot.

Try finding plain anything. I want my potato chips to taste like potatoes and salt, but cheese or vinegar, or barbecue.

[MPB_in_Salt_Lake]

@Annie-Xmas

To get my EBT card, I had to go to the Social Service office, give them a lot of paperwork, then go again to be photographed and get the card after I entered my four digit code into a machine.

I doubt any state sends them in the mail in this age of mail theft.

Well, I don’t remember EXACTLY what she said to the cashier when she handed the envelope to the cashier, but she said something to the effect of that she had just received the card and needed the cashier’s help to activate/use it…

That wasn’t really the point of my post—Obviously my point was that I HATE all poor people and want them to starve to death in the gutter, while I drive by in my Rolls Royce, drinking champagne and lighting cigars with $100 dollar bills.

Seriously, of all of the things that my taxes go to support, various Social Services programs (like food stamps) is among the most worthy, but it rubbed me the wrong way to see this young lady splurging on the very most expensive, gourmet, high-priced items she could find, especially when she can obviously afford pricey imported beer and cigarettes on her own dime.

If that makes me a heartless ogre, so be it.

[kiz]

@Lynn_Bodoni

And why is it that I can’t find just plain bagels? I can find blueberry and chocolate chip and onion bagels. I can find mini bagels. But can I find a plain bagel that will fit into my toaster? No, I cannot.

Because plain bagels are the biggest seller. We can barely keep them in stock. On Sundays – our busiest day – we’ll go through a couple or so cases, I kid you not, within a few hours.

Side note: I’ve never liked plain bagels, nor cinnamon raisin. Everything, cranberry, chocolate chip, whole wheat, and blueberry for the win!

[Bri2k]

Dear surly check-out lady,
Would it kill you to offer even just a base-line amount of customer service? Would your face shatter if you smiled just once? Would you dissolve like the wicked witch of the west if you replied to even one of my “thank yous” with a “you’re welcome”? In fact, since I’m the customer, you should be thanking me!

This is the second week in a row I’ve had to deal with your unfriendly demeanor. If you find yourself challenged in finding better employment, maybe this is the reason.

Oh and I would’ve gladly preferred a self-checkout line, but they only have the dinky ones which aren’t very suitable for a cart full of groceries.

Here’s hoping I do better in the “check-out lottery” next week,
Bri2k