Whole Foods workers seek to unionize • Hacker News Board

Re: Whole Foods workers seek to unionize

#81

Post by rbritton » Thu, Sep 06, 2018, 11:57 PM UTC

lsmarigo wrote: post #73

imagiko wrote: post #38

I have noticed that the cashier's have gotten pushy about asking about a Prime account, and very recently about a charity donation. It's a good way to 'make' people donate when asked upfront. I'm sure the probability of people donating increases. When I denied, I was asked if I'd like to round off my payment and have the balance donated. Honestly, it's very annoying. Whole foods is unfortunately becoming an REI store…

Panda Express kicks this up a notch and has a little bell they ring whenever someone donates their change adding an element of social pressure/shame, super scummy

I absolutely hate their charity solicitation. If I’m going to donate to anything, it’s going to be a charity of my own choice after a thorough vetting with no middlemen. Next time I go there, I’m tempted to request they round down my total instead.

Re: Whole Foods workers seek to unionize

#82

Post by borski » Thu, Sep 06, 2018, 11:58 PM UTC

imagiko wrote: post #79

borski wrote: post #76

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Sorry, what's wrong with REI? I've never been asked to donate to charity at my local REI...

Haven't you been pushed about getting an REI membership? I think twice before asking any REI salesman for help, because I know they are going to push me to get a membership. They're doing their job since their incentives are tied to memberships to some degree, but it makes for a poor experience. /edit:I'd rather be asked about a membership once at the cashier's than by every sales staff I talk to during my visit.

Oh, I see. To be fair, I signed up and paid $20 for a membership many years ago; it's a one-time fee to never have to worry about saving receipts, which is a massive win for me since I shop there so often, and to get the dividend which inevitably amounts to far more than the one-time $20 charge.

So, to be fair, I don't recall being pushed, since it made sense to me, and they wouldn't push me now because I'm already a member.

Re: Whole Foods workers seek to unionize

#83

Post by hugoL » Thu, Sep 06, 2018, 11:59 PM UTC

throw2016 wrote: post #23

There are trade bodies, industry bodies, industry associations, chambers of commerce, special interest groups, lobbying groups and it goes on. Every business and corporate is a member of multiple bodies to further their interests and nobody questions these groupings. Yet employee and worker bodies causes discussion and debate as if somehow only this aspect of economic life should not seek to promote and protect their…

Simple: A cartel increases profits, a union doesn't. :(

Re: Whole Foods workers seek to unionize

#84

Post by astrodust » Fri, Sep 07, 2018, 12:01 AM UTC

simonsarris wrote: post #57

driverdan wrote: post #48

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> The average person now has access to healthier grocery / purchasing options WF's food is not any healthier than the food you find in other stores.

There are no added hormones in WF meat. There are no hydrogenated oils in any of their products. There are no phthalates in any of their beauty/wash products. Obviously you can define health however yo want, and you can scan the shelves of other stores for these same things. Maybe you can find a couple phthalate-free shampoos in Target, read a bunch of articles and memorize the good brands and hope they don't change.…

No added hormones is normal in most countries, but apparently in the USA you need to go out of your way to not do that.

Re: Whole Foods workers seek to unionize

#85

Post by cedivad » Fri, Sep 07, 2018, 12:03 AM UTC

srtjstjsj wrote: post #49

imagiko wrote: post #38

I have noticed that the cashier's have gotten pushy about asking about a Prime account, and very recently about a charity donation. It's a good way to 'make' people donate when asked upfront. I'm sure the probability of people donating increases. When I denied, I was asked if I'd like to round off my payment and have the balance donated. Honestly, it's very annoying. Whole foods is unfortunately becoming an REI store…

That's the new trend in many grocery stores. Someone on HN or Reddit mentioned that grocery charities are actually a tactic to estimate the sign of the derivative of e the customer base's grocery-discretionary income, as a hint of when to raise prices.

HN; the place where people use "sign of the derivative" instead of "trend" or "growth".

Re: Whole Foods workers seek to unionize

#86

Post by cliffordthedog » Fri, Sep 07, 2018, 12:03 AM UTC

Good timing, last thing Amazon will want right now is a battle with a union. Especially for a company they acquired so recently (shows that things got quickly worse with Amazon in charge).

Good luck Whole Foods workers.

Re: Whole Foods workers seek to unionize

#87

Post by nordsieck » Fri, Sep 07, 2018, 12:05 AM UTC

dasil003 wrote: post #72

EpicEng wrote: post #29

Earlier quoted context omitted.

And you'd be fired because no one else lives in the world you've created in your head.

So the “real” world is one ruled by corporations where the decision maker on all policies is someone that never comes within earshot of an actual customer transaction? I guess that is arguably the world we have been trending towards but it’s not the only viable world.

> So the “real” world is one ruled by corporations where the decision maker on all policies is someone that never comes within earshot of an actual customer transaction?

The real world is one where you do the job you're paid to do.

Re: Whole Foods workers seek to unionize

#88

Post by paulie_a » Fri, Sep 07, 2018, 12:06 AM UTC

EpicEng wrote: post #29

matthewmacleod wrote: post #20

Earlier quoted context omitted.

but if you're reminded repeatedly by management and you continue not to, then what would you expect to happen? I’d expect a massive fucking award for not constantly pissing off customers with this nonsense.

And you'd be fired because no one else lives in the world you've created in your head.

Guess what? You create more business by not annoying your customers and providing awesome service. These poor attempts at annoying your customers means you will have less of them.

Re: Whole Foods workers seek to unionize

#89

Post by cliffordthedog » Fri, Sep 07, 2018, 12:06 AM UTC

imagiko wrote: post #38

I have noticed that the cashier's have gotten pushy about asking about a Prime account, and very recently about a charity donation. It's a good way to 'make' people donate when asked upfront. I'm sure the probability of people donating increases. When I denied, I was asked if I'd like to round off my payment and have the balance donated. Honestly, it's very annoying. Whole foods is unfortunately becoming an REI store…

ha, I had a job interview recently and they had me do a take home thing. They offered to pay me for it, just a few hundred dollars for the time I put in. That's cool.

But in the email they asked if I wanted the money, or I could donate it.

Right now I could use the money, but now I feel just a little bad about it.

Re: Whole Foods workers seek to unionize

#90

Post by jdck1326 » Fri, Sep 07, 2018, 12:07 AM UTC

twothamendment wrote: post #64

kevin_thibedeau wrote: post #17

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> The average person now has access to healthier grocery / purchasing options Because every other grocery store is selling poison? The average person doesn't even have a WF near them to shop at.

Your comment made me search for the nearest one. According to Google Maps, the nearest Whole Foods Market is over 10 hours away. I guess I'll shop Half Foods Market like I always do.

>10 hours away

Time isn't a very good measure of distance