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Americans are poorly served by their grocery stores

economist.com

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Re: Americans are poorly served by their grocery stores

#311

Post by iratewizard »

js2 wrote: post #305
w-ll wrote: post #286

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I feel the same with with orange juice FROM concentrate vs the shelf stable stuff, everyone calls me crazy for it.

I’m from Florida. You’re crazy. Both are equally bad. If you want fresh orange juice, buy Florida oranges and squeeze the juice yourself. They aren’t very good for eating though. For that you want California navels. (Florida’s true delicacies are the keylime and the stone crab. I’ve never gotten a keylime in a grocery store that comes close to what grows on the trees in the state. And stone crab you’ll never find in…

I had no idea there was a difference between the oranges. What I know about is apples, growing up near a lot of apple farms. It's probably not worth trying to compare our niche insight, though.

Re: Americans are poorly served by their grocery stores

#313

Post by floren »

dhosek wrote: post #202
floren wrote: post #48

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Trader Joe's originated as a spin-off of the Rexall drugstore chain, so you're closer than you think.

I don't know where you get that from, but, um, no. Not remotely true.

From Wikipedia:

> Also in 1958, Rexall employee Joe Coulombe was asked to test the launch of Pronto Markets, a store brand to compete against 7-Eleven. After running six Pronto Markets in the Los Angeles area, Rexall asked Coulombe to close them down. Coulombe decided to buy them out instead, and eventually renamed the chain "Trader Joe's".

(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rexall#Growth)

Re: Americans are poorly served by their grocery stores

#314

Post by burnished »

ramraj07 wrote: post #279
DubiousPusher wrote: post #172

I grew up in Montana so I am probably one of the few millennial Americans that probably recalls what life is like before supermarkets. They were just becoming a thing there as I was growing up. (Very, What's Eating Gilbert Grape.) We had an IGA in the small town I grew up in. The fresh food options there were borderline Soviet. We went to a butcher to get our meat when we didn't have meat from hunting. We got produce…

I’d trust a good can of tomatoes before I touch the borderline unappealing off season strawberries they have in those markets. Happy that you’re trying not to judge but looks like you still have a ways to go before getting off a high horse. As oogway says, “one often meets their destiny on their path to avoid it.” When I remember the solid research showing people taking multivitamins die faster I keep thinking what m…

>Like your railing on frozen food. You realize frozen food is far fresher and less likely to have “chemicals” or whatever is your choice enemy right?

I think you're making stuff up here.

Re: Americans are poorly served by their grocery stores

#315

Post by sieabahlpark »

tthun wrote: post #72

I am not sure how this article got past any editorial checks. First they state prices are too low in the US to make any profit, then on the next paragraph goes on to talk about “yet” Americans getting served less. Finally reverting back complaining Americans are not getting a good deal. author also use gross profit of Walmart, which sells everything from salt to guns, as a measure of profitability for “grocery” store…

The purpose of this article is to serve as propaganda. It purposely diverts the blame from the government to the "big bad stores"

Re: Americans are poorly served by their grocery stores

#316

Post by zugi »

tthun wrote: post #72

I am not sure how this article got past any editorial checks. First they state prices are too low in the US to make any profit, then on the next paragraph goes on to talk about “yet” Americans getting served less. Finally reverting back complaining Americans are not getting a good deal. author also use gross profit of Walmart, which sells everything from salt to guns, as a measure of profitability for “grocery” store…

Agreed, I too was surprised to see such a fact-deprived article from the Economist. While reading it I wondered if the Economist had started a public "blog" section or something, but that doesn't seem to be the case.

Re: Americans are poorly served by their grocery stores

#317

Post by DubiousPusher »

realcertify wrote: post #222
DubiousPusher wrote: post #172

I grew up in Montana so I am probably one of the few millennial Americans that probably recalls what life is like before supermarkets. They were just becoming a thing there as I was growing up. (Very, What's Eating Gilbert Grape.) We had an IGA in the small town I grew up in. The fresh food options there were borderline Soviet. We went to a butcher to get our meat when we didn't have meat from hunting. We got produce…

Yes, but the taste of the veggies, fruits, berries and meat is far worse in supermarkets vs buying directly from growers / butchers.

Sometimes yes, sometimes no. The pork I get front eh supermarket today is better than what we used to get buying half a pig from our local market.

Apples also are better because supermarkets have the ability to harvest from a large geography whereas small markets only provided provincially available varieties like red delicious.

Most metropolitan supermarkets can provide air chilled chicken which has never been frozen.

But in contrast, no steak will surpass what you can get in Montana from a rancher raising grass fed beef.

Re: Americans are poorly served by their grocery stores

#318

Post by rejor121 »

s5300 wrote: post #270
lettergram wrote: post #260

Earlier quoted context omitted.

For what it’s worth I grew up with super markets and it still blows my mind. Has since I was a kid, how do I have strawberries in winter!? It’s also what has enabled us to diversify. Easy to obtain any food, any time, without much meal prep. I personally am still looking to grow, store and remain self-sufficiently. But it’s entirely a life style choice; built out of my fear for the further. Ask yourself, can the next…

So, basically - California needs nuke energy, & fast. Easiest thing that should happen but never will. Can’t wait to see how things turn out, that being said.

And water, which is becoming more and more scarce

Re: Americans are poorly served by their grocery stores

#319

Post by cbhl »

jandrewrogers wrote: post #245
DubiousPusher wrote: post #172

I grew up in Montana so I am probably one of the few millennial Americans that probably recalls what life is like before supermarkets. They were just becoming a thing there as I was growing up. (Very, What's Eating Gilbert Grape.) We had an IGA in the small town I grew up in. The fresh food options there were borderline Soviet. We went to a butcher to get our meat when we didn't have meat from hunting. We got produce…

American grocery stores have become absolutely amazing in my lifetime, from a pretty poor start (also growing up in the rural west). The diversity of fresh, high quality foods available most of the year is astonishing. And that is just your average suburban supermarket. Bigger cities have an incredible range of boutique food purveyors to meet the demands of every obscure desire or requirement. This is linked back int…

"Appreciate" is, perhaps, not the right word. Maybe "worry"?

Younger generations grew up on a message of climate change and it can be disconcerting to walk into a grocery store and find the entire produce department to be a geography lesson. This from Peru, that from Mexico, the other from Alaska, all flown and trucked in on a cold chain straight from some far-away monoculture farm.

If anything I suspect the increased supply chain insecurity (2020 through today) will help a lot of younger folks (unfortunately) develop an appreciation for the marvel of megamarts' supply chains.

Re: Americans are poorly served by their grocery stores

#320

Post by [deleted] »

burnished wrote: post #314
ramraj07 wrote: post #279

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I’d trust a good can of tomatoes before I touch the borderline unappealing off season strawberries they have in those markets. Happy that you’re trying not to judge but looks like you still have a ways to go before getting off a high horse. As oogway says, “one often meets their destiny on their path to avoid it.” When I remember the solid research showing people taking multivitamins die faster I keep thinking what m…

>Like your railing on frozen food. You realize frozen food is far fresher and less likely to have “chemicals” or whatever is your choice enemy right? I think you're making stuff up here.

[deleted]
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