Dockworkers strike

[OccamsRazor]

It's cute and it removes the tipping issue, but also there go thousands of jobs, so I'm against it and don't patronize places that have implemented it. I'm happy to tip a server so she can feed her child and pay her rent.

I do not tip if I order my food standing up. PERIOD! I hate it when they shove the Ipad or tablet in my face asking if I want to tip or not. "Tip for what? Typing on a keyboard?? I am doing that and no one is giving me a tip!"
On the other hand, I tip very well at sit down dining establishments ONLY if the service warrants it. Tipping when it does not warrant it merely because of social pressure only reinforces the notion that it s "automatic."

 

[vraiblonde]

Business would not be investing in Tech unless the cost / benefit fits

Are State Min Wages pricing people out the JOB Market ?
Yeah the robot might break down, but is that less then the waitress calling out sick because her child came home from school sick

You're missing the point. I'm not talking about what benefits the Corporate America, but what benefits communities and the nation as a whole. When it comes to a choice between paying a billionaire and paying a local human, I vote for the human as often as possible.

 

[SamSpade]

Are you trying to say there are no Asian cooking sites with recipes on the internet, complete with links to buy product?

Not even a little. I have cookbooks, too, but nothing quite beats when a PERSON who has done it, makes a suggestion.

I'm say, cooking bulgogi or chicken marsala. And I look at recipes and reviews - and sometimes, when I buy their product ONLINE - meh. It's not like I send it back, but it means, not buying that again. Last time I went to one of the Asian stores, she recommended a sauce she uses for one of the things I was making, and suggested using refrigerated noodles instead of the bags - and went in the back to pack one for me. BIG hit. Also learned from her - you do need to cook them soon - the "vacuum pack" isn't good enough.

PLUS - you know I like to talk.

No one at Giant, or Harris Teeter or ALDI or any other place is going to do more than tell me what's on their shelf. They have zero experience and zero interest in what I am doing, and they could give a crap about my business. Although at Giant, they know me well enough to try and help out.

But this is what I'm talking about. Big Box and Big Online will always beat out the local retailer because they sell on volume. But that doesn't put money back into the community, nor does it keep your neighbors employed.

shrug - Sometimes I go that, sometimes not. If there's local produce, I will usually buy that, but not if it's a freak ton markup. Local is good if it was on the vine this morning, or the hen popped it out that day. I know it's fresh and probably hasn't been sprayed with stuff to make it look good. But NOT if they slapped a label on it, but they shipped it across country to put it in their vegetable stand. Ditto restaurants, where I tend to eschew chains for local fare.

BUT - hey, money's tight. I can't support local if you charge twice as much. I mean, it better be twice as GOOD or I'm sorry, but it's no better than just asking me to give them money and not buy anything. Sell me something I DO want, at that price.

I think of buying local as an investment. Sure, it's a couple bucks more but you're putting it back into the community and not just lining some billionaire's pockets. But I'm aware that I'm somewhat unique in that aspect. Most people want to save $1 and don't care who it hurts or how it changes our country.

I guess it depends. To me it's like - - going to the fair and buying their MASSIVELY over-priced food. I can do that SOMETIMES. But I can't make it a practice. Pockets just aren't deep enough.

Here in Touristville the restaurants are toying with robot servers. You order from a PC tablet and literally a robot brings your food to you. When you want a drink refill you request it from the tablet and here comes Artoo. It's cute and it removes the tipping issue, but also there go thousands of jobs, so I'm against it and don't patronize places that have implemented it. I'm happy to tip a server so she can feed her child and pay her rent. Either that or I'll be kicking in for her welfare and SNAP, and I think that's what most people aren't forward thinking enough to understand.

I wouldn't frequent that, but basically because I can almost 100% be sure, they wouldn't understand what I ask - they'd be late in seeing I need a refill - stuff would get missed - my food might be cold - nope, I want someone I can LOOK IN THE EYE.

It's also why I prefer a living HUMAN checker rather than self-checkout. At Wal-Mart here - they have gutted the entire front of the store and you now wait in a huge line to check out at any of their 30 or 40 self-checkout places, while - when the machines invevitably EFF UP - you have personnel answering the blinking lights, because the whole thing is a huge fuster cluck. NOPE, NEVER doing that.

 

[SamSpade]

I do not tip if I order my food standing up. PERIOD! I hate it when they shove the Ipad or tablet in my face asking if I want to tip or not. "Tip for what? Typing on a keyboard?? I am doing that and no one is giving me a tip!"
On the other hand, I tip very well at sit down dining establishments ONLY if the service warrants it. Tipping when it does not warrant it merely because of social pressure only reinforces the notion that it s "automatic."

I don't tip if I'm standing around waiting in the waiting area for a TAKEOUT order - and they want a tip, and the lowest one is 20%.
I didn't tip last week, when the server carried a bottle from the bar, to my table - seriously? I had to ask the BARTENDER for it, and this lady just carried it thirty feet.

I do struggle when it's a place where the only thing the server does - is refill my water. SOMETIMES I leave a buck. It's not like they charge for water - nor is it likely they were timely in the service.

And I do reconsider - if the service is bad. I don't reconsider if the FOOD is bad - that's not the server's fault. I DO refuse, if the food is COLD - and the place is NOT BUSY - because it means they were lollygagging while we waited. Tips belong with good service - even mediocre service - but never lousy service.

Brother in law has worked in high end restaurants for thirty plus years - says - people will come back for mediocre food if the service is great - but they never come back for bad service.

 

[vraiblonde]

BUT - hey, money's tight. I can't support local if you charge twice as much. I mean, it better be twice as GOOD or I'm sorry, but it's no better than just asking me to give them money and not buy anything. Sell me something I DO want, at that price.

See, and I'm pretty sure some of our local farmers market people buy produce from Walmart and mark it up a couple bucks**, but I'd still rather buy from them. That extra $5-10 is fairly meaningless to my budget, and if it helps keep that vendor off welfare I'm in.

**Edited because a lot of it they do grow themselves, but they have such a vast array that it's impossible for them to have grown it all. And they surely aren't growing pineapples and grapes alongside their corn and tomatoes. But neither here nor there because I'd still rather support a local human than a faceless fat cat corporation headed up by uber wealthy CEOs.

 

[SamSpade]

See, and I'm pretty sure some of our local farmers market people buy produce from Walmart and mark it up a couple bucks, but I'd still rather buy from them. That extra $5-10 is fairly meaningless to my budget, and if it helps keep that vendor off welfare I'm in.

Years ago, there'd be guys who would open those news boxes - take ALL OF THE NEWSPAPERS - and sell them for change.
I didn't patronize these schmucks because for one thing - I USED TO MAKE A LIVING years ago managing boxes like those - so he is stealing from someone. Secondly, really dubious it's doing anything except buying his next bottle.

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

I used to buy stuff from this guy who had a stand up on 235. I'd ask him how he could get stuff locally, when it was too early for it to be ready. Oh he gets it flown in from ECUADOR. Holy crap. What's the difference, then?

Kind of why - I REALLY like the Amish market. I know they picked it that morning. Unlike some of the farmer's markets around here, where they can be little more than a face for the big stores. Not seeing the point. When I am seeing tomatoes in May, I am pretty sure they weren't grown around here.

 

[vraiblonde]

I used to buy stuff from this guy who had a stand up on 235. I'd ask him how he could get stuff locally, when it was too early for it to be ready. Oh he gets it flown in from ECUADOR. Holy crap. What's the difference, then?

Because the person you're paying is a human being in your community trying to earn a living. Do you think the corporate grocery store doesn't fly in produce from foreign countries?

This is a really frustrating discussion because I feel like I'm not making my point clear, although I also feel like I've been as clear as I know how.

 

[phreddyp]

So would you rather pay them or some Chinese kid working in a sweatshop? Or maybe you'd rather pay some billionaire so he can buy another yacht?

There's never going to be perfect right, there can only be righter.

Let me splain it to you sweetie, as an employer I expect an employee to actually do the work they were hired to do. If you don't want to, leave or I will send your sorry ass down the road. We are NOT talking about someone having a bad day and not being up to snuff, I am talking about union employees having no intention of putting in a days work.

 

[SamSpade]

Because the person you're paying is a human being in your community trying to earn a living. Do you think the corporate grocery store doesn't fly in produce from foreign countries?

This is a really frustrating discussion because I feel like I'm not making my point clear, although I also feel like I've been as clear as I know how.

I guess it's because basically, I don't agree. Buying at the big store pays employees locally - no difference.

 

[vraiblonde]

I guess it's because basically, I don't agree. Buying at the big store pays employees locally - no difference.

I understand your point but those Walmart employees don't get your money directly - corporate gets the bulk of it because of massive volume and it eventually trickles down to the cashier and stock person. The guy at the stand, any money you pay him goes directly to him minus his cost of goods and I like the idea of that. If it costs me a few bucks more I feel it's worth it.

 

[SamSpade]

Let me splain it to you sweetie, as an employer I expect an employee to actually do the work they were hired to do. If you don't want to, leave or I will send your sorry ass down the road. We are NOT talking about someone having a bad day and not being up to snuff, I am talking about union employees having no intention of putting in a days work.

I've never seen union workers do better work than someone who is not union. When I worked as a carpenter, we were private contractors, sometimes on the same site as union guys. We were in - and out - in no time at all - while they were still lounging about waiting for the boss to come back and tell them what to do next.

In the goverment - it's worse. We all knew that in the government, if you're in the union, it's a good chance you're covering for the fact that your work sucks, and you ought to be fired. Knew way too many union types who seriously did NO WORK AT ALL.

 

[TPD]

but nothing quite beats when a PERSON who has done it, makes a suggestion.

And if you are buying on amazon or chewy, how do you get suggestions? We are always giving suggestions to our customers based on our own experiences and those of other customers. What is that suggestion worth to you? $1, $5, $10?

True story about Chewy - 15 years ago or more, a dog food salesman/owner came into our store with a new line of pet food made in Delaware. We took a chance with him and said yeah, we will sell your product. #1 because it was somewhat local, #2 because he wasn't selling it to the big box stores. Fast forward about 10 years, after we built up our business selling his product, his kids take over the business and start dealing with Chewy, who his selling the same bags of dog food for $2-$5 cheaper than us. Guess what happened - the kids stopped returning our calls for orders, our inventory shrunk, our customers started going to Chewy. Our customers mainly went to Chewy to save $3 on a $50 bag of dog food, but as the company wasn't delivering product to us in a timely fashion, our customers were then forced to buy from Chewy since we didn't always have what they wanted, though we were trying our best. After 2 or 3 years on Chewy, something happened with this product. Not sure if Chewy kicked them to the curb or if they got overwhelmed trying to keep up with demand, but you couldn't buy from Chewy, so our customers started coming back to us. Unfortunately, we still don't always have the product in stock because our sales went down so the company doesn't deliver to us in a timely fashion because of our location and the amount of product we are purchasing relative to their other dealers. If their father, who has since passed, knew what his kids were doing with the company, he would give them a swift kick in the ass. It was stores like mine who took a chance with the company and helped them build their business. We have been almost 2 months with this company trying to get our latest delivery. I would really like to tell this company to F*ck off, but the dogs really like their product and we have had some customers that have stuck with us through all of the trials and tribulations with them. But the vicious cycle of these large internet stores are the detriment to small communities all over the country, as vrai has been trying to explain.

Concerning your farmer's market experiences - you apparently are not going to the right ones. The markets sponsored by the county state that what you sell there has to be grown locally. Beware of the Amish - they are business folks like everyone else and what they sell or say is not what it always seems. I've dealt with them for almost 40 years so I know what I'm talking about when I say this.

This is a really frustrating discussion because I feel like I'm not making my point clear, although I also feel like I've been as clear as I know how.

I know exactly the point you are making. I have tried explaining in the past as well, but you are more articulate than myself. I'm not in the hardware business to get rich. When I opened this store 20+ years ago, it was with the community in mind. We do so much for the community that Amazon and Chewy and the Government don't provide. And I treat my employees fairly. Unlike big box stores who will send their employees home on slow days, my employees work their scheduled hours - I have never sent an employee home because it's slow, except for maybe the last hour on Christmas Eve, where I will stay behind to close but still pay the employee for the full day! There are many days we lose money because my labor expense is more than my GPM, but I need my employees. We need this store here in Ridge! It irks the sh!t out of me when I hear friends or part-time customers order a 4pk of lightbulbs from Amazon, the same 4pk we sell on aisle 7! C'mon man - I can see going to the internet for things you can't find locally, but lightbulbs and toilet paper?!? And guess what, it will be those same friends and part-time customers that will be blowing my phone up during a natural disaster looking for generators or chainsaws because a tree fell on their house, expecting me to give them priority. How do you think the flags get placed on the poles every year? How do you think the rescue squad is able to do their quarter auction? How do you think the fire department carnival is able to give away bikes to the kids every year? How do you think the American Legion can have a turkey shoot every Sunday? Have you seen our storage room today - filled with donations from the community for the hurricane victims because we are the only ones in the community with business hours that people can drop in any time to drop off these items rather than wait for the non-profits or volunteers to open a place later today. Wake up people! Communities need small businesses who employee actual human beings to keep the community alive and functioning, especially during natural disasters.

End of rant!

 

[GURPS]

ILA Dockworkers Launch Strike at US East/Gulf Coast Ports | What Is the Impact on the Consumer?​

 

[vraiblonde]

I know exactly the point you are making. I have tried explaining in the past as well, but you are more articulate than myself. I'm not in the hardware business to get rich. When I opened this store 20+ years ago, it was with the community in mind. We do so much for the community that Amazon and Chewy and the Government don't provide. And I treat my employees fairly. Unlike big box stores who will send their employees home on slow days, my employees work their scheduled hours - I have never sent an employee home because it's slow, except for maybe the last hour on Christmas Eve, where I will stay behind to close but still pay the employee for the full day! There are many days we lose money because my labor expense is more than my GPM, but I need my employees. We need this store here in Ridge! It irks the sh!t out of me when I hear friends or part-time customers order a 4pk of lightbulbs from Amazon, the same 4pk we sell on aisle 7! C'mon man - I can see going to the internet for things you can't find locally, but lightbulbs and toilet paper?!? And guess what, it will be those same friends and part-time customers that will be blowing my phone up during a natural disaster looking for generators or chainsaws because a tree fell on their house, expecting me to give them priority. How do you think the flags get placed on the poles every year? How do you think the rescue squad is able to do their quarter auction? How do you think the fire department carnival is able to give away bikes to the kids every year? How do you think the American Legion can have a turkey shoot every Sunday? Have you seen our storage room today - filled with donations from the community for the hurricane victims because we are the only ones in the community with business hours that people can drop in any time to drop off these items rather than wait for the non-profits or volunteers to open a place later today. Wake up people! Communities need small businesses who employee actual human beings to keep the community alive and functioning, especially during natural disasters.

End of rant!

I love this rant more than anything I've read in a very long time

People don't get it and there's no sense of community. And it's just getting worse because young people today are used to not interacting with humans and having their every need taken care of online. They don't even get off their ass to get their own fast food burger - they order online and pay a premium to have Door Dash bring it to them. They don't know their neighbors, even if they live in an apartment and their neighbor is right on the other side of the wall.

I realize I'm one of those old people longing for the good old days, but those days really were better. This new isolation and internet reliance isn't progress. But I intend to hold it off in my own life as long as I can.

 

[GURPS]

I realize I'm one of those old people longing for the good old days, but those days really were better. This new isolation and internet reliance isn't progress. But I intend to hold it off in my own life as long as I can.

I'd love to go back to the 90's when the internet was new, and most people had no clue

 

[vraiblonde]

I'd love to go back to the 90's when the internet was new, and most people had no clue

Hell, I'd even go back to the 2000s when the internet was a utility and didn't rule our whole lives.

 

[Kyle]

They don't know their neighbors, even if they live in an apartment and their neighbor is right on the other side of the wall.

This new isolation and internet reliance isn't progress.

Ehh.... I was ahead of the curve and ignored my neighbors long before the internet!

 

[PeoplesElbow]

No! Someone telling you about does not do it justice, you have to see the waste to believe it. Guys making near $100 an hour with benefits literally running away and hiding until the next break or lunch, then you see them and then they disappear again, 45-minute smoke breaks 1 hour taking a dump 1/2 hr water break. It is amazing to say the least and that is only the beginning, and we haven't even talked about the foreman's flunkies and the s**t they get to pull.

The larger companies have the exact same issue, the issue comes about because of BIG. I knew someone who worked for Boeing that slept most of the time.

Managers don't want to make the person above them mad, most are content humming along without rocking the boat.

Then you have the opposite, you have managers that act like every penny they save the company is their own penny and it looks good on them no matter what harm they do otherwise because that penny is measurable where having a workforce that is constantly in flux and unhappy is difficult to measure. I've know several of these types of managers that ended up getting fired and then they can't understand why because they ran the tightest of ships. From what I can tell about 1/3 of managers are too lazy to care, 1/3 are the micromanaging toxic type that nobody wants to work for and 1/3 are a reasonably good mixture.

IMHO engineers make horrible managers because most want to micro manage things, being a good engineer does not mean one will be a good manager...at all.

 

[Grumpy]

.. They don't know their neighbors, even if they live in an apartment and their neighbor is right on the other side of the wall.

There was a quote from Alex Haley from 40,50 years ago that said something along the lines of 'The invention of TV and AC will destroy communities due to no interaction between neighbors cuz everyone is inside their house."

 

[GURPS]

Hell, I'd even go back to the 2000s when the internet was a utility and didn't rule our whole lives.

Indeed, 2000 - 2005 was pretty damn good ....

I was still single, running the field in the early days of Yahoo Personals, camping in my VW Westphalia, hanging around in the garage all weekend working on cars and drinking beer