Problem with Grocery Outlet?

[Dixon]

The other night I decided that, my finances being what they are, I need to get into the habit of shopping at Grocery Outlet (AKA Groce-Out), to save money. I went to my local Groce-Out (on 4th St. at College Ave. in Santa Rosa). There was a big box of spaghetti squash with a sign that said "Score! Butternut or Acorn Squash 99 cents". Since the squash in the box was neither butternut nor acorn squash, I asked an employee if 99 cents was the accurate price for the spaghetti squash in the box. He said no, it was more expensive than that. I said "Well, you'll want to take down that sign, then." He walked away without doing so. That seemed strange. I finished my shopping and then went back to see if the sign had been taken down. It hadn't. So I asked a different employee, named Eve, if I could talk to the manager. She said the manager was pretty busy, but she was "almost a manager" and would try to help me. I asked if it's Grocery Outlet's policy to maximize sales by misleading customers about prices, and told her about the other guy not correcting the price sign on the squash even after I'd urged him to. She said she'd take care of the situation.

I wrote all that because I'm wondering if that one employee was just a flake who doesn't represent the company's real attitude, or if Grocery Outlet is in the habit of misleading customers. Can any of you Waccoids share experiences/info that might shed light on the ethicality or lack of it displayed by Grocery Outlet? Similar info regarding other local stores would be helpful too. Thanks!

[Zeno Swijtink]

The other night I decided that, my finances being what they are, I need to get into the habit of shopping at Grocery Outlet (AKA Groce-Out), to save money. I went to my local Groce-Out (on 4th St. at College Ave. in Santa Rosa). There was a big box of spaghetti squash with a sign that said "Score! Butternut or Acorn Squash 99 cents". Since the squash in the box was neither butternut nor acorn squash, I asked an employee if 99 cents was the accurate price for the spaghetti squash in the box. He said no, it was more expensive than that. I said "Well, you'll want to take down that sign, then." He walked away without doing so. That seemed strange. I finished my shopping and then went back to see if the sign had been taken down. It hadn't. So I asked a different employee, named Eve, if I could talk to the manager. She said the manager was pretty busy, but she was "almost a manager" and would try to help me. I asked if it's Grocery Outlet's policy to maximize sales by misleading customers about prices, and told her about the other guy not correcting the price sign on the squash even after I'd urged him to. She said she'd take care of the situation.

I wrote all that because I'm wondering if that one employee was just a flake who doesn't represent the company's real attitude, or if Grocery Outlet is in the habit of misleading customers. Can any of you Waccoids share experiences/info that might shed light on the ethicality or lack of it displayed by Grocery Outlet? Similar info regarding other local stores would be helpful too. Thanks!

This is a bit speculative since I don't know this store or the company.

But I wonder whether a business like this with these prices - while trying to maintain a return on investment comparable to other food businesses - thinks it can afford hiring employees who make an effort to maintain truth and consistency in signage and such niceties.

As a customer would you not expect that both the quality of the food and the quality of the signage is lower as what you will find in stores such as Andy's or Oliver's?

In other words, are you not a bit naive here when you embarked in getting into the habit of shopping at Groce-Out?

If you are interested in acquiring spaghetti squash, or butternut or acorn squash "from a box" for 99c why would you expect that more then 2c of this would be paid to the people that work there? These employees are no flakes I venture, but give you the service for which you are paying and for which they get the lousy pay they are getting.

[Shandi]

I've shopped at Grocery Outlet in RPk for several years, and haven't noticed any deliberate mis-leading prices. I do know that in any store, we have to be very vigilant about prices on items.
Also, sometimes customers pick up something in one place, and put it in another place.

While at Safeway last week, I picked up a bottle of Bolthouse (my favorite) carrot juice that showed a sale price tag on the front of the bin. I'm always checking for this to go on sale. There were 3 bottles, and I excitedly picked up one, checked the date, and proceeded to the checkstand. I wasn't actually checking to see that the prices she rung up were correct. I trust that the bar code usually scans correctly.

For some unknown reason as finished loading my groceries in the car, I checked the receipt. I found that the price I was charged wasn't what I saw on the sale tag. It was a $2 difference, but I was curious how this could have happened. I took the bottle back in, and went to customer service, since the checker had a long line. What she discovered was that the sale tag was actually for Mango, not Carrot. But the mango had sold out, and somehow the 3 bottles of carrot juice were somehow moved behind the sale tag. I just got a refund. Now, the question remains, did customers inadvertently move the bottles to the wrong place, or did store personnel do it? People who stock gain no benefit from customers paying more, so I assume that this was done by customers who had been drawn to the sale on the mango juice.

Rather than blame anyone, I have to acknowledge that I never really checked the small print to see which juice was on sale, but assumed that the bottles behind the tag were the ones. I do know that sometimes, only certain flavors go on sale, while the rest stay the same. I've seen this on yogurt, and some brands of cat food. It makes sense that the ones that don't move as well, will be discounted.

A similar thing happened to me yesterday. I saw a sale sign for pistachios, which my friend likes, and it was 2 for $10. I grabbed one bag, and figured I'd still get the price break, even though I didn't buy two. I thought the total seemed high, so I checked my receipt when I got to the car. I had been charged $10.99 for the one bag. So, back I went to figure it out. It seemed to be a similar occurrence. I picked up the bag that was behind the sale tag, but didn't check to make sure it was exactly the same size that was on sale. I discovered that instead of picking up the size that was on sale at 2 for $10, I'd picked up a larger size bag. If I'd gotten 2 bags, it would have been more oz. for less. Again, it was my lack of paying close attention.

As for your experience with the wrong price and description for the items that were in the bin, that could just be human error, (a mistake) or lack of knowledge about the difference between spaghetti squash and butternut. But there's no excuse for not taking care of the problem, unless there were other priorities at that time.

If this is the first time you've experienced this, I'd say it's not a routine practice of Grocery Outlet. I seriously doubt if any store could get away with this kind of thing, without shoppers noticing, and saying something, like you did. It's much easier to spot something like that than it is to be sure to check the fine print on sale tags, to make sure we know what we're doing. Sometimes, the placement of prices can be deceiving, as they can be above or below the product. I've had this experience at Costco. The price that was closest to the item was the price for an item below it, etc.

The old saying still goes: "Buyer beware" of pricing , and of "flakes" that work where we shop.



The other night I decided that, my finances being what they are, I need to get into the habit of shopping at Grocery Outlet (AKA Groce-Out), to save money. I went to my local Groce-Out (on 4th St. at College Ave. in Santa Rosa). There was a big box of spaghetti squash with a sign that said "Score! Butternut or Acorn Squash 99 cents". Since the squash in the box was neither butternut nor acorn squash, I asked an employee if 99 cents was the accurate price for the spaghetti squash in the box. He said no, it was more expensive than that. I said "Well, you'll want to take down that sign, then." He walked away without doing so. That seemed strange. I finished my shopping and then went back to see if the sign had been taken down. It hadn't. So I asked a different employee, named Eve, if I could talk to the manager. She said the manager was pretty busy, but she was "almost a manager" and would try to help me. I asked if it's Grocery Outlet's policy to maximize sales by misleading customers about prices, and told her about the other guy not correcting the price sign on the squash even after I'd urged him to. She said she'd take care of the situation.

I wrote all that because I'm wondering if that one employee was just a flake who doesn't represent the company's real attitude, or if Grocery Outlet is in the habit of misleading customers. Can any of you Waccoids share experiences/info that might shed light on the ethicality or lack of it displayed by Grocery Outlet? Similar info regarding other local stores would be helpful too. Thanks!

[Conly]

Hi, my experience of G-O is that it is Not as competitively priced as one would think. Most of the produce is on its last..... gasp. Meat (red, brown and gray) including“sandwich meats”, poultry and Fish (shudder) are at or very near their pull dates. Only buy these if you plan to cook the very same day. Boxed items are very close to stale.
One must understand that other stores dump their remainders on G-O.
If you do a little comparative shopping you’ll see that most prices are very close to the big chains.
Artichokes 2 for $5. Organic garbanzobeans .99 cents a can. Oh there are a few items that might be a good deal but not often and are they really things that you would want to eat?
I will say that if there is a product that you absolutely love but has been “Discontinued” else where you might find a few bottles or boxes there. But beer is the same asanywhere else or a little higher. Much of the wine is off brands with novelty labels like “feeding frenzy” and “Ass kicker”
I have been on a search for Onion Salt so I was in the very store you spoke of Dixon just yesterday looking for that “Discontinued elsewhere” item, but they didn't have it either.....
As to the employees I've had contact with... the clerks have always been pleasant but the stockers seem burnt-out......*

[amalia]

yes, "management" at Grocery Outlet is always a challenge.
You must make the decision, questionable management, unresolved questions vs. low prices and surprising bargains each time you shop there. Almost expired or even recently expired products (and still quite edible) are their best bargains. It's not Safeway or Whole Foods with trained and customer-friendly personnel. Nor is it always predictable.
I probably would have brought the Butternut $.99 sign to the cashier with the squash in tow.
Grocery Outlet is always an adventure!

[steelydboy]

I have had almost nothing but excellent customer service at that store, but I have seen little chinks in the armor, if you will. Generally speaking, there are lots of very young folks working and managing there, and there is a recently installed new ownership. I would say give "Groce Out" another shot because they are trying to do a good job there. And, NO, I am not an employee, just an extremely poor shopper and fan!

[eric]

Yeah, they had sold out of the squash advertised for 99 cents, by the time you arrived. Do you really think the good folks at Grocery Outlet, were trying to mislead the public over low priced squash? Really?

My biggest gripe with Grocery Outlet, is that they often times run out of a certain items that I return to the store to find. In which case they may never restock that same exact item again, because it might be a close out deal. Sometimes the deals are so good that an item can be gone from the shelves in a matter of hours. Whereas other items are regularly restocked. It just depends. This also happens at Costco, all the time.
The same thing goes for the Rohnert Park, and Petaluma, Grocery Outlet, locations. As it turns out, every Grocery Outlet, has a different inventory because each stores manager makes separate orders.
Overall some of the deals you can find at Grocery Outlet, are unbeatable. They have a selection of healthy, and organic foods. I'm generally pleased with the groceries I purchase there.

[Stargazer]

The Grocery Outlet was recently sold. The former employees were all fired right before the Holidays. "Merry Christmas" The GO needs to be reported for fraud which is unethical and very possibly criminal. I think this type of abuse gets reported to the weights and measures dept of the county. Furthermore if enough people have experienced this as I have as well, I say picket the store. Take out a permit at the SR police dept so the exposure of this kind of dishonesty is legal and nobody gets arrested. Peaceful demonstrations raise awareness and expose this kind of dishonest business practice. Free advertising which will either get them to get their act together or they could get fined or even closed down until they fix their serious misleading business practices. Call a few newspaper reporters to attend the gathering. It is time that working people and people on fixed incomes fight back or we will be paying big bucks for low quality out dated or close to out dated old food which is alot of what they sell. Fight back against GREED & DECEPTION before it is too late.

The new employees are mostly family members and have very uppity attitudes. It is no longer what it was supposed to be. Many of the items do not even have prices on them and many of the prices are incorrect.

[Dixon]

Stargazer, it sounds like you've seen enough pricing inaccuracy at Groce-Out to be suspicious that it may be purposeful. This motivates me to return there and shop, paying careful attention to how the marked prices compare with what I'm actually charged.

[Ted Pole]

Not too familiar with Grocery Outlet, but I AM familiar with the whole "oops, wrong price" phenomena. This all started when stores went from actually putting a price tag on individual items to using a computer database and the Universal Price Codes. If one we're just a tad cynical, one would say that supermarkets rightly assume that the vast majority of shoppers never check the receipt against what the shelf prices were, or what the advertised sale prices were.

My sister was a Home Ec major in college, taught it in high schools, a wife and mother of three boys and was and is an absolute marvel at getting bargains. She clips coupons, checks for sales and hunts down the absolute best bargains in supermarkets as well as department and specialty stores. She has spent over fifty years refining her skills to the point where she could legitimately be a consumer reporter somewhere.

The reason I tout her skills is because she has told me repeatedly that supermarkets are notorious for pricing things wrong, taking a long time to correct the mistakes, and assuming that customers can't be bothered with double checking. She lives down in the Southeast, where for many years grocery store chains had a rarely publicized policy that if the price on an item was wrong, you got that item for free. Once word got out about that, they soon changed the policy to a 10% off credit on the item. Why the change? Why do you think?

Wonder what the policy is at your favorite markets?

I'd bet if you took the time to write down the prices of the items you put in your basket and checked them against your receipt, you'd be appalled. I always think "man, I don't have that kind of time", but as money gets tighter, I'll start finding the time.

:2cents: :hmmm: :spentmoney:

[Shepherd]

I have also recently been buying wine at RP's Grocery Outlet. The prices are amazingly low. I have found all the check-out people and other in-store people to be helpful. The man who cares for the wine is a good person to speak to about wine and very friendly. I do think one needs to carefully check the "Best by" date on perishable foods. I do sometimes buy yogurt and soy milk there, and sometimes there are dated items.

[Shandi]

If I'm in a position to see the items actually rung up, (and I'm not in a big hurry) I'll watch closely on the sale items to make sure I get the advertised price. It seems that those are the things most likely to be wrong, since outdated tags can be missed when they should be pulled, or I pick up the wrong item.

I shop at all of the many stores in Rohnert Park/Cotati, and the sale items will bring me in. I've only recently realized that the coupons in the Safeway flyer actually have to be used in order to get the sale price. I actually read the fine print! Even if I forget the bring the coupons, I just pick up a flyer in the store, and use that, since I rarely go into any store without a list. My list stays with me until everything is checked off, even if it means going to three stores. I still have one item on my list that I haven't found, and that's Rit Dye. I may have to go to a craft store. It's been years since I bought dye. It's not a priority, so I can just keep looking.

I've read that because most people don't check their itemized bills, and this goes for telephone, PGE, hospital, etc. it's pretty easy to pull a fast one on the consumer. There are services that offer to analyze ongoing monthly bills, to find errors, but I haven't seen that advertised lately.

[Conly]

Stargazer, it sounds like you've seen enough pricing inaccuracy at Groce-Out to be suspicious that it may be purposeful. This motivates me to return there and shop, paying careful attention to how the marked prices compare with what I'm actually charged.
Without being seen snap a few pictures with your phone of the errant pricings and then of your receipt and email to the local papers or "7 on your side".

[Shandi]

I think taking pictures is a good idea, especially if this is a common occurance that you deal with. Personally, I'd show them to the management first, to give them a chance to make things right, before taking it to the newspapers or "7" on your side. I doubt that unless you had several on one receipt, or even one on different receipts, that "7" on your side would even deal with it. I could be wrong, but you could find out from them.


Without being seen snap a few pictures with your phone of the errant pricings and then of your receipt and email to the local papers or "7 on your side".

[Dixon]

Without being seen snap a few pictures with your phone of the errant pricings and then of your receipt and email to the local papers or "7 on your side".
I don't have a cell phone, so I'll have to leave the picture taking to you, Conly.

[jbox]

yes, "management" at Grocery Outlet is always a challenge.
You must make the decision, questionable management, unresolved questions vs. low prices and surprising bargains each time you shop there. Almost expired or even recently expired products (and still quite edible) are their best bargains. It's not Safeway or Whole Foods with trained and customer-friendly personnel. Nor is it always predictable.
I probably would have brought the Butternut $.99 sign to the cashier with the squash in tow.
Grocery Outlet is always an adventure!

I shop at GO all the time. Sure, its kinda funky and you have to watch what you buy, but there are some really great deals. I bought big beautiful butternut squash for .99 each and they are great. .79/lb elsewhere, about $4 each. There is the occasional great wine bargain too. Most of the wine there is swill but if you know how to read labels there are some great deals on Sonoma and Napa wine, second labels, etc. I bought Ramazotti Recordo there for 6.99 a few years back and if you can find it it was $28. Plus if you find something you like you can get a 10%case discount. I like the store, you just have to shop carefully

[meherc]

Are you talking about the squash??? I've just started reading this thread but isn't picketing and reporting them to the board of weights and measures a little harsh? Fraud because the 99 cent squash was sold out?
I happen to be one of those poor but excruciatingly thrifty people who has had long conversations with the managers about how to decode the scanner numbers to see if it's organic or matching the numbers up to the tiny numbers on the shelves. I have brought sale signs up to the counter if. they are not charging the right price. I go to Grocery Outlet, not that regularly because there are none near me, but I am forever a fan because I found Viennetta there, a delicate ice cream/pastry thing that I haven't seen since I was a kid in NY. I think you can't expect to find everything in the same place. I would never buy meat at GO but I would get frozen pretzels at Big Lots. Safeway's chicken grosses me out. By the way, someone had said GO takes the food that the other stores don't want or is defective or old. I'm pretty sure they just buy up the overruns, the items that are not moving in other stores or from places that have just over ordered an item.

[Zeno Swijtink]

I have also recently been buying wine at RP's Grocery Outlet. The prices are amazingly low. I have found all the check-out people and other in-store people to be helpful. The man who cares for the wine is a good person to speak to about wine and very friendly. I do think one needs to carefully check the "Best by" date on perishable foods. I do sometimes buy yogurt and soy milk there, and sometimes there are dated items.


Low prizes likely have a flip side: I wonder how the wages are at this store. Are the wages also amazingly low? I think everybody struggles with this dilemma: we like good=low prices, but we also want everybody to make a living wage.

The "Best by" dates have also a flip side: Many foods that have passed their date are still perfectly edible. In fact, the current standards of labeling foods is creating a lot of waste in the food system.

If you are interested read the The Dating Game - How Confusing Food Date Labels Lead to Food Waste in America (https://www.nrdc.org/food/expiration-dates.asp), by the National Resources Defense Council.

Zero Waste Sonoma County (ZWSC) and Share Exchange are now holding monthly Zero Waste meet-ups in Santa Rosa. Their goal is to encourage local groups and individuals working on wasting less to get to know each other better, and lay the foundation for establishing Sonoma as a Zero Waste County.

The next meet-up is on Wednesday, March 26, 2014 at 5:30pm.

https://www.facebook.com/events/486664931439268/

[Dixon]

Yeah, they had sold out of the squash advertised for 99 cents, by the time you arrived.
Obviously. What concerned me was the fact that the employee didn't take down the misleading sign even when I suggested it and was standing right there observing. I have to consider the hypothesis that he was afraid of getting in trouble for correcting the price sign.


Do you really think the good folks at Grocery Outlet, were trying to mislead the public over low priced squash? Really?
Eric, aren't you paying attention? I've made it abundantly clear that I simply don't know, which is why I'm asking. Have you ruled out the possibility that a store might purposely and habitually mislead the public about prices in order to make more money? If you have, please share your reasoning with us.

[eric]

Yes Dixon, I have ruled out any possibility that "Grocery Outlet," in Santa Rosa, is either purposely or habitually misleading the public about prices. Firstly that employee you mentioned, and even the manager of the store weren't directly profiting from any extra revenue generated by people confused over what type of squash they were purchasing because of some uncertainty over whether it's on sale or not. The employees of Grocery Outlet, are payed by straight hourly wage, and the manager probably receives a predetermined salary. I'm sure and certain they're not getting any kickbacks from any projected squash conspiracy sales tactics.

The store had simply run out of squash that was on sale for .99 cents, that's all. The employee you mentioned, possibly wasn't at liberty to take down the sign. I do know that the very next day on 3/5, the squash had been restocked and was still on sale for .99 cents, and asparagus was on sale for only .50 cents...

I also know that the employees of Grocery Outlet, and especially the manager are more than accommodating when it comes to customer satisfaction as that relates to refunds. If there's anything you purchase at that store that you may be unhappy with, the manager will gladly provide a refund. I even brought back a can opener that stopped working months after I purchased it, and received exchange value without even providing a receipt.

As with all things though, caveat emptor, or buyer beware. I'm certain that some stores do use unethical and misleading sales tactics. Perhaps employees of certain stores can be dishonest as well. Also take into consideration and keep in mind that mistakes do happen... After checking my receipt I was outraged a few months back because a clerk at Trader Joe's, had charged me two times for one item. I got a refund, and a bag of free bananas because I was aware.

Awareness is an important thing, its the first step to creating change when change is needed. I wish more people took more actions to create more change where change is needed in this world. Because simple awareness isn't always enough and it often leads to mere complacency.
More power to you!


Eric, aren't you paying attention? I've made it abundantly clear that I simply don't know, which is why I'm asking. Have you ruled out the possibility that a store might purposely and habitually mislead the public about prices in order to make more money? If you have, please share your reasoning with us.

[Dixon]

I do know that the very next day on 3/5, the squash had been restocked and was still on sale for .99 cents...
If you're talking about spaghetti squash (the kind that was there when I was there), it never was on sale for 99 cents (at least, not according to the employees I asked). If it was spaghetti squash and was still marked 99 cents the next day, that probably just means they still hadn't corrected the sign, which, if true, is evidence of either dishonesty or gross negligence evincing lack of respect for their customers.


I also know that the employees of Grocery Outlet, and especially the manager are more than accommodating when it comes to customer satisfaction as that relates to refunds. If there's anything you purchase at that store that you may be unhappy with, the manager will gladly provide a refund. I even brought back a can opener that stopped working months after I purchased it, and received exchange value without even providing a receipt.
It sounds like they gave you excellent service on those occasions, Eric, but of course that has no bearing on my question about their possibly misleading customers about prices--a question about which, for me, the jury is still out...


I'm certain that some stores do use unethical and misleading sales tactics. Perhaps employees of certain stores can be dishonest as well. Also take into consideration and keep in mind that mistakes do happen...
You and I are in agreement about all of that. I'm just trying to figure out what's going on in this case.

Cheers!

[eric]

I'm certainly no squash expert, yet invariably that looks like Spaghetti Squash in the photo I posted.
Although I believe there were other varieties of squash available, I can't believe we're having this conversation.
Don't you think we should just "squash" it?

[Dixon]

I'm certainly no squash expert, yet invariably that looks like Spaghetti Squash in the photo I posted.
Photo? I saw no photo.
Anyway, as I made quite clear, spaghetti squash (and only spaghetti squash) was present in that display, but, according to the two employees I spoke with, it was not on sale for 99 cents, though the sign said it was. That's the point, Eric. If you're gonna participate in a conversation, try to read and respond to what's actually said.


I can't believe we're having this conversation. Don't you think we should just "squash" it?
No one is forcing you to participate. Bye bye.

[ChefJayTay]

I wouldn't exactly consider scarred squash a steal for $1 in March. It was picked months ago.

I stopped buying at Best Buy for a similar reason. They advertised a price online, then when I arrived in store, the product didn't have a displayed price. It rung up $5 more than the advertised price. I complained and got the online price, but felt I couldn't trust them to be honest afterwords.
[Late Edit] I should add, I bought this item on the day of the release.

[jbox]

Dixon et al,

I can tell you what's going on. Not a damn thing. If this thread doesn't define "tempest in a teapot" I dunno what does. However, if you and all the objectors post when you will be picketing the store I will be sure to come on down to Grocery Outlet, so I can cross the line and go shopping!!

[Shandi]

Since squash has a hard outer shell, being scratched isn't going to affect this vegetable. Does everyone avoid any squash that has a scratch? Melons, too? How do you know when it was picked? Do you have inside information on when produce is picked at various stores? Because that's something many of us could benefit from knowing.


I wouldn't exactly consider scarred squash a steal for $1 in March. It was picked months ago.

[Ted Pole]

LIVE! LOCAL! LATE-BREAKING!

https://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/Safeway-accused-of-deceiving-shoppers-to-pay-5295252.php


:openmic: : pinocchio: :spanking:

[Dixon]

Thanks, Ted, for that informative article. To those of you who may think my suspicion of some grocery store skullduggery was "a tempest in a teapot" (Hi, jbox, eric, and bill shearer!), here's the first sentence from the article Ted linked to: "Safeway Inc. agreed to pay $2.25 million to settle a lawsuit alleging that it charged higher prices than advertised, misrepresented the weights of products and falsely claimed that produce from other countries was "locally grown," Bay Area prosecutors said Thursday."


LIVE! LOCAL! LATE-BREAKING!
https://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/Safeway-accused-of-deceiving-shoppers-to-pay-5295252.php

[Dixon]

...But I wonder whether a business like this with these prices - while trying to maintain a return on investment comparable to other food businesses - thinks it can afford hiring employees who make an effort to maintain truth and consistency in signage and such niceties.
As a customer would you not expect that both the quality of the food and the quality of the signage is lower as what you will find in stores such as Andy's or Oliver's?
In other words, are you not a bit naive here when you embarked in getting into the habit of shopping at Groce-Out?
Zeno, expecting that people should be honest with me has nothing to do with naivete. Of course, people often won't be honest, but it's still reasonable to expect that they should be. Deciding to shop in a cheaper place certainly entails forgoing luxuries like fancy signs or whatever, but it does not entail a tacit agreement that it's okay for them to mislead me about the prices.


If you are interested in acquiring spaghetti squash, or butternut or acorn squash "from a box" for 99c why would you expect that more then 2c of this would be paid to the people that work there? These employees are no flakes I venture, but give you the service for which you are paying and for which they get the lousy pay they are getting.
There are certain basic standards of respect and honesty that should not depend on how much one is getting paid. I myself have had really, really shitty, low-paid jobs, but would never have even considered taking out my angst on innocent customers by giving them anything other than good, respectful service. Purposely misleading customers about the prices is not a constructive nor honorable response to job dissatisfaction, even if one's complaints about the job are valid. The employee in question could have taken 10 seconds to remove the misleading sign, but apparently either didn't give a damn or would have gotten in trouble from a supervisor who wants to mislead the customers about the prices. So it's either flakiness or dishonesty. Low pay is no excuse for either of those things.

Also, Zeno, as a guy who has worked low-paid, low-status jobs myself, I'm concerned that you seem to think that low-paid people are more likely to give poor service than others. It may be true or may not, but I'm wondering if there may be a hint of elitism in your apparent assumption that low-paid people would behave less honorably.

[eric]

If Butternut and Acorn Squash are advertised on sale for 99cents, then it's plain and simple to differentiate
that Spaghetti Squash is a completely different variety of squash, and therefore not on sale.


I stopped buying at Best Buy for a similar reason. They advertised a price online, then when I arrived in store, the product didn't have a displayed price. It rung up $5 more than the advertised price. I complained and got the online price, but felt I couldn't trust them to be honest afterwords.

Best Buy, is another great example, they have literally tens of thousands of items in their inventory. It seems almost impossible if not highly improbable that they could accurately keep track of the multitude of price fluctuations that take place in their system on a regular basis.

[markwjam]

sorry, incorrect about the squash with the hard outer shell...I was once a manager in a produce store..hard winter squash with scratches or ,especially dents, will quickly rot..


Since squash has a hard outer shell, being scratched isn't going to affect this vegetable. Does everyone avoid any squash that has a scratch? Melons, too? How do you know when it was picked? Do you have inside information on when produce is picked at various stores? Because that's something many of us could benefit from knowing.

[Dixon]

If Butternut and Acorn Squash are advertised on sale for 99cents, then it's plain and simple to differentiate that Spaghetti Squash is a completely different variety of squash, and therefore not on sale.
Eric, there was no butternut nor acorn squash in the box labeled with the "99 cents" sign, nor, I think anywhere in the store, so they couldn't very well have been advertising them. If they'd been there before, they were gone. Many customers don't visually know the difference between spaghetti and acorn or butternut squashes, so couldn't be expected to realize the squash in the box labeled "99 cents" actually cost more. Plus, the "99 cents" was more prominent than the "butternut or acorn squash", so many wouldn't even have read those words.


Best Buy, is another great example, they have literally tens of thousands of items in their inventory. It seems almost impossible if not highly improbable that they could accurately keep track of the multitude of price fluctuations that take place in their system on a regular basis.
Eric, again you miss the point. Nobody is faulting anyone for making simple mistakes. I've said all along that the problem is that when I pointed it out, the employee didn't take 10 seconds to rectify it, thus making me wonder if he's just a flake or if there's a store-wide or chain-wide policy of misrepresenting prices similar to what Safeway just got busted for. That's the issue--not someone's simple mistake.

Eric, you've been consistently distorting/ignoring my clearly stated positions in this thread. At this point, I'm trying to figure out if you're a troll or just an idiot. I see no other hypotheses that might explain your apparent blithering obtuseness.

[Shandi]

I avoid buying any produce with dents, but I just cooked a spaghetti squash with scratches, that I've had for 2 weeks, and it was delicious. How quickly will squash with scratches rot? And does it depend on the age of the squash? I have no idea of how young or how old my squash was, but it was delicious in spite of it's scratches.

I wonder if produce depts end up throwing away a lot of scratched squash, or if they just sell it anyway, knowing it's prone to rot fast. I'm pretty sure I've seen a lot of scratched squash and melons, but I'll be looking closer now, and may even talk to the produce managers when I notice.

Thanks for sharing your knowledge with consumers. We appreciate it!


sorry, incorrect about the squash with the hard outer shell...I was once a manager in a produce store..hard winter squash with scratches or ,especially dents, will quickly rot..

[Victoria Street]

50 Supermarket Tricks You Still Fall For
Food experts, industry analysts, and store employees share their insider strategies on how to save money on groceries, stay healthy, and beat the supermarkets at their own game.

Read more: https://www.rd.com/slideshows/supermarket-tricks/?trkid=outbrain-all#ixzz2vLKUkyet

[Dixon]

50 Supermarket Tricks You Still Fall For
Food experts, industry analysts, and store employees share their insider strategies on how to save money on groceries, stay healthy, and beat the supermarkets at their own game.
Read more: https://www.rd.com/slideshows/supermarket-tricks/?trkid=outbrain-all#ixzz2vLKUkyet
Interesting stuff, Victoria!
Folks, here's the item from the article linked above that's most relevant to this thread:
"The store I worked at would make some of its sales very specific...and, in my opinion, very deceptive. For example, it would offer 50 percent off a ten-ounce package of deli ham and put the sign right between the ten-ounce packages and the 16-ounce ones. Shoppers would wind up grabbing the wrong one and paying full price."

[eric]

Eric, there was no butternut nor acorn squash in the box labeled with the "99 cents" sign, no...
Eric, again you miss the point. ...
Eric, you've been consistently distorting/ignoring my clearly stated positions in this thread. At this point, I'm trying to figure out if you're a troll or just an idiot. I see no other hypotheses that might explain your apparent blithering obtuseness.
*

* *The fact of the matter is I visited Grocery Outlet on the 5th of this month, Dixon, two days after you posted your rant, which I still think is absolutely hilarious, by the way. I believe I stated the obvious: "Grocery Outlet was out of Butternut and Acorn Squash on 3/3/14", and on 3/5/14, I saw that the store had restocked Butternut, and Acorn Squash, Dixon. By the way, these varieties of squash look vastly different, it's like the difference between apples and oranges...

* * *Therefore you, or anyone else is an idiot, if you can't recognize, or read the label on the box, or look at the sticker on the squash itself, or ask what type of squash it is that you're buying. If you or anyone else is too cheap, ignorant, or stupid, to not know what Spaghetti Squash is, or to be willing to spend some extra money if it means that much to you... Then look at your damn receipt and demand a refund for the said Spaghetti Squash, that you possibly thought was on sale because you, or anyone else, for that matter, weren't aware of the difference in the first place.
Stand up for your rights Dixon!!! and use something called awareness!

* * Your paranoid squash conspiracy theory is amusing. You even mentioned questioning one Grocery Outlet, employee about an "on sale" sign. Then you questioned the entire forum here on Waccobb. Don't you think you may have gotten a more informative and insightful response to your question by asking a more knowledgable Grocery Outlet employee, or even following up by directing your question at the store manager?*

* * * I responded to you that the store had "restocked" the squash on 3/5/14, the sale was still going on and the sign was still up, and no, I didn't think the store was trying to intentionally mislead ignorantly unaware people that have no idea what variety of squash it is that they're potentially buying.*

* * *So if you're still trying to figure out if I'm a troll, or an idiot. I guess that you're someone that probably has a hard time figuring out how to tie their own shoe.*You're obviously someone who can't figure out how to find a simple answer to a simple question you've been pondering for six days now. A question easily resolvable by using some rational thinking, or even making a phone call to Grocery Outlet, or even the BBB for that matter.

I'm just someone whom politely answered your question, attempting to humor you a bit while I was at it.
I'll tell you what you can do with your squash Dixon, eat it all! It's good for you!

* * * **

[Dixon]

Re: "eric"--
I wasted a lot of time and energy trying to reason with him and giving him the benefit of the doubt, but as he's made it clear that he's a troll, I won't be feeding him any more after this, and I recommend the rest of you follow the same policy. :feedtroll:

[Barry]

Photo? I saw no photo.

25584For those of you who are keeping score at home in this squashwar...

Dixon had posted on 3/3 (https://www.waccobb.net/forums/showthread.php?103940-Problem-with-Grocery-Outlet&p=177085#post177085) :
"...There was a big box of spaghetti squash with a sign that said "Score! Butternut or Acorn Squash 99 cents". Since the squash in the box was neither butternut nor acorn squash,..."

The photo on the right was taken by Eric on 3/5 (and was edited in on a post (https://www.waccobb.net/forums/showthread.php?103940-Problem-with-Grocery-Outlet&p=177122#post177122) from 3/4, which is why it was not seen in either instant emails or the digest ), after the bin had restock and and was referenced on a later post (https://www.waccobb.net/forums/showthread.php?103940-Problem-with-Grocery-Outlet&p=177200#post177200) as:
" I do know that the very next day on 3/5, the squash had been restocked and was still on sale for .99 cents, and asparagus was on sale for only .50 cents..."

Maybe I'm an "idiot" too, but those look like spaghetti squash to me :hmmm:

Regarding Dixon's assessment of eric (https://www.waccobb.net/forums/showthread.php?103940-Problem-with-Grocery-Outlet&p=177265#post177265):
I wasted a lot of time and energy trying to reason with him and giving him the benefit of the doubt, but as he's made it clear that he's a troll, I won't be feeding him any more after this, and I recommend the rest of you follow the same policy.

I'm not saying who is right/justified or wrong or an idiot or a troll, but I'd say you've met your hard-edged match, Dixon :waccosun:

How about we turn down the heat on this discussion to simmer?

[jesswolfe]

The bottom line is buyer beware. We don't always know what is being done intentionally or not. So its really important to be aware of what you are paying for. I am on a very low budget and buying food is an ordeal at times. I finally got frustrated and started a little database of all the things I buy and where I buy them. Once I started keeping track it soon was apparent where the cheapest foods are that I tend to buy. Its not always what you think either. One store will have some things at good prices but not all. Food Max and Grocery Outlet aren't always cheapest.

Of course the price of gas needs to be added to the discussion. If I don't have the gas, I might not be able to get the best price because I need to buy local.

By the way, Safeway has been in court before about their pricing shenanigans. And their settlement the last time was pretty similar to the one posted on this thread. They are pretty notorious. Definitely watch out for how things are scanned when you buy there.

Jessica


50 Supermarket Tricks You Still Fall For
Food experts, industry analysts, and store employees share their insider strategies on how to save money on groceries, stay healthy, and beat the supermarkets at their own game.

Read more: https://www.rd.com/slideshows/supermarket-tricks/?trkid=outbrain-all#ixzz2vLKUkyet

[rekarp]

Barry - thank you for the picture and clarification. The squash in this picture is neither butternut nor acorn. So the sign is incorrect. Are they charging 99 cents for this squash? If not then they are misleading the public. If so they probably don't know their squash, and anyone who buys it thinking it is butternut or acorn doesn't know their squash either.

I don't detect troll-like or ignorant behavior from Eric. Dixon - your post about Eric seems inappropriate to me.

Ron


For those of you who are keeping score at home in this squashwar...

[Victoria Street]

Score!

[Shandi]

https://www.waccobb.net/forums/waccobb/keep90days/2014-03-08_17-14-06-1.png These are definitely spaghetti squash. I poke a hole in them with a sharp knife, then microwave for 10 minutes, cut off the blossom end, cut in half lengthwise and scoop out the seeds, then scrape out the "spaghetti" strands until there's not much flesh left. Then I heat up a little "virgin olive oil" on low, lightly saute some fresh chopped garlic, and mix in the squash. I top it off with Parmesan cheese, and it's really delicious. Many people use red or alfredo sauce, but this is my favorite way.

I've had it two nights in a row, from one little spaghetti squash, and will have two more meals with it. By the way, I would avoid buying any that look like the one pictured in the front with a lighter color on it. This looks like where it laid on the ground, and I think that may not last long. I look for uniform color, but scratches don't really bother me.

[Dixon]

The squash in this picture is neither butternut nor acorn. So the sign is incorrect. Are they charging 99 cents for this squash?
I was told by 2 employees that evening that they were charging more than 99 cents for that squash.


If not then they are misleading the public.
Bingo!


I don't detect troll-like or ignorant behavior from Eric. Dixon - your post about Eric seems inappropriate to me.
I appreciate the feedback, Ron. I always like to hear when people think I'm wrong, as it gives me a chance to make my case--and sometimes to be corrected.

Understand this: I am very slow to label people trolls. I've been a Wacco member since the beginning and been involved in a zillion conversations, some of them pretty contentious, yet have only written off 2 or 3 people as trolls (before eric) in all that time! People can spew fallacy and abuse at me without my calling them trolls. They can demonstrate stupidity or insanity or extreme closed-mindedness and irrationality without my calling them trolls. They can frustrate and enrage me without my calling them trolls. "Troll' is a very negative term, and refraining from using it lightly is a Golden Rule issue.

For me to call a person a troll, they must give me reason to believe that they're purposely fucking with people just for the sheer sick pleasure of it. For me, the best evidence of that is when people who are apparently smart enough to know better repeatedly distort or ignore what someone has clearly said in order to misrepresent their position and give them shit based on that distortion of their position, even after the position is further clarified. This is what eric has done in nearly every post he's made to this thread.

In his first post here (#7) he says "Do you really think the good folks at Grocery Outlet, were trying to mislead the public over low priced squash? Really?", implying that I had jumped to that conclusion, when I'd made it absolutely clear that that was just one hypothesis I was considering.

In his post #22, he tries to stir the pot again by saying "I'm certainly no squash expert, yet invariably that looks like Spaghetti Squash in the photo I posted", as if he thinks I'm unaware of that, though I'd made it absolutely clear I was aware of it.

In his post #30, he says "It seems almost impossible if not highly improbable that they could accurately keep track of the multitude of price fluctuations that take place in their system on a regular basis.", implying that my complaint is about something that could be just an honest mistake. But I'd already made it crystal clear that that wasn't my complaint at all; my concern was that they didn't change the misleading sign when it was pointed out to them--a totally different issue with possibly disturbing implications.

Finally, in his post #36, eric reiterated some really obvious stuff as if he thought I was unclear on it, such as the fact that the store had run out of and then restocked the advertised butternut and acorn squash, in spite of the fact that I'd made it clear I knew that.

Throughout his posts, he also made really poor, fallacious arguments supposedly refuting the possibility that the store may have been purposely misleading customers--but that in itself doesn't make him a troll. What makes him a troll is his repeatedly ignoring or distorting my clearly stated positions, even after I pointed out he was doing it, in order to attack his insulting distortions of my position. If it were stupidity on his part I could be more forgiving, but judging from his articulateness and lack of errors in spelling, grammar, etc. I don't think we can accept the stupidity hypothesis. That leaves us with the troll conclusion.

I've learned the hard way not to feed trolls, and probably shouldn't have even responded to your concern about eric, Ron, as that's a sort of troll-feeding too, but I didn't want you or anyone to think bad of me. So whether or not you agree with my conclusion, I hope you can see that I arrived at it honestly, and didn't jump to it.

[Dixon]

https://www.waccobb.net/forums/waccobb/keep90days/2014-03-08_17-14-06-1.png
Maybe I'm an "idiot" too, but those look like spaghetti squash to me :hmmm:
You're not an idiot, Barry, those are spaghetti squash.

None of the 99-cent squash are pictured--only the more expensive spaghetti squash. If this picture was taken after the evening in which I pointed out the misleading sign, this means they still hadn't corrected it--which certainly seems to increase the likelihood that they're intentionally misleading customers about their prices.

[Ronaldo]

25592


Understand this: I am very slow to label people trolls. I've been a Wacco member since the beginning and been involved in a zillion conversations, some of them pretty contentious, yet have only written off 2 or 3 people as trolls (before eric) in all that time! People can spew fallacy and abuse at me without my calling them trolls. They can demonstrate stupidity or insanity or extreme closed-mindedness and irrationality without my calling them trolls. They can frustrate and enrage me without my calling them trolls. "Troll' is a very negative term, and refraining from using it lightly is a Golden Rule issue.

For me to call a person a troll, they must give me reason to believe that they're purposely fucking with people just for the sheer sick pleasure of it. For me, the best evidence of that is when people who are apparently smart enough to know better repeatedly distort or ignore what someone has clearly said in order to misrepresent their position and give them shit based on that distortion of their position, even after the position is further clarified. This is what eric has done in nearly every post he's made to this thread....

[eric]

Dixon, you asked...
25606".Can any of you Waccoids share experiences/info that might shed light on the ethicality or lack of it displayed by Grocery Outlet? Similar info regarding other local stores would be helpful too. Thanks![/QUOTE]"

You were leaning towards the opinion of a plot by Grocery Outlet, to mislead people into purchasing more expensive squash than advertised. I on the other hand didn't feel Grocery Outlet, used such insidious sales tactics, and anyone that knows squash should be able to differentiate between Butternut, Acorn, and or Spaghetti Squash.
I even posted a picture of the aforementioned sign, and I acknowledge it could be misleading to some people if they weren't aware, or couldn't read, or differentiate between the varieties of squash, or didn't read nor pay attention to a label on the box, a sticker on the squash itself, ask a simple question, or if they didn't even look at their receipt for that matter...
I've never had a problems with dishonesty or a lack of ethics at any Grocery Outlet's, whatsoever. I know full well if a person have any gripes with anything purchased there, down to even not liking how an item tastes, G.O., will provide a full refund.
I've even received a refund at G.O., because my cat didn't enjoy eating the cat food I purchased there...

Just because I didn't agree with you Dixon, does that mean I'm either an idiot, or a troll!?
I'm leaning towards thinking you're more of a complete squash-hole for labeling me as such.
I was merely stating my opinion, and if you don't like it, and want to bring things down to such a lowly insulting level than so be it...

At this point find this all to be somewhat preposterously meaningless. Six days have passed since the original post, and the aforementioned sign is gone, Grocery Outlet, doesn't even have any squash left in stock. Statistically, 930,000 people have died in that six day time period and you're going on and on about squash? And calling me insulting names in the process, because you maybe can't perceive the ridiculousness and intrinsic meaninglessness of this argument in the first place? Maybe there's nothing more important going on in your world?

Yes, I might have approached this subject with some lightheartedness, yet now I feel you have brought this down to new low levels. I don't feel that what I stated was either trolling, or idiotic, or otherwise... I merely chose to entertain the other side of an argument. If you feel that justifiably gives you the right to victimize me with horrendously hideous insults then maybe it's your character that should be in question.

25605

[theindependenteye]

>>> ... you're more of a complete squash-hole...

I don't have any opinion on this thread, but I needed to express my admiration for the epithet. Thankfully it was applied to Dixon, not to me, and I don't think it was at all deserved, but it sets a new standard for snark on the World Wide Web.

-Conrad

[I wholeheartedly concur! :waccosun: ~ Barry]

[eric]

For me to call a person a troll, they must give me reason to believe that they're purposely fucking with people just for the sheer sick pleasure of it. For me, the best evidence of that is when people who are apparently smart enough to know better repeatedly distort or ignore what someone has clearly said in order to misrepresent their position and give them shit based on that distortion of their position, even after the position is further clarified. This is what eric has done in nearly every post he's made to this thread.

In his first post here (#7) he says "Do you really think the good folks at Grocery Outlet, were trying to mislead the public over low priced squash? Really?", implying that I had jumped to that conclusion, when I'd made it absolutely clear that that was just one hypothesis I was considering.

- I was merely trying to establish if you thought there was a squash conspiracy at G.O.

In his post #22, he tries to stir the pot again by saying "I'm certainly no squash expert, yet invariably that looks like Spaghetti Squash in the photo I posted", as if he thinks I'm unaware of that, though I'd made it absolutely clear I was aware of it.

- I was once again attempting to state the obvious here...

In his post #30, he says "It seems almost impossible if not highly improbable that they could accurately keep track of the multitude of price fluctuations that take place in their system on a regular basis.", implying that my complaint is about something that could be just an honest mistake. But I'd already made it crystal clear that that wasn't my complaint at all; my concern was that they didn't change the misleading sign when it was pointed out to them--a totally different issue with possibly disturbing implications.

- I was referring to what ChefJayTay wrote:
"I stopped buying at Best Buy for a similar reason. They advertised a price online, then when I arrived in store, the product didn't have a displayed price. It rung up $5 more than the advertised price. I complained and got the online price, but felt I couldn't trust them to be honest afterwords."
My response was directed at ChefJayTay's, statement concerning Best Buy, and therefore had nothing to do with a supposedly misleading sign at Grocery Outlet, for that matter.

"Best Buy, is another great example, they have literally tens of thousands of items in their inventory. It seems almost impossible if not highly improbable that they could accurately keep track of the multitude of price fluctuations that take place in their system on a regular basis."

- So it looks as if you've completely misquoted me Dixon, by taking what I said out of context, and thereby truly distorting my words and the meaning of those words thereof. So it looks like therefore, because if you think that's trolling by your own definition, you're trolling me!

Finally, in his post #36, eric reiterated some really obvious stuff as if he thought I was unclear on it, such as the fact that the store had run out of and then restocked the advertised butternut and acorn squash, in spite of the fact that I'd made it clear I knew that.

-I truly wasn't sure if you were aware that the Butternut, or Acorn Squash, had been restocked the next day. I was merely rationalizing that that's why the sign was still up. Because those items were still on sale!

Throughout his posts, he also made really poor, fallacious arguments (such as?) supposedly refuting the possibility that the store may have been purposely misleading customers--but that in itself doesn't make him a troll. What makes him a troll is his repeatedly ignoring or distorting my clearly stated positions, even after I pointed out he was doing it, in order to attack his insulting distortions of my position. If it were stupidity on his part I could be more forgiving, but judging from his articulateness and lack of errors in spelling, grammar, etc. I don't think we can accept the stupidity hypothesis. That leaves us with the troll conclusion.

I don't see where I've distorted your words Dixon? As far as I can tell, and have clearly and evidentially established it's the other way around! So therefore if that's what your definition of trolling is , you're clearly guilty of trolling me by your own definition

[eric]

Oh

[podfish]

>>> ... you're more of a complete squash-hole...
.. I needed to express my admiration for the epithet. .. it sets a new standard for snark on the World Wide Web.really?? mal mots aren't really my speciality but I do like reading them - and that one didn't make an impression till you pointed it out. But to my surprise (sort of, actually my memory's awful) I don't have a better one at hand... so I'm off to a websearch. With luck I'll someday post a sampling!!

[jbox]

...Just because I didn't agree with you Dixon, does that mean I'm either an idiot, or a troll!?

I'm leaning towards thinking you're more of a complete squash-hole for labeling me as such.
I was merely stating my opinion, and if you don't like it, and want to bring things down to such a lowly insulting level than so be it... ....If you feel that justifiably gives you the right to victimize me with horrendously hideous insults then maybe it's your character that should be in question.

Dixon, I think you've been had, even vanquished by Eric. You have used Ad Hominem attacks, and have not used Critical Thinking on this thread. Time to take your own advice, bitter as it may taste.

[Victoria Street]

Well, call me a conspiracy theorist, but I'll bet you dollars to wing nuts that if you dusted those squash for fingerprints, Efren Carillo's would be all over 'em!

Diversional tactics, "The Squash Defense"...
Ya know?

[Dixon]

Dixon, I think you've been had, even vanquished by Eric. You have used Ad Hominem attacks, and have not used Critical Thinking on this thread. Time to take your own advice, bitter as it may taste.
jbox, an ad hominem attack is when someone ignores the issue under discussion in favor of name-calling. I did no such thing. I labeled a troll as such with evidence included, as an explanation of why I wouldn't be responding to his provocations anymore. Whether or not you agree that I made my case, it wasn't an ad hominem attack.

If you think my Critical Thinking lapsed--well, that's always possible. I await your specific critique so I may be corrected. Please keep the critique on the real issue of this thread: whether the refusal to correct misleading signage evinced purposeful fraud on the part of the store (something which is apparently pretty common for grocery stores), or just flakiness on the part of one particular employee. I won't respond to further discussion about the troll.:feedtroll:

[Dixon]

You...have not used Critical Thinking on this thread.
Jbox, your "contribution" to this thread includes post #16, in which you praise GO for their low prices (a perfectly reasonable thing to mention except that it's entirely irrelevant to the topic of this discussion), then post #25, in which you sneeringly dismiss any notion that GO could be purposely misleading customers, without supporting your position with any evidence or arguments whatsoever, and now this post #51, in which you make assertions about, e.g., my having "not used Critical Thinking on this thread", again with no supporting evidence or examples. Allow me to suggest that you may want to put your own house in order before presuming to critique others' critical thinking, especially when your "critique" consists of nothing more than unsupported assertions.

[eric]

jbox, an ad hominem attack is when someone ignores the issue under discussion in favor of name-calling. I did no such thing. I labeled a troll as such with evidence included, as an explanation of why I wouldn't be responding to his provocations anymore. Whether or not you agree that I made my case, it wasn't an ad hominem attack.

If you think my Critical Thinking lapsed--well, that's always possible. I await your specific critique so I may be corrected. Please keep the critique on the real issue of this thread: whether the refusal to correct misleading signage evinced purposeful fraud on the part of the store (something which is apparently pretty common for grocery stores), or just flakiness on the part of one particular employee. I won't respond to further discussion about the troll.:feedtroll:



jbox, an ad hominem attack is when someone ignores the issue under discussion in favor of name-calling. I did no such thing. I labeled a troll as such with evidence included, as an explanation of why I wouldn't be responding to his provocations anymore. Whether or not you agree that I made my case, it wasn't an ad hominem attack.


If you think my Critical Thinking lapsed--well, that's always possible. I await your specific critique so I may be corrected. Please keep the critique on the real issue of this thread: whether the refusal to correct misleading signage evinced purposeful fraud on the part of the store (something which is apparently pretty common for grocery stores), or just flakiness on the part of one particular employee. I won't respond to further discussion about the troll.:feedtroll:



* * I may have initially played the devils advocate Dixon, and taken G.O.'s side as far as critical thinking in this debate. I may even have attempted to humor you concerning what could obviously be construed as a misleading sign placement... Yet it is you that abandoned the issue in favor of instigating insult hurling, and name calling, as well as disrespectfully applying untrue and offensive labels upon me!

* * * * * * * As far as critical thinking is concerned you've made some considerable blunders here, even reinforcing that it is you that should be defining yourself as a troll, and that's by your very own definition of the term...
I was merely trying to reason with you, and you started an inflammatory off topic discussion based upon false conjecture and insults.

* * *
* * * * * * *
* * *

[ChefJayTay]

Since squash has a hard outer shell, being scratched isn't going to affect this vegetable. Does everyone avoid any squash that has a scratch? Melons, too? How do you know when it was picked? Do you have inside information on when produce is picked at various stores? Because that's something many of us could benefit from knowing.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Winter_squash

Winter squash is a summer-growing annual fruit [...] It differs from summer squash in that it is harvested and eaten in the mature fruit stage, when the seeds within have matured fully and the skin has hardened into a tough rind. At this stage, most varieties of this fruit can be stored for use during the winter.

Basic knowledge of the plant tells me it was picked last fall.

[jbox]

* * I may have initially played the devils advocate Dixon, and taken G.O.'s side as far as critical thinking in this debate. I may even have attempted to humor you concerning what could obviously be construed as a misleading sign placement... Yet it is you that abandoned the issue in favor of instigating insult hurling, and name calling, as well as disrespectfully applying untrue and offensive labels upon me!

* * * * * * * As far as critical thinking is concerned you've made some considerable blunders here, even reinforcing that it is you that should be defining yourself as a troll, and that's by your very own definition of the term...
I was merely trying to reason with you, and you started an inflammatory off topic discussion based upon false conjecture and insults.

Eric,

I couldn't have said it better myself, so instead of directly responding to Dixon's rather silly request for explanation I will let your statement speak for me and not get drawn into some pseudo-intellectual debate with Dixon over semantics.

- jbox

[jbox]

Jbox, your "contribution" to this thread includes post #16, in which you praise GO for their low prices (a perfectly reasonable thing to mention except that it's entirely irrelevant to the topic of this discussion), then post #25, in which you sneeringly dismiss any notion that GO could be purposely misleading customers, without supporting your position with any evidence or arguments whatsoever, and now this post #51, in which you make assertions about, e.g., my having "not used Critical Thinking on this thread", again with no supporting evidence or examples. Allow me to suggest that you may want to put your own house in order before presuming to critique others' critical thinking, especially when your "critique" consists of nothing more than unsupported assertions.

Well, gee, Dixon. at least I shop at the store for at least the last 25 years and am familiar with the store, its practices, its employees, its peculiar niche. You don't even shop there and want to make a big deal over some petty little mistake about squash labeling. Dude, don't sweat the small stuff, unless that's what your life is all about. And if that is what your life is all about, please don't bother other people about it.

Regarding this thread, howzabout you lose with grace?

[Shandi]

I understand that this summer growing vegetable is picked sometime in the fall, and can be stored for several months. What I'm not sure of is what's considered a great price. I recently paid 99 cents a pound for a small, beautiful spaghetti squash, (with a few scratches). That must have actually been an outrageous price compared to being able to get one at GO for 99 cents each. But you're saying that's even high, for a winter squash at this time of year. Please share where you've found cheaper winter squash, like spaghetti, butternut, or acorn? (GO is right across the street, but I didn't have time to check in there.)

I just realized after I posted that I forot that the Spaghetti squash wasn't actually 99 cents, and that was the whole reason Dixon had originally posted his question about GO putting intentionally mis-leading signs. I hope this doesn't indicate diminished brain cells on my part, but just a momentary "lapse".....:whew:


https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Winter_squash


Basic knowledge of the plant tells me it was picked last fall.

[Dixon]

Dude, don't sweat the small stuff, unless that's what your life is all about.
Jbox, I started this thread to get some help in figuring out whether this issue with GO is small stuff or not. How can I know whether to sweat it if I don't know whether it's small stuff or something important? Your apparently unfounded, though vehemently asserted, assumption that it is just small stuff has certainly not been helpful in figuring out whether it is or not.


Regarding this thread, howzabout you lose with grace?
Lose what? Is this dialogue some sort of battle that must yield winners and losers? Is that how you see discussions, jbox? And even if that were the case, how could I lose when I haven't even chosen a side?

[feralinmendo]

https://www.waccobb.net/forums/waccobb/keep90days/2018-01-30_14-53-31.pngCheck the wine prices online. GO has quite a selection of bargain priced wines in stock, but beware. The bottles will be marked with the actual retail price, in GO, as well as the "usual retail" price of the bottle. I have found bottles that were said to "retail" for $14.99, marked down to 6.99 in GO, but actually selling for $3.99 in BevMo. I have begun to go to GO, write down the variety, brand, and vintage of a particular wine, then go home and google it. I do that with several of the wines that I am interested in. This gives me actual retail prices, as well as a review of the quality of the wine. I then go back to the store, and put together a case to buy. This is a bit time consuming, but serves me well to distinguish the bargains from the 'disasters'.

I have expressed my concern with my local store about the discrepancies in "retail price" on wine, but my email went unanswered.

[chollie]

I found the same for hard liquors. CVS was cheaper.

[Stargazer]

https://www.waccobb.net/forums/waccobb/keep90days/2018-01-30_14-53-31.pngWine is not my main focus when shopping since I do not drink it often, although I do occasionally buy wine to bring to a gathering. I have actually been able to find some pretty good deals at the Grocery Outlet in SR on wine for $3.99 to about $5.99. It has all been fairly quality wine. One has to know wines, the regions where the grapes are grown and where it is distributed for a start. It is also important to make sure there is a price that is marked on the wine or have it scanned at the register prior to making the purchase. I have put wine back on the shelf at the GO in SR when the price is more than it is marked or it is not marked at all. Or when it is scanned at the register the price is more than I am willing to pay. I have actually done okay at the GO in SR providing that I am cautious and am not in a hurry.

Due to deceptive business practices or human errors, the higher costs generally come out in the favor of the business I have found, usually not for the benefit of the customer. I choose to limit how much and what I shop for at the GO in SR these days. When I do shop at the GO in SR, it is only for a few items that I choose very carefully. I always know in advance before I pay for a product how much it actually costs. Overall the Grocery Outlet in SR is just a tricky store. It is the kind of a store where the "customer must be aware, detailed and take their time" when shopping. This lessens the potential for mistakes to occur generally and usually not to one's advantage. The prices change all the time on the same items and many of the items at the GO in SR are not marked with prices at all. Some of the items are marked incorrectly, specifically the organic ones that can be more expensive than they appear to be. I feel that the owner/manager at the GO in SR is dishonest and is a nasty man. I do not particularly like to shop there as much as I once did. I am lucky though. I have a car and have the option of shopping in numerous stores.

There have been a few times when I have caught the management being underhanded while I was shopping at the GO in SR. I have brought these errors/substantial price mark ups on items to the attention of the cashier when I was at the register. The items would be marked for a lesser price on the shelf but would ring up for a higher price at the cash register. If the manager/owner was called to come to the register by the cashier, I have seen him run to the back of the store or to the shelf where the item was from and quickly switch the price tag to make it higher to match the way it rang up at the cash register. When this has happened, I would put the item back and not purchase it. I have observed numerous prices tags on top of others for the same items and have seen them being switched by the management for their benefit. I am writing about this store from my own experiences and observations with this store for many years.
It is imperative to check the dates carefully on all items since many are close to or are out of date.

In conclusion, if one is careful, there can be some great deals to be had at the GO in SR. Be sure to save the receipts though, since many items can be spoiled due to poor refrigeration at times and other reasons why many items may appear to be okay but are spoiled. When that happens, the GO in SR will refund your money or exchange the item towards another item. What bothers me the most though is to witness the most vulnerable people being taken advantage of, specifically when they are noticeably disabled or are the elderly people on small fixed incomes who live across the street from the GO in SR. They are within walking distance to this store and usually do not or cannot drive. That puts limits on their shopping choices. Most people these days are on tight budgets due to the high cost of living. They do not have the energy or the where with all to have to be so detailed when they shop. Or perhaps they are just honest people who trust. That would be fine if the other side of the equation is trustworthy. I do believe that most people are honorable. It just takes a few rotten apples to spoil the bunch.

So people, please do not shoot the messenger, me. I am just trying to raise some awareness out there. It is very possible that the GO in SR is not the only establishment that does business like this. Whether something is caused by human error or it is done purposely, it is best to take your time so you do not do a disservice to yourself. Try to be aware and attentive when you shop, especially if you are living on a budget and must stretch your dollar to the best of your ability. Or when possible, if necessary, have someone help you shop or shop with a friend and help each other to live within your means.

[danargraves]

I believe that was just one employee. Why did you speculate it was store policy and put that on another employee? You seem to have had a negative attitude in place about the business with naming it " groce out". Why create conflict and suspicion when according to what you wrote, you were not at all sure what the store operation is about.

I have never had any problem with any Grocery Outlet and am very glad they are around especially as they do sell some organic foods and organic meats at a far better price than the other stores as well as dry goods, wine and other beverage prices. Check out dollar stores and 99 cent stores for household and dry good items. Same products other stores sell but at ridiculously low prices. Many times I have spent 10-15 dollars there where other stores it would be 35-50 dollars.

[danargraves]

Try the store in Rohnert Park. Never an issue.

[Stargazer]

Each GO store is operated and owned individually. Good to know about the GO store in Rohnert Park. Yes I do agree about the GO prices that can be less than most other retail grocery stores, although not all the time. I've have been to other GO's, not just the one in SR and this is the way they operate.

They are a "discount store" for a reason across the board. Shopping at stores like the GO can be tricky. GO's buy over runs (those are your best buys) and food that is close to being outdated for the most part. I have found that many items in the SR GO are not marked and/or the prices change on the same items, many times within the next day. GO's everywhere find out what sells, then they can and usually do increase the price. Many establishments do this same practice, not just GO's. Here is an example of a couple of other discount stores that can be misleading or disappointing. Look at the prices and products at Dollar General. I am not referring to the Dollar Tree which is a totally different company. There are hardly any products that DG sells that is one dollar.

It is just important to be an observant shopper wherever one shops. Almost every store grocery store that I have ever shopped at costs less than Whole Foods and Oliver's on all of their products, excluding the items that are on sale that get you into their store. Yes the quality is usually pretty good at WF and Oliver's. The quality is also pretty good or better from my perspective at Raley's and usually costs less than Whole Food's or Oliver's.

[Goat Rock Ukulele]

I like the one in Petaluma. Seems to have the greatest selection of the three in Sonoma County. We find it's best to go there not really looking for anything in particular and when you see a deal stock up. The vegetables and fruit there generally are not great.