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Groups > alt.folklore.computers > #148718 > unrolled thread

OT: A&P supermarket bankruptcy

Started byhancock4@bbs.cpcn.com
First post2015-07-21 08:08 -0700
Last post2015-07-27 07:54 -0700
Articles 13 on this page of 73 — 26 participants

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Contents

  OT:  A&P supermarket bankruptcy hancock4@bbs.cpcn.com - 2015-07-21 08:08 -0700
    Re: OT:  A&P supermarket bankruptcy Howard S Shubs <howard@shubs.net> - 2015-07-22 01:00 +0000
    Re: OT:  A&P supermarket bankruptcy "Kerr Mudd-John" <admin@127.0.0.1> - 2015-07-24 13:42 +0100
    Re: OT:  A&P supermarket bankruptcy Mike Albanese <allegrippus@gmail.com> - 2015-07-26 13:42 -0700
      Re: OT:  A&P supermarket bankruptcy hancock4@bbs.cpcn.com - 2015-07-26 20:15 -0700
        Re: OT:  A&P supermarket bankruptcy jmreno <none@nowhere.com> - 2015-07-27 00:22 -0700
        Re: OT: A&P supermarket bankruptcy Peter Flass <peter_flass@yahoo.com> - 2015-07-27 14:08 +0000
          Re: OT: A&P supermarket bankruptcy Stephen Sprunk <stephen@sprunk.org> - 2015-07-27 10:00 -0500
          Re: OT: A&P supermarket bankruptcy Huge <Huge@nowhere.much.invalid> - 2015-07-27 15:08 +0000
            Re: OT: A&P supermarket bankruptcy John Levine <johnl@iecc.com> - 2015-07-27 17:41 +0000
              Re: OT: A&P supermarket bankruptcy Peter Flass <peter_flass@yahoo.com> - 2015-07-28 00:21 +0000
                Re: OT: A&P supermarket bankruptcy Joe Pfeiffer <pfeiffer@cs.nmsu.edu> - 2015-07-27 21:42 -0600
                  Re: OT: A&P supermarket bankruptcy Stephen Sprunk <stephen@sprunk.org> - 2015-07-27 23:17 -0500
                    Re: OT: A&P supermarket bankruptcy Mike Spencer <mds@bogus.nodomain.nowhere> - 2015-07-28 03:30 -0300
                    Re: OT: A&P supermarket bankruptcy Joe Pfeiffer <pfeiffer@cs.nmsu.edu> - 2015-07-28 08:19 -0600
                      Re: OT: A&P supermarket bankruptcy Stephen Sprunk <stephen@sprunk.org> - 2015-07-28 09:40 -0500
                        Re: OT: A&P supermarket bankruptcy Stephen Sprunk <stephen@sprunk.org> - 2015-07-28 12:09 -0500
                          Re: OT: A&P supermarket bankruptcy hancock4@bbs.cpcn.com - 2015-07-28 10:43 -0700
                            Re: OT: A&P supermarket bankruptcy hancock4@bbs.cpcn.com - 2015-07-29 10:45 -0700
                              Re: OT: A&P supermarket bankruptcy Stephen Sprunk <stephen@sprunk.org> - 2015-07-30 12:29 -0500
                                Re: OT: A&P supermarket bankruptcy hancock4@bbs.cpcn.com - 2015-08-01 23:05 -0700
                            Re: OT: A&P supermarket bankruptcy hancock4@bbs.cpcn.com - 2015-07-29 10:56 -0700
                          Re: OT: A&P supermarket bankruptcy lawrence@cluon.com - 2015-07-29 02:35 +0200
                          Re: OT: A&P supermarket bankruptcy Stephen Sprunk <stephen@sprunk.org> - 2015-07-28 20:17 -0500
                        Re: OT: A&P supermarket bankruptcy Stephen Sprunk <stephen@sprunk.org> - 2015-07-28 12:34 -0500
                          Re: OT: A&P supermarket bankruptcy hancock4@bbs.cpcn.com - 2015-07-28 13:35 -0700
                            Re: OT: A&P supermarket bankruptcy Michael Black <et472@ncf.ca> - 2015-07-29 11:18 -0400
                              Re: OT: A&P supermarket bankruptcy hancock4@bbs.cpcn.com - 2015-07-29 11:01 -0700
                        Re: OT: A&P supermarket bankruptcy Dave Garland <dave.garland@wizinfo.com> - 2015-07-28 14:24 -0500
                          Re: OT: A&P supermarket bankruptcy scott@slp53.sl.home (Scott Lurndal) - 2015-07-28 19:47 +0000
                          Re: OT: A&P supermarket bankruptcy hancock4@bbs.cpcn.com - 2015-07-28 13:16 -0700
                          Re: OT: A&P supermarket bankruptcy "Osmium" <r124c4u102@comcast.net> - 2015-07-28 15:57 -0500
                        Re: OT: A&P supermarket bankruptcy Gene Wirchenko <genew@telus.net> - 2015-07-30 11:58 -0700
                          Re: OT: A&P supermarket bankruptcy Stephen Sprunk <stephen@sprunk.org> - 2015-07-30 14:36 -0500
                            Re: OT: A&P supermarket bankruptcy Gene Wirchenko <genew@telus.net> - 2015-07-30 19:42 -0700
                              Re: OT: A&P supermarket bankruptcy Joe Pfeiffer <pfeiffer@cs.nmsu.edu> - 2015-07-30 22:06 -0600
                                Re: OT: A&P supermarket bankruptcy jmfbahciv <See.above@aol.com> - 2015-07-31 12:14 +0000
                                  Re: OT: A&P supermarket bankruptcy Joe Pfeiffer <pfeiffer@cs.nmsu.edu> - 2015-07-31 07:10 -0600
                                    Re: OT: A&P supermarket bankruptcy jmfbahciv <See.above@aol.com> - 2015-08-01 12:36 +0000
                                      Re: OT: A&P supermarket bankruptcy "Rod Speed" <rod.speed.aaa@gmail.com> - 2015-08-02 05:55 +1000
                                        Re: OT: A&P supermarket bankruptcy Tom Dadey <tomdzip1@gmail.com> - 2015-08-02 13:10 -0700
                                          Re: OT: A&P supermarket bankruptcy "Rod Speed" <rod.speed.aaa@gmail.com> - 2015-08-03 09:24 +1000
                                        Re: OT: franchises, was A&P supermarket bankruptcy John Levine <johnl@iecc.com> - 2015-08-03 00:42 +0000
                                          Re: OT: franchises, was A&P supermarket bankruptcy "Rod Speed" <rod.speed.aaa@gmail.com> - 2015-08-03 14:54 +1000
                                          Re: OT: franchises, was A&P supermarket bankruptcy hancock4@bbs.cpcn.com - 2015-08-03 19:43 -0700
                                            Re: OT: franchises, was A&P supermarket bankruptcy Peter Flass <peter_flass@yahoo.com> - 2015-08-04 13:38 +0000
                                              Re: OT: franchises, was A&P supermarket bankruptcy hancock4@bbs.cpcn.com - 2015-08-04 08:10 -0700
                                            Re: OT: franchises, was A&P supermarket bankruptcy JimP <solosam90@gmail.com> - 2015-08-04 18:45 -0500
                              Re: OT: A&P supermarket bankruptcy Stephen Sprunk <stephen@sprunk.org> - 2015-08-01 15:22 -0500
                                Re: OT: A&P supermarket bankruptcy "JHY" <JHY5566@nospam.com> - 2015-08-02 09:14 +1000
                                Re: OT: A&P supermarket bankruptcy Gene Wirchenko <genew@telus.net> - 2015-08-01 14:24 -0700
                                  Re: OT: A&P supermarket bankruptcy Stephen Sprunk <stephen@sprunk.org> - 2015-08-03 13:36 -0500
                                Re: OT: A&P supermarket bankruptcy "JHY" <JHY5566@nospam.com> - 2015-08-02 07:59 +1000
                          toilet paper, was: OT: A&P supermarket bankruptcy danny burstein <dannyb@panix.com> - 2015-07-30 20:23 +0000
                            Re: toilet paper, was: OT: A&P supermarket bankruptcy Stephen Sprunk <stephen@sprunk.org> - 2015-07-31 09:14 -0500
                        Re: OT: A&P supermarket bankruptcy Stephen Sprunk <stephen@sprunk.org> - 2015-07-30 14:56 -0500
                          Re: OT: A&P supermarket bankruptcy Charlie Gibbs <cgibbs@kltpzyxm.invalid> - 2015-07-30 23:18 +0000
                            Re: OT: A&P supermarket bankruptcy "JHY" <JHY5566@nospam.com> - 2015-07-31 14:05 +1000
                            Re: OT: A&P supermarket bankruptcy Stephen Sprunk <stephen@sprunk.org> - 2015-07-31 09:48 -0500
                              Re: OT: A&P supermarket bankruptcy Charlie Gibbs <cgibbs@kltpzyxm.invalid> - 2015-07-31 18:00 +0000
                                Re: OT: A&P supermarket bankruptcy Gene Wirchenko <genew@telus.net> - 2015-07-31 17:47 -0700
                    Re: OT: A&P supermarket bankruptcy "JHY" <JHY5566@nospam.com> - 2015-07-30 16:20 +1000
                  Re: OT: A&P supermarket bankruptcy "Rod Speed" <rod.speed.aaa@gmail.com> - 2015-07-30 16:31 +1000
                    Re: OT: A&P supermarket bankruptcy jmfbahciv <See.above@aol.com> - 2015-07-30 11:50 +0000
                      Re: OT: A&P supermarket bankruptcy "Rod Speed" <rod.speed.aaa@gmail.com> - 2015-07-31 06:40 +1000
                        Re: OT: A&P supermarket bankruptcy Dave Garland <dave.garland@wizinfo.com> - 2015-07-30 16:57 -0500
                          Re: OT: A&P supermarket bankruptcy "Rod Speed" <rod.speed.aaa@gmail.com> - 2015-07-31 13:56 +1000
                        Re: OT: A&P supermarket bankruptcy jmfbahciv <See.above@aol.com> - 2015-07-31 12:13 +0000
            Re: OT: A&P supermarket bankruptcy Michael Black <et472@ncf.ca> - 2015-07-27 23:01 -0400
      Re: OT:  A&P supermarket bankruptcy sidd@situ.com (sidd) - 2015-07-28 02:27 -0400
    Re: OT:  A&P supermarket bankruptcy Quadibloc <jsavard@ecn.ab.ca> - 2015-07-27 07:40 -0700
      Re: OT:  A&P supermarket bankruptcy Quadibloc <jsavard@ecn.ab.ca> - 2015-07-27 07:45 -0700
        Re: OT:  A&P supermarket bankruptcy Quadibloc <jsavard@ecn.ab.ca> - 2015-07-27 07:54 -0700

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#149202 — Re: OT: A&P supermarket bankruptcy

FromGene Wirchenko <genew@telus.net>
Date2015-07-31 17:47 -0700
SubjectRe: OT: A&P supermarket bankruptcy
Message-ID<mn5ora9ov8ptuooaujrt3s4gor666b996r@4ax.com>
In reply to#149178
On 31 Jul 2015 18:00:54 GMT, Charlie Gibbs <cgibbs@kltpzyxm.invalid>
wrote:

[snip]

>That's probably true, although the temptation for a new manager to try
>to make his mark by changing something before analyzing the situation
>must sometimes be awfully strong.
>
>Or maybe I've just been reading too much Dilbert:
>http://dilbert.com/strip/1994-09-07

     I like that one.  Even the PHB is scared, and for a good reason,
too.

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#149072 — Re: OT: A&P supermarket bankruptcy

From"JHY" <JHY5566@nospam.com>
Date2015-07-30 16:20 +1000
SubjectRe: OT: A&P supermarket bankruptcy
Message-ID<d1tu2bFojbdU1@mid.individual.net>
In reply to#148999

"Stephen Sprunk" <stephen@sprunk.org> wrote in message 
news:mp6vlb$32p$1@dont-email.me...
> On 27-Jul-15 22:42, Joe Pfeiffer wrote:
>> I don't have much interest in going to half a dozen small stores to
>> get food to make tonight's dinner.  Yeah, I should be better about
>> planning meals far enough in advance that I'm not going to the store
>> every day or so....  but I'm not.  My wife and I have tried, and we
>> just don't think that way.
>
> I'm not sure this is the real problem.
>
> I have several supermarkets around, and they all seem significantly
> larger than necessary.

Can't agree with that at all. What a surprise I hear you all howl.

> You could easily toss half to three quarters of what
> they stock and nobody would miss it; if anything,

Bullshit.

> I'd appreciate not having to choose between fifty varieties of ketchup.

None have anything like 50 and I like to have a good choice and have
in fact seen them dump what I chose to buy with both marmalade
which has something like 40 or so varieties available, and with relish
as well which has rather less choice than that. I ended up making my
own because they no longer stocked the one I wanted to buy.

> I'd bet that a handful account for most sales,

I don’t believe that with something as thoroughly
researched as supermarket stocking is.

> so why waste space on the rest?

Because it isn't actually wasted at all.

> Also, Kroger recently replaced their store here with one twice the size;
> there is a new organic food section, but the other food sections are
> unchanged or even slightly smaller.  All of the added space is devoted
> to clothing, jewelry, furniture and other non-food items.  I suppose
> that's only fair since Walmart and Target added grocery sections, but
> such diversification means ever-larger stores that are more difficult to
> navigate and less good at any particular thing.  Now, CVS and Walgreens
> are evolving into grocery stores because the real grocery stores are
> getting so difficult to shop at and seem not to care about actual
> groceries anymore.  Argh!

One of our majors has always had separate stores for the food type
stuff and the other stuff like clothes etc, usually side by side. 

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#149074 — Re: OT: A&P supermarket bankruptcy

From"Rod Speed" <rod.speed.aaa@gmail.com>
Date2015-07-30 16:31 +1000
SubjectRe: OT: A&P supermarket bankruptcy
Message-ID<d1tulmFonttU1@mid.individual.net>
In reply to#148998

"jmfbahciv" <See.above@aol.com> wrote in message 
news:PM00051BEE84810BE9@aca41479.ipt.aol.com...
> Joe Pfeiffer wrote:
>> Peter Flass <peter_flass@yahoo.com> writes:
>>
>>> John Levine <johnl@iecc.com> wrote:
>>>>>> I'm not sure it's a trend, but one local chain opened a smaller 
>>>>>> version
> of
>>>>>> their regular supermarket downtown, so it's in walking distance of a 
>>>>>> lot
> of
>>>>>> people.
>>>>>
>>>>> This is commonplace in the UK. Large supermarket chains opening 
>>>>> "corner
>>>>> stores"
>>>>
>>>> Tesco (the largest supermarket chain in the UK) set up a chain of
>>>> small stores a decade ago in the western US called Fresh & Easy.  It
>>>> was a total flop, lost them £2 billion, went bankrupt in 2013 and they
>>>> sold them to Yucaipa, a private equity company that happens to own a
>>>> large share of what's left of A&P.
>>>>
>>>> When I looked at Fresh & Easy stores, they seemed entirely reasonable
>>>> little groceries.  Dunno why Americans don't like them.  The year I
>>>> lived in England I certainly bought a lot of stuff from the small
>>>> Tesco, Sainsbury, M&S, and Co-op stores when I didn't want to schlep
>>>> out to the big ones.
>>>
>>> I don't know where in the "western US", but it's very hard to get
>>> Californians out of their cars.  This sort of thing only works in urban
>>> areas where the store is in easy walking distance and the customers are
>>> middle-class or so.  This limits the market, although such areas are
>>> increasing.
>>
>> I don't have much interest in going to half a dozen small stores to get
>> food to make tonight's dinner.  Yeah, I should be better about planning
>> meals far enough in advance that I'm not going to the store every day or
>> so....  but I'm not.  My wife and I have tried, and we just don't think
>> that way.

> I make one supper and eat it for n days.

I don’t do that for n consecutive days, too boring.

With some stuff like currys I do make a decent sized batch, eat
the first one freshly made and put the rest into meal sized small
plastic lidded containers in the freezer. Cook just enough rice
for a single meal and do one of those each time one of the
containers is used from the freezer.

> A whole chicken will last for more than a week.

Doesn’t last that long for me, but I don’t eat them very often.

Leg of lamb is much more common and that does provide
something like 6-8 meals, the first one straight from the
oven and the rest cold sliced meat with a roast potato
done in one of those glass bowel convection ovens
after dipping the potato in olive oil, with peas, corn
capsicum and relish with just the slices of meat cold
on a hot plate.

> A crock pot of something will also last a week.

Still haven't gotten around to using the crockpots/slow cookers
I got at garage sales, mainly because it’s a mostly winter meal for
me. Must get off my arse, just one month more of winter left.

>> There have been a couple of butchers and fruit/vegetable stores through
>> the years that have been enough better than Albertson's to get me to
>> change my habits, but apparently they didn't get enough other people to
>> do the same to stay in business.
>
> There are butchers here.  One place makes great breakfast sausages.
> Another place has the best pork chops.  It took a while to discover
> these features.
 

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#149082 — Re: OT: A&P supermarket bankruptcy

Fromjmfbahciv <See.above@aol.com>
Date2015-07-30 11:50 +0000
SubjectRe: OT: A&P supermarket bankruptcy
Message-ID<PM00051C16275C22FF@aca40d24.ipt.aol.com>
In reply to#149074
Rod Speed wrote:
>
>
> "jmfbahciv" <See.above@aol.com> wrote in message
> news:PM00051BEE84810BE9@aca41479.ipt.aol.com...
>> Joe Pfeiffer wrote:
>>> Peter Flass <peter_flass@yahoo.com> writes:
>>>
>>>> John Levine <johnl@iecc.com> wrote:
>>>>>>> I'm not sure it's a trend, but one local chain opened a smaller
>>>>>>> version
>> of
>>>>>>> their regular supermarket downtown, so it's in walking distance of a
>>>>>>> lot
>> of
>>>>>>> people.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> This is commonplace in the UK. Large supermarket chains opening
>>>>>> "corner
>>>>>> stores"
>>>>>
>>>>> Tesco (the largest supermarket chain in the UK) set up a chain of
>>>>> small stores a decade ago in the western US called Fresh & Easy.  It
>>>>> was a total flop, lost them £2 billion, went bankrupt in 2013 and they
>>>>> sold them to Yucaipa, a private equity company that happens to own a
>>>>> large share of what's left of A&P.
>>>>>
>>>>> When I looked at Fresh & Easy stores, they seemed entirely reasonable
>>>>> little groceries.  Dunno why Americans don't like them.  The year I
>>>>> lived in England I certainly bought a lot of stuff from the small
>>>>> Tesco, Sainsbury, M&S, and Co-op stores when I didn't want to schlep
>>>>> out to the big ones.
>>>>
>>>> I don't know where in the "western US", but it's very hard to get
>>>> Californians out of their cars.  This sort of thing only works in urban
>>>> areas where the store is in easy walking distance and the customers are
>>>> middle-class or so.  This limits the market, although such areas are
>>>> increasing.
>>>
>>> I don't have much interest in going to half a dozen small stores to get
>>> food to make tonight's dinner.  Yeah, I should be better about planning
>>> meals far enough in advance that I'm not going to the store every day or
>>> so....  but I'm not.  My wife and I have tried, and we just don't think
>>> that way.
>
>> I make one supper and eat it for n days.
>
> I don’t do that for n consecutive days, too boring.
>
> With some stuff like currys I do make a decent sized batch, eat
> the first one freshly made and put the rest into meal sized small
> plastic lidded containers in the freezer. Cook just enough rice
> for a single meal and do one of those each time one of the
> containers is used from the freezer.

<snip>

The goal is to not have to cook.  If I have rice with the
entree, I cook enough rice and vegetables for the entire
batch.

/BAH

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#149116 — Re: OT: A&P supermarket bankruptcy

From"Rod Speed" <rod.speed.aaa@gmail.com>
Date2015-07-31 06:40 +1000
SubjectRe: OT: A&P supermarket bankruptcy
Message-ID<d1vgd7F6u6dU1@mid.individual.net>
In reply to#149082

"jmfbahciv" <See.above@aol.com> wrote in message 
news:PM00051C16275C22FF@aca40d24.ipt.aol.com...
> Rod Speed wrote:
>>
>>
>> "jmfbahciv" <See.above@aol.com> wrote in message
>> news:PM00051BEE84810BE9@aca41479.ipt.aol.com...
>>> Joe Pfeiffer wrote:
>>>> Peter Flass <peter_flass@yahoo.com> writes:
>>>>
>>>>> John Levine <johnl@iecc.com> wrote:
>>>>>>>> I'm not sure it's a trend, but one local chain opened a smaller
>>>>>>>> version
>>> of
>>>>>>>> their regular supermarket downtown, so it's in walking distance of 
>>>>>>>> a
>>>>>>>> lot
>>> of
>>>>>>>> people.
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> This is commonplace in the UK. Large supermarket chains opening
>>>>>>> "corner
>>>>>>> stores"
>>>>>>
>>>>>> Tesco (the largest supermarket chain in the UK) set up a chain of
>>>>>> small stores a decade ago in the western US called Fresh & Easy.  It
>>>>>> was a total flop, lost them £2 billion, went bankrupt in 2013 and 
>>>>>> they
>>>>>> sold them to Yucaipa, a private equity company that happens to own a
>>>>>> large share of what's left of A&P.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> When I looked at Fresh & Easy stores, they seemed entirely reasonable
>>>>>> little groceries.  Dunno why Americans don't like them.  The year I
>>>>>> lived in England I certainly bought a lot of stuff from the small
>>>>>> Tesco, Sainsbury, M&S, and Co-op stores when I didn't want to schlep
>>>>>> out to the big ones.
>>>>>
>>>>> I don't know where in the "western US", but it's very hard to get
>>>>> Californians out of their cars.  This sort of thing only works in 
>>>>> urban
>>>>> areas where the store is in easy walking distance and the customers 
>>>>> are
>>>>> middle-class or so.  This limits the market, although such areas are
>>>>> increasing.
>>>>
>>>> I don't have much interest in going to half a dozen small stores to get
>>>> food to make tonight's dinner.  Yeah, I should be better about planning
>>>> meals far enough in advance that I'm not going to the store every day 
>>>> or
>>>> so....  but I'm not.  My wife and I have tried, and we just don't think
>>>> that way.
>>
>>> I make one supper and eat it for n days.
>>
>> I don’t do that for n consecutive days, too boring.
>>
>> With some stuff like currys I do make a decent sized batch, eat
>> the first one freshly made and put the rest into meal sized small
>> plastic lidded containers in the freezer. Cook just enough rice
>> for a single meal and do one of those each time one of the
>> containers is used from the freezer.
>
> <snip>

> The goal is to not have to cook.

Its completely trivial to cook rice once you work out how
to do it in the microwave. Just weight the rice, weigh the
water, punch in the 2 phase stuff into the microwave, wait
for it to beep when its done.

> If I have rice with the entree, I cook enough
> rice and vegetables for the entire batch.

You still have to heat it up when you eat each bit of the batch.
Doesn’t take any more effort to cook the rice from scratch. 

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#149121 — Re: OT: A&P supermarket bankruptcy

FromDave Garland <dave.garland@wizinfo.com>
Date2015-07-30 16:57 -0500
SubjectRe: OT: A&P supermarket bankruptcy
Message-ID<mpe6in$cn6$1@dont-email.me>
In reply to#149116
On 7/30/2015 3:40 PM, Rod Speed wrote:
> 
> 
> "jmfbahciv" <See.above@aol.com> wrote in message
> news:PM00051C16275C22FF@aca40d24.ipt.aol.com...
>> Rod Speed wrote:
>>>
>>>
>>> "jmfbahciv" <See.above@aol.com> wrote in message
>>> news:PM00051BEE84810BE9@aca41479.ipt.aol.com...
>>>> Joe Pfeiffer wrote:
>>>>> Peter Flass <peter_flass@yahoo.com> writes:
>>>>>
>>>>>> John Levine <johnl@iecc.com> wrote:
>>>>>>>>> I'm not sure it's a trend, but one local chain opened a smaller
>>>>>>>>> version
>>>> of
>>>>>>>>> their regular supermarket downtown, so it's in walking
>>>>>>>>> distance of a
>>>>>>>>> lot
>>>> of
>>>>>>>>> people.
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> This is commonplace in the UK. Large supermarket chains opening
>>>>>>>> "corner
>>>>>>>> stores"
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> Tesco (the largest supermarket chain in the UK) set up a chain of
>>>>>>> small stores a decade ago in the western US called Fresh &
>>>>>>> Easy.  It
>>>>>>> was a total flop, lost them £2 billion, went bankrupt in 2013
>>>>>>> and they
>>>>>>> sold them to Yucaipa, a private equity company that happens to
>>>>>>> own a
>>>>>>> large share of what's left of A&P.
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> When I looked at Fresh & Easy stores, they seemed entirely
>>>>>>> reasonable
>>>>>>> little groceries.  Dunno why Americans don't like them.  The
>>>>>>> year I
>>>>>>> lived in England I certainly bought a lot of stuff from the small
>>>>>>> Tesco, Sainsbury, M&S, and Co-op stores when I didn't want to
>>>>>>> schlep
>>>>>>> out to the big ones.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> I don't know where in the "western US", but it's very hard to get
>>>>>> Californians out of their cars.  This sort of thing only works
>>>>>> in urban
>>>>>> areas where the store is in easy walking distance and the
>>>>>> customers are
>>>>>> middle-class or so.  This limits the market, although such areas
>>>>>> are
>>>>>> increasing.
>>>>>
>>>>> I don't have much interest in going to half a dozen small stores
>>>>> to get
>>>>> food to make tonight's dinner.  Yeah, I should be better about
>>>>> planning
>>>>> meals far enough in advance that I'm not going to the store every
>>>>> day or
>>>>> so....  but I'm not.  My wife and I have tried, and we just don't
>>>>> think
>>>>> that way.
>>>
>>>> I make one supper and eat it for n days.
>>>
>>> I don’t do that for n consecutive days, too boring.
>>>
>>> With some stuff like currys I do make a decent sized batch, eat
>>> the first one freshly made and put the rest into meal sized small
>>> plastic lidded containers in the freezer. Cook just enough rice
>>> for a single meal and do one of those each time one of the
>>> containers is used from the freezer.
>>
>> <snip>
> 
>> The goal is to not have to cook.
> 
> Its completely trivial to cook rice once you work out how
> to do it in the microwave. Just weight the rice, weigh the
> water, punch in the 2 phase stuff into the microwave, wait
> for it to beep when its done.

It's even easier with a rice cooker. You put the rice and water in by
volume and push the switch. Go away and do something else, when it's
ready it'll switch to "keep warm" and be waiting for you, the fancier
ones will sound a signal when it's done. Works by sensing the
temperature rise when the liquid water is used up and switching to "warm".


>> If I have rice with the entree, I cook enough
>> rice and vegetables for the entire batch.
> 
> You still have to heat it up when you eat each bit of the batch.
> Doesn’t take any more effort to cook the rice from scratch.

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#149148 — Re: OT: A&P supermarket bankruptcy

From"Rod Speed" <rod.speed.aaa@gmail.com>
Date2015-07-31 13:56 +1000
SubjectRe: OT: A&P supermarket bankruptcy
Message-ID<d209uqFckhoU1@mid.individual.net>
In reply to#149121

"Dave Garland" <dave.garland@wizinfo.com> wrote in message 
news:mpe6in$cn6$1@dont-email.me...
> On 7/30/2015 3:40 PM, Rod Speed wrote:
>>
>>
>> "jmfbahciv" <See.above@aol.com> wrote in message
>> news:PM00051C16275C22FF@aca40d24.ipt.aol.com...
>>> Rod Speed wrote:
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> "jmfbahciv" <See.above@aol.com> wrote in message
>>>> news:PM00051BEE84810BE9@aca41479.ipt.aol.com...
>>>>> Joe Pfeiffer wrote:
>>>>>> Peter Flass <peter_flass@yahoo.com> writes:
>>>>>>
>>>>>>> John Levine <johnl@iecc.com> wrote:
>>>>>>>>>> I'm not sure it's a trend, but one local chain opened a smaller
>>>>>>>>>> version
>>>>> of
>>>>>>>>>> their regular supermarket downtown, so it's in walking
>>>>>>>>>> distance of a
>>>>>>>>>> lot
>>>>> of
>>>>>>>>>> people.
>>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>>> This is commonplace in the UK. Large supermarket chains opening
>>>>>>>>> "corner
>>>>>>>>> stores"
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> Tesco (the largest supermarket chain in the UK) set up a chain of
>>>>>>>> small stores a decade ago in the western US called Fresh &
>>>>>>>> Easy.  It
>>>>>>>> was a total flop, lost them £2 billion, went bankrupt in 2013
>>>>>>>> and they
>>>>>>>> sold them to Yucaipa, a private equity company that happens to
>>>>>>>> own a
>>>>>>>> large share of what's left of A&P.
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> When I looked at Fresh & Easy stores, they seemed entirely
>>>>>>>> reasonable
>>>>>>>> little groceries.  Dunno why Americans don't like them.  The
>>>>>>>> year I
>>>>>>>> lived in England I certainly bought a lot of stuff from the small
>>>>>>>> Tesco, Sainsbury, M&S, and Co-op stores when I didn't want to
>>>>>>>> schlep
>>>>>>>> out to the big ones.
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> I don't know where in the "western US", but it's very hard to get
>>>>>>> Californians out of their cars.  This sort of thing only works
>>>>>>> in urban
>>>>>>> areas where the store is in easy walking distance and the
>>>>>>> customers are
>>>>>>> middle-class or so.  This limits the market, although such areas
>>>>>>> are
>>>>>>> increasing.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> I don't have much interest in going to half a dozen small stores
>>>>>> to get
>>>>>> food to make tonight's dinner.  Yeah, I should be better about
>>>>>> planning
>>>>>> meals far enough in advance that I'm not going to the store every
>>>>>> day or
>>>>>> so....  but I'm not.  My wife and I have tried, and we just don't
>>>>>> think
>>>>>> that way.
>>>>
>>>>> I make one supper and eat it for n days.
>>>>
>>>> I don’t do that for n consecutive days, too boring.
>>>>
>>>> With some stuff like currys I do make a decent sized batch, eat
>>>> the first one freshly made and put the rest into meal sized small
>>>> plastic lidded containers in the freezer. Cook just enough rice
>>>> for a single meal and do one of those each time one of the
>>>> containers is used from the freezer.
>>>
>>> <snip>
>>
>>> The goal is to not have to cook.
>>
>> Its completely trivial to cook rice once you work out how
>> to do it in the microwave. Just weight the rice, weigh the
>> water, punch in the 2 phase stuff into the microwave, wait
>> for it to beep when its done.

> It's even easier with a rice cooker.

Trouble with those is that they don’t work so well
for people doing a single meal for just one person.

> You put the rice and water in by volume

No different to the microwave tho I prefer to do it by weight,
easier to do and more accurate. I do the rice in a rigid plastic
container with a lid and put that on a plate because it does
boil over a bit in the initial burst of full power. That container
has the microwaved curry from the freezer added and the
whole curry meal is eaten from that with a splayd.
www.google.com/search?q=splayd&tbm=isch

> and push the switch.

Its only marginally more to program the microwave, first
phase 2 mins on high, second phase 10 mins on mid-low.

> Go away and do something else,

Same with the microwave.

> when it's ready it'll switch to "keep warm" and be waiting
> for you, the fancier ones will sound a signal when it's done.

So does the microwave.

> Works by sensing the temperature rise when the
> liquid water is used up and switching to "warm".

Some microwaves will do that too, I chose one that doesn’t.

>>> If I have rice with the entree, I cook enough
>>> rice and vegetables for the entire batch.

>> You still have to heat it up when you eat each bit of the batch.
>> Doesn’t take any more effort to cook the rice from scratch.
 

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#149162 — Re: OT: A&P supermarket bankruptcy

Fromjmfbahciv <See.above@aol.com>
Date2015-07-31 12:13 +0000
SubjectRe: OT: A&P supermarket bankruptcy
Message-ID<PM00051C2AA39AC35B@aca24c3a.ipt.aol.com>
In reply to#149116
Rod Speed wrote:
>
>
> "jmfbahciv" <See.above@aol.com> wrote in message
> news:PM00051C16275C22FF@aca40d24.ipt.aol.com...
>> Rod Speed wrote:
>>>
>>>
>>> "jmfbahciv" <See.above@aol.com> wrote in message
>>> news:PM00051BEE84810BE9@aca41479.ipt.aol.com...
>>>> Joe Pfeiffer wrote:
>>>>> Peter Flass <peter_flass@yahoo.com> writes:
>>>>>
>>>>>> John Levine <johnl@iecc.com> wrote:
>>>>>>>>> I'm not sure it's a trend, but one local chain opened a smaller
>>>>>>>>> version
>>>> of
>>>>>>>>> their regular supermarket downtown, so it's in walking distance of
>>>>>>>>> a
>>>>>>>>> lot
>>>> of
>>>>>>>>> people.
>>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>> This is commonplace in the UK. Large supermarket chains opening
>>>>>>>> "corner
>>>>>>>> stores"
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> Tesco (the largest supermarket chain in the UK) set up a chain of
>>>>>>> small stores a decade ago in the western US called Fresh & Easy.  It
>>>>>>> was a total flop, lost them £2 billion, went bankrupt in 2013 and
>>>>>>> they
>>>>>>> sold them to Yucaipa, a private equity company that happens to own a
>>>>>>> large share of what's left of A&P.
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>> When I looked at Fresh & Easy stores, they seemed entirely reasonable
>>>>>>> little groceries.  Dunno why Americans don't like them.  The year I
>>>>>>> lived in England I certainly bought a lot of stuff from the small
>>>>>>> Tesco, Sainsbury, M&S, and Co-op stores when I didn't want to schlep
>>>>>>> out to the big ones.
>>>>>>
>>>>>> I don't know where in the "western US", but it's very hard to get
>>>>>> Californians out of their cars.  This sort of thing only works in
>>>>>> urban
>>>>>> areas where the store is in easy walking distance and the customers
>>>>>> are
>>>>>> middle-class or so.  This limits the market, although such areas are
>>>>>> increasing.
>>>>>
>>>>> I don't have much interest in going to half a dozen small stores to get
>>>>> food to make tonight's dinner.  Yeah, I should be better about planning
>>>>> meals far enough in advance that I'm not going to the store every day
>>>>> or
>>>>> so....  but I'm not.  My wife and I have tried, and we just don't think
>>>>> that way.
>>>
>>>> I make one supper and eat it for n days.
>>>
>>> I don’t do that for n consecutive days, too boring.
>>>
>>> With some stuff like currys I do make a decent sized batch, eat
>>> the first one freshly made and put the rest into meal sized small
>>> plastic lidded containers in the freezer. Cook just enough rice
>>> for a single meal and do one of those each time one of the
>>> containers is used from the freezer.
>>
>> <snip>
>
>> The goal is to not have to cook.
>
> Its completely trivial to cook rice once you work out how
> to do it in the microwave. Just weight the rice, weigh the
> water, punch in the 2 phase stuff into the microwave, wait
> for it to beep when its done.

It still takes body energy.  To minimize energy expenditure, I
cook a large amount once and then reheat for the meal.

>
>> If I have rice with the entree, I cook enough
>> rice and vegetables for the entire batch.
>
> You still have to heat it up when you eat each bit of the batch.
> Doesn’t take any more effort to cook the rice from scratch.
>

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#148997 — Re: OT: A&P supermarket bankruptcy

FromMichael Black <et472@ncf.ca>
Date2015-07-27 23:01 -0400
SubjectRe: OT: A&P supermarket bankruptcy
Message-ID<alpine.LNX.2.02.1507272255080.18607@darkstar.example.org>
In reply to#148976
On Mon, 27 Jul 2015, Huge wrote:

> On 2015-07-27, Peter Flass <peter_flass@yahoo.com> wrote:
>
> [26 lines snipped]
>
>> I'm not sure it's a trend, but one local chain opened a smaller version of
>> their regular supermarket downtown, so it's in walking distance of a lot of
>> people.
>
> This is commonplace in the UK. Large supermarket chains opening "corner
> stores"
>
There's a saturation for large stores, if nothing else they are too costly 
to be everywhere.  But a small store likely extends the business.

The big grocery chain here in Canada bought one of the largest drugstore 
chains.  Since the drugstore chain's stores were often like small 
convenience stores they were already selling a lot of food.  So now the 
grocery chain doesn't have that competition, but can use the drustores
to carry a selective subset of their products.  It's just been a few 
years, but already the grocery chain's brands have moved into the 
drugstore chain (which lost its own brands when it came to food), and 
there is a better selection of food.

But we have a hiking store here in Canada that's kind of like REI in the 
US, right down to being a coop.  It took a long time, but now they have 
stores in all the major centers.  But they aren't always in convenient 
locations.  So after opening the first Montreal store about 2004, and then 
another one off-island which is perhaps fairly accessible for many on the 
island, they opened a "boutique" a couple of years ago in downtown 
Montreal.  Not that appealing, and lacking actual hiking equipment, but it 
gets a more accessible store at a time when the ony way to grow the chain 
is to widen the coverage to things like yoga, so the boutique covers that 
sort of thing.

   Michael

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#149000

Fromsidd@situ.com (sidd)
Date2015-07-28 02:27 -0400
Message-ID<mp77d1$2do$1@Lazarus.situ.com>
In reply to#148959
In article <acee7204-d454-4352-88d1-4ddbb25000e5@googlegroups.com>,
Mike Albanese  <allegrippus@gmail.com> wrote:
>
>
>I worked for an A&P division in west-central PA as my first "real" job afte=
>r college. There was some recession going on in the 1970's, so I decided to=
> grab an available "EDP" operations job at A&P rather than wait for an entr=
>y-level programmer opportunity to open up someplace else. After all, A&P wa=
>s established, well-known, and would be around for a long time, right? :-)=
>=20
>
>There were three operators, one for each shift, and we cross-trained and ro=
>tated weekly (nasty!). Configuration was a small System/360 with card reade=
>r, line printer, and three 2311 disk units -- 25MB each (later upgraded by =
>IBM to 50MB with the ol' "head activation" trick). Computer room was a rais=
>ed platform, glass-walled affair where everyone could look in and watch us =
>continually changing disk packs, printer forms, etc. And management could v=
>erify that we were actually working, ha. But we did have the benefit of the=
> only modern-looking room in the entire building, as well as our own huge E=
>DPAC air conditioner alongside the back wall. No programming (other than JC=
>L setup) was done at the division level. Instead, object decks were prepare=
>d and sent out from the main office in Piscataway, NJ.
>
>We polled orders during night shift when stores were closed and phone rates=
> were cheaper (Ma Bell at that time). The 360 would initiate an autodial to=
> each store and, if the store manager had set up his MSI handheld unit prop=
>erly, it would answer and transmit. Quite often there would either be line =
>noise or the remote unit would not respond, requiring retries. A few store =
>managers became notorious with us operators for habitually not having their=
> units ready, thereby getting us into hot water with management because ord=
>ers to the warehouse were being delayed (blame the little guy, yeah!).
>
>Usual morning shift was an hour or so verifying and cleaning up store order=
>s (from the nightly polling log) and then printing pick lists for the wareh=
>ouse. We'd also transmit orders to the Ann Page division in Horseheads, NY =
>and then move along to billing and whatever business applications to be run=
> for that day. Afternoon shift concentrated on compute-intensive tasks, lar=
>ger reports (gross profit, etc.), and daily backups.
>

...

thanx

sidd

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#148969

FromQuadibloc <jsavard@ecn.ab.ca>
Date2015-07-27 07:40 -0700
Message-ID<33aff3dd-c12a-4734-af6d-6418cbab90e4@googlegroups.com>
In reply to#148718
I remember an article in the Readers' Digest that claimed that, at the time, 
organized crime had obtained control of A&P.

Unfortunately, I don't know when that was, or what came of it, but that would 
have contributed to its doom.

John Savard

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#148970

FromQuadibloc <jsavard@ecn.ab.ca>
Date2015-07-27 07:45 -0700
Message-ID<6e5efb28-555d-452a-9dbc-91bdfd0627cd@googlegroups.com>
In reply to#148969
On Monday, July 27, 2015 at 8:40:53 AM UTC-6, Quadibloc wrote:
> I remember an article in the Readers' Digest that claimed that, at the time, 
> organized crime had obtained control of A&P.
> 
> Unfortunately, I don't know when that was, or what came of it, but that would 
> have contributed to its doom.

A Google search failed to turn up information about this - but it did turn up 
that earlier A&P had been a heroic leader in the fight against organized crime, 
and that the murder of James Walsh still remains unavenged.

John Savard

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#148972

FromQuadibloc <jsavard@ecn.ab.ca>
Date2015-07-27 07:54 -0700
Message-ID<7759e56a-7f25-489c-b100-f0feeee41909@googlegroups.com>
In reply to#148970
On Monday, July 27, 2015 at 8:45:11 AM UTC-6, Quadibloc wrote:

> A Google search failed to turn up information about this - but it did turn up 
> that earlier A&P had been a heroic leader in the fight against organized crime, 
> and that the murder of James Walsh still remains unavenged.

And a Readers' Digest article, "The Mafia War on the A&P" by Eugene Melvin 
chronicled that - this I've now been able to find. Did I have a confused memory 
of that article, or did the situation fail, and there is a later article that I 
don't quite remember?

John Savard

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