Nibbled News

Sales Receipts -- Effective Feedback Tools

" If a diabetic, on his way to buy insulin , is killed by a runaway truck, he is the victim of an accident. If the truck was delivering sugar, he is the victim of an oddly poetic coincidence. But if the truck was delivering insulin, ah! Then he is the victim of an irony." -- George Carlin.

Consumers often bemoan the fact that no one ever listens to or respects their concerns and complaints. Retailers according to these folks are out for just one thing: profit and the customer be damned.

In many situations there are no feedback mechanisms by which a customer can either complain about or praise the quality of the service or product they received from a particular retailer.

Many businesses today now offer customers the chance to either praise or critique the quality of service they received at their place of business. Astute consumers will notice that their receipt now includes a website address to which customers with a gripe or concern can express themselves and hopefully have their opinions heard, appreciated and ultimately acted upon.

The one irony in this scenario lies in the fact that not many consumers will visit the company website and express their concerns. They are either not reading their receipts fully or are dismissing the site as patronizing and not worth their while visiting.

Bookstores, large chain grocery stores, computer retailers, pharmacies and national retailers offer cash rewards and other incentives to those folks who will visit their site and tell them about their in store experiences. Many folks still resist the temptation to visit the site no matter how appealing the incentive offered.

Three weeks ago Sarah , a single mother with three young children, is one such person who often hesitated to express herself no matter how insistently her friends and family encouraged her to do so. She is a working mother and as such tries to maximize the dollar return she receives for money spent.

She had purchased a package of sweet and sour spare ribs she planned to cook for her family and inlaws. The top layer of the platic wrapped container displayed two ideal cuts of the ribs. The package offered a four dollar discount and she gladly purchased the meat.

When she opened the package at home she discovered that she had been scammed. The second layer of the ribs was laden with fat and the quality of the meat not top grade as she had expected it would be. She felt betrayed and ripped off by her favorite grocery store. She has been shopping there for many years and her customer club card describes her as being an "elite" customer.

She then decided to visit the grocery chain's online website site and express her dismay and outrage that the meat department would engage in such deceptive marketing practices. The in house meat department had processed the meat and labelled the meat as the store's own product. There were no middle men involved in the preparation of the ribs.

She expressed her dismay and opinions freely, frankly and forthrightly. She said it helped her to vent all the negative feelings she had against the store. At the time she was doubtful that the large national grocery chain would either appreciate or act upon her comments and critiques.

Recently she received a letter of apology from the store's regional manager in charge of customer relations. The letter heartily apologized for the poor quality of the meat she received. She was also offered a one hundred dollar gift certificate from the store and the private telephone number of the store's regional office should she have any other concerns or critiques.

In her opinion the letter was sincere and not merely patronizing. The manager hoped that this negative experience would not dissuade her from continuing her long term relationship with the outlet. He told her that she was a valued customer of the store. The incident would be investigated and the involved parties spoken to and handled.

Sarah was grateful that she took action and visited the site. She encourages other folks to also visit similar sites and offer their experiences and opinions in this public forum. She added that she will now scan all future receipts for web site addresses and will visit them if she experiences similar situations in the future.

People living on fixed incomes, retirees, widows , students and others know the importance of getting value for their dollars. They also must realize that they need to make their voices heard by way of these company web sites.

To stoically suffer in silence or gripe your dismay to family and friends is no longer acceptable in today's fast paced, consumer oriented world.

Sipping A Brewsky Helps It All Make Sense

Several months ago, a friend told me that when he was cleaning his garage he threw his back out. I told him it was probably over enthusiasm. Sometimes when you're cleaning you get carried away and throw out something you intended to keep."  --- George Carlin.

How many folks do you personally know who rush headlong through their daily routines without ever taking the time to reflect on their lives or the way in which the many absurdities of life actively impinge on their actions and overall happiness?

Few people ever schedule some personal quiet time in which they just sit, relax, listen to themselves think and appreciate the day for what it truly is: a unique opportunity to enjoy another day of existence in an ever changing, challenging yet ever evolving universe full of promise and hope.

Back in the day old men would sit on creaky wooden porches in their rockers and relax, philosophize and probably gripe about the hand life has dealt them. It was therapeutic in that they were able to let off some pent up steam. This was something that their fathers and their fathers fathers had probably done at the end of their own work day.

Marshall Dillon, the hero in the television series "Gun Smoke", knew the importance of taking things easy and relaxing at the end of his day. He visited the fictional Longbranch Saloon in Dodge City where he, Miss Kitty and Doc would sip  a brewsky and reflect on the day's activities.

When I was a university student I enjoyed a cold glass or two of beer to help not only commiserate about the day's activities but also to make some sense out of it all. The student pub was the place where one could easily relax, socialize and plan for the immediate or long range future.

Today beer sipping and quiet reflection have become a lost art. The possibility of becoming an alcoholic has been drummed into everyone's awareness. Beer manufacturers in their televised commercials seem to encourage foks to over indulge in their imbibing. When you're drunk as a skunk you can hardly stand up let alone think about the day's activities.

In these fast paced, uncertain times it is necessary to unwind, reflect and take life a bit easier. The pot bellied stove and the old fashioned general store have gone by the wayside. Quiet reflection and quiet time should not be compromised due to life's anxieties and demands.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Safeway Lagging Behind On Product Quality

The traditional mom and pop grocery store has these days almost been  entirely replaced  by the mega markets promoting their bulk buying offers and huge discounts meant to entice and secure customer support and loyalty.

We trust that the modern day players in the burgeoning food industry will also adhere to the same standards of quality, freshness and safety that the local entrepreneurs subscribed to.

Sometimes this trust is naively placed into outlets that care more about profits then customer safety and satisfaction. Many times there are too many fingers in the operational pie to guarantee anything substantial for the consumer.

Last Thursday the 19th of the month  I visited my local Safeway outlet and purchased a package of extra lean ground turkey breasts. There was a two dollar deduction listed on the front of the prewrapped package.

The contents appeared to be pink and wholesome and I looked forward to enjoying it in a chili recipe to be served on the upcoming weekend. The freshness label indicated that the product was good until the 28th of the month.

Saturday evening I noticed that a clear liquid had somehow mysteriously formed and accumulated inside the package. I had not placed the carton in the freezer but on one of the fridge's inner shelves. This was a procedure I had done for years.

The package was opened gingerly and the excess mositure was drained away. The chicken did not smell tainted so it was placed on an electric fry pan. It slid easily out of the container. A few minutes after the heat was applied a white, odorless ooze began to appear around the fringes of the bulky slab of the ground chicken.

As the electric fry pan started to cook the meat more and more of the white goo encircled the meat. After a few minutes the fry pan was turned off and the chicken was thrown into the garbage bin. It seemed to be too risky an item to eat.

I suspect that the product had been previously frozen and thawed and then placed in the meat section for sale. I did not know how many times this had been done. A number of times in the past whenever I had bought the same product and frozen it at home for later use the same reaction had occurred in the fry pan but to a lesser degree.

There were no external markings on the outside of the plastic wrapped container warning a customer that the product had been previously frozen. The two dollar discount seemed to justify the fact that the product had been handled somewhat badly.

The product line, Eating Right, is not processed in the store. It is an item mass merchandised and handled by a national conglomerate. Somewhere along the line the product may have been frozen during transport and then placed on the shelf in the meat section for sale.

Chicken has traditionally been associated with salmonella. This alone should inspire large retailers like Safeway to place a higher emphasis on caution when selling this product for consumer use.

I wrote an email to the Safeway business ethics division detailing the problem I had with this product line. I tried contacting the local retailer via their customer complaint hotline but their site has been experiencing technical difficulties the entire weekend. Go figure.

 

 

  

Sometimes Simple Things Become Confusing

Television commercials often tend to trivialize those things in life that start off simple yet in reality offer inherent challenges all their own.

The actors in the commercial effectively setup a situation in which the products are easy to use --- at times so deceptively simple a child can use them effectively.

In reality however there may be hidden product considerations and design concerns that the advertisers and product promoters may have neglected to consider in their overall commercial presentation.

Whenever an advertiser overlooks a product's potential to frustrate customers they  are effectively closing the door on increased sales and product acceptance.

My major complaint involves Pillsbury Crescent rolls and the almost impossible way the dough inside the container refuses to exit the carton no matter how hard a person tries to coax, cajole, pry and eventually tear apart the cardboard wrapping.

I have tried on several occasions to bake the crescent rolls and sample them for myself. The commercials show the ease with which the package opens when gently and lightly tapped on the edge of a kitchen cabinet top. The dough almost leaps from the cardboard enclosure.

Many times in the past few months I have banged the very life out of the container and at no time did the dough ever vacate the packaging willingly.  The cardboard is resistant to any and all attempts to split it apart and empty it of its doughy contents.

Out of frustration I eventually throw away the unopened container and abandon all hope of ever baking the rolls for myself. Although I fervently vow to never, ever purchase another crescent roll package ever again my personal feelings do mellow over time and I find myself at the grocer's freezer display purchasing the uncooperative dough.

A number of web sites claim that the dough is extremely versatile to use and offer numerous tasty recipes praising the dough as a perfect base of operation. At no time do any of the sites demonstrate how to effectively open the container and remove the moist dough from its cardboard packaging.

I harbor no ill will against the Pillsbury Corporation and the many fine products they offer consumers. I only wish they would redesign the crecent roll packaging so that more folks like myself could effectively remove the soft dough , place it in the oven, bake it and eventually sample the rolls without the initial frustration.

 

 

 

Tasty Treats For Santa Thing Of The Past

This year it seems that Santa 's highly anticipated Christmas Eve treats will be slightly altered from the usual kind he has been used to traditionally sampling as he fills our anxious children's stockings with gifts, toys and candy canes.

That small but welcoming glass of warmed egg nog, fragrant Japanese mandarin orange and tasty slice of fruit cake covered in a thick topping of almond icing usually left out for him to nosh will no longer be there for the old fellow to enjoy this Christmas Eve.

The all too familiar imported Japanese mandarin oranges are being kept off a number of grocery shelves due to the concern about radiation affecting the safety of the oranges. Some retail outlets are reportedly carrying the Japanese mandarins but are selling them at a reduced price.

Last year's earthquake and nuclear accident in Japan has made the festive treat an unwelcome marketing parriah at many markets. Chinese mandarins now grace many store produce sections but the oranges are not as tempting as the Japanese.

A number of super market chain stores are also refraining from stocking any type of egg nog from their dairy cases. A number of store managers I spoke with said that this was entirely a marketing decision on their part due to the fact that a significant number of their customers were experiencing high cholesterol and heart related problems. Even those few stores stocking the item did so in very restricted quantities.

Finally the traditional Christmas fruitcake glazed with that yummy almond icing is also being sold in restricted numbers. High cholesterol concerns and health issues especially for people over 50 years of age are the main concern for the boycott. Slumping sales over the past few years are guiding store managers from bulking up on the tasty holiday treat.

For those of us watching our waist lines, cholesterol level and blood pressure counts this was the time of year to forego the negative concerns and concentrate on the tastes, aromas and sweet treats the season offered. But this year economic concerns has skewed the types of goodies the consumer can look forward to enjoying.

This year it appears that Santa had better set his taste buds to enjoying celery stalks, carrot sticks, sesame seed crackers and of course a warming cup of decaffeinated green tea. It's not the traditional way to welcome the season but it is the healthful way to go.

Beer Ad Explores Our Fears and Prejudices

So let me assert my firm belief that the only thing we have to fear is fear itself - nameless, unreasoning, unjustified terror which paralyzes needed efforts to convert retreat into advance.   - Franklin D. Rooseveltt

 

 

For years beer commercials have depicted scantily clad young vixens actively promoting , endorsing and enjoying a glass of their favorite bubbly brew. The message appealed to the male beer drinker in the family who wanted to drink as many brewskies as he could and still maintain a svelte manly physique.

The commercials always follow the traditional story line about brewing systems, best ingredients used to make the beer and unequaled taste and appeal. Of course there are also the contests involving meeting the hottest models, unparalleled prize offers and a myriad of other such bonuses.

The advertising team at Carlsberg brewery has recently adopted a new game plan regarding their beer drinking promotions. In essence the advertisement is part of an overall gorilla campaign by the company to snare more of the beer drinking market. The ad was not filmed in an elaborate studio. The advertiser did not use actors but rather real people who were not clued into the Candid Camera style of realism used.

The overall atmosphere in the scene was meant to be intimidating. The seating arrangement in the theater was contrived and developed so that there are only two seats remaining in the crowded room.

As you watch the video ask yourself what would you do  if you found yourself in such a situation. Would you make your way to the available seat or would you wimp out and leave the theater in fear and dread.

This is the first in a series of such creative ads to not only promote a product but also to make the viewing public a bit more aware of their fears, phobias and prejudices.

All advertisers should exhibit a bit more creativity in their work and not always follow a boring pro forma approach to hawk their wares. Bravo Carlsberg!

　

　

　

Jell- O -- It's A Tasty But Deceptive Dessert

"The jello jiggled in the bowl.
It jiggled upon my spoon.
It jiggled towards my mouth.
Ooops!!! What is this?"

 

Sometimes reality bites a person gently on the butt. Other times this very gentle nibbling transforms itself  into a more forceful,  rude awakening. 

It  is less user friendly and as a result a person's way of thinking or relating to an event or an object in the real world is drastically altered forever.  

 

This situation describes my recent late life awakening to the fact that Jello gelatin dessert should no longer be considered that jiggly, happy fun food that Bill Cosby endorsed so heavily in numerous television commercials.

Do you remember seeing the little cubes of Jello poised enticingly on the tip of his teaspoon ready to be easily devoured? Bill eagerly placed the spoon in his mouth, smiled and emitted a sigh of satisfaction and pleasure.

This is really a  Dr Jeckyll- Mr Hyde creation made from the ground hooves of a variety of animals, fish intestines and of course an assortment of other connective organic materials. These raw ingredients are treated with a special acid and boiled into submission for further industrial treatment and commercial usage.

This repulsive goop is processed to a point wherein salts, flavor additives and other materials are added so that the jiggly, tasty and mouth watering dessert we know and love is ready for consumers to purchase and enjoy. Chemicals are added to the mix to help consumers readily indulge their senses and treat their taste buds.

Jellified organics (Jello) could also appropriately describe that dry, scented powder that both we and our parents over the years prepared by simply doing the folowing:

1. Add one cup of boiling water to crystals.
2. Stir to dissolve the crystal in hot water.
3. Add one cup of cold water and stir.
4. Refrigerate for a few hours until firm.

Jello's at home preparation time has not changed that much over the years. The lineup of flavors has increased and over time a number of these have been dropped due to customer demand. My favorites were strawberry, grape, orange , wild cherry and blackberry.

All that changed last weekend when I learned the truth about the compositional nature of my favorite dessert. At first I felt relatively stunned and could not believe that the dessert had such a checkered chemistry about itself. When I verified the facts for myself via a Google search I felt betrayed and of course nauseous.

It is amazing that hospitals, senior citizen homes, school cafeterias and other such eateries offer this mess to their patients, customers and dependents. The easy preparation time and probably the low product cost could be the determining factor in the product's widespread use and general acceptance. 

However a significant number of people who believed this dessert to be non organic are definitely in for their own wake up call. At times the only difference between this gelatin dessert and let us say headcheese lies in the fact that the visible chunks of animal meat  and byproducts are cleverly concealed from view.

Product ingredients listed on the outside of the Jello box outlines the great number of salts used to enhace and possibly prolong the flavor, aroma, freshness, shelf life and useablility of the contents inside. Many people today get more than their required share of salts and fats in their diets.

Consumers battling obesity and high blood pressure concerns really do not need this type of assumed non organic dessert in their diets.

Dieticians and others responsible for the care of our sick, children and seniors should become aware of the true nature of this attractive dessert and ban its serving from their menus.

 

                                                                                  

Let's Ban BBQ Grills From Condo Balconies

 

"Let it not be said that man is not without a true dedication to the art of grilling over an open flame. Throughout history, men, and women, have uttered truly memorable words on the sublime joy of charring large junks of dead animal" -- Anon

As a matter of public safety I think that BBQ cooking should be outrightly banned from apartment and condominium dwellings. The smoke, grease spatter, flames and other inedible BBQ scum picked up by gusting winds can wreak hazard if not properly monitored by people that are barbequing.

The potential hazards in terms of property damage and in some circumstances the loss of human life should be the main motivating factor prohibiting residents of these types of dwellings from cooking their steaks, hot dogs, chicken breasts and roasts outdoors on their patio porches.

For the record I would like to say that I am not against the public charring of raw meats. People have been doing this type of activity for centuries. If done in a safe and responsible manner the aromas emitted by the cooking meats can whet anyone's appetite.

I am opposed to those folks who flagrantly BBQ their meals in an irresponsible manner and never give a second thought to the safety and well being of their fellow residents. At times these same folks allow their children to stand near openly exposed flames and monitor the food they are preparing.

For the past week a number of my neighbors have begun their seasonal BBQ ritual.The have positioned the units on their balconies close to the units walls and, as far as I can hopefully ascertain, inspected the propane tanks for leaks, punctures , expiration dates and other safety concerns.

At times the wind where I live blows the mass of BBQ smoke into my apartment even though the patio door and the windows are closed . The accumulation of the smoke in my apartment unit becomes so intense that I am forced to leave the suite until they are done cooking their food.

A number of people I know have chronic breathing problems and experience difficulties whenever their neighbors start to grill their suppers. The breathing sufferers have informed the grillers about their situation in the hopes of addressing the situation. This has fallen on deaf ears. So these folks suffer in silence and hope that the rainy days will exceed the ideal grilling ones.

There should be more safety rules and regulations imposed on those folks who wish to cook their foods outdoors on a patio that is short on space yet long on hazardous opportunity for fire. A fire extinguisher should be ready and available near the out door grill in case something untoward does happen and an emergency arises.

These grilling tenants should be given printed handouts telling them the correct placement , location and handling of their BBQ equipment. If the unit is too near a wall it should be moved to a safer spot on the patio.

Summer is an ideal time for folks to wander outside, catch some sunlight and breathe in fresh air. It should not be a time when tenants need to seal themselves in their units until an all clear siren is sounded telling them that it is all right to sit on your patio and enjoy a sunny day.

Freshness Seal On Coffee Jars Overly Glued

"I think we all pray to the first cup of the day. It's a silent prayer, sung while the mind is still foggy and blue. "O Magic Cup," it might go, "carry me above the traffic jam. Keep me civil in the subway. And forgive my employer, as you forgive me. Amen" ~Stewert Lee Allen

There seems to be a freshness mindset being advocated by many coffee manufacturers these days fostering the frustrating notion that the special metallic flavor seal guarding the rim of the jar , or at least that small portion of the seal that is mechanically glued to the jars opening  itself, must be hermetically sealed at the factory and remain on the jar for an indefinite time period after the  contents have been exposed to the environment through daily customer usage.

If you enjoy drinking instant coffee as much as I do then you know there is nothing more welcoming than reopening a jar of your favorite coffee blend first thing in the morning, taking a teaspoon full of the magic crystals , adding it to your good ole coffee mug and  adding the boiling water to complete the deal. The aromatic fragrance that greets your nostrils causes your taste buds to water and your sleepy face to smile.

The one visibly frustrating production remnant that stubbornly clings to the outer lip of the jar itself is the residual chards of the protective seal that were placed there by the manufacturer to guarantee that the products freshness , aroma and overall consumer safety were given top door priority.

There has to be a better way to successfully peel away the ragged edges of this seal. It should be noted that many peanut butter manufacturers also use a protective metallic-like seal to ensure product freshness and safety. However, the jar in this instance has a tear away seal that is easily removed from the container's outer lip.

Breaking into a new jar of coffee presents strategical challenges to those folks who crave simplicity in product use. The seal on the jar must be punctured and the bulk of the safety seal torn away. People afflicted with rheumatoid arthritis would not have the agility to successfully remove the seal's remaining debris.

The major frustration is presented by the ragged portions of the seal that were glued at the factory. At times these renegade metallic chards seem to cling to the jar's outer edge . Using a piece of steel wool to remove this protective chaff might offer a short term solution. But do you really want to do this for every new jar of coffee you open?  Of course not.

If not removed completely flecks of this safety seal break away from the edge of the jar and bury themselves deeply in the coffee crystals defying detection. I don't know if any health issues could arise as a result of swallowing these chits of paper. But who knows the overall consequences?

My question is this: if peanut butter manufacturers can create a security seal that can be easily removed by the consumer shouldn't coffee manufacturers also be as obliging?

Is it a matter of economics on the part of the coffee companies to remedy this situation or is it merely a matter of laziness on the part of marketing and production planners who refuse to make their product less frustrating to their customers?

 

Supermarket Shopping Joys and Woes

So simple even a child can do it

 

Over the years the overall tome and structure of traditional grocery stores have been transformed from the traditional mom-and-pop concept of meet-the folks into the more modern day, supermarket version of overwhelm and mesmerize the customer with soft music, elaborate displays and fancy lighting arrangements.

Chain supermarkets invest millions of dollars annually investigating the ins and outs of their typical customers. Psychologists and marketing wizards interpret and analyze the way we shop for food, clothing, cars and assorted other sundries. These tests and surveys are investments into the way consumers think.

These marketing analysts then take this raw data, analyze it thoroughly, form a marketing plan and then launch their subtle campaigns to entice us to spend our hard earned cash at their establishments. Many times the consumer wins and leaves the store a happier camper. Other times the customer is overwhelmed and leaves these stores frustrated and in search of a new place to spend their cash.

I do my grocery shopping on Thursdays and Mondays. Thursday to get ready for the weekend. Monday to recover from a long weekend. I enjoy shopping in the morning hours before noon . This allows me to avoid long lineups at the cash register and hopefully enjoy sipping a cup of coffee as I shop. But even these early morning forays are filled with bargains and frustrations.

Many supermarkets have instituted a plan whereby the customer inserts a quarter into a slot on the shopping cart as a temporary fee for the privilege of using the cart. This theoretically ensures that the customer will return the cart to the proper docking station and recover their twenty five cent investment.

However many time I have forgotten to bring the quarter with me and then I have to find someone at the customer service desk willing to change a dollar bill into the requisite quarter denomination needed to rent the cart. Usually the employee who works this desk does not start their shift until 10:30 a.m. or 11 a.m.

Having finally secured the cart the first department to greet the shopper is the produce area. I like bananas and my first stop in this section is the banana display. The bananas are bathed in a special colored light that makes their color and degree of freshness more real then they actually are.

The perfect colored banana in this light becomes totally green and unfit for human consumption when viewed in regular lighting. The employee stocking and responsible for this area must really believe that green is better than ripe. If I were purchasing the bananas for a rhesus monkey then the employee would be correct. Score one for deceptive lighting.

Many markets tend to create personalities for their produce. This seems to be especially true for the potato display. Baker potatoes are the gruffer, hardier breed and often have and unwashed , just picked aura about themselves. There is no special lighting for them and most customers avoid them like the plague.

Red and white potatoes are the darlings of the department. They have bright light and good shelf placement afforded to them. Some are sold bulk and some are sold in plastic bags for easy handling. Recently the produce managers of a few large chain markets have placed undersized spuds in the limelight. If you love mashed potatoes then this is the display for you.

Next we arrive at the Lady Macbeth section of the produce area. This is the section where the onions, lettuce, celery, broccoli and radishes are housed. They are housed in shower stalls where the water is continually moistening and washing them…keeping them moist, attractive and desirable. I usually get drenched as I make my way through this section. Do consumers really need food that is so hyper cleaned and rinsed?

There are of course other bones of contention but another major area of concern involves the newly installed automated checkout ounters. The customer scans his(her) groceries and thus is able to avoid the long lineups that are often associated with express lanes and tardy customers.

The only problem with self check service involves product codes and non UPC codes(Universal Price Codes) . Without the codes of non coded products the customer spends more time at the cash register and less time getting out of the store.

A number of the female cashiers I chatted with told me that the overhead surveillance cameras and automated self serve centers help to reveal customers who are honest from those who are less than honest. The cashiers in charge of helping customers at these automated tills have become both policemen and babysitters.

Many stores have increased the number of such check out stations in their outlets. However, the number of customers actually using them lessens everyday according to many cashiers. Many customers are intimidated by the electronic pay stations and enjoy human interaction over computerized mayhem and intimidation.

Preparing oneself mentally for this type of super market menagerie takes time and patience. But repeating the mantra of " great prices " and "fast friendly service" before you venture into the store may help you tolerate the awkward and interesting moments you might encounter as you do you grocery shopping.