Things I Don't "Get"

[4everwarriors]

Tragic, pandemics take time to remedy. This chit should have been fixed long ago, aina?



https://apple.news/AzyhyugmoTla459jwMqU-dg

[The Sultan]

Complex problems with complex solutions.  Of course no one is going to agree on these solutions so it will likely continue.

[#UnleashSean]

Still having a landline. Like why?

[Sir Lawrence]

Still having a landline. Like why?

Rural areas often have spotty cell coverage. And some like to keep one as a back up, recalling the jammed cell circuits on 9/11 for example. 

[shoothoops]

Still having a landline. Like why?

Besides the mentioned rural areas, there are other situations as well. For example, some elderly people. Many elderly people do not use smart phones. Eventually that will change more and more over time. But we are nowhere near a time where all elderly people use a smart phone. Many also don't use a omputer as well. Obviously many use a smart phone, use a computer etc...but many more than you may realize don't. Also, some disabled people, poor people, depending on the situation etc...

Size of phone/dexterity, having one in more than one room of the home,, all kinds of things.

You'd be surprised how often some people accidentally tap mute and don't untap it. Also, accidentally turning their ringer off, alarm on, airplane mode, block, you name it.

[MU82]

Still having a landline. Like why?

We have a neighbor who says she keeps her landline for the sole purpose of being able to call her cellphone when she has misplaced it. Seriously.

[The Sultan]

My parents have a landline at both their condo and their vacation place, and a cell phone.

My mom will get all texty, with emojis and everything!  Then when I text her something a couple days later...no response.  I call her and she'll invariably say something like "Oh I haven't checked the cell phone in awhile," or "I turned it off and forgot to turn it back on."

"Why'd you turn it off mom?"

"Because its battery was running low."  She still thinks you have to turn it off to charge it.

[Disco Hippie]

TRADER JOE'S

[jficke13]

TRADER JOE'S

checks out, I don't get that one either.

[Billy Hoyle]

checks out, I don't get that one either.

It's not bad. Good wine prices (and legit selection), good for quick and inexpensive meals, really good if you're gluten free (wide selection and affordable). But, there is a cult following around it which I don't get

[Lennys Tap]

Still having a landline. Like why?

We dropped our landline when we moved 3+ years ago. We wanted to drop it years before but it was bundled with our cable and internet. When I called to find out how much I could "save" by dropping the landline I found out it would actually cost me more to have it removed.

[Skatastrophy]

It's not bad. Good wine prices (and legit selection), good for quick and inexpensive meals, really good if you're gluten free (wide selection and affordable). But, there is a cult following around it which I don't get

Inexpensive dry goods and produce. It's just a step up from Aldi (which is also a good grocery story for dry goods and produce).

It's run lean, but still has some of the best customer service I've experienced at a grocery store. Plus, because they run lean, the employees they have are payed pretty well. If you've worked there for over 3 months you get full benefits, and a retirement account with a 10% match.

The downside is that they don't carry a lot of brand name stuff, so you'll have to rejigger your shopping list if you're picky.

[MU Fan in Connecticut]

Rural areas often have spotty cell coverage. And some like to keep one as a back up, recalling the jammed cell circuits on 9/11 for example.

I still have a landline.  They are not expensive per month and they still work when the power goes out after hurricanes.

[Hards Alumni]

Inexpensive dry goods and produce. It's just a step up from Aldi (which is also a good grocery story for dry goods and produce).

It's run lean, but still has some of the best customer service I've experienced at a grocery store. Plus, because they run lean, the employees they have are payed pretty well. If you've worked there for over 3 months you get full benefits, and a retirement account with a 10% match.

The downside is that they don't carry a lot of brand name stuff, so you'll have to rejigger your shopping list if you're picky.

Just fyi, Aldi owns Trader Joe's.

[ChitownSpaceForRent]

TRADER JOE'S

I quite enjoy Trader Joe's. Probably my go to shopping place actually.

[Galway Eagle]

Just fyi, Aldi owns Trader Joe's.

Not quite this simple. One of the two branches of Aldi own Trader Joe's

[Hards Alumni]

Not quite this simple. One of the two branches of Aldi own Trader Joe's

[Galway Eagle]

What? It's perfectly valid to draw the distinction between the two. Live in Europe for a bit and you'll realize Aldi Nord is not as nice as Sud despite Nord owning Trader joes

[Hards Alumni]

What? It's perfectly valid to draw the distinction between the two. Live in Europe for a bit and you'll realize Aldi Nord is not as nice as Sud despite Nord owning Trader joes

I know, you were just being pedantic, though.   

[mu_hilltopper]

I have a landline (VOIP) .. I use it exclusively as the voice quality is crystal clear.  For $5 a month, I will keep it forever.

[MU82]

I still have a landline.  They are not expensive per month and they still work when the power goes out after hurricanes.

We thought about keeping it for that kind of thing ... except we had a cordless phone. So when the power went out, so did the phone.

We use a phone company for our DSL service and our account number is still our old phone number. What we learned is that we still could use the line to make a call but we would be charged on a per-minute basis ... but if somebody were to call us, we could answer and talk and pay nothing. So if we are having an unusually bad cellphone-service day and one of our kids wants to call us, we'll text them to call our old house number. We'll plug that sucker into the wall and then chat to our heart's content. Haven't had to do that in awhile, though, because our cellphone service has improved.

[mu03eng]

Inexpensive dry goods and produce. It's just a step up from Aldi (which is also a good grocery story for dry goods and produce).

It's run lean, but still has some of the best customer service I've experienced at a grocery store. Plus, because they run lean, the employees they have are payed pretty well. If you've worked there for over 3 months you get full benefits, and a retirement account with a 10% match.

The downside is that they don't carry a lot of brand name stuff, so you'll have to rejigger your shopping list if you're picky.

Trader Joe's actually brand labels a lot of "name brand" products. They aren't the only ones, a lot of generic brands in the grocery space are brand labeled versions of premium brands. Kraft Heinz, Mondelez, etc do this a ton.

[Eldon]

Trader Joe's is marketing by Aldi executives.

Most clear-minded Millennials realize that they don't have enough money to be constantly shopping at Whole Foods.  On the other hand, many people see Aldi's as kind of a "blue-collar" grocery store.  And Jewel/Pick n Save is too "macro."  Millennials don't want to shop at Aldi's or Jewel for the same reason that they don't want to be seen drinking Miller, Coors, or Budweiser.

So where to go?  Trader Joe's fills the niche--Goose Island in the beer analogy.

Corroborative anecdotal evidence: near my house, Oak Park has a Trader Joe's, but no Aldi's.  Berwyn and Cicero have Aldis, but no Trader Joe's.  Coincidence?  Don't kid yourself.

[shoothoops]

Trader Joe's is marketing by Aldi executives.

Most clear-minded Millennials realize that they don't have enough money to be constantly shopping at Whole Foods.  On the other hand, many people see Aldi's as kind of a "blue-collar" grocery store.  And Jewel/Pick n Save is too "macro."  Millennials don't want to shop at Aldi's or Jewel for the same reason that they don't want to be seen drinking Miller, Coors, or Budweiser.

So where to go?  Trader Joe's fills the niche--Goose Island in the beer analogy.

Corroborative anecdotal evidence: near my house, Oak Park has a Trader Joe's, but no Aldi's.  Berwyn and Cicero have Aldis, but no Trader Joe's.  Coincidence?  Don't kid yourself.

One trend I have seen the past decade, nice, brand new Aldi's stores in upscale suburban neighborhoods.

Another trend is more competition in close proximity with some of the Fresh Market type of stores. For example, in a few block radius, Whole Foods, Trader Joe's, Lucky's Market, Fresh Thyme Market etc...all near one another. (Before Lucky's Market went bankrupt nationally and closed stores) And some stores have success in some parts of town but not others.

It of course all depends on the geography. When I lived in Manhattan, (and also when I visit) I would go to the Upper West Side, or Union Square or Chelsea,  Trader Joe's sometimes, and hoo boy they were packed often with lines.

[Galway Eagle]

Trader Joe's is marketing by Aldi executives.

Most clear-minded Millennials realize that they don't have enough money to be constantly shopping at Whole Foods.  On the other hand, many people see Aldi's as kind of a "blue-collar" grocery store.  And Jewel/Pick n Save is too "macro."  Millennials don't want to shop at Aldi's or Jewel for the same reason that they don't want to be seen drinking Miller, Coors, or Budweiser.

So where to go?  Trader Joe's fills the niche--Goose Island in the beer analogy.

Corroborative anecdotal evidence: near my house, Oak Park has a Trader Joe's, but no Aldi's.  Berwyn and Cicero have Aldis, but no Trader Joe's.  Coincidence?  Don't kid yourself.

There's also Pete's, Jewel (Roosevelt not the RF one) Sugar Beat Co-op, Mini target and carnival grocery in OP plus the RF jewel and fresh thyme. So it could be just an overcrowded market (especially if you factor in the Aldi Farmers fresh, Jewel and target in Brickyard, RF Jewel & Fresh Thyme, Or the Caputos on Harlem)

Personally I love Aldi, do most my shopping there, Trader Joe's or Whole Foods (amazon credit card makes up for the mark up). Don't know why the brand is "blue collar" here but you're absolutely correct that Aldi Nord is capitalizing on the usually better Aldi Sud's brand positioning.