The other day I was waiting in line and I noticed that the
guy manning the register was pointing out things to the guy who
was "bagging" and I wondered what he was saying.

I was close enough to hear him point out that these are great
if you sauté them with garlic! I think they were clamshell
containers of haricot verde, but I wasn't close enough to be
sure. You could see the other guy was thinking Who cares?
(laugh)

Then he was checking my groceries and he tells the guy This
(raisin bread) makes Great french toast! At this point bagger
guy says will you stop making suggestions about the food??
Cracked me up.

And that raisin bread makes nice french toast, he was right.
I have a thing for that Kirkland raisin bread anyway.

nancy

On Sat, 22 May 2010 10:03:03 -0400, Nancy Young wrote:

> The other day I was waiting in line and I noticed that the
> guy manning the register was pointing out things to the guy who
> was "bagging" and I wondered what he was saying.
>
> I was close enough to hear him point out that these are great
> if you sauté them with garlic! I think they were clamshell
> containers of haricot verde

Haricot verts. It used to be one of my handles. CostCo's come in
bags, though. Just like the mini cucumbers. At least they do in
our area.

Does anybody know if they have differet suppliers for different
areas? I was told CostCo's CA Meat comes from Vaccaville, while
South Central's comes from Texas.

-sw

On Sat, 22 May 2010 10:54:19 -0400, Nancy Young wrote:

> I love that. They should put those guys on the floor, maybe they'd
> sell more stuff.

They're called "demo dollies". I've never seen them mix any
ingredients though. They just heat and serve. They could be put to
better use, but I get the impression they are "rented out" to the
manufacturers.

-sw

On Sat, 22 May 2010 11:00:33 -0400, James Silverton wrote:

> Chatty cashiers are fine, especially if they pass on useful hints but
> raisin bread for French Toast is a case of "to each their own". I like
> regular bread, soaked in unsweetened egg and I eat the toast with
> ketchup!

That seems like an awful lot of trouble to go to for an egg
sandwich.

And most of stopped putting ketchup on them around age 15.

-sw

On 5/22/2010 11:08 AM, Sqwertz wrote:
> On Sat, 22 May 2010 10:54:19 -0400, Nancy Young wrote:
>
>> I love that. They should put those guys on the floor, maybe they'd
>> sell more stuff.
>
> They're called "demo dollies". I've never seen them mix any
> ingredients though. They just heat and serve. They could be put to
> better use, but I get the impression they are "rented out" to the
> manufacturers.
>
> -sw

Typically they have no relationship with the store and are usually temps
on the tab of the vendors whose products they are promoting.

Steve wrote:

> Haricot verts. It used to be one of my handles. CostCo's come in
> bags, though. Just like the mini cucumbers. At least they do in
> our area.

Yes, they are in bags here. Product of Guatemala.

> Does anybody know if they have differet suppliers for different
> areas? I was told CostCo's CA Meat comes from Vaccaville, while
> South Central's comes from Texas.

I got curious, so I went looking. I don't want to spend a lot of time on
this, but I found an article from 2007 that says:

"Costco obtains its beef from four major suppliers—Wichita, Kan.-based
Cargill Meat Solutions Inc., Greeley, Colo.-based JBS Swift & Co.,
Kansas City, Mo.-based National Beef Packing Co. LLC and Dakota Dunes,
S.D.-based Tyson Fresh Meats Inc.

Pittsburg, Texas-based Pilgrim’s Pride Corp. supplies chicken to Costco
warehouses in the eastern and middle sections of the country, while
Livingston, Calif.-based Foster Farms supplies outlets in the western
sector. Swift is the primary pork supplier.

Other meat brands include Costco’s private-label Kirkland Signature,
Coleman, Maple Leaf Farms, Willowbrook, Johnsonville, Carolina Turkey,
Jennie-O, Tyson, Curley’s and Aidell’s."

Article in its entirety:

http://www.meatanddeliretailer.com/A...00000000262946

--Lin

Sqwertz wrote:
> On Sat, 22 May 2010 10:54:19 -0400, Nancy Young wrote:
>
>> I love that. They should put those guys on the floor, maybe they'd
>> sell more stuff.
>
> They're called "demo dollies".

Right, except I meant more like a roaming person who would
make suggestions for all kinds of products.

I'm not saying it's a good idea, I was just kidding. That's all I
need, look at some product and be accosted by some guy
telling me how to cook it.

nancy

On Sat, 22 May 2010 11:07:26 -0500, Stu wrote:

> On Sat, 22 May 2010 10:18:53 -0500, Sqwertz >
> wrote:
>
>>On Sat, 22 May 2010 11:00:33 -0400, James Silverton wrote:
>>
>>> Chatty cashiers are fine, especially if they pass on useful hints but
>>> raisin bread for French Toast is a case of "to each their own". I like
>>> regular bread, soaked in unsweetened egg and I eat the toast with
>>> ketchup!
>>
>>That seems like an awful lot of trouble to go to for an egg
>>sandwich.
>>
>>And most of stopped putting ketchup on them around age 15.
>>
>
> last year?

Before you post the juvenile, sandbox-era comebacks, ask yourself -
Is this really worth posting? Would any other readers see any humor
in this?

Then make to decision to press "Send" or "X".

-sw

On Sat, 22 May 2010 11:05:46 -0500, Stu wrote:

> Maybe for your tastes, but your tastes are not everyones, ketchup on
> french toast is nice... I have a small bottle of hunts I use just for
> the french toast, I find it to have more flavor. Heinz for everything
> else.

It figures stewie would side with him and his tastes.

-sw

On Sat, 22 May 2010 11:21:44 -0400, George wrote:

> On 5/22/2010 11:08 AM, Sqwertz wrote:
>> On Sat, 22 May 2010 10:54:19 -0400, Nancy Young wrote:
>>
>>> I love that. They should put those guys on the floor, maybe they'd
>>> sell more stuff.
>>
>> They're called "demo dollies". I've never seen them mix any
>> ingredients though. They just heat and serve. They could be put to
>> better use, but I get the impression they are "rented out" to the
>> manufacturers.
>>
>> -sw
>
> Typically they have no relationship with the store and are usually temps
> on the tab of the vendors whose products they are promoting.

At my store they're the same people (and a couple tranvestities) all
the time, though.

-sw

On Sat, 22 May 2010 12:26:15 -0400, Nancy Young wrote:

> Sqwertz wrote:
>> On Sat, 22 May 2010 10:54:19 -0400, Nancy Young wrote:
>>
>>> I love that. They should put those guys on the floor, maybe they'd
>>> sell more stuff.
>>
>> They're called "demo dollies".
>
> Right, except I meant more like a roaming person who would
> make suggestions for all kinds of products.
>
> I'm not saying it's a good idea, I was just kidding. That's all I
> need, look at some product and be accosted by some guy
> telling me how to cook it.

Out "Central Markets" has actual "Foodies" that do just that. They
demo, help customers find items, and when it's slow they offer
unsolicited advice. One of them used to even read and post here.
I think she wandered off, though.

-sw

On Sat, 22 May 2010 08:30:44 -0700, Lin wrote:

> I got curious, so I went looking. I don't want to spend a lot of time on
> this, but I found an article from 2007 that says:
>
> "Costco obtains its beef from four major suppliers¡XWichita, Kan.-based
> Cargill Meat Solutions Inc., Greeley, Colo.-based JBS Swift & Co.,
> Kansas City, Mo.-based National Beef Packing Co. LLC and Dakota Dunes,
> S.D.-based Tyson Fresh Meats Inc.

Thanks for looking that up. The Big 4 Beef Suppliers are always
changing players and names (but are all controlled by the same
people), but that's a good example of them 4 years ago. IOW, they
got their beef the same places as the grocery store, but always got
the best of the crop, unlike the grocery stores.

I didn't know the Big 4 had the capability to provide consistently
good beef.

And I didn't know the beans were from Guatamala. I've only bought
them twice. The mini cucumbers are "Grown in the USA" according to
the label I just checked.

-sw

Sqwertz wrote:
>
> On Sat, 22 May 2010 11:05:46 -0500, Stu wrote:
>
> > Maybe for your tastes, but your tastes are not everyones, ketchup on
> > french toast is nice... I have a small bottle of hunts I use just for
> > the french toast, I find it to have more flavor. Heinz for everything
> > else.
>
> It figures stewie would side with him and his tastes.

Hey Stu, why don't you try taco sauce next time.

On Sat, 22 May 2010 10:03:03 -0400, "Nancy Young"
> wrote:

> I was close enough to hear him point out that these are great
> if you sauté them with garlic! I think they were clamshell
> containers of haricot verde, but I wasn't close enough to be
> sure. You could see the other guy was thinking Who cares?
> (laugh)

Well, they *are* good sautéed with garlic!
>
> Then he was checking my groceries and he tells the guy This
> (raisin bread) makes Great french toast! At this point bagger
> guy says will you stop making suggestions about the food??
> Cracked me up.

What an idiot. His mother must still cook for him.
>
> And that raisin bread makes nice french toast, he was right.
> I have a thing for that Kirkland raisin bread anyway.

I like french toast made with raisin bread too!

--
Forget the health food. I need all the preservatives I can get.

On Sat, 22 May 2010 11:00:33 -0400, "James Silverton"
> wrote:

> I like
> regular bread, soaked in unsweetened egg and I eat the toast with
> ketchup!

Ketchup? Oh, ugh... I haven't had breakfast yet, but you just killed
my appetite. LOL!

--
Forget the health food. I need all the preservatives I can get.

On May 22, 8:30*am, Lin > wrote:
> Steve wrote:
> > Haricot verts. *It used to be one of my handles. *CostCo's come in
> > bags, though. *Just like the mini cucumbers. *At least they do in
> > our area.
>
> Yes, they are in bags here. Product of Guatemala.
>

I was startled to find that Trader Joe's frozen green beans come from
France. How can it be cheap to ship produce from the Eurozone a
quarter of the way around the world?

On May 22, 9:26*am, "Nancy Young" > wrote:
> Sqwertz wrote:
> > On Sat, 22 May 2010 10:54:19 -0400, Nancy Young wrote:
>
> >> I love that. *They should put those guys on the floor, maybe they'd
> >> sell more stuff.
>
> > They're called "demo dollies". *
>
> Right, except I meant more like a roaming person who would
> make suggestions for all kinds of products.
>
> I'm not saying it's a good idea, I was just kidding. *That's all I
> need, look at some product and be accosted by some guy
> telling me how to cook it.
>

Costco as singles bar substitute, why not?

On Sat, 22 May 2010 12:26:15 -0400, "Nancy Young"
> wrote:

>
> Right, except I meant more like a roaming person who would
> make suggestions for all kinds of products.

That's a good sales technique.
>
> I'm not saying it's a good idea, I was just kidding. That's all I
> need, look at some product and be accosted by some guy
> telling me how to cook it.

I was at an upscale roadside stand yesterday - the owner was there
mopping and doing general grunt work. I talked to him about various
products and one time he crossed the store to tell me more about what
I was looking at. I walked away with an armload of stuff.

--
Forget the health food. I need all the preservatives I can get.

On Sat, 22 May 2010 16:54:36 +0200, Bogbrush >
wrote:

> Shouldn't you call it Surrender Toast?

You're living in the past.

--
Forget the health food. I need all the preservatives I can get.

spamtrap1888 > wrote:

>I was startled to find that Trader Joe's frozen green beans come from
>France. How can it be cheap to ship produce from the Eurozone a
>quarter of the way around the world?

They go through the Panama canal, and by international convention
there is no tax (at least, very little tax) on fuel for ocean-going
cargo vessels.

Let's see.. there's an immigration crackdown in the U.S., whereas
France has legal immigrant labor from impoverished eastern Europe
countries.

Oh I forgot... HUGE farm subsidies in France.

Steve

Steve wrote:

> Thanks for looking that up. The Big 4 Beef Suppliers are always
> changing players and names (but are all controlled by the same
> people), but that's a good example of them 4 years ago. IOW, they
> got their beef the same places as the grocery store, but always got
> the best of the crop, unlike the grocery stores.

It was the most current thing I could find this a.m., and I would HOPE
there's more info out there. Had things to do today.

> I didn't know the Big 4 had the capability to provide consistently
> good beef.

I can't remember if it was in that article or another, but CostCo cut
back on the number of SKUs in the meat dept. and deli, to focus more on
quality over choices. So, instead of say 30 different cuts of pork, they
offer 15 (paraphrasing here).

> And I didn't know the beans were from Guatamala. I've only bought
> them twice. The mini cucumbers are "Grown in the USA" according to
> the label I just checked.

Yep. Bought some recently and didn't bother to look at the package
before I brought them home. I rarely buy produce without knowing where
it came from. For instance, I don't buy anything from Chile. Nor do I
buy the shrimp at Costco -- generally it's from Vietnam. Not saying that
the verts from Guatemala are a bad thing -- I was just a bit surprised
-- but all the same I triple rinsed them and used them quickly since I
didn't know how long ago they had been packaged and then shipped.

--Lin

"Stu" wrote
Nancy wrote

>>>The other day I was waiting in line and I noticed that the
>>>guy manning the register was pointing out things to the guy who
>>>was "bagging" and I wondered what he was saying.

> btw...we as well have a checker that does something the same, he likes
> the seafood and passes on tidbits about cooking, and what goes well
> with it. Most times he's right on.

Had a good one today! 2 cart load and comments flipping back and forth
between checker and bagger that some of the stuff they hadn't even known
they carried (was at Kroger, not Costco). 576$ but was refilling many stock
items as I hadn't been shopping for about 2 months, maybe a bit more).

If you think about it, 576$ for a family of 3 isn't bad for a single month
and there were alot of other things of the non-essential like a new fish
grill holder.

sf wrote on Sat, 22 May 2010 11:47:24 -0700:

>> I like
>> regular bread, soaked in unsweetened egg and I eat the toast
>> with ketchup!

> Ketchup? Oh, ugh... I haven't had breakfast yet, but you just
> killed my appetite. LOL!

Please see my post of a few hours ago. Honestly, have you ever tried
ketchup on unsweetened French Toast?


--

James Silverton
Potomac, Maryland

Email, with obvious alterations: not.jim.silverton.at.verizon.not

"Nancy Young" > wrote
>
> I'm not saying it's a good idea, I was just kidding. That's all I need,
> look at some product and be accosted by some guy
> telling me how to cook it.
> nancy

I've had people ask me how to cook items I've picked up though. People see
something but are not sure what to do with it, thus then pass on it unless
they are given some ideas.

"sf" > wrote in message
...
> On Sat, 22 May 2010 12:26:15 -0400, "Nancy Young"
> > wrote:
>
>>
>> Right, except I meant more like a roaming person who would
>> make suggestions for all kinds of products.
>
> That's a good sales technique.

Sure is. I was in a store yesterday and wanted to buy some shorts. I was
shown a couple of shirts that went well with them so I ended up buying them.
That can work as well with food.

"Steve Pope" > wrote
>>I was startled to find that Trader Joe's frozen green beans come from
>>France. How can it be cheap to ship produce from the Eurozone a
>>quarter of the way around the world?
>
> They go through the Panama canal, and by international convention
> there is no tax (at least, very little tax) on fuel for ocean-going
> cargo vessels.

I watched an episode of Mighty Ships the other day. The subject was a 500
ft. specialty cargo ship. They paid $1 a gallon for fuel.
They got 80 feet to the gallon. From other information I've seen over the
years, that is excellent mileage for a ship.

On Sat, 22 May 2010 15:48:11 -0400, "James Silverton"
> wrote:

> sf wrote on Sat, 22 May 2010 11:47:24 -0700:
>
> >> I like
> >> regular bread, soaked in unsweetened egg and I eat the toast
> >> with ketchup!
>
> > Ketchup? Oh, ugh... I haven't had breakfast yet, but you just
> > killed my appetite. LOL!
>
> Please see my post of a few hours ago. Honestly, have you ever tried
> ketchup on unsweetened French Toast?

Nope, but I've tried it on scrambled eggs... so my mind is made up.
No thanks to that.

--
Forget the health food. I need all the preservatives I can get.

Ed Pawlowski wrote:
> "Nancy Young" > wrote
>>
>> I'm not saying it's a good idea, I was just kidding. That's all I
>> need, look at some product and be accosted by some guy
>> telling me how to cook it.

> I've had people ask me how to cook items I've picked up though.

Same here. Happens once in a while.

> People see something but are not sure what to do with it, thus then
> pass on it unless they are given some ideas.

Yeah, I guess you have to get a feel for the customer, like bartenders
do. Some people want to talk, some people not so much. I like the
idea that there would be someone to ask, but I'm not really one who
likes to hear Can I help you? when I shop.

And at Costco, it goes against their business model, we don't pay
people to stand around answering questions, so don't ask! Heh.

nancy

sf wrote on Sat, 22 May 2010 13:16:16 -0700:

>> sf wrote on Sat, 22 May 2010 11:47:24 -0700:
>>
> >>> I like
> >>> regular bread, soaked in unsweetened egg and I eat the
> >>> toast with ketchup!
>>
> >> Ketchup? Oh, ugh... I haven't had breakfast yet, but you
> >> just killed my appetite. LOL!
>>
>> Please see my post of a few hours ago. Honestly, have you
>> ever tried ketchup on unsweetened French Toast?

> Nope, but I've tried it on scrambled eggs... so my mind is
> made up. No thanks to that.

You know, I don't like ketchup on true scrambled eggs either but I'll
use it with an omelet or eggs scrambled on a griddle!
--

James Silverton
Potomac, Maryland

Email, with obvious alterations: not.jim.silverton.at.verizon.not

Nancy Young wrote:
>


>
> Then he was checking my groceries and he tells the guy This
> (raisin bread) makes Great french toast! At this point bagger
> guy says will you stop making suggestions about the food??
> Cracked me up.
>
> And that raisin bread makes nice french toast, he was right.
> I have a thing for that Kirkland raisin bread anyway.
>
> nancy
>


I don't much like raisins but raisin toast is nice when spread with
cream cheese.

For French toast, Brioche, French bread, Challah, or Hawaiian bread are
wonderful.

gloria p

On Sat, 22 May 2010 15:50:54 -0400, Ed Pawlowski wrote:

> Sure is. I was in a store yesterday and wanted to buy some shorts. I was
> shown a couple of shirts that went well with them so I ended up buying them.
> That can work as well with food.

The last thing I want is somebody showing me what clothes to wear.

Sorry - that just doesn't work with me, at all.

-sw

On Sat, 22 May 2010 15:49:15 -0400, Ed Pawlowski wrote:

> I've had people ask me how to cook items I've picked up though.\

Usually it's the cashier.

I try to be brief, but often times they don't allow brevity.

-sw

On Sat, 22 May 2010 12:21:39 -0700, Lin wrote:

> Yep. Bought some recently and didn't bother to look at the package
> before I brought them home. I rarely buy produce without knowing where
> it came from. For instance, I don't buy anything from Chile. Nor do I
> buy the shrimp at Costco -- generally it's from Vietnam.

I don't like Gulf shrimp at all, so Vietnam is fine with me as long
as it's a consistent quality. I don't buy CostCo's shrimp because
it's more expensive than the normal prices at my HEB. I have 6
pounds of shrimp in the freezer now (3, 2lb bags), I'm sure are all
from Asia but never bothered to check.

-sw

On Sat, 22 May 2010 11:51:58 -0700 (PDT), spamtrap1888 wrote:

> I was startled to find that Trader Joe's frozen green beans come from
> France. How can it be cheap to ship produce from the Eurozone a
> quarter of the way around the world?

A lot of my frozen veggies come from Belgium and Spain (including
the green and yellow beans). I started a thread about them a couple
weeks ago, but nobody was really interested where their food came
from, I guess.

-sw

On Sat, 22 May 2010 16:30:22 -0400, "James Silverton"
> wrote:

> You know, I don't like ketchup on true scrambled eggs either but I'll
> use it with an omelet or eggs scrambled on a griddle!

The closest I come to putting catsup on an egg is chili sauce (Homade
brand). I like chili sauce with my skillet frittata (which I call
torta).

--
Forget the health food. I need all the preservatives I can get.

"James Silverton" > wrote
>>> Please see my post of a few hours ago. Honestly, have you
>>> ever tried ketchup on unsweetened French Toast?
>
>> Nope, but I've tried it on scrambled eggs... so my mind is
>> made up. No thanks to that.
>
> You know, I don't like ketchup on true scrambled eggs either but I'll use
> it with an omelet or eggs scrambled on a griddle!
> --

I put both ketchup and may on scrambled egg sandwiches. Never tried it on
French toast, but sounds OK to me.

Stu wrote:

>>> I like regular bread, soaked in unsweetened egg and I eat the toast with
>>> ketchup!
>>
>> ketchup on french toast is not in accordance with god's great plan.
>>
>
> Maybe for your tastes, but your tastes are not everyones, ketchup on
> french toast is nice... I have a small bottle of hunts I use just for
> the french toast, I find it to have more flavor. Heinz for everything
> else.

I bet you'd like it with Miracle Whip, too.

Bob

"Sqwertz" wrote
Ed Pawlowski wrote:

>> Sure is. I was in a store yesterday and wanted to buy some shorts. I
>> was
>> shown a couple of shirts that went well with them so I ended up buying
>> them.
>> That can work as well with food.

> The last thing I want is somebody showing me what clothes to wear.
> Sorry - that just doesn't work with me, at all.

I don't mind being asked when I enter if I need some help. I will leave
though if after telling them no, they continue to bother me.

"cshenk" > wrote in message
...
> "Sqwertz" wrote
> Ed Pawlowski wrote:
>
>>> Sure is. I was in a store yesterday and wanted to buy some shorts. I
>>> was
>>> shown a couple of shirts that went well with them so I ended up buying
>>> them.
>>> That can work as well with food.
>
>> The last thing I want is somebody showing me what clothes to wear.
>> Sorry - that just doesn't work with me, at all.
>
> I don't mind being asked when I enter if I need some help. I will leave
> though if after telling them no, they continue to bother me.
>

In the heyday of the haberdasher it was common to be shown clothing and
styles, suggestions for outfits. Pants were fitted and cuffed, jackets
sleeves adjusted. Regular customers got treated like royalty. They did not
have to go through the racks as suggested items (in the correct size) were
brought to them.

We've gone to the discount store mentality of no service at all. Most
people under the age of 40 have never been to a "real" clothing store.

On Sun, 23 May 2010 17:17:14 -0400, Ed Pawlowski wrote:

> We've gone to the discount store mentality of no service at all. Most
> people under the age of 40 have never been to a "real" clothing store.

Make that 45.

Although I used to go to cobbler as a kid. I was worse off than
Forest Gimp.

-sw