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General Cooking (rec.food.cooking) For general food and cooking discussion. Foods of all kinds, food procurement, cooking methods and techniques, eating, etc. |
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May 09, 2005, Monday 2 STAR EDITION
BUSINESS; Pg. 6 883 words Americans are increasingly grocery shopping one day at a time; Stores cater to the quick fix The Record JOAN VERDON HACKENSACK, N.J. HACKENSACK, N.J. - Do you know what you'll be having for dinner tomorrow? If not, then you're a typical American food shopper, according to research by Unilever. More and more Americans are shopping for food for today, and not worrying about what they'll be eating three or four days down the road. And Unilever, a multinational food and consumer products company with its U.S. headquarters in Englewood Cliffs, N.J., will use that information to help its retail customers better stock their stores and, in turn, sell more of its products. "These insights could really revolutionize the way that retailers manage and merchandize their stores," said Kimberly Senter, director of category and customer strategy for Unilever. Unilever, which has 15,000 U.S. employees, and factories and offices in 24 states, makes dozens of brands of food and cleaning products, including Ben & Jerry's ice cream, Lipton teas, Dove soaps, Vaseline lotions and All detergents. Unilever will use the results to develop more products geared to the need for quick dinnertime meals. One of the company's newest food products, Bertoli frozen dinners, "has gotten off to a tremendous start, and I think that's because Unilever has really cracked the code," Senter said. "We understand that it's all about trips. We understand how consumers are shopping." The company is also hoping to use the research to market existing products. As it unveiled its data recently at the Food Marketing Institute show in Chicago, Unilever suggested that retailers create themed displays like "The Short Order Chef" - a display case with fresh, refrigerated and frozen meal ingredients grouped together for the hurried shopper. Another display could group routine staples like spices and sauces for shoppers thinking about next week. As for Unilever's Skippy peanut butter, a classic stock-up item sold in bulk, the display might emphasize price. In its research, Unilever tracked the shopping habits of 2,400 consumers. Of that group, 900 kept detailed online diaries of their purchases over a two-week period and turned in their register receipts to researchers, which Unilever said sets its study apart from previous surveys. "One of the biggest take-aways from this research is that 62 percent - almost two-thirds of all the trips - are quick trips," said Senter. She defines a typical quick trip as "you're on your way home from work and you're looking for something to either create or complete a meal." And she said, the "20-20 rule" typically applies to quick trips - 20 minutes or less, $ 20 or less. The study found that quick trips were the dominant type of shopping trip made to all food retailers - supercenter stores and big-box discounters, as well as to neighborhood grocery stores and convenience stores. "I think that surprised all of us," said Michael Twitty, Unilever's senior manager of shopper insights. "We always suspected that quick trips were important, but we found that quick trips were the most important trips in every single retail channel. And supercenters were no exception." Even though the study found that a surprising number of shoppers will run into Costco or Wal-Mart for a can of tomato sauce or a loaf of bread, the supermarket remains the first choice for "quick" shoppers. Some successful grocery chains and independent food markets cater to the last-minute shoppers with features like salad bars, prepared meals and gourmet frozen foods. They have done better in recent years than chains that concentrate on stock-up shoppers, with aisles of canned goods and staples. The Market Basket in Franklin Lakes, N.J., has thrived, for instance, by serving shoppers looking for that night's meal. "Our philosophy is: 'Go to Costco once a month, get all your basics and then come shop every day fresh - from produce, to fish, to meat, to prepared cooked things. Our gourmet-to-go, and prepared dinners - it's amazing how many people line up for them every night," said Tony Chernalis, owner of the Market Basket. Chernalis sees more Americans adopting "the European thing - every day they shop." His store carries premarinated meats to help speed meal preparation for people who want to cook at home. A grocery chain that is capitalizing on the shop fresh trend is Whole Foods Markets, which enjoyed sales increases of more than 22 percent last year. At the Whole Foods Market in Edgewater, N.J., recently, shoppers like Licki Frankenthal, 84, of Tenafly, N.J., confirmed the Unilever findings, saying she shops almost daily for fresh foods. She was visiting Shirley Feldman, 85, of Edgewater, a frequent Whole Foods shopper. "I find this very convenient," Feldman said. "I frequently pick up a small amount of something for a meal." Kristina Carcich of Cliffside Park, N.J., a student at Montclair State University, and her husband, Salvador Rentas, said they go grocery shopping about twice a week. Carcich, who is studying to be a dietician, plans menus in advance. That's a habit that most time-pressed Americans have given up, according to the Unilever research. Rentas said the couple will shop at other supermarket chains for on-sale staples. "We're label-conscious but also price-conscious," he said. |
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A bit of a long article to read all thru' but I get the idea <g>.
I don't work, but I shop every day in the 20/20 fashion. That way I get the freshest vegetables and or idea for meat/fish for the evening dinner. Today was a good example. I had beautiful chuck steak in the fridge. Looked at a few recipes - beer or redwine, texas chili. Decided on the latter. Had everything 'cept the beef stock and fresh chillies. Bought beautiful green beans for the side dish. Dessert- how about an apple and raisin baked dish topped with a cake sponge (made from scratch) and cooked over the apples: sounds yummy, the apple mixture has raisins, toasted pine nuts and rum in it! (Anyone want the recipe??? Or wait for the verdict tomorrow....) Just needed to purchase the raisins which I was out of. Shopping daily if this option is available to you, also enables me to look at items on special rather than having a single 'window' available once a week. I combine this excursion with other errands, picking up the mail etc., so tend to go out around 8.30/9am. Cheers Bronwyn Oz |
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![]() Bronwyn wrote: > A bit of a long article to read all thru' but I get the idea <g>. > I don't work, but I shop every day in the 20/20 fashion. That way I get > the freshest vegetables and or idea for meat/fish for the evening > dinner. The greater number of occasions the merchants can get consumers to shop the greater their profits... returning to the pre 50s shopping habits when housewives did daily shopping now that nearly everyone uses plastic would prove disasterous for most consumers. Anyway, I read the article... it won't happen... not with the time constraints of two worker households and with the cost of energy going through the roof, folks will actually shop less often, in fact that's what's already happening and why the big conglomerates are touting their hype, they're desperate to get people back into the stores (malls are suffering)... won't work, folks are dumb but not that dumb. I've actually gone to shopping once a month. Sheldon |
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That's very true too Sheldon. I'm a bit odd here in my habits - but
the store is 2 min drive away. I certainly don't do mall shopping daily (~ twice monthly) - perish the thought <g>. B. |
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![]() "Bronwyn" > wrote in message oups.com... >A bit of a long article to read all thru' but I get the idea <g>. > I don't work, but I shop every day in the 20/20 fashion. That way I get > the freshest vegetables and or idea for meat/fish for the evening > dinner. > Bronwyn > Oz You are lucky that you can find the 'freshest' vegetables, etc. Where I live, when shopping, its more like trying to figure out the day of the week that the grocery store might have fresh vegetables, not daily. Having never been in that habit, I buy weekly or bi-weekly and buy the freshest I can get, storing all appropriately. Also I live 30 miles away from the 'necessary' grocery store shopping & 70 miles from "real" grocery shopping. At those more-crowded grocery stores 70 miles away, I find produce as a whole not much fresher than those at my less-crowded grocery store 30 miles away, but more selection and perhaps a 'little' cheaper. I recall several decades ago in Flagstaff, AZ at a big-name grocery store -- mostly out of business now-- I complained to the produce mgr. that there wasn't an item that wasn't decayed and my daughter was embarrassed (for me) for complaining. This was the worst I remember seeing. It's still in my memory. I know the best thing to do is just not buy the produce that isn't fresh, but I've been told that they don't make money on produce, but it is there because it 'has' to be there. I try to buy produce at a big Asian/Mexican market 50 miles away when I go, but I get too greedy/ecstatic and have to throw half of it away, but it's fun having it on hand, and as it costs no more to buy, including the waste, I go ahead and buy more than I know that I'll need. Dee |
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Bronwyn wrote:
> That's very true too Sheldon. I'm a bit odd here in my habits - but > the store is 2 min drive away. I certainly don't do mall shopping > daily (~ twice monthly) - perish the thought <g>. > B. > I agree too. I do weekly shopping, but that's only because I have to go out for other reasons, and do it on the way home... even then I avoid the bigger malls and go to the smaller shopping centers. After all, most people have freezers these days, so daily shopping is not as necessary.. |
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I buy frequently, and usually what is on sale. I'll hit a few different
stores a week, and get different sale items from each. In addition to that, some stores just have lower normal prices on certain items, or a better selection of a give item. Sunday, I found country style pork ribs for $1.69 a pound (US weight and dollar). I bought more than I needed and froze the extras. I can always find a use for a pork rib. Also I found an oldish but not too bad package of Shitake's for $0.99 for 8 oz. Slightly over-ripe tomatoes, apples, and bananas are useful for the right recipe, and often a discount can be had. I found snow peas on sale at a different store. I shop at four or five different stores on a regular basis, and hit Jungle Jim's about once a month. Aldi's has cheap walnuts and olives and pantry items, Kroger's has cheap broths and other Kroger brand items (and fairly good produce and meat), Bigg's has decent produce, GreenMarket has all kinds of oddities and a cheap(er than the supermarkets) deli/meat counter. The IGA also has a good deli/meat counter and a surprising number of sale items. Humbert's is the local butcher, and they are way better than the supermarkets for meat. Jungle Jim's is good for everything, but produce, ethnic items, cheese and, wine in particular. I found some slightly over-ripe roma's on sale the other day that were perfect for a London Broil (same day). Feta was on sale, so I stuffed some belgian endives with feta and grilled them with the pork ribs, which were basted with pineapple juice, honey, parsley, rehydrated chanterelles, and a bit of cinamon. Sounds a bit odd, but it was good. The day before we used a bit of the feta in some stuffed (anaheim and something slightly hotter) peppers with a bit of crumbled BlueGrass bacon on top (also found on sale.) It is often easier for me to find fifteen minutes to run through a store a few times a week than to spend an hour or more once a week. I'm always in the express line, and I eat better than most people. Dean G. |
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On Tue, 10 May 2005 23:23:44 GMT, "Edwin Pawlowski" > wrote:
> Americans are increasingly grocery shopping one day at a time; > Stores cater to the quick fix Not this shopper. ![]() and summer we do go to the farmers' market every week for produce. We go to two supermarkets and Walmart most trips, sometimes stopping at the drug store or Blockbuster to drop off videos on the way. I go through the circulars and buy my meats on sale, and I buy a lot. We go to Costco roughly every four to six weeks and stock up on things that are treats and a little cheaper in bulk (like canned beans). -- Siobhan Perricone "I ain't afraid of your Yahweh I ain't afraid of your Allah I ain't afraid of your Jesus I'm afraid of what ya do in the name of your god" - Holly Near |
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On Tue, 10 May 2005 23:23:44 GMT, "Edwin Pawlowski" >
wrote: > May 09, 2005, Monday 2 STAR EDITION > > BUSINESS; Pg. 6 > > 883 words > > > Americans are increasingly grocery shopping one day at a time; > Stores cater to the quick fix > > The Record > > JOAN VERDON <snip> > Some successful grocery chains and independent food markets cater to >the last-minute shoppers with features like salad bars, prepared meals and >gourmet frozen foods. They have done better in recent years than chains that >concentrate on stock-up shoppers, with aisles of canned goods and staples. > > The Market Basket in Franklin Lakes, N.J., has thrived, for instance, >by serving shoppers looking for that night's meal. "Our philosophy is: 'Go >to Costco once a month, get all your basics and then come shop every day >fresh - from produce, to fish, to meat, to prepared cooked things. Our >gourmet-to-go, and prepared dinners - it's amazing how many people line up >for them every night," said Tony Chernalis, owner of the Market Basket. Not me. If I see a line when I go in for a quick stop, I turn and walk out the door. (Fortunately, there is a local store with short lines). What's the point of wasting time in line just to pick up a few items? Sue(tm) Lead me not into temptation... I can find it myself! |
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