5 ms·

> but I actually think the next evolution is curation. Curation has value, but not here. I shop walmart because they have everything. Costco has a far more lim

by ars 7y ago

> but I actually think the next evolution is curation. Curation has value, but not here. I shop walmart because they have everything. Costco has a far more limited shopping list, because there's tons of stuff they just don't have. Same for Aldi and Trader Joes, they are great for what they have, but it's not enough for my complete grocery needs.

hyperbovine 7y ago
The name of the game is warping your grocery needs to whatever TJ's sells. My wife is a very very good cook (I'm no slouch but she is amazing), and we eat incredibly well off a combination of Trader Joe's, Costco, and the veggie box. It's gotten to the point where most of our recipes are denominated in terms of what these places sells. Lasagna? That's 2 28 oz. cans of Marinera Toscano sauce, 1 bag shredded mozz., 1 bag shredded quattro formaggio, 1 ricotta, 1 frozen spinach, etc. (All TJ's items). Funny enough, I just went to Aldi today for the first time, trying to figure out how it fits into the rotation.
- copperx 7y ago
  Is Veggie Box a store I haven't heard about?
  - pjc50 7y ago
    More of a concept - lots of local organisations will setup a subscription whereby they send you a box of vegetables every week. Crucially they get to pick the contents, favouring seasonality. So you get cheap and fresh at the expense of choice.
nitrogen 7y ago
Maybe "curation" isn't quite the right word, but filtering and QC are valuable. If I walk into Walmart I'm much less likely to find counterfeits on the shelves vs. buying online from Amazon, and most products will be generally fit for purpose. As an example I have purchased tie-down straps (not for heavy weight use) on both Amazon and Walmart. The Amazon straps were dyed with some harsh, non-color-fast chemical that smelled terrible and left a nasty black film on everything. The Walmart straps were cheaper, didn't smell bad, and didn't leave residue behind. It used to be that Amazon was safe to buy most things from. But now, even if I'm getting something cheap, by going to a physical retail store I have some kind of quality floor for what they put on the shelves. ---- Since you're talking about groceries, I've also found Walmart in my small hometown has a significantly better produce variety and quality than any Target I've seen in any big city, nearly rivaling that of e.g. Whole Foods (and sometimes surpassing simply because there's a lot more space available).
- deleted 7y ago
  [deleted]
- inferiorhuman 7y ago
  If I walk into Walmart I'm much less likely to find counterfeits on the shelves vs. buying online from Amazon Right. Walmart saves money by selling low quality merchandise. It's not counterfeit, it's just garbage. Sometimes they'll start with a quality product (e.g. Vlassic pickles) and just run them into the ground. Edit: To be clear, WalMart pioneered nearly all the bad behavior that Amazon is exhibiting. Low quality made overseas junk? Squeezing their supply chain mercilessly? Paying unlivable wages? That's WalMart. WalMart's house brand stuff has been long been regarded as the McDowell's to Target and Trader Joe's McDonald's. And, in fact, WalMart paid plenty of money[1] over selling WalMart (Super Tech) branded motor oil that did not meet the specifications it claimed to meet. 1: https://www.bobistheoilguy.com/forums/ubbthreads.php/topics/1347447/1 https://www.bobistheoilguy.com/forums/ubbthreads.php/topics/...
MiddleEndian 7y ago
>Trader Joe's For me it's the opposite. Trader Joe's has reliable staples. When I try to buy something like bacon at Whole Foods (now owned by Amazon) and I have to make sure I'm not getting something unexpected like uncured or unsmoked bacon and that's a waste of energy. When I buy stuff at Trader Joe's it's always been reliably tasty.
- bsder 7y ago
  > I have to make sure I'm not getting something unexpected like uncured or unsmoked bacon I take that as a signal that "This store isn't for you--you shouldn't be shopping here." And it's probably correct. I go to Whole Paycheck for very specific things, but the people who do general shopping at Whole Foods are in some very specific demographics, themselves.
  - MiddleEndian 7y ago
    Definitely, but they do both market towards the health/organic food market.
- inferiorhuman 7y ago
  When I try to buy something like bacon at Whole Foods (now owned by Amazon) and I have to make sure I'm not getting something unexpected like uncured or unsmoked bacon and that's a waste of energy Isn't pretty much all of the bacon at Trader Joe's uncured?
  - MiddleEndian 7y ago
    Perhaps I'm using the wrong terms. My only point is that I'm not a huge food enthusiast, and trying to guess which bacon at Whole Foods will "taste like bacon" is why I prefer a more curated grocery store.
    - inferiorhuman 7y ago
      Which is still kind of funny because I typically avoid buying bacon at Trader Joe's because it's so off the wall compared to what I'd get elsewhere.
maxerickson 7y ago
Walmart anyway does more curation than most discount retailers. Buy some Walmart store brand re-closable plastic bags and they will at least work without being frustrating or constantly tearing. Buy the cheapest option at some other cheap store and you are rolling the dice. They sell lots of stuff that is on the cheap side of the price-quality trade off, don't get me wrong, I just think they've learned to take a step back when they need to.

by ars 7y ago

hyperbovine 7y ago

The name of the game is warping your grocery needs to whatever TJ's sells. My wife is a very very good cook (I'm no slouch but she is amazing), and we eat incredibly well off a combination of Trader Joe's, Costco, and the veggie box. It's gotten to the point where most of our recipes are denominated in terms of what these places sells. Lasagna? That's 2 28 oz. cans of Marinera Toscano sauce, 1 bag shredded mozz., 1 bag shredded quattro formaggio, 1 ricotta, 1 frozen spinach, etc. (All TJ's items). Funny enough, I just went to Aldi today for the first time, trying to figure out how it fits into the rotation.

copperx 7y ago
Is Veggie Box a store I haven't heard about?
- pjc50 7y ago
  More of a concept - lots of local organisations will setup a subscription whereby they send you a box of vegetables every week. Crucially they get to pick the contents, favouring seasonality. So you get cheap and fresh at the expense of choice.

nitrogen 7y ago

Maybe "curation" isn't quite the right word, but filtering and QC are valuable. If I walk into Walmart I'm much less likely to find counterfeits on the shelves vs. buying online from Amazon, and most products will be generally fit for purpose. As an example I have purchased tie-down straps (not for heavy weight use) on both Amazon and Walmart. The Amazon straps were dyed with some harsh, non-color-fast chemical that smelled terrible and left a nasty black film on everything. The Walmart straps were cheaper, didn't smell bad, and didn't leave residue behind. It used to be that Amazon was safe to buy most things from. But now, even if I'm getting something cheap, by going to a physical retail store I have some kind of quality floor for what they put on the shelves. ---- Since you're talking about groceries, I've also found Walmart in my small hometown has a significantly better produce variety and quality than any Target I've seen in any big city, nearly rivaling that of e.g. Whole Foods (and sometimes surpassing simply because there's a lot more space available).

deleted 7y ago
[deleted]
inferiorhuman 7y ago
If I walk into Walmart I'm much less likely to find counterfeits on the shelves vs. buying online from Amazon Right. Walmart saves money by selling low quality merchandise. It's not counterfeit, it's just garbage. Sometimes they'll start with a quality product (e.g. Vlassic pickles) and just run them into the ground. Edit: To be clear, WalMart pioneered nearly all the bad behavior that Amazon is exhibiting. Low quality made overseas junk? Squeezing their supply chain mercilessly? Paying unlivable wages? That's WalMart. WalMart's house brand stuff has been long been regarded as the McDowell's to Target and Trader Joe's McDonald's. And, in fact, WalMart paid plenty of money[1] over selling WalMart (Super Tech) branded motor oil that did not meet the specifications it claimed to meet. 1: https://www.bobistheoilguy.com/forums/ubbthreads.php/topics/1347447/1 https://www.bobistheoilguy.com/forums/ubbthreads.php/topics/...

MiddleEndian 7y ago

>Trader Joe's For me it's the opposite. Trader Joe's has reliable staples. When I try to buy something like bacon at Whole Foods (now owned by Amazon) and I have to make sure I'm not getting something unexpected like uncured or unsmoked bacon and that's a waste of energy. When I buy stuff at Trader Joe's it's always been reliably tasty.

bsder 7y ago
> I have to make sure I'm not getting something unexpected like uncured or unsmoked bacon I take that as a signal that "This store isn't for you--you shouldn't be shopping here." And it's probably correct. I go to Whole Paycheck for very specific things, but the people who do general shopping at Whole Foods are in some very specific demographics, themselves.
- MiddleEndian 7y ago
  Definitely, but they do both market towards the health/organic food market.
inferiorhuman 7y ago
When I try to buy something like bacon at Whole Foods (now owned by Amazon) and I have to make sure I'm not getting something unexpected like uncured or unsmoked bacon and that's a waste of energy Isn't pretty much all of the bacon at Trader Joe's uncured?
- MiddleEndian 7y ago
  Perhaps I'm using the wrong terms. My only point is that I'm not a huge food enthusiast, and trying to guess which bacon at Whole Foods will "taste like bacon" is why I prefer a more curated grocery store.
  - inferiorhuman 7y ago
    Which is still kind of funny because I typically avoid buying bacon at Trader Joe's because it's so off the wall compared to what I'd get elsewhere.

maxerickson 7y ago

Walmart anyway does more curation than most discount retailers. Buy some Walmart store brand re-closable plastic bags and they will at least work without being frustrating or constantly tearing. Buy the cheapest option at some other cheap store and you are rolling the dice. They sell lots of stuff that is on the cheap side of the price-quality trade off, don't get me wrong, I just think they've learned to take a step back when they need to.