Tuesday, March 26, 2013
WRENCHING DECISION
I have shopped at Stater Brothers, a small southwest grocery chain, since the big disabling strikes out here, seven years ago? No, ten years. 2003-2004. See here.
I had been a super market kid and had a job with the supermarkets as an adult engineer for five years. I had been in the union and I had been in management.
This strike got to me like no other strike I had seen. It was basically a lockout. And the Safeway guy who kind of ran it was a gold plated asshole.
I had shopped at Ralphs, then left because it was dirty and the stock wasn't rotated. I went to Vons. Vons is the Safeway outlet here. So I left Vons.
I would not, could not, cross a picket line.
Stater Brothers had and has an independent contract in which their people get whatever the other national chains and unions settle for.
I stayed at Staters through a second strike in 2011.
But lately, there is trouble in paradise.
The Staters is a great store but small and has recently dropped items that are on my standard list. About a year ago there began to be serious problems of stock rotation. I had to look at everything.
I liked the people at Staters. Regular friends. I stayed because of that and the meat which is like an upscale meat market and, for a long while, it has been a routine that John and Booker would walk the two miles there and we would meet at the end of my shopping.
It wasn't just shopping but a destination.
Small straws break the camel's back.
A missing item here (vegetable lasagna), the realization I had a month old potato salad there, an empty shelf of sodas, an out of stock with this and that.
Enough.
Today, I went back to Ralphs. I have come full circle.
But it is not the same Ralphs. Not even in the same place. It is a huge modern double the size super super market and it has fucking everything.
The produce is dramatic. The aisles are wide. And so on.
I shopped there today and found everything. I also was able to buy vegetable lasagna.
Things are looking up.
John and Booker changed their route and we sort of hit the mark on when to leave and when to meet.
I already miss some of the Staters thing and the meat does not compare but the fact is that I do not really buy my meat from the counter but from the case.
Old dogs can learn new tricks.
