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Amazon buying Whole Foods

Started by golden eagle, June 16, 2017, 11:52:48 AM

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1995hoo

I wish more grocery stores had the 25¢ thing to get a cart. Too many people just leave the carts wherever they please, even on windy days.

(On a semi-related note, I wish the stores would get rid of those annoying plastic playpen carts that are made to look like cars with steering wheels and such. Aside from being clunky and in the way, they completely mess up the cart return corrals.)
"You know, you never have a guaranteed spot until you have a spot guaranteed."
—Olaf Kolzig, as quoted in the Washington Times on March 28, 2003,
commenting on the Capitals clinching a playoff spot.

"That sounded stupid, didn't it?"
—Kolzig, to the same reporter a few seconds later.


vdeane

Quote from: jakeroot on July 03, 2017, 07:29:03 PM
After actually looking up videos of how these things operate, they appear to be almost impossible to engineer with a tap-to-pay system. I guess a quarter will have to do! For now at least.

Quote from: english si on July 03, 2017, 05:04:11 PM
Basically jakeroot's notion was that a quarter is worth too little to bother reclaiming and a dollar coin would be better, but they don't exist in a common enough way, so a contactless bank-card being used to make the deposit was his suggestion.

I didn't think you had that sort of thing yet in America - hence Apple Pay's pointless existence...

It strikes me as something hard to implement, and a lot of hassle - you might as well lose the carts that people take for a quarter.

As for contactless bank cards, those are as rare as hen's teeth. I can't recall ever seeing one used before. Contactless payments began with mobile phones here, for the most part.

Most of the new chip machines have tap-to-pay functionality, but they lack the "wireless" logo that indicates such. The infrastructure is so new, the idea of tapping-to-pay is a bit foreign, but I think it'll become a more common payment method in the future, especially given how slow those chip readers are.

Quote from: kalvado on July 03, 2017, 06:06:41 PM
I would say this is not that much about money, this is about message "we want you to keep things neat". Charging more doesn't really make that message stronger.

But it's a monetary incentive. The value of a quarter drops every year, ergo, the incentive to return the cart is lower than ever. I'm not suggesting a $50 refundable deposit. Maybe a buck or two? The problem is that there's no easy "loonie" or "toonie" coin here in the US. The only common coin worth a damn is the quarter. So we're kind of stuck.
I recall tap to pay being tried out here 10-15 years ago.  It never caught on due to RFID security concerns.

As for hold amounts, $1 is how gas stations and whatnot do preauthorization on a credit card, though I understand that debit cards work differently.
Please note: All comments here represent my own personal opinion and do not reflect the official position of NYSDOT or its affiliates.

JJBers

This is straying wayyy too far off-topic...
I mean, what does Aldi's have to do with Whole Foods or Amazon
*for Connecticut
Clinched Stats,
Flickr,
(2di:I-24, I-76, I-80, I-84, I-95 [ME-GA], I-91)

1995hoo

Quote from: JJBers on July 03, 2017, 10:01:06 PM
This is straying wayyy too far off-topic...
I mean, what does Aldi's have to do with Whole Foods or Amazon

Seriously? You're fussing about a thread on the "Off-Topic" subforum allegedly going off-topic???
"You know, you never have a guaranteed spot until you have a spot guaranteed."
—Olaf Kolzig, as quoted in the Washington Times on March 28, 2003,
commenting on the Capitals clinching a playoff spot.

"That sounded stupid, didn't it?"
—Kolzig, to the same reporter a few seconds later.

JJBers

Quote from: 1995hoo on July 03, 2017, 10:15:24 PM
Quote from: JJBers on July 03, 2017, 10:01:06 PM
This is straying wayyy too far off-topic...
I mean, what does Aldi's have to do with Whole Foods or Amazon
Seriously? You're fussing about a thread on the "Off-Topic" subforum allegedly going off-topic???
I meant off topic to the original topic, not the board it's self. And I know it's not the end of the world if we get off topic, it's been now 1.5 pages of off topic
*for Connecticut
Clinched Stats,
Flickr,
(2di:I-24, I-76, I-80, I-84, I-95 [ME-GA], I-91)

US71

Quote from: JJBers on July 03, 2017, 10:01:06 PM
This is straying wayyy too far off-topic...
I mean, what does Aldi's have to do with Whole Foods or Amazon

I believe people were making a comparison with the way Aldi operates?
Like Alice I Try To Believe Three Impossible Things Before Breakfast

1995hoo

Quote from: JJBers on July 03, 2017, 10:18:32 PM
Quote from: 1995hoo on July 03, 2017, 10:15:24 PM
Quote from: JJBers on July 03, 2017, 10:01:06 PM
This is straying wayyy too far off-topic...
I mean, what does Aldi's have to do with Whole Foods or Amazon
Seriously? You're fussing about a thread on the "Off-Topic" subforum allegedly going off-topic???
I meant off topic to the original topic, not the board it's self. And I know it's not the end of the world if we get off topic, it's been now 1.5 pages of off topic

I knew what you meant, but still, what difference does it make?
"You know, you never have a guaranteed spot until you have a spot guaranteed."
—Olaf Kolzig, as quoted in the Washington Times on March 28, 2003,
commenting on the Capitals clinching a playoff spot.

"That sounded stupid, didn't it?"
—Kolzig, to the same reporter a few seconds later.

Brandon

It's been a while, but...

Furious shoppers say Whole Foods' produce has turned 'depressing,' 'barren,' and 'bone-dry' – and they blame Amazon

QuoteShoppers across the US are claiming that the quality of Whole Foods' produce has tanked since it was acquired by Amazon, and some say they're abandoning the grocery chain as a result.

In interviews with Business Insider and in social-media posts, dozens of shoppers have complained about finding bruised, discolored, tasteless, and rotten produce in Whole Foods stores from California to New York over the past couple of months.

Shoppers have also reported out-of-stock issues, saying it's impossible to find items that they've been buying at Whole Foods for years, such as frisée, loose carrots, and Brussels sprouts. Several said fruits and vegetables such as avocados are spoiling faster than usual.

It's not immediately clear what's changed – Whole Foods says nothing – but many customers think the difference is e-commerce giant Amazon, which acquired Whole Foods for $13.7 billion in August. While some of this may be a matter of perception among customers worried about what the Amazon deal means for their favorite store, analysts at one Wall Street investment bank have noticed detrimental changes at stores they've been routinely visiting, including what they call the "conventionalization" of Whole Foods.

It gets worse.

Whole Foods has a 'high class' problem that's leading to 'entirely empty' shelves

And now:

'Entire aisles are empty': Whole Foods employees reveal why stores are facing a crisis of food shortages

I said it earlier, and I'll say it again, Amazon is in over their heads.
"If you think this has a happy ending, you haven't been paying attention." - Ramsay Bolton

"Symbolic of his struggle against reality." - Reg

Hurricane Rex

Does anyone like the Whole Food's new style and look inside their stores?

I don't.
ODOT, raise the speed limit and fix our traffic problems.

Road and weather geek for life.

Running till I die.

US71

Quote from: Hurricane Rex on January 25, 2018, 12:04:56 PM
Does anyone like the Whole Food's new style and look inside their stores?

I don't.

Never been inside
Like Alice I Try To Believe Three Impossible Things Before Breakfast

Hurricane Rex

Quote from: US71 on January 25, 2018, 12:07:31 PM
Quote from: Hurricane Rex on January 25, 2018, 12:04:56 PM
Does anyone like the Whole Food's new style and look inside their stores?

I don't.

Never been inside

Good, I don't think you're missing much. At least not anymore.
ODOT, raise the speed limit and fix our traffic problems.

Road and weather geek for life.

Running till I die.

1995hoo

Quote from: Hurricane Rex on January 25, 2018, 12:04:56 PM
Does anyone like the Whole Food's new style and look inside their stores?

I don't.

I went to the Whole Foods in Old Town earlier this month and didn't notice any changes from how it used to look. I had not been there in maybe six months to a year–the main reason I used to go there was for seafood, but Wegmans has good seafood and is more convenient so now I usually go there instead.
"You know, you never have a guaranteed spot until you have a spot guaranteed."
—Olaf Kolzig, as quoted in the Washington Times on March 28, 2003,
commenting on the Capitals clinching a playoff spot.

"That sounded stupid, didn't it?"
—Kolzig, to the same reporter a few seconds later.



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