Best Chain Businesses That Don't Have A Cult Following

[Rothman]

Target is just a brighter, cleaner Walmart. But I still prefer it.

...with less of a selection and higher prices.

Better selection of things I might want to buy, a cleaner, more neatly stocked store, and less likely to become a monopoly provider nationwide.

Pfft.  That's what's Amazon is for.

Even more likely than Walmart to become a monopoly provider.

I like seeing what I buy, and like local stores to stay in business.

Amazon also has a scary amount of counterfeit products.  Including USB sticks that have a LOT less memory than they claim (both on the packaging and what the chip tells the computer is available, resulting in data loss if they're the only place where some files are stored).

They even go so far as to delete reviews saying the drives are fraudulent, basically aiding and abetting the fraud.  Yeah, Amazon is a piece of work, even ignoring all the other things we know about them that show that they are a piece of work.

I just bought a legit USB drive through Amazon.  Works fine.

I found the fake ones pretty easy to identify.  They were essentially brandless.

There are also review sites out there that help identify the legit drives.

[XamotCGC]

Krogers
Waffle House

[hbelkins]

Speaking of Amazon and counterfeit products, I discovered yesterday that they sell knockoff iPod Classics. I don't know how they get by with that, even with Apple having discontinued the iPod.

Walmart is bad for selling fake flash drives and memory cards. That "Kingstick" card I got from Walmart a couple of years ago turned out to be bogus. I trust their in-house Onn brand, but outside that, nope. Kingston is OK; Kingstick is not.

Concerning Target vs. Walmart, I have found Target stores in general to be less well-lit overall. Walmarts are bright; Targets are dim. Meijer stores are brighter than Targets, however.

[kkt]

Target is just a brighter, cleaner Walmart. But I still prefer it.

...with less of a selection and higher prices.

Better selection of things I might want to buy, a cleaner, more neatly stocked store, and less likely to become a monopoly provider nationwide.

Pfft.  That's what's Amazon is for.

Even more likely than Walmart to become a monopoly provider.

I like seeing what I buy, and like local stores to stay in business.

Amazon also has a scary amount of counterfeit products.  Including USB sticks that have a LOT less memory than they claim (both on the packaging and what the chip tells the computer is available, resulting in data loss if they're the only place where some files are stored).

They even go so far as to delete reviews saying the drives are fraudulent, basically aiding and abetting the fraud.  Yeah, Amazon is a piece of work, even ignoring all the other things we know about them that show that they are a piece of work.

Yes, to be fair it's mostly the third-party sellers that are outright fraudulent.  Though Amazon is pretty sloppy about describing which version is which on things like movies.

[Molandfreak]

Waffle House

Really?

[Rothman]

Waffle House

Really?

I like restaurants where participation in fights is optional.

[Hobart]

I would dare say that Waffle House has a cult following, partially due to how famous it's become due to the large (and very amusing) fights. The service is good, the food is good, and it's a bargain... but it's also permanently ingrained into the American identity, which I consider a cult following.

Perkins, on the other hand, is relatively obscure. I've only eaten at a medicore Perkins once; the one in Milwaukee on Port Washington Road. The one in Mitchell, South Dakota dropped my family's food, so we ate free. I know that if I go into a Perkins, although it's not as cheap as Waffle House, I'll get a good meal, and a nice slice pie, whether I'm in Little Falls or Peoria.

[Rothman]

The service is good, the food is good, and it's a bargain.

Wut?

https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZT8XJkW84/

[kkt]

The service is good, the food is good, and it's a bargain.

It's worth what you pay for it.


Wut?

https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZT8XJkW84/

[hbelkins]

Krogers
Waffle House

Disagree on Waffle House.

[kphoger]

I thought Freddy's originated in California.

Maybe because they have a "California Style" burger on the menu?

Braum's is actually somewhat divisive. It seems like you either love it or hate it. (Most people seem to love it, but my dad thinks it's disgusting because he's made a lifelong habit out of being wrong about everything.)

I think it's ho-hum.  I neither love it nor hate it.

I'm truly surprised that the goog hasn't shown evidence of a cult following at Culver's.

Is it, though, a popular after-church lunch spot?  If so, then, in that sense, it might actually be quasi-cultish.

[Rothman]

I thought Freddy's originated in California.

Maybe because they have a "California Style" burger on the menu?

Braum's is actually somewhat divisive. It seems like you either love it or hate it. (Most people seem to love it, but my dad thinks it's disgusting because he's made a lifelong habit out of being wrong about everything.)

I think it's ho-hum.  I neither love it nor hate it.

I'm truly surprised that the goog hasn't shown evidence of a cult following at Culver's.

Is it, though, a popular after-church lunch spot?  If so, then, in that sense, it might actually be quasi-cultish.

Perkins was the after-church spot when I lived in WI, not Culver's.

[Sctvhound]

Jason's Deli and Perkins have always been consistent here for decades. You know you're gonna get good muffaletta sandwiches at Jason's, and Perkins is always good quality for both breakfast and lunch.

[kphoger]

Jason's Deli

Oh wow, I didn't realize Jason's Deli was so widespread.  Yeah, they're great.

[Scott5114]

I like Jason's Deli okay, but they're in that awkward spot where they're more expensive than just a fast food meal, so it's not something that comes up when my wife and I are eating by ourselves, but it's not quite nice enough to take friends out to.

The last time we did actually get a hankering for it we found out that the Norman location had closed. They have three locations in Vegas, although they're all on the opposite side of town from where we're likely to end up.