Friday, December 31, 2010
Sunday, December 19, 2010
Allegheny Township Giant Eagle ceases food collections - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review
Here we find a more local followup to my previous blog about large corporations taking over the sense of community.
I am aware of these local towns and Giant Eagle, the largest grocery purveyor in W. PA and NE Ohio.
Long ago, Giant Eagle was a small local geoup with a strong sense of community, local roots, and a humanitatian outlook.
In fact, 30 or 35 years ago, Giant Eagle corporate owned stores encouraged such drives covering a plethora of causes.
I personally participated in one for the Johnstown, PA flood of 1976 and management was very co-operative in all aspects of the drive.
But, as all good things Giant Eagle became a mega corporation with large overstocked stores that make shopping a dreaded chore with the choices, artfully laid out aisles to induce one to buy, the cooking & baking aromas used to lure shoppers to high priced items & precooked meals that are probably over purchased and wasted, indifferent management & staff, and the privacy killing policy of tracking purchases. Self serve checkouts, which are often proven to be inacurrate & hard to rectify were started, furthur reducing the work staff at a closely held & privately owned business.
The edges lost by these self serving corporate decesions hopefully take the edge off Giant Eagle and other mega stores, returning to the pleasurable and customer service oriented experiences of the smaller locally owned and charitable stores.
Somewhere the mega store concept has to be challenged as it destroys jobs and charity. I for one, a Giant Eagle shopper in the past, stopped shopping there because of over priced goods, poor customer service, and do as much small store shopping as I can, including independently owned stores that purvey fresher meats, fruits, & vegetables, serve with a smile and helpful attitude, and even small stores like ALDI and Save-A-Lot that do not overwhelm me. The selections at the smaller stores change more often and allow me to try different foods that I would not find in the mega supermarkets. And these small stores often offer local products that cannot compete with food manufacurer paid for shelf space at the mega stores, furthuring decimating the economy. It is indecent, immoral, and unethical that manufacturers actually pay for the best shelf space and crowd out the local fresher products.
Think factory farms like Tyson, Smithfield & others and their inhumane treatment of animals, antibiotics, cancerous tumors, and the rest that gets reported. I am not an animal rights advocate, but I believe that we deserve freedom from over medicated sources, freedom from the gross use of antibiotics, freedom from genticially manipulated foods, and just all around cleaner foods that are more often found in community based farms.
Allegheny Township Giant Eagle ceases food collections - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review
I am aware of these local towns and Giant Eagle, the largest grocery purveyor in W. PA and NE Ohio.
Long ago, Giant Eagle was a small local geoup with a strong sense of community, local roots, and a humanitatian outlook.
In fact, 30 or 35 years ago, Giant Eagle corporate owned stores encouraged such drives covering a plethora of causes.
I personally participated in one for the Johnstown, PA flood of 1976 and management was very co-operative in all aspects of the drive.
But, as all good things Giant Eagle became a mega corporation with large overstocked stores that make shopping a dreaded chore with the choices, artfully laid out aisles to induce one to buy, the cooking & baking aromas used to lure shoppers to high priced items & precooked meals that are probably over purchased and wasted, indifferent management & staff, and the privacy killing policy of tracking purchases. Self serve checkouts, which are often proven to be inacurrate & hard to rectify were started, furthur reducing the work staff at a closely held & privately owned business.
The edges lost by these self serving corporate decesions hopefully take the edge off Giant Eagle and other mega stores, returning to the pleasurable and customer service oriented experiences of the smaller locally owned and charitable stores.
Somewhere the mega store concept has to be challenged as it destroys jobs and charity. I for one, a Giant Eagle shopper in the past, stopped shopping there because of over priced goods, poor customer service, and do as much small store shopping as I can, including independently owned stores that purvey fresher meats, fruits, & vegetables, serve with a smile and helpful attitude, and even small stores like ALDI and Save-A-Lot that do not overwhelm me. The selections at the smaller stores change more often and allow me to try different foods that I would not find in the mega supermarkets. And these small stores often offer local products that cannot compete with food manufacurer paid for shelf space at the mega stores, furthuring decimating the economy. It is indecent, immoral, and unethical that manufacturers actually pay for the best shelf space and crowd out the local fresher products.
Think factory farms like Tyson, Smithfield & others and their inhumane treatment of animals, antibiotics, cancerous tumors, and the rest that gets reported. I am not an animal rights advocate, but I believe that we deserve freedom from over medicated sources, freedom from the gross use of antibiotics, freedom from genticially manipulated foods, and just all around cleaner foods that are more often found in community based farms.
Allegheny Township Giant Eagle ceases food collections - Pittsburgh Tribune-Review
Saturday, December 18, 2010
PittsburghTrib.com
PittsburghTrib.com
Another business that was a participant of the community, not just a distant corporation that takes out the local dollars, sends most away, and contributes little to the community.
How far we have fallen as a people to not patronize our own!
Though I have never been in Lake City or shopped at Weislogel's I see it as I travel the country and now, even in other nations. At present, I am working in Birmingham, Al and find after a 10 year hiatus, the quality of life and social responsibility has fallen to a point I never would have suspected. "Southern Hospitality" is very hard to find here now, but if you want big box stores and chain restaurants with poor service and uninformed staff with no concept of customer service, it has arrived.
Dining, shopping, whatever, I try to patronize the small local establishments, but too many of our locals do not see the ramifications and the degradation happening in our communities and overshop in the chains. Sadly, in Western PA, where I live, I find retirees the worst offenders, shopping instead of socializing and having hobbies.
And this is the generation that fought labor wars for equity in the workplace and once believed in community.
Oh well, another rant here, I hope it strikes a chord with someone.
Another business that was a participant of the community, not just a distant corporation that takes out the local dollars, sends most away, and contributes little to the community.
How far we have fallen as a people to not patronize our own!
Though I have never been in Lake City or shopped at Weislogel's I see it as I travel the country and now, even in other nations. At present, I am working in Birmingham, Al and find after a 10 year hiatus, the quality of life and social responsibility has fallen to a point I never would have suspected. "Southern Hospitality" is very hard to find here now, but if you want big box stores and chain restaurants with poor service and uninformed staff with no concept of customer service, it has arrived.
Dining, shopping, whatever, I try to patronize the small local establishments, but too many of our locals do not see the ramifications and the degradation happening in our communities and overshop in the chains. Sadly, in Western PA, where I live, I find retirees the worst offenders, shopping instead of socializing and having hobbies.
And this is the generation that fought labor wars for equity in the workplace and once believed in community.
Oh well, another rant here, I hope it strikes a chord with someone.
Wednesday, December 8, 2010
Scott Gerber On 10 Principles For Young Entrepreneurs - Views - Portfolio.com
Scott Gerber On 10 Principles For Young Entrepreneurs - Views - Portfolio.com
Being 64 and an "Old People", I so believe this to be true and these points have been long a mantra of mine.
In fact, I often encourage young folks to pick up the chant and go forth. Be I damned or forgiven, as I seen the "benefits" of education years ago, I also seen the down side as I traveled the world.
1) Wages went down
2) Unnecessary division, strife, and competition were pushed hard by upper management to control the work force that no longer was strongly organized, either by Unions or Common Goals and Environments. Greed became the motivator and as new entries came on hire, it was either board the vessel or stay on the dock.
3) And now, since I am on the subject the Medical Profession also contributed to this strife, falling wages, and soon having grads pondering where they went wrong.
4) There is always a need for entrepreneurs and blue collar workers in the world. Someone has to find a need for progress (it is usually a blue collar worker, by the way), someone to design and manufacture it, and someone to make it work.
5) One of the new mantras is to start a company doing what you are good at or know best. I think this may be wrong, because doing what you like should be an outlet for stress. Perhaps what you know best should be included in the relaxation category.
6) So, what do you do? Look around every where for needs, a better or cheaper way of delivery a service you yourself might use.
7) then, you do not need to go it alone, surround yourself with knowledgeable people of all ages who you can share your concerns and future profits with.
8) Facebook and Google type things are rarer than Ruthenium, as are "professional athletes" (That always strikes me as a conundrum).
9) Now, you need to think slow and steady, pump money back into the business, out in those on godly hours that the young can do (I still frequently work 80 plus hours for weeks at a time to satisfy a client), live modestly, do relax and socialize, and constantly look for the new opportunity. I have found them, as I still do in some of the most unusual conservations, news articles, and situations.
10) Don't forget what you may perceive as low tech; those businesses have been around for ages, always will be, and you will find a lot more young entrepreneurs entering those fields.
11) Go forth and succeed, I have faith in you!
Being 64 and an "Old People", I so believe this to be true and these points have been long a mantra of mine.
In fact, I often encourage young folks to pick up the chant and go forth. Be I damned or forgiven, as I seen the "benefits" of education years ago, I also seen the down side as I traveled the world.
1) Wages went down
2) Unnecessary division, strife, and competition were pushed hard by upper management to control the work force that no longer was strongly organized, either by Unions or Common Goals and Environments. Greed became the motivator and as new entries came on hire, it was either board the vessel or stay on the dock.
3) And now, since I am on the subject the Medical Profession also contributed to this strife, falling wages, and soon having grads pondering where they went wrong.
4) There is always a need for entrepreneurs and blue collar workers in the world. Someone has to find a need for progress (it is usually a blue collar worker, by the way), someone to design and manufacture it, and someone to make it work.
5) One of the new mantras is to start a company doing what you are good at or know best. I think this may be wrong, because doing what you like should be an outlet for stress. Perhaps what you know best should be included in the relaxation category.
6) So, what do you do? Look around every where for needs, a better or cheaper way of delivery a service you yourself might use.
7) then, you do not need to go it alone, surround yourself with knowledgeable people of all ages who you can share your concerns and future profits with.
8) Facebook and Google type things are rarer than Ruthenium, as are "professional athletes" (That always strikes me as a conundrum).
9) Now, you need to think slow and steady, pump money back into the business, out in those on godly hours that the young can do (I still frequently work 80 plus hours for weeks at a time to satisfy a client), live modestly, do relax and socialize, and constantly look for the new opportunity. I have found them, as I still do in some of the most unusual conservations, news articles, and situations.
10) Don't forget what you may perceive as low tech; those businesses have been around for ages, always will be, and you will find a lot more young entrepreneurs entering those fields.
11) Go forth and succeed, I have faith in you!
Saturday, December 4, 2010
Quality
Properly ideated, correctly implemented, and wisely performed Quality is the major profit center for any company wishing to succeed.
Kudos to the old denizens of Possum Hollow and the ones who lived on top of the hill.
"If it ain't broke don't fix" and "Don't reinvent the wheel"
Seriously, the old timers from all walks of life on old PA Route 80 or now PA 286, where I grew up, had the real skinny on the Quality Concept.
I carry those taught bits with me today as I successfully meander my way through the world I know as 3rd Party Inspection.
All of my peers, mentors, and associates from my youth constantly come back in fond memory reminding me of the basic concepts of life, integrity, grace, and values.
We made our deals on a handshake and honored them.
The heirs of this training know who they are and probably still mourn for that simple, but almost perfect way of dealing in the world.
You know who you are.
Who would have ever thought that a shy guy from The Hollow would have ever been privileged to travel the world and meet some of the people I have met.
It was the values taught, cherished, and honored back in the 1950's and 1960's.
In long overdue tribute, I recognize those mentors. May we fondly remember a bit of them every waking day.
The originals and mentors in My life and Yours may now all be gone, let us reinstate the tradition. I know that with the new technical school we are prepping back in the area of The Hollow will continue the concept of integrity.
Kudos to the old denizens of Possum Hollow and the ones who lived on top of the hill.
"If it ain't broke don't fix" and "Don't reinvent the wheel"
Seriously, the old timers from all walks of life on old PA Route 80 or now PA 286, where I grew up, had the real skinny on the Quality Concept.
I carry those taught bits with me today as I successfully meander my way through the world I know as 3rd Party Inspection.
All of my peers, mentors, and associates from my youth constantly come back in fond memory reminding me of the basic concepts of life, integrity, grace, and values.
We made our deals on a handshake and honored them.
The heirs of this training know who they are and probably still mourn for that simple, but almost perfect way of dealing in the world.
You know who you are.
Who would have ever thought that a shy guy from The Hollow would have ever been privileged to travel the world and meet some of the people I have met.
It was the values taught, cherished, and honored back in the 1950's and 1960's.
In long overdue tribute, I recognize those mentors. May we fondly remember a bit of them every waking day.
The originals and mentors in My life and Yours may now all be gone, let us reinstate the tradition. I know that with the new technical school we are prepping back in the area of The Hollow will continue the concept of integrity.
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