Honny lives in Maryland.

@JASFLALMT wrote:

Honny lives in Maryland.

Thanks. For some reason I thought she was up near Cape Canaveral in Florida.

Flash, Honny is in Maryland, just down the road from me.

JAs and I seem to have cross-posted, lol.

@walesmaven wrote:

JAs and I seem to have cross-posted, lol.

Flash, it occurs to me that you associated Honny's NASA work with FL. But HQ is in Greenbelt MD.

I'm in Maryland, near DC. Thank you for the tip on storing the seeds!

The way a lot of us grow tomatoes in southern AZ where the sun will damage them, is we just let them ramble all over the ground. The foliage keeps the tomatoes from getting sunburned. Also deep watering a couple of times a week max. The foliage can looked wilted in the midday but perks up after the late afternoon.

I thought you lived in Kentucky?

I got my groceries, cleaned them all up and sanitized them, now I'm cleaning the fridge before putting them away. It's a beautiful day out there, I'm still hoping to get out in it. At Walmart only 1 of the associates loading my groceries was wearing a face mask, but the one with the mask is the one who came to talk to me so I guess that's okay. I still kept the window up lol.
I decided against delivery because they use a 3rd party and tipping is involved. I understand the need and would like to be a great tipper but can't afford an extra 15% on top of our yearly grocery bill.

Yeah, I moved here from AZ.

@JASFLALMT wrote:

I thought you lived in Kentucky?

And the additional delivery charge makes it even more. However, I don't think you tip based on a percentage of the total amount for a grocery delivery. To me it would seem that it would be based on the quantity and maybe how heavy some items might be. Someone who orders several cases of water, bottles of bleach, laundry soap, etc. might not spend as much as someone who was getting a bunch of produce, but the produce would be lighter and easier to handle than the water and other things.

Oh yes, that's why you love tortillas and beans. I remember now. I think KY probably has much better growing conditions for tomatoes than AZ! I know OH does. It's really hard to start from seed in our region, though, since the growing season is so short. We usually buy plants that are already 8 inches high or more and don't put them into the ground until around the end of May.

You would think that, and today at least half my order was produce. However the one time I did delivery when I put the order in there was no place to add a tip. After the order was completed I was emailed a request to add a tip for the driver. They had boxes to check for 10, 15, 20% my choice. I added 15% but don't want to do that over a year. That is a huge amount when you add it up. I thought perhaps Walmart had their own drivers who were paid an hourly wage but I guess not.

@JASFLALMT wrote:

And the additional delivery charge makes it even more. However, I don't think you tip based on a percentage of the total amount for a grocery delivery. To me it would seem that it would be based on the quantity and maybe how heavy some items might be. Someone who orders several cases of water, bottles of bleach, laundry soap, etc. might not spend as much as someone who was getting a bunch of produce, but the produce would be lighter and easier to handle than the water and other things.

@CoffeeQueen .. I finally broke down and placed a delivery order from Publix, processed/delivered by Instacart. The process went smoothly, so I will likely try it again. I now admit that I was foolish to have been so stubbornly dead-set against delivery. Yes, the prices were a bit higher, but the pre-set tip amount was only 5%, and it allowed the amount to be changed.

BTW, there was an option to pay a monthly fee--$10.00--which would then cancel out the $9.95 delivery fee.

Edited to add delivery fee info ..

Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 04/28/2020 07:36PM by Opanel.

@Opanel we don't have Publix here. I also don't like the local Instancart driver but it is a great service, not denying that.

I am sure the 3rd party people make more than people who work at Walmart. Walmart is notorious for not treating their employees well. My stepson used to work there and they would never let him get more than 32 hours so that he would not be able to get benefits. Did you know that they offer classes to their employees on how to apply for food stamps and government assistance? And they got hit hard with a lawsuit a number of years back for gender discrimination against women.

I know they suck. They are easier to schedule right now than Kroger and those are my two choices. I'll be happy when I can go back to Kroger.

@JASFLALMT wrote:

I am sure the 3rd party people make more than people who work at Walmart. Walmart is notorious for not treating their employees well. My stepson used to work there and they would never let him get more than 32 hours so that he would not be able to get benefits. Did you know that they offer classes to their employees on how to apply for food stamps and government assistance? And they got hit hard with a lawsuit a number of years back for gender discrimination against women.

I understand completely. Keep checking back with Kroger, maybe something will open up. I know that our regional grocery stores have gotten better with curbside timeslots and one of them is getting really good about having everything in stock and handling orders carefully (like not squishing bread). And the one I use now has waived their pickup fee which used to be $3. Are there no mom and pop grocery stores around where you live?

Nope, no Mom and Pops. Well, I guess technically there is one but it's so dirty I wouldn't ever go in or even order. Only God knows why they stay in business. I suspect money laundering LOL.

Maybe you should write Aldi corporate and ask when they are going to open one near you. Their groceries are so reasonably priced that Kroger would lose a lot of their business.

That's a very good idea. Aldi has opened at least four locations within 25 miles of my home within the past year.

I think saying something like "All we have here is Kroger and WalMart but I sure wish we had Aldi" might pique their interest.

The new Aldi stores were a revelation to me. The old (and I mean very old) one was poorly stocked and disorganized.

ALL of the ones that have opened in the region in the last 5 years have been clean, tidy, well stocked (pre-pandemic), with helpful staff and exceptionally good store brand products,dairy, produce, baked items and paper products. For the items that matter to me, they put Costco to shame. And, Aldi pays its workers wages and benefits that make me feel good about shopping there.

I hope that the old one got new management and a major face lift, but I have not visited it in years. It is a long way from me and in an increasingly sketchy neighborhood.

The first Aldi that I ever visited, in Ashland, Ohio, in the early 2000s, was a disgrace. Since then, they have upgraded enormously, and added a wide variety of items. If you like moscato, the Moiselle label is a bargain-lover's dream.

They DO pay very well indeed, considering how low priced their food and merchandise are it's quite amazing. The starting pay here is $13 an hour and they give raises after the first year. Other grocery stores in my area pay $9 an hour and I know at least one of them keeps all their non-salaried employees at part-time. Aldi will hire full-time employees and they offer benefits for them. My oldest stepdaughter almost got a job there when she was in her early 20s but decided to be a bartender instead.

We have 2 in my area that are in not-so-nice neighborhoods and they aren't nearly as clean and nice as the other newer ones are. They do try hard but a lot of it is just the clientele who can't seem to find the trashcan and will leave dirty diapers, beer bottles, and more in the parking lots. I was really glad when they opened up more stores. I am happy to drive a few miles further to the newer, bigger ones, which also offer a great selection of organic produce.

Aldi's explained to me that they build out from their distribution centers. They put one in here that was close to the interstate so it would allow easy access from their nearest distribution center. About 9 months later they put in two more in the area and about a year after that they are putting in 3 new ones. They each are roughly 20 miles from their nearest location and they just keep working outward from their original location here.

I had to make a run today to Lowe's for an emergency repair. The store was moderately busy with workmen getting supplies.

Right across the street is a Walmart and the lot was empty enough that I decided to go in and look for fresh produce. There were Walmart employees with rolling carts of blue bins and cell phones filling orders. They were wearing gloves but not masks as they threw stuff in the bags in the bins. The corn was dried out looking, but 6 ears in this bag, 2 in that one, 4 in the next one--oops, the 4 was supposed to go in that other one. There was no chance I was taking any of that awful looking corn home. The broccoli and asparagus were spectacular and that was what went home with me. I noticed that the top of the deli counter had piles of sliced meats bagged and a cart with blue bins employee was sorting through the stacks to find the ones for different bins. I have no idea how long those bags had been sitting out at room temperature but the employee with the cart was not taking more than a few of the piles. I was certainly not comfortable that fresh foods were being handled safely.

Huzzah! 'Porterhouse Blue' will begin airing on Acorn TV on Monday, May 4. So funny.....

The first time I went to Aldi's was in 2015 or so. I was very disgusted by the layout and the brands to the point where I left my cart in the store and left. A few weeks later, I had coffee at a friend's house. The coffee was really good. He said he got the k-cups from Aldi's.

I went to a nearby store; this time with no sticker shock. I noticed the low prices and the middle aisle. I have been shopping there ever since!s