I find myself less and less often going to the big time grocery store
concern (Schnucks, formerly Albertson's; Kroger). I'm more often shopping
at what would be called a convenience store a mile down the road. I can ask
the manager there to stock things for me and he does. That's so cool! He
just ordered some Stouffer's spinach souffle for me.

For meats I do find myself going to a meat market. Unfortunately there
isn't a great fish market nearby so I have to rely on the grocery store for
that, but they have decent (for an inland state) fish selections. I rarely
eat chicken anymore; I prefer cornish game hens if I do eat poultry and yes,
I buy those at the grocery store.

This little store has a decent stock of fresh produce, too. (For the items
I can't find there I go to the vegetable market.) They do always have great
cabbage and fresh (in season) from Ripley, TN tomatoes.

Austrian Tomato Soup
from Austrian Cooking & Baking, circa 1951, by Gretel Baer
(book sent to me by Margaret Suran)

2 lbs. tomatoes
1 onion
2 carrots
small piece celaeric
3 oz. butter
a little lemon juice
sugar to taste
2 oz. cooked rice
grated lemon rind
bay leaf
salt & pepper

Wash tomatoes; cut into halves. Scrape carrots; slice. Cut onion finely.
Melt butter; fry onion until golden brown. Sprinkle with flour; fry
lightly. Add halved tomatoes, carrots, celaeric, bay leaf, lemon rind and
salt & pepper. Cover well with water and simmer until vegetables are
tender. Pass through a sieve [into another cooking pot]. Add sugar and
lemon juice. Do not be afraid of adding a generous amount of sugar - about
3 tablespoons - tomato soup should have a distinctly sweet flavour.

Place the cooked rice in the center of each soup bowl. Pour hot tomato soup
over it and serve.

Talk about great with grilled cheese sandwiches!!

Jill

jmcquown wrote:

I find myself less and less often going to the big time grocery store
concern (Schnucks, formerly Albertson's; Kroger). I'm more often shopping
at what would be called a convenience store a mile down the road. I can ask
the manager there to stock things for me and he does. That's so cool! He
just ordered some Stouffer's spinach souffle for me.

For meats I do find myself going to a meat market. Unfortunately there
isn't a great fish market nearby so I have to rely on the grocery store for
that, but they have decent (for an inland state) fish selections. I rarely
eat chicken anymore; I prefer cornish game hens if I do eat poultry and yes,
I buy those at the grocery store.

This little store has a decent stock of fresh produce, too. (For the items
I can't find there I go to the vegetable market.) They do always have great
cabbage and fresh (in season) from Ripley, TN tomatoes.

Austrian Tomato Soup
from Austrian Cooking & Baking, circa 1951, by Gretel Baer
(book sent to me by Margaret Suran)

2 lbs. tomatoes
1 onion
2 carrots
small piece celaeric
3 oz. butter
a little lemon juice
sugar to taste
2 oz. cooked rice
grated lemon rind
bay leaf
salt & pepper

Wash tomatoes; cut into halves. Scrape carrots; slice. Cut onion finely.
Melt butter; fry onion until golden brown. Sprinkle with flour; fry
lightly. Add halved tomatoes, carrots, celaeric, bay leaf, lemon rind and
salt & pepper. Cover well with water and simmer until vegetables are
tender. Pass through a sieve [into another cooking pot]. Add sugar and
lemon juice. Do not be afraid of adding a generous amount of sugar - about
3 tablespoons - tomato soup should have a distinctly sweet flavour.

Place the cooked rice in the center of each soup bowl. Pour hot tomato soup
over it and serve.

Talk about great with grilled cheese sandwiches!!

Jill

A store manager's willingness to stock something most likely depends on how
common it is and how well it might sell. Naturally, they don't want things on
their shelves that only a few people will buy; things that will sit there for
years. OTOH, if it's a special order for one customer who they are sure will
purchase such things, a manager who does that is very cool. I would expect a
manager of a smaller store to be more attentive than one of a large store.

Gary




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My co-op has no problem with ordering a case of just about anything they
sell (or anything their distributors offer that's related to what they
_do_ sell). I have heard of other supermarkets (typically independents
or smaller chains) which also will let you order a case of whatever,
sometimes at a small discount.

sd

On Sat, 04 Oct 2003 09:07:03 -0500, sd wrote:

My co-op has no problem with ordering a case of just about anything they
sell (or anything their distributors offer that's related to what they

That's the key. Larger supermarkets and chains have a big book with
computer print-outs of items that their distributors have. The
supermarket might order it for you... or not. I've never had much
luck getting stuff, Duncan Hines Orange Supreme Cake and Salada black
tea are two examples.

That's why when companies say "Ask your local store to order (our
product)" I get irritated. Not only because it usually doesn't work
but because they don't care enough to push the product themselves.

Sue(tm)
Lead me not into temptation... I can find it myself!

"jmcquown" writes:

I can ask
the manager there to stock things for me and he does. That's so cool!

All of the major chains in my area will do so. A couple even have a special
section called "By Request" or something similar for folks who placed special
orders.

Connie
************************************************** ***
My mind is like a steel...um, whatchamacallit.

"jmcquown"
snip
They do always have great
: cabbage and fresh (in season) from Ripley, TN tomatoes.
:

Awwwww. I like Ripley. I have a couple of friends that have
lived there forever, minus a couple of years when they were in
Illinois... Thanks for the reminder that I need to send them a
card.

Oh, and great sounding recipe, too... definitely sounds better
than Campbell's*. G

Curly Sue wrote:

That's the key. Larger supermarkets and chains have a big book with
computer print-outs of items that their distributors have. The
supermarket might order it for you... or not. I've never had much
luck getting stuff, Duncan Hines Orange Supreme Cake and Salada black
tea are two examples.

That's why when companies say "Ask your local store to order (our
product)" I get irritated. Not only because it usually doesn't work
but because they don't care enough to push the product themselves.

At the market where I shopped before they were bought out and rebuilt,
they must have had a gazillion complaints about what they *didn't*
carry. It was so annoying. So they put up a big sheet of paper with
lines for people to write what they wanted stocked. That thing filled
up in no time, like, TAKE A HINT. I wrote Scotch Brite kitchen
sponges, like, is that some kind of obscure item? and Kraft American
cheese, not the singles! the deluxe. I know it was a smallish store
for claiming to be a supermarket, but come on. And, no, they never
did stock my two requests.

Well, Albertsons bought out the chain, built a big new store, thank
you very much. People were practically skipping up and down the
aisles when they first opened the new store.

nancy

When I was looking for Steen's Cane Syrup a while back, I contacted
local grocery chain (Straub's in STL) through their web feedback form.
The VP in charge of that kind of thing decided to order some and stock
it in the stores. That's the only thing I've tried to get ordered, so I
have no idea how common that response would be.




Brian Rodenborn

"Curly Sue" wrote in message
...
On Sat, 04 Oct 2003 09:07:03 -0500, sd wrote:

My co-op has no problem with ordering a case of just about anything they
sell (or anything their distributors offer that's related to what they

That's the key. Larger supermarkets and chains have a big book with
computer print-outs of items that their distributors have. The
supermarket might order it for you... or not.

I'll second that. When I first moved to CA, it frustrated the heck out of
me that the local Safeway and local Albertson's carried a multitude of Old
El Paso proudcts--except the two I wanted it seemed (Refried Beans with
green chiles and the taco seasoning). Safeway said they couldn't get it for
me; Albertson's did get it.

No one can get my diet Sundrop, but then again, there is no supplier that
they can go too.

I may try to ask for some of the green label Karo Syrup, which I use in
baked beans. Both stores have the light and dark corn syrup, but not the
pancake syrup. It'll be awhile though as I brought a bottle back with me
last thanksgiving, and the only thing I use it for is baked beans.

I'm also going to have to torture someone over the fact that there is no
colby cheese to be bought in this town. I thought it was a fairly common
cheese... Lot's of colby jack, but no just plain colby..

We have a third local chain, the Nuggett, which has 5-6 stores max, I think.
I've never tried to special order anything through them.

On a different vain... Back home, one of the grocery stores (very small
regional chain) was bought out by another very small regional chain. They
stopped carrying a favorite breakfast item of my sisters. Mom inquired, and
they told her the company had stopped making it... Interestingly, yet a
third local chain, still stocks the item, and we're going on five years now
since the other chain told us they stopped making it...

On Sat, 04 Oct 2003 07:01:07 -0600, Gary wrote:

jmcquown wrote:

I find myself less and less often going to the big time grocery store
concern (Schnucks, formerly Albertson's; Kroger). I'm more often shopping
at what would be called a convenience store a mile down the road. I can ask
the manager there to stock things for me and he does. That's so cool! He
just ordered some Stouffer's spinach souffle for me.

A store manager's willingness to stock something most likely depends on how
common it is and how well it might sell. Naturally, they don't want things on
their shelves that only a few people will buy; things that will sit there for
years. OTOH, if it's a special order for one customer who they are sure will
purchase such things, a manager who does that is very cool. I would expect a
manager of a smaller store to be more attentive than one of a large store.

Eggzactly. Many new supermarkets in this blue-collar area open with
terrific selections of meat, deli, fish, veg, cheese, etc., and
gradually revert to prevailing taste. Even things in Food Lion's
(regional chain) weekly ads are frequently not available at the store
near me -- no advertised chevre or brie or Tecate beer. If the local
manager *does* kindly take requests, if it doesn't come on the Big
Truck, that's the end of the story. The local personnel do their best,
I think but the Big Truck rules.

In article , says...

A store manager's willingness to stock something most likely depends on how
common it is and how well it might sell. Naturally, they don't want things on
their shelves that only a few people will buy; things that will sit there for
years. OTOH, if it's a special order for one customer who they are sure will
purchase such things, a manager who does that is very cool. I would expect a
manager of a smaller store to be more attentive than one of a large store.

The Shaw's near me didn't have shallots for the longest time. Day before
yesterday I was making a nice steak sauce that absolutely required
shallots. Lo and behold, there they were near the garlic, tomatoes and
other items.

They're getting better at this store. They do acknowledge that there is
still an Italian presence as well as a Hispanic presence.

You can tell it was needed in this area. The place usually has a pretty
large crowd in it most days after 5PM.

From: Frogleg

The local personnel do their best,
I think but the Big Truck rules.

Yup. You got that right. I have free reign to order anything for my customers
as long as it's available from our distributor. I can even order a lot of
threesies...meaning I'm not stuck with an entire case of an item if it doesn't
appeal to others. Frozen foods do come by the case, which can be 8-10 or even
24, but I figure if one person is asking about it, there might be others who
will enjoy the product.

My only obstacle, other than availability through Tree of Life (our major
grocery distributor) is storage space. My tiny store has limited department
shelving available and zero back storage space so I have to be very careful how
I order.

Which brings me to another problem. Invariably I will make space for a high
demand item because I'm such a nice person, which may mean closing out
something that isn't moving well. I swear, every time without fail, that ONE
person who liked that product that only comes in twice a year will show up
within a week and wonder why it isn't there anymore. GROAN! I bite my lip from
saying...if you LIKED it so much why didn't you buy it when it was here??????

hehehehehe
Ellen

SportKite1 wrote:
From: Frogleg

The local personnel do their best,
I think but the Big Truck rules.

Which brings me to another problem. Invariably I will make space for
a high demand item because I'm such a nice person, which may mean
closing out something that isn't moving well. I swear, every time
without fail, that ONE person who liked that product that only comes
in twice a year will show up within a week and wonder why it isn't
there anymore. GROAN! I bite my lip from saying...if you LIKED it so
much why didn't you buy it when it was here??????

hehehehehe
Ellen

(laughing) well yeah, that's inevitable. I'd politely ask them where they
were purchasing it in the meantime

Jill

(SportKite1) writes:

You got that right. I have free reign to order anything for my customers
as long as it's available from our distributor. I can even order a lot of
threesies...meaning I'm not stuck with an entire case of an item if it
doesn't
appeal to others. Frozen foods do come by the case, which can be 8-10 or even
24, but I figure if one person is asking about it, there might be others who
will enjoy the product.

My only obstacle, other than availability through Tree of Life (our major
grocery distributor) is storage space. My tiny store has limited department
shelving available and zero back storage space so I have to be very careful
how I order.

Many small retailers store stock at home, they devote a room, basement, garage,
attic, even a closet... then take the appropriate IRS/State tax deduction...
you could probably storage frozen/refrigerated goods at home and then
depreciate the appliance, deduct the space, the electric, even any
maintainence, including the cost of an extended equipment warranty.
Essentially, as a small business owner, you can have a huge chest... hehe... at
no cost.


---= BOYCOTT FRENCH--GERMAN (belgium) =---
---= Move UNITED NATIONS To Paris =---
Sheldon
````````````
"Life would be devoid of all meaning were it without tribulation."

Frogleg wrote:

A store manager's willingness to stock something most likely depends on how
common it is and how well it might sell. Naturally, they don't want things on
their shelves that only a few people will buy; things that will sit there for
years. OTOH, if it's a special order for one customer who they are sure will
purchase such things, a manager who does that is very cool. I would expect a
manager of a smaller store to be more attentive than one of a large store.

Eggzactly. Many new supermarkets in this blue-collar area open with
terrific selections of meat, deli, fish, veg, cheese, etc., and
gradually revert to prevailing taste. Even things in Food Lion's
(regional chain) weekly ads are frequently not available at the store
near me -- no advertised chevre or brie or Tecate beer. If the local
manager *does* kindly take requests, if it doesn't come on the Big
Truck, that's the end of the story. The local personnel do their best,
I think but the Big Truck rules.

I would never expect a large food chain to even listen, much less stock something
at *my* request. OTOH, that gives the smaller stores an advantage over the big
ones. That's a way for them to take customers away from the big chains.

Gary






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