I haven't been keeping up with Usenet news lately. Hope all of you
have been and remain well.

In article >,
jacqui{JB} > wrote:
= "deepeddygirl" > wrote in message
= ...
=
[...]
=
= > Thanks - that was very helpful. I kinda thought so. I'm
= > so glad it's not just me who thinks Cooks Illustrated goes
= > out of their way to make things overly complicated.

Really? It's been some years since I've read their magazine
but I haven't found that to be true of their TV program (via
PBS). Indeed, I've found the processes described there to be
quite straightforward and clear and often quite good.

And, while the recipes taken from their web site are not always
identical to the processes described on the TV show, I haven't
found anything "overly complicated" about them.

Could you be a little more explicit about what you've found
"overly complicated," deepeddygirl?

= Add me into your informal survey. I'm not a fan of their magazine or
= books, either. And I also heartily endorse the Good Cook Bookclub. I
= *love* them and greatly increased my cookbook collection through them.
= Their bonus points system is very generous, too. Pity they don't ship
= overseas; otherwise I would've been happy to continue my membership.

I haven't checked them lately.

Clearly, the advantage of such sources is that there is such a
diverse selection available. That's especially true for me since I
live in a small town in a state with only one "big town" (and that
"big town" not overly so). I do a great deal of shopping on-line
and a fair amount via mail-order (via the phone as a rule).

One thing that I find annoying about "clubs" is that one must
return the card to prevent receiving the monthly selection (or go
to their web site to do so in this day and age -- as a book junky
I order many books quite a few CDs but I just hate having to remember
to send back the card or go to the web site.

While I do belong to a book "club" and a CD "club," one of the
things that I find very annoying about them (and with other on-line
and mail-order businesses) is that many charge a "handling" fee in
addition to shipping charges.

1. That allows them to quote artificially low prices for their
merchandise and make it up in the handling fee.

2. Every merchant must handle the merchandise that they sell.
Local merchants don't have a separate handling fee. The cost of
handling is reflected in the cost of their merchandise, a much
fairer and above-board approach, in my opinion.

3. Yes, on-line and mail-order businesses do have to package the
merchandise for shipment. Big deal. Local merchants have the
overhead of a store where the customer actually visits and clerks
to wait on them. A wash, in my opinion.

Not related to the handling fee, is the fact that so many on-line
businesses (and mail-order as well) are so infatuated with the
parcel services (UPS, FedEx, etc.) that they won't even consider
shipping via USPS Priority Mail to my POBox address. I guess they
have enough customers that they don't need me.

Aside from the problems I've had with the parcel services over the
years, Priority Mail is simply faster -- much faster -- and, so,
I prefer it and would do even if USPS delivered to the house.

BEGIN Rant:

I've had nothing but problems with both UPS and FedEx over the
six-plus years that I've lived at this address.

1. Unless one is willing to pay through the nose for 2nd day or
"next day" delivery, they are *SLOW*. It typically takes a week to
receive a parcel shipped via UPS. (See comparison with Priority
Mail below). And, on the rare occasion that the parcel arrives at
the Albuquerque depot a day early, it is held there until the
"estimated delivery date" instead of simply putting it on the truck
for local delivery. And, with the exception of their high-cost
service, a Saturday delivery is out of the question. Nor do their
trucks or aircraft move during the week end so the parcel sits in a
stationary truck or in a depot somewhere for two whole days of the
week.

2. Both leave my parcels at my gate -- it is not locked -- at the
public road some fifty yards from my house instead of bringing it
to the door like civilized human beings. Yes, if it's raining or
snowing *when* *they* *leave* *it*, they put it in a plastic bag.
But the weather here can change in a very short time so what may
have been a beautiful sunny day when they leave the parcel may turn
into a downpour of rain or snow before I notice that the parcel is
there. (Not to mention the possibility that it may be stolen
although -- to my knowledge -- that hasn't happened yet -- touch
wood.) They typically arrive in the late afternoon so, in winter,
there's a good chance that it will be dark when they leave it and,
so, even if I look towards the gate, I won't see it. If it's a
small parcel, I may not see it even in daylight until I go to the
gate for some other purpose.

3. If the parcel requires my signature, they pull up to the gate
and sound the horn on their truck which I can't hear from inside
the house unless the door is open and I'm standing near it. When
I don't appear at the gate to sign for and collect my parcel, they
put one of their "Sorry we missed you" PostIts on my gate to be
blown away by the high-plains wind. At best, if I see it before
it blows away, it means that at least another day -- three days if
it's a Friday -- will pass before I get my parcel. At best, if
I'm lucky enough that the merchant provides me with a tracking
number, I must stay home and hope that I'll see the truck when it
arrives. Sans tracking number, I must guess which day it will
arrive and so, I'm required to remain at home for several days
hoping to see that truck. And, while late afternoon delivery is
typical, I can't depend upon it so I must stay home all day waiting
until eventually it arrives -- if I see them.

4. I have, on rare occasion, been able to train a driver to come
to the door but it seems that as soon as I have done, they transfer
him to a different route and I'm right back where I began.

5. By way of contrast, I've never had a parcel shipped by USPS
Priority Mail take longer than three days from/to anywhere in the
country -- *and* I can't recall an instance where it took longer
than two days after the parcel was put in USPS hands. And they
deliver on Saturday. And, apparently, their trucks and aircraft
move during the week end. I once mailed a parcel to my daughter at
about 11:00AM on Saturday via Priority Mail; she received it on the
Monday morning. That's from the small-town post office at Edgewood,
New Mexico to Wheeling, West Virginia -- some 1600 miles as I drive
it to visit family.

6. USPS do not deliver to the street address in my small
community. One may either have a USPS box at one of various
locations along the streets and roads or may rent a POBox.
I do the latter but, in either case, if a parcel arrives, it is put
into a lockbox (either near the road-side boxes or in the PO lobby)
and the key is put into one's box allowing one to pick up the
parcel (which is protected from the elements) at one's leisure,
24x7. If the parcel arrives on Saturday, it is put in the lockbox
on Saturday, it doesn't sit in the back somewhere until Monday.

7. Some on-line/mail-order merchants will condescend to ship via
USPS to APO or FPO addresses but refuse to do so to a POBox
address. What's the difference? Many of the few (e.g.
barnesandnoble.com) who will ship via USPS use a mailing service.
Their service was exemplary before they began doing so; now it's
lousy. The parcel travels quickly once in the hands of USPS but
takes a long time from Barnes and Noble to USPS via the service.

8. Oh, yeah... Priority Mail shipping boxes and envelopes are
available at no cost from the USPS and, if I read their web site
and their posters correctly, they'll even deliver them to the
business. With such a container (or one's own container plus
stickers) it's only necessary to affix the proper postage and put
the parcel with the other outgoing mail. I doubt that there are
many businesses of any size that don't have a postage machine.
I doubt that there are *any* of any size that don't have outgoing
mail picked up by the mail man.

END Rant.


--
Charlie Sorsby

Edgewood, NM 87015
USA