4 Troubling Grocery Store Trends You Need to Know About Now!

I realize my blog title is very Women's Day. But there are some really disturbing things going on.

1. Whole Foods won't let you purchase completely normal stuff. Like Ziploc bags. They are strictly verboten! I'm sorry, but my Ziploc bags aren't killing the planet. What else am I supposed to keep my leftover chopped onions and such in? I wash my bags and reuse them anyway - so why the boycott? Huh?!! I can't stand having to go to 8 different stores these days to get the items I like.

2. The Dropsies. I was tempted to put this under line item Epidemic because I keep seeing these lazy women drop food on the ground and not pick up after themselves. And yes, it's always women. And yes, @DaveBenjamin I'm still sexist. ; )

This is not like, "Oops, I have five kids and one of them dropped their cracker." Or, "Oops, I'm an old lady and can't bend over, but at least I'll tell the nice young sales associate." No - this is healthy, bendable, youngish women letting fresh produce roll around on the ground and then walk away. More like, "Oops, my unecessarily enormous Jimmy Choo hobo bag knocked over that stack of apples and I couldn't see because I'm wearing giant Gucci sunglasses in the grocery store." To those afflicted with Dropsie: it's a bad habit, and you are not invisible!

3. People Refuse to Bag Their Own Groceries. This is at least more understandable. I guess it's grocery store tradition and all. It's never occurred to me to NOT bag my own groceries if I'm able to do so. I figure it's the whole "pay it forward" concept, give the clerk a break, make the line go faster. But no, there is always some sour-faced Stepford Wife that cannot seem to budge from the credit card reader.  What goes through her mind as she stands silently waiting for the clerk to ring, then bag her groceries, while others watch? I really want to know.

4. SpongeBob Sells Cucumbers from the Sea Floor. I did a double-take when I picked up this package. At first I was scared, but soon felt reassured, "Hmm, SpongeBob Brand produce...hit TV show...must be good at greenhouse farming too!" Seriously, does this sell more cucumbers? For instance, I'd like to see some stats on those "Apple Fries" I've heard about on TV. Does anyone fall for that? Like if you weren't already interested in apples or cucumbers, would a cartoon character or bizarre Pavlovian response to the word "fries" change your mind?? 

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Vive la France?



I found this video featuring a French economist talking about the differences in French and U.S. economics entertaining and informative. While the video does not go into much detail, it quickly sheds light on the fact that France, while a lovely place to visit, with considerable contribution to world culture, is no model for economic freedom or success.

For example, French labor law is ruled by strict collective bargaining agreements. The French law firm Triplet and Associes notes,

The intellectual and legal framework, as well as the general day-to-day approach, to the relationship between employer and employee in France is very different indeed from that generally encountered in the common law system and it is vital to take into account that employment in France is not 'at will'.

That last line is ominous, no? The history of French labor law is littered with ceilings on hours worked, floors on wages, and collective bargaining disasters. By limiting the hours a French citizen is allowed to work, the government is not doing them a favor. 

Think about yourself - have there been points in your life you wanted, or needed, to work more than a 35 or 40 hour week? Many people are in this position, but are forbidden to work more! This is a ridiculous and discriminatory policy aimed at crushing the lifeblood of an economy: productivity and competition; not to mention freedom of choice!

Furthermore, French labor laws have historically made hiring and firing an overly complex process for employers, often with the threat of pecuniary or litigious punishment for non-compliance. Again, this may keep unproductive employees working, putting employers at a disadvantage, robbing consumers of better products and/or lower prices for their goods and services!

The Association of European Chambers of Commerce and Industry concluded that,

...the economic performance of the EU is about 20 years behind that of the U.S...[T]he current EU levels in GDP, R&D investment, productivity and employment were already reached by the U.S. in the late 70s/early 80s.

How can an economy be expected to prosper when it is mired by restrictions? Oh wait, it can't.

More recent news shows that the French economy is contracting considerably in the economic downturn. 

The French economy shrank at its fastest rate in at least six decades year-on-year in the first quarter of 2009, but it outperformed its neighbours thanks to resilient household spending, data released on Friday showed.
Analysts said France was protected by its powerful state sector, generous welfare benefits and rigid labour laws that prevented the economy adjusting rapidly to the global slump.
Although they boast they are faring better than their neighbors due to considerable government intervention (ah yes, being the most protectionist economy is quite a prize), they forget their restrictive measures will make recovery far slower than freer nations.
'The welfare state is helping very much. This has cushioned the blow, but it will be a handicap when the recovery arrives because France will respond less quickly than its neighbours,' 
I know France is a lovely place, and an evaluation of their economic policies does not diminish their contributions to world culture at all. The French people cannot help that their leadership has put them in this position. But let's not allow our leadership to do the same.


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