short version, reverse the Gordon Gekko narrative

I started to make Gordon Gekko my screen name originally, settled with GGNiner, ironically enough.

He had a good write up in the WSJ. My FIL sent the link, and we had our older son read it too.

I loved how he said he changed is beliefs once he had to make payroll. Started to sound just like an Ayn Rand character.

(10-14-2009 04:39 PM)DrTorch Wrote:  I loved how he said he changed is beliefs once he had to make payroll.

....for the win.

he's still half extreme liberal apparently, but as far as how business works he's dead on.

I'd rather have a social liberal/fiscal conservative than vis versa.

And Whole Foods (and Trader Joe's) are routinely targeted for boycott by anti-Israeli groups. I guess you just can't please all the left, all the time.

I shop at Trader Joe's every month or so, and we hit Whole Foods when we need to stock up on some non-dairy items for my kid. The first time I was hauled either place by my wife I was completely indignant - the whole hippy granola thing, plus I am militant in support of shopping localy at my neighborhood Supervalue to help support neighborhood business.

But damn, Trader Joe's in particular has some great foodie items. I am sold on both and we do shop there when we need special or unique food items.

(10-15-2009 08:05 AM)Lord Stanley Wrote:  And Whole Foods (and Trader Joe's) are routinely targeted for boycott by anti-Israeli groups. I guess you just can't please all the left, all the time.

I shop at Trader Joe's every month or so, and we hit Whole Foods when we need to stock up on some non-dairy items for my kid. The first time I was hauled either place by my wife I was completely indignant - the whole hippy granola thing, plus I am militant in support of shopping localy at my neighborhood Supervalue to help support neighborhood business.

But damn, Trader Joe's in particular has some great foodie items. I am sold on both and we do shop there when we need special or unique food items.

Trader Joes is foreign owned...by the FRENCH!

Yup, it's an Aldi's brand. (Aldis is a great place to shop as a poor college student.)

French aren't all bad, I like Grey Goose afterall.

Trader Joe's is a good company

(10-15-2009 08:05 AM)Lord Stanley Wrote:  I shop at Trader Joe's every month or so, and we hit Whole Foods when we need to stock up on some non-dairy items for my kid. The first time I was hauled either place by my wife I was completely indignant - the whole hippy granola thing, plus I am militant in support of shopping localy at my neighborhood Supervalue to help support neighborhood business.

But damn, Trader Joe's in particular has some great foodie items. I am sold on both and we do shop there when we need special or unique food items.

We've got a couple of Whole Foods nearby, and the new one has some pretty amazing prepared foods - it's essentially a large, high quality cafeteria. I've only got one problem with those guys: they're freaking expensive. More power to him if he's making money but we get better produce at the local farmers markets, for less. For us, Whole Foods is a quick lunch/dinner place, or a place to find something we can't get at the "regular" grocery store.

I'm with you on the hippy stuff though. In particular, the Venice Beach Whole Foods feels like Woodstock every time I go there. Except the hippy moms drive Range Rovers.

(10-16-2009 01:37 PM)Brookes Owl Wrote:  I'm with you on the hippy stuff though. In particular, the Venice Beach Whole Foods feels like Woodstock every time I go there. Except the hippy moms drive Range Rovers.

Out here in the west suburbs of Minneapolis is a large, spectacular hoity toity lake called Lake Minnetonka. Not much anywhere on the lake for less than $750k. And as you can imagine, Trader Joe's and Whole Foods are mecca's for the Minnetonka Idle Trailing Spouse (MITS).

But instead of Range Rovers, the current fad is Jeep Grand Wagoneers.

Which is pretty awesome because JGWs are simply the coolest trucks ever made. It's like they wanted to recreate Nanctucket 1,500miles from Boston.

Though, my sincere hope is that these JGW are just a passing fad and the used truck market will flood with used ones in a couple years.

(10-15-2009 10:07 AM)DrTorch Wrote:  

(10-15-2009 08:05 AM)Lord Stanley Wrote:  And Whole Foods (and Trader Joe's) are routinely targeted for boycott by anti-Israeli groups. I guess you just can't please all the left, all the time.

I shop at Trader Joe's every month or so, and we hit Whole Foods when we need to stock up on some non-dairy items for my kid. The first time I was hauled either place by my wife I was completely indignant - the whole hippy granola thing, plus I am militant in support of shopping localy at my neighborhood Supervalue to help support neighborhood business.

But damn, Trader Joe's in particular has some great foodie items. I am sold on both and we do shop there when we need special or unique food items.

Trader Joes is foreign owned...by the FRENCH!

Yup, it's an Aldi's brand. (Aldis is a great place to shop as a poor college student.)

Uh, it's a privately held company headquartered and founded in California. But it is owned by a trust set up by one of the founders of Aldi. And Aldi is a German company not French.