Welcome, Guest. Please login or register.
March 19, 2024, 06:57:49 am

Login with username, password and session length


Members
Stats
  • Total Posts: 772787
  • Total Topics: 66296
  • Online Today: 290
  • Online Ever: 5484
  • (June 18, 2021, 11:15:29 pm)
Users Online
Users: 2
Guests: 228
Total: 230

Welcome


Welcome to the POZ Community Forums, a round-the-clock discussion area for people with HIV/AIDS, their friends/family/caregivers, and others concerned about HIV/AIDS.  Click on the links below to browse our various forums; scroll down for a glance at the most recent posts; or join in the conversation yourself by registering on the left side of this page.

Privacy Warning:  Please realize that these forums are open to all, and are fully searchable via Google and other search engines. If you are HIV positive and disclose this in our forums, then it is almost the same thing as telling the whole world (or at least the World Wide Web). If this concerns you, then do not use a username or avatar that are self-identifying in any way. We do not allow the deletion of anything you post in these forums, so think before you post.

  • The information shared in these forums, by moderators and members, is designed to complement, not replace, the relationship between an individual and his/her own physician.

  • All members of these forums are, by default, not considered to be licensed medical providers. If otherwise, users must clearly define themselves as such.

  • Forums members must behave at all times with respect and honesty. Posting guidelines, including time-out and banning policies, have been established by the moderators of these forums. Click here for “Do I Have HIV?” posting guidelines. Click here for posting guidelines pertaining to all other POZ community forums.

  • We ask all forums members to provide references for health/medical/scientific information they provide, when it is not a personal experience being discussed. Please provide hyperlinks with full URLs or full citations of published works not available via the Internet. Additionally, all forums members must post information which are true and correct to their knowledge.

  • Product advertisement—including links; banners; editorial content; and clinical trial, study or survey participation—is strictly prohibited by forums members unless permission has been secured from POZ.

To change forums navigation language settings, click here (members only), Register now

Para cambiar sus preferencias de los foros en español, haz clic aquí (sólo miembros), Regístrate ahora

Finished Reading This? You can collapse this or any other box on this page by clicking the symbol in each box.

Author Topic: And God Bless The Dollar Store  (Read 6076 times)

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

Offline mecch

  • Member
  • Posts: 13,455
  • red pill? or blue pill?
And God Bless The Dollar Store
« on: June 28, 2011, 06:28:49 pm »
God Bless the Good 'Ol American Dollar Store

Globalization and free trade has upsides and downsides.  I'm one of those elitist liberal lefties who snobs WalMart (my late father would have burned me to cinders with his judgmental eyes if I ever copped to putting a foot in that store. --- psss so I never told him I had.)

Bonuses - I submit the "dollar" stores.  I love these as much as thrift shops.

The problem is that Switzerland blows on this concept.  Our "bazaars" are awful and overpriced.  You never ever seem to find someting that is perfect for a buck.  Its all 5 bucks and the crappiest crap of all the crap. Depressing.  And don't even ask about the furnishing and home-decor ware ....

Sometimes they have good food finds, however.   Yesterday I found something that is far too fabulous to cost a buck.

Spanish gazpacho in one of those brick cartons like kids' juice.  It's delicious.  And do you realise the brick is so easily frozen so the opportunities for refreshing snacks across a summer's day are endless.  Its an ice brick for the cooler and when it defrosts a taste sensation.

1 CH = 1 Dollar more or less.  It's a buck and worth much more than every centime.

The last amazing food discovery dates 3 years - it was huge Austrian snow caps - nonpareils.


“From each, according to his ability; to each, according to his need” 1875 K Marx

Offline Joe K

  • Standard
  • Member
  • Posts: 5,821
  • 31 Years Poz
Re: And God Bless The Dollar Store
« Reply #1 on: June 28, 2011, 08:02:51 pm »
We have a number of dollar stores and some of them are as large as a supermarket.  The quality is pretty good, almost everything is from China, but for a buck, there's not much to complain about.  The food looks iffy but everything else is fine, except you do have to check exp. dates.  That's why I don't touch any food.

Offline mecch

  • Member
  • Posts: 13,455
  • red pill? or blue pill?
Re: And God Bless The Dollar Store
« Reply #2 on: June 28, 2011, 09:41:47 pm »
You are in Canada, right? So is stuff a canadian dollar?
American dollar stores are brilliant - they come up with tons of stuff worth a buck.
“From each, according to his ability; to each, according to his need” 1875 K Marx

Offline Joe K

  • Standard
  • Member
  • Posts: 5,821
  • 31 Years Poz
Re: And God Bless The Dollar Store
« Reply #3 on: June 28, 2011, 09:51:41 pm »
There are plenty of items that cost a Loonie and then they go up, in increments of 25 cents from there. What I most enjoy, is most of them are run by people from different cultures, so you find really incredible things that you normally would never see.

Offline anniebc

  • Member
  • Posts: 6,185
  • AM member since 2003
Re: And God Bless The Dollar Store
« Reply #4 on: June 29, 2011, 05:11:15 am »
Hey Joe...we don't have Loonie stores but we do have Toonie stores... ;)


Aroha
Jan :-*
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
Never knock on deaths door..ring the bell and run..he really hates that.

Offline Dachshund

  • Member
  • Posts: 6,058
Re: And God Bless The Dollar Store
« Reply #5 on: June 29, 2011, 08:01:39 am »
I've been down with the homies for years and shopped at the dollar store. I steer clear of the boxed gazpacho and don't trust the foie gras. However, their selection of Egyptian cotton sheets are very nice. I use the bargain toilet paper to refinish furniture.

Offline Miss Philicia

  • Member
  • Posts: 24,793
  • celebrity poster, faker & poser
Re: And God Bless The Dollar Store
« Reply #6 on: June 29, 2011, 09:25:54 am »
I hope you folks aren't buying cheap, coarse toilet paper.
"I’ve slept with enough men to know that I’m not gay"

Offline Jeff G

  • Administrator
  • Member
  • Posts: 17,064
  • How am I doing Beren ?
Re: And God Bless The Dollar Store
« Reply #7 on: June 29, 2011, 09:28:41 am »
I hope you folks aren't buying cheap, coarse toilet paper.

Guilty ... I buy Scott's 1000 sheet and my friends bitch and moan about it .
HIV 101 - Basics
HIV 101
You can read more about Transmission and Risks here:
HIV Transmission and Risks
You can read more about Testing here:
HIV Testing
You can read more about Treatment-as-Prevention (TasP) here:
HIV TasP
You can read more about HIV prevention here:
HIV prevention
You can read more about PEP and PrEP here
PEP and PrEP

Offline Miss Philicia

  • Member
  • Posts: 24,793
  • celebrity poster, faker & poser
Re: And God Bless The Dollar Store
« Reply #8 on: June 29, 2011, 09:31:37 am »
Guilty ... I buy Scott's 1000 sheet and my friends bitch and moan about it .

Do your pillows suck too?
"I’ve slept with enough men to know that I’m not gay"

Offline Jeff G

  • Administrator
  • Member
  • Posts: 17,064
  • How am I doing Beren ?
Re: And God Bless The Dollar Store
« Reply #9 on: June 29, 2011, 09:33:16 am »
We have the Dollar Tree store here and things there actually cost no more than $1 .

They have excellent spice mixes for the barbecue and I buy sunflower seeds because I eat at least two bags a day and have since I was a boy , cant run out of seeds .  
HIV 101 - Basics
HIV 101
You can read more about Transmission and Risks here:
HIV Transmission and Risks
You can read more about Testing here:
HIV Testing
You can read more about Treatment-as-Prevention (TasP) here:
HIV TasP
You can read more about HIV prevention here:
HIV prevention
You can read more about PEP and PrEP here
PEP and PrEP

Offline Jeff G

  • Administrator
  • Member
  • Posts: 17,064
  • How am I doing Beren ?
Re: And God Bless The Dollar Store
« Reply #10 on: June 29, 2011, 09:36:26 am »
Do your pillows suck too?

My pillows ... I have so many to choose from you must stack them up to your head beside the bed just to get in it . Its getting that way on the sofa too . They are excellent pillows .
HIV 101 - Basics
HIV 101
You can read more about Transmission and Risks here:
HIV Transmission and Risks
You can read more about Testing here:
HIV Testing
You can read more about Treatment-as-Prevention (TasP) here:
HIV TasP
You can read more about HIV prevention here:
HIV prevention
You can read more about PEP and PrEP here
PEP and PrEP

Offline mecch

  • Member
  • Posts: 13,455
  • red pill? or blue pill?
Re: And God Bless The Dollar Store
« Reply #11 on: June 29, 2011, 10:48:58 am »
Last September the Times did an article about their success.

Stores Scramble to Accommodate Budget Shoppers
By STEPHANIE CLIFFORD
Published: September 21, 2010
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/09/22/business/22dollar.html?scp=1&sq=dollar%20store&st=cse&gwh=CDB20915E36D34003F50B0E22EF37F7D

Nelson Peltz invested heavily last year.

There are all sorts - Killfollie seems to be talking about the independent ones, which seem hard to find in the US.  But that's the only kind we have in Switzerland. Otherwise its "hard discounters" which aren't dollar stores, but big chains that want to undercut the middle class prices of the two big conglomerate grocery shops.  

Turks have bazaar shops with Turkish and Mediterranean food, spices, and all sorts of odd products as well.  Chandeliers, dolls, tea sets, etc etc.  Hardly anything is ever just a buck in these shops or anywhere in Switzerland.  They just can't wrap their heads around "value" and "bargain".

The German hard discounters are mushrooming, Lidl and Aldi - but my colleagues and students gave me the lesson of what shit ass corporations they are (more or less the liberal lefty's WalMart critique).  They has a mix of Swiss products and then imported from all over the world, with a lot of Chinese crap mixed in.  They do a good job however, of every week importing some speciality items from another country, so you see products you'd never otherwise see.  Its just on special, however, when its gone its gone.   I guess Ukranians, Swedes, Mexicans, are happy for the big order, but its a one-shot deal.  

When I moved to Switzerland a liter of Swiss milk was 2CH (2 bucks, these days) and the process of all this discounting war has  driven it down to 1.20 to 1.30 and of course the farmers are suffering.  But they come out with all sorts of new "kinds" of milk they can charge more for - organic milk, high altitude milk etc etc.  Organic milk is pretty redundant in Switzerland cause no milk producers can use hormones, antibiotics, etc etc.  

People say the German hard discounters are decimating German agriculture and could do the same here, getting that milk down to a buck or less, for instance.  

Which was what my Dad was so angry about years ago, for the Walmart effect.  

______________

Mostly I just buy my food at the big middle market conglomerates and try to get Switzerland food when I can afford it.   German or French eggs are half the price of Switzerland's cheapest eggs, though.  And so on and so on.  Swiss cherries were 10 bucks a kilo this week.  This is the first year I routinely see imported apricots right next to the Swiss ones, which are double the price.  Consumer has a choice.  But if every consumer buys the cheaper ones, then before long there won't be the local ones.

If its not basic food, I don't care so much where its produced.  Just want the right value for the price.

« Last Edit: June 29, 2011, 10:51:00 am by mecch »
“From each, according to his ability; to each, according to his need” 1875 K Marx

Offline Hellraiser

  • Member
  • Posts: 4,155
  • Semi-misanthropic
Re: And God Bless The Dollar Store
« Reply #12 on: June 29, 2011, 11:46:32 am »
I hope you folks aren't buying cheap, coarse toilet paper.

God no!  Sheets and TP are where no expense should be spared.

Offline Joe K

  • Standard
  • Member
  • Posts: 5,821
  • 31 Years Poz
Re: And God Bless The Dollar Store
« Reply #13 on: June 29, 2011, 11:55:00 am »
First off a Loonie is the name of our dollar coin and Twoonie is our two-dollar coin. We do have chains called The Dollar Store and I believe they are franchises, which may account for the various different cultured owners.  You could not pay me to use their toilet paper, but some of the tissues are not bad. I consider them to be "hard goods" stores only as most of the food just scares me.

Offline Dachshund

  • Member
  • Posts: 6,058
Re: And God Bless The Dollar Store
« Reply #14 on: June 29, 2011, 12:08:04 pm »
Last year my friend Maria and I co-hosted Thanksgiving dinner. She's a heterosexual woman so she lacked the panache to properly set a table. I'm poor so I lacked the cash. My local Dollar General saved the day. I was able to decorate a fabulous table down to cranberry colored chargers for about ten bucks. The hoi palloi was impressed never knowing that it was all re-purposed crap from the dollar store.

Offline GSOgymrat

  • Member
  • Posts: 5,122
  • HIV+ since 1993. Relentlessly gay.
Re: And God Bless The Dollar Store
« Reply #15 on: June 29, 2011, 12:14:45 pm »
There is a new store in Greensboro that my partner likes to frequent called TNT Discount Store. They have everything from furniture to clothing to food. He got a huge bucket of dish washer detergent for a dollar. Lots of dented canned good, which I don't mind, but I won't buy the cereal where the box is wrapped in duct tape.

Offline Rev. Moon

  • Member
  • Posts: 3,787
  • Smart ass faggot ©
Re: And God Bless The Dollar Store
« Reply #16 on: June 29, 2011, 12:18:19 pm »
We have the Dollar Tree store here and things there actually cost no more than $1 .


And at least their stores are clean and organized.  I used to go there to buy trinkets (books, DVDs, little toys, Chocolates, etc) for my associates whenever we had what they called a sales blitz.  It was rather interesting to see people (who were already making very good money) triple their performance for a $1 coloring book or a bottle of hand sanitizer.  It also came in pretty handy when I had to buy holiday cards, snow globes, x-mas schtuff, and decorations (I used to have close to 200 people in my department, and I seriously disliked about 25% of them, so it was rather helpful to my pocket).

Now, those other stores like Family Dollar suck ass.  There is nothing at those places that"s priced at a buck (plus many stores are a big ol' mess).

I've been down with the homies for years and shopped at the dollar store. I steer clear of the boxed gazpacho and don't trust the foie gras. However, their selection of Egyptian cotton sheets are very nice. I use the bargain toilet paper to refinish furniture.

I hope you folks aren't buying cheap, coarse toilet paper.

Double LAWL  ;D
"I have tried hard--but life is difficult, and I am a very useless person. I can hardly be said to have an independent existence. I was just a screw or a cog in the great machine I called life, and when I dropped out of it I found I was of no use anywhere else."

Offline mecch

  • Member
  • Posts: 13,455
  • red pill? or blue pill?
Re: And God Bless The Dollar Store
« Reply #17 on: July 14, 2011, 11:29:43 am »
And on the other side of the coin, I needed a comforter cover so I went to the kind of chic department store, which has decent sales finally.  In the luxe supermarket, I saw a "New York" foods display.

There were jars of pickled beets or string beans - 12 dollars a jar - made in Brooklyn. There was a thin bar of chocolate from MarieBelle, a chocolatier in Soho, I never heard of, 18 dollars a bar. Size of a Nestle Crunch! There was a can of meat "rubs" spices from Dean and Deluca for 100 bucks. 

I guess some things never change, but gotta laugh if people are paying these prices.  ???


“From each, according to his ability; to each, according to his need” 1875 K Marx

Offline Miss Philicia

  • Member
  • Posts: 24,793
  • celebrity poster, faker & poser
Re: And God Bless The Dollar Store
« Reply #18 on: July 14, 2011, 12:03:49 pm »
Use this and make your own rub -- this is the best one I've come across:

Batali Rib-Eye porcini rub

http://whattomcooked.blogspot.com/2011/03/batalis-porcini-rubbed-ribeye-best.html
"I’ve slept with enough men to know that I’m not gay"

Offline mecch

  • Member
  • Posts: 13,455
  • red pill? or blue pill?
Re: And God Bless The Dollar Store
« Reply #19 on: July 14, 2011, 02:19:15 pm »
Wow thanks. Now only if I could afford to buy steak in Switzerland! 
“From each, according to his ability; to each, according to his need” 1875 K Marx

Offline Jeff G

  • Administrator
  • Member
  • Posts: 17,064
  • How am I doing Beren ?
Re: And God Bless The Dollar Store
« Reply #20 on: July 14, 2011, 03:35:28 pm »
Wow thanks. Now only if I could afford to buy steak in Switzerland! 

Is it really that expensive ? I love Swiss steak .

I bought meat rub and chicken seasoning at the real its only a dollar store the other day and used some on a London broil yesterday . I grilled two large broils and my company ate every bite so I got my dollars worth I suppose .   
HIV 101 - Basics
HIV 101
You can read more about Transmission and Risks here:
HIV Transmission and Risks
You can read more about Testing here:
HIV Testing
You can read more about Treatment-as-Prevention (TasP) here:
HIV TasP
You can read more about HIV prevention here:
HIV prevention
You can read more about PEP and PrEP here
PEP and PrEP

Offline mecch

  • Member
  • Posts: 13,455
  • red pill? or blue pill?
Re: And God Bless The Dollar Store
« Reply #21 on: July 14, 2011, 03:55:45 pm »
2.2 KG = 1 lb
110 USD for 1 kg steak.
50 bucks a pound.  What does fllet cost in the states these days?
“From each, according to his ability; to each, according to his need” 1875 K Marx

Offline Miss Philicia

  • Member
  • Posts: 24,793
  • celebrity poster, faker & poser
Re: And God Bless The Dollar Store
« Reply #22 on: July 14, 2011, 04:00:49 pm »
Is it really that expensive ? I love Swiss steak .

I bought meat rub and chicken seasoning at the real its only a dollar store the other day and used some on a London broil yesterday . I grilled two large broils and my company ate every bite so I got my dollars worth I suppose .   

I bet you cook that well done like every other Southerner.
"I’ve slept with enough men to know that I’m not gay"

Offline Miss Philicia

  • Member
  • Posts: 24,793
  • celebrity poster, faker & poser
Re: And God Bless The Dollar Store
« Reply #23 on: July 14, 2011, 04:05:12 pm »
2.2 KG = 1 lb
110 USD for 1 kg steak.
50 bucks a pound.  What does fllet cost in the states these days?

I don't buy filet -- it's OK, but a rib eye I find to be the best cut. At least where I live a regular supermarket one will cost ~$9/lb. Are you sure you're not pricing prime aged beef?
"I’ve slept with enough men to know that I’m not gay"

Offline mecch

  • Member
  • Posts: 13,455
  • red pill? or blue pill?
Re: And God Bless The Dollar Store
« Reply #24 on: July 14, 2011, 04:22:29 pm »
Standard supermarket, fresh beef, but yes, filet. 

There isn't a huge range of beef in the supermarkets but I suppose there is at the butcher.

Ground chuck is 20-30 bucks a kilo.  But they put this on sale fairly often and also you can often find the meat on its last day at half price.

I eat pork and cut chicken mostly and cured and dried meats, and sausages.  The fresh swiss pork is quite good.


“From each, according to his ability; to each, according to his need” 1875 K Marx

Offline Miss Philicia

  • Member
  • Posts: 24,793
  • celebrity poster, faker & poser
Re: And God Bless The Dollar Store
« Reply #25 on: July 14, 2011, 04:28:51 pm »
Rib eye isn't some exotic cut of meat -- it's pretty much the same as Delmonico or club steak. So go to a butcher, they're everywhere in France. I can't imagine it's much different next door.

In France I believe that what Americans call filet mignon is a tournedos -- are we discussing the same thing? A butcher may also call it a beef tenderloin.

Comparing cuts of beef outside of the US market is notoriously difficult because the terms are all different, in fact most Americans don't even know the difference between select, choice and prime cuts. In my experience locating prime cuts outside of an actual specialty butcher is impossible.
« Last Edit: July 14, 2011, 04:38:58 pm by Miss Philicia »
"I’ve slept with enough men to know that I’m not gay"

 


Terms of Membership for these forums
 

© 2024 Smart + Strong. All Rights Reserved.   terms of use and your privacy
Smart + Strong® is a registered trademark of CDM Publishing, LLC.