Ed Pawlowski writes:

Switched off to a Homelite,
XL12 IIRC, and went on about my business. Of course, this was 30+
years ago, Homelite is no longer Homelite, and Stihl probably has
improved.


Good decision 30 years ago but not 5 years ago. I bought a Homelite and
after a couple of years of frustration I tosed it into the woods as far as I
could. Never regretted doing it.

It ended up at the home of a small enngine repairman/rebuilder. He tossed
it also as it was not worth rebuilding. I'm talking only a few hour run
time.

As I said, it was 30 years ago. Homelite was located in Port Chester, NY when I
got that saw, moved to Charlotte, NC a couple years later, was bought by a
holding company about the same time (along with a potful of other companies)
and is now, I think owned by Ryobi or Ryobi's parent company after being moved
from hand to hand to hand to hand. That XL 12 was the stone ax of the Homelite
line even in '73-'74, vibrated like someone's sister Kate used to shimmy,
turned fingertips white as all get out, but cut like crazy.

Charlie Self
"Character is much easier kept than recovered." Thomas Paine

http://hometown.aol.com/charliediy/m.../business.html

In article ,
Charlie Self wrote:
Robert Bonomi writes:

ombined with superior customer-service (would you
believe that they _still_ have the 'bag boys' take groceries to your car
and load 'em for you?), it's a _very_ successful model.

Not at all unusual in small Southern towns, but unusual in larger towns and
cities.

250,000+ (metro area) doesn't exactly qualify as a small town, and at nearly
42 deg N, (approximately as far north as Chicago), it _definitely_ isn't
"southern". grin

To the best of my (admittedly imperfect) knowledge, no other grocery store
in town has offered that particular 'service' for at least 35 years.

Charlie Self wrote:

ombined with superior customer-service (would you
believe that they _still_ have the 'bag boys' take groceries to your car
and load 'em for you?), it's a _very_ successful model.

Not at all unusual in small Southern towns, but unusual in larger towns
and cities.

Wow, flashback. It's amazing how Wal-Mart and their ilk have changed
things, isn't it?

Dad started out as a bag boy. Now he makes more than my wife and I put
together, and then some. The classic work your way up kind of thing.

Nowadays that just doesn't happen. Bag boys are long gone, and it's almost
impossible to start at the bottom and work into a good paying corporate
level job with any company without having to move here there and
everywhere. Everything is chain stores now, and chain stores are as bad as
the military for moving people around. Want that promotion? Sign the
random relocation contract.

They call it a "mobile society" but I call it a bunch of people who never
put down roots, and who consequently never really come to care about the
place they live. At the heart of this kind of thing are all the people in
this neighborhood who won't even speak to me. We've been neighbors for six
years now, and I still don't know any of them. Their kids don't play with
my kids, they don't come trick-or-treat at my house. Our kids ride the
same bus, but don't even know each other. I've said hello to them, waved
at them as they went by, and it's like I don't even exist, even though I
can't possibly have done anything to **** any of them off, since I don't
even know them.

It's weird.

Though I guess thinking about it, I forgot. They think it's my fault the
state built the pedestrian bridge across the street from their corner of
the block. I requested the pedestrian bridge, after all, and it was surely
on my word alone that a $350,000 bridge was built. Surely I carry that
much weight with VDOT, being an important muckity muck with my 20-year-old
car and all. Well, me and the town of Blacksburg, who wants to build a
trail to connect to said bridge eventually.

--
Michael McIntyre ---- Silvan
Linux fanatic, and certified Geek; registered Linux user #243621
http://www.geocities.com/Paris/Rue/5407/

Silvan writes:

Nowadays that just doesn't happen. Bag boys are long gone, and it's almost
impossible to start at the bottom and work into a good paying corporate
level job with any company without having to move here there and
everywhere. Everything is chain stores now, and chain stores are as bad as
the military for moving people around. Want that promotion? Sign the
random relocation contract.

But don't bet on it. Long years ago, a friend went to work for IBM, when it was
jokingly (sometimes) called I Been Moved. He stayed in the same location, or at
least the same complex, for his entire career. In fact, he retired when the
wouldn't relocate him for a couple of years.

Winn-Dixie in Bedford has bag boys, though most of them are older than I am,
and it's been a few weeks since anyone called me "boy."

I'm not sure about bag boys and carry out at Krogers and Food Lion and such
places. I started shopping at the W-D in Bedford 26 years ago, and followed it
when it moved (a whole 300 yards). I just like the people. Prices aren't enough
different to make sense of chasing my ass out to WalMart or elsewhere, though
I'll sometimes hit that or Food Lionif they've got a break on cans of Coke.

IME, grocery shopping at WalMart is an exercise in getting ****ed off.

They call it a "mobile society" but I call it a bunch of people who never
put down roots, and who consequently never really come to care about the
place they live.

Oh, I dunno. Parkersburg just got turned down for the WV state HS football
championships, which was returned to Wheeling for the next 2 years (which will
make a total of 12). P'burg is whining about the strip clubs and casions and
whatnot right at the spot where the games are played. True, there are no
casinos in greater downtown (or uptwon) P'burg, but the grade school closest to
me is half a block from a really nasty looking bar which is half a block from a
joint called the Nip & Cue. A short ways away, there are several outlets for
the state lottery and scratch-off tickets, while a few minutes drive downhill
would bring the kids to a local "adult" bookstore, which advertises "individual
viewing booths."

Oh well. Those are elementary school kids so can be counted on not to know what
is going on. Sure they can. Just like the Parkersburg HS kids another half a
block down Dudley.

Rant on hypocrisy over.

Charlie Self
"Character is much easier kept than recovered." Thomas Paine

http://hometown.aol.com/charliediy/m.../business.html

SNIP
Oh, I dunno. Parkersburg just got turned down for the WV state HS football
championships, which was returned to Wheeling for the next 2 years (which
will
make a total of 12). P'burg is whining about the strip clubs and casions and
whatnot right at the spot where the games are played. True, there are no
casinos in greater downtown (or uptwon) P'burg,

Hasn't been anything much (other than the Fed's Public Debt Building) in
"downtown" Parkersburg since the Mall opened in Vienna in the early 1970's.I
remember as a kid my mom actually taking all us kids downtown to0 do our
Christmas shopping. Sears, G.C Murphys, local department stores, etc. Those
lasted about a month after the Mall opened.

but the grade school closest
to
me is half a block from a really nasty looking bar which is half a block from
a
joint called the Nip & Cue. A short ways away, there are several outlets for
the state lottery and scratch-off tickets, while a few minutes drive downhill
would bring the kids to a local "adult" bookstore, which advertises
"individual
viewing booths."

Oh well. Those are elementary school kids so can be counted on not to know
what
is going on. Sure they can. Just like the Parkersburg HS kids another half a
block down Dudley.


Rant on hypocrisy over.

Charlie Self
"Character is much easier kept than recovered." Thomas Paine

http://hometown.aol.com/charliediy/m.../business.html

Dave Hall responds:

Hasn't been anything much (other than the Fed's Public Debt Building) in
"downtown" Parkersburg since the Mall opened in Vienna in the early 1970's.I
remember as a kid my mom actually taking all us kids downtown to0 do our
Christmas shopping. Sears, G.C Murphys, local department stores, etc. Those
lasted about a month after the Mall opened.

True. Downtown really consists of a few bars, a couple lunch spots and
government offices of one kind or another. That's it, except for some funeral
homes and lawyers offices in old Victorian houses.

Don't look for G.C. Murphy for your Christmas shopping, but Sears and a couple
semi-local department stores (at least I never heard of them until I got here)
are in the mall, and a potful of stores selling doofus caps and similar
doodads.

For those who don't know what a doofus cap is, it's a long brimmed cap that
used to be associated with basebal. Curl the brim just right and your head
looks like a bullet and your eyes appear to close together even if they're set
in the sides of your head right next to your ears. Put the bill on the back and
your brains run down the underside of the bill. Put the bill on the side and
you prove you didn't have any brains to start with.

Charlie Self
"Character is much easier kept than recovered." Thomas Paine

http://hometown.aol.com/charliediy/m.../business.html

On Sat, 24 Jan 2004 10:40:01 -0800, Tim Douglass wrote:
No excuse for bad attitude, but gas prices are an odd case. Assume a
station buys 3,000 gallons at a time (pretty typical). They sell it at
a price that is usually 1-5 cents above their invoice (plus all the
taxes). If the price of gas goes up 3 cents and they were selling at 2
cents over cost they have to dig into profit from other sales to cover
the increase, but they can recoup that as they sell the new load. The
problem comes when the price starts to drop. If the station across the
street buys a new load that is 6 cents cheaper and cuts their retail
price while you still have 2,000 gallons in the tanks you are pretty
much up the proverbial creek sans paddle. If you price match the guy
across the street you lose money on every gallon you sell. If you
don't it takes forever to empty your tank and refill with cheaper gas.
Most stations split the difference.

Most stations operate on a replacement cost basis. They adjust
their prices day by day according to the cost of replacement gas
on the wholesale market that day, whether they actually buy any
replacement gas that day or not. (Chain stations may actually
purchase futures contracts day by day, but independents rarely
have the capital to play that game, and just have to sweat out
a changing market.)

Pricing on the basis of replacement cost means they see an
increased profit margin on gas they bought cheaply in a rising
market, and a decreased profit margin on gas they bought dear
in a declining market. But they always generate enough money
to buy replacement gas on any given day. As long as the price
swings aren't too rapid and radical, they don't have to dip into
other revenues to refill their tanks.

Actually, most stations don't do it exactly that way. They do boost
prices immediately when the wholesale cost of gas goes up, but
they reduce prices more slowly as the wholesale price declines,
often waiting for a competitor to make the first move. That delay
helps to protect their profit margin in a declining market.

Jacking up prices on a commodity they already have in their
tanks is when charges of profiteering are heard, And when the
prices at different stations move the same way and the same
amount at about the same time, charges of price fixing start to
be heard.

Because nearly every station's prices seem to move so closely
in sync with every other station in a given area, collusion is a
tempting explanation. It usually isn't true, though. It is just the
way the modified replacement pricing models work out in a
competitive market.

Gary

Gary Coffman notes:


Pricing on the basis of replacement cost means they see an
increased profit margin on gas they bought cheaply in a rising
market, and a decreased profit margin on gas they bought dear
in a declining market. But they always generate enough money
to buy replacement gas on any given day. As long as the price
swings aren't too rapid and radical, they don't have to dip into
other revenues to refill their tanks.

Yeah, boy, do they. Speedways around here are supposedly the low end of the
pricing scale, but on the days when there's a market jump, they're the first to
change. This past week, the jump went from $1.54 in the a.m. when I drove by to
$1.73 about 1 hour later.

Then, when they actually buy, the price turns out to be $1.63, two days later.


Because nearly every station's prices seem to move so closely
in sync with every other station in a given area, collusion is a
tempting explanation. It usually isn't true, though. It is just the
way the modified replacement pricing models work out in a
competitive market.

It's just the way they're charging much more for something they paid much less
for that works out. That may be what keeps the station in business, but
somehow, I think there's a bit more there than a "modified replacement pricing"
model.

But one thing I'm sure of: it has become much more believable that we'll all be
in the $2 range this summer, and up to $3 next year. And, hey, we're doing it
without extra taxation! Non-European style, in other words. Only the companies
get to screw the consumer, not the governments.

Charlie Self
"Character is much easier kept than recovered." Thomas Paine

http://hometown.aol.com/charliediy/m.../business.html

It's interesting to note that where I live, the cost of auto gas here is
ALWAYS higher than any town in a 40 mile radius. On the "busy" side of
town, gas is about 5 or 6 cents higher than on the "dead" side of town,
along entry/exit routes. We have a real estate tycoon here who has his
hands into everything, and interestingly enough, he owns both high and lower
priced stations around here, including the highest, and the lowest. Also
owns a major propane distributor, along with a large liquid transport
trucking company. Hmmmm....

RJ


"Gary Coffman" wrote in message
...
On Sat, 24 Jan 2004 10:40:01 -0800, Tim Douglass
wrote:
No excuse for bad attitude, but gas prices are an odd case. Assume a
station buys 3,000 gallons at a time (pretty typical). They sell it at
a price that is usually 1-5 cents above their invoice (plus all the
taxes). If the price of gas goes up 3 cents and they were selling at 2
cents over cost they have to dig into profit from other sales to cover
the increase, but they can recoup that as they sell the new load. The
problem comes when the price starts to drop. If the station across the
street buys a new load that is 6 cents cheaper and cuts their retail
price while you still have 2,000 gallons in the tanks you are pretty
much up the proverbial creek sans paddle. If you price match the guy
across the street you lose money on every gallon you sell. If you
don't it takes forever to empty your tank and refill with cheaper gas.
Most stations split the difference.

Most stations operate on a replacement cost basis. They adjust
their prices day by day according to the cost of replacement gas
on the wholesale market that day, whether they actually buy any
replacement gas that day or not. (Chain stations may actually
purchase futures contracts day by day, but independents rarely
have the capital to play that game, and just have to sweat out
a changing market.)

Pricing on the basis of replacement cost means they see an
increased profit margin on gas they bought cheaply in a rising
market, and a decreased profit margin on gas they bought dear
in a declining market. But they always generate enough money
to buy replacement gas on any given day. As long as the price
swings aren't too rapid and radical, they don't have to dip into
other revenues to refill their tanks.

Actually, most stations don't do it exactly that way. They do boost
prices immediately when the wholesale cost of gas goes up, but
they reduce prices more slowly as the wholesale price declines,
often waiting for a competitor to make the first move. That delay
helps to protect their profit margin in a declining market.

Jacking up prices on a commodity they already have in their
tanks is when charges of profiteering are heard, And when the
prices at different stations move the same way and the same
amount at about the same time, charges of price fixing start to
be heard.

Because nearly every station's prices seem to move so closely
in sync with every other station in a given area, collusion is a
tempting explanation. It usually isn't true, though. It is just the
way the modified replacement pricing models work out in a
competitive market.

Gary

"Here's an idea" writes:

Mother in law owns the small town (500) paper. Town grocery decided it
wasn't worth advertising in the paper for $300 for the month. Mom stopped
buying food there. Any guesses on how much a family with 6 kids spends at
the grocery?

I can't imagine any family spending enough on groceries for the store to
make a $300 profit per month on one family.

Yes, it feels good to do this sorts of things, but it doesn't really hurt
the store all that much. Many store owners would gladly trade a $50 loss
in profit for a $300 savings in expense.

Brian Elfert

"Rich" wrote in message . com...
Purchased a nice chainsaw via internet like most of all my tools.

I called Husqvarna about the problem and they told me that "I need to
understand the dealers perspective" and they have the right to refuse
service, even warranty work when they are an authorized dealer/repair
center.

Anyway be advised if your buying mail order chainsaws.

Rich


Sounds like the problem is with Husqvarna. Their service reps are not
providing you with adequate service because the manufacturer is not
providing THEM with adequate service (in this case - financial
compensation). I will continue to order via mail or internet, but
would think twice about dealing with Husky. They should take their
own advice and try to see it from the dealer's perspective.

-Chris

Tim Douglass writes:

Most of the c-store gas stations actually sell their gas at almost no
profit because they make the money on beer and cigs. The low gas price
is just to get you in the door. Stations that sell gas and do
mechanical work can also keep their prices lower. The ones that only

Why would any c-store add pay at the pump if they make little or no money
on the gas?

Plenty of research has shown that people often buy more than they planned
on, once they get in the store. Customers certainly won't buy anything
extra if they never even set foot in the store.

Brian Elfert

(Robert Bonomi) writes:

They bought one full-page ad, and the newspaper ran a THREE PAGE (three _full_
pages, including the entire front page of the 'family' section) "feature"
story about the new store. (Yes, the newspaper management was _drooling_
at the thought that they might start behaving like a 'regular' grocery
again -- picking up several full pages of ads every week.)

I work for a large metro newspaper, and yes, grocery stores are huge
advertisers. The owner of one chain went bankrupt and we lost several
million dollars as a result of the bankruptcy.

Now that I work at a newspaper, I have mixed feelings about advertising.
On the one hand, my job depends on advertising, but on the other hand I'd
rather pay less for the goods I buy.

There are three big grocers in town, two chains and SuperTarget. The two
chains advertise like crazy in all media. About the only advertising
SuperTarget does for food is a weekly insert in the sunday paper.

SuperTarget has lower prices on almost all groceries, in some cases far
lower. I stil go to the chains occasionally, but only because SuperTarget
doesn't carry as much.

Brian Elfert

"Brian Elfert" wrote in message news:40154254$0$41291

Now that I work at a newspaper, I have mixed feelings about advertising.
On the one hand, my job depends on advertising, but on the other hand I'd
rather pay less for the goods I buy.

Its one of them chicken/egg things. Unless they advertise, you won;t know
what the prices are, but it cost money to do that. Balance, I guess, is the
key. If sales go up from advertising, they can sell for less.
Ed

Robert Bonomi wrote: (clip) Combined with superior customer-service (would
you believe that they _still_ have the 'bag boys' take groceries to your car
(clip)
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Yeah, but will they repair my Husky chain saw, since I didn't buy it there?
G

In article ,
Leo Lichtman wrote:

Robert Bonomi wrote: (clip) Combined with superior customer-service (would
you believe that they _still_ have the 'bag boys' take groceries to your car
(clip)
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Yeah, but will they repair my Husky chain saw, since I didn't buy it there?
G



Knowing the way _this_ grocery store operates, they just *might*!

They've been known to go further out of their way for customers.

On 26 Jan 2004 16:23:45 GMT, Brian Elfert wrote:
Tim Douglass writes:

Most of the c-store gas stations actually sell their gas at almost no
profit because they make the money on beer and cigs. The low gas price
is just to get you in the door. Stations that sell gas and do
mechanical work can also keep their prices lower. The ones that only

Why would any c-store add pay at the pump if they make little or no money
on the gas?

Plenty of research has shown that people often buy more than they planned
on, once they get in the store. Customers certainly won't buy anything
extra if they never even set foot in the store.

Because they set the card reader on the pump up to be really finicky
- about a third of the time I get "Card unreadable, See Attendant"
error which gets you inside the store. The attendant doesn't have any
problems reading the card at the counter...

-- Bruce --
--
Bruce L. Bergman, Woodland Hills (Los Angeles) CA - Desktop
Electrician for Westend Electric - CA726700
5737 Kanan Rd. #359, Agoura CA 91301 (818) 889-9545
Spamtrapped address: Remove the python and the invalid, and use a net.

Bruce L. Bergman wrote in message
SNIP
Plenty of research has shown that people often buy more than they planned
on, once they get in the store. Customers certainly won't buy anything
extra if they never even set foot in the store.

Because they set the card reader on the pump up to be really finicky
- about a third of the time I get "Card unreadable, See Attendant"
error which gets you inside the store. The attendant doesn't have any
problems reading the card at the counter...

-- Bruce --

My experience has been the exact opposite. When my debit card mag
strip was too worn for any store cashier to accept with a swipe, the
gas pumps always took it. Since that is basically what I use it for
95% of the time, I went about a year without replacing it even though
it was a PITA those few times I used it in a store.

Because they set the card reader on the pump up to be really finicky
- about a third of the time I get "Card unreadable, See Attendant"
error which gets you inside the store. The attendant doesn't have any
problems reading the card at the counter...



I simply use another pump or another station. Never have gone inside under
those rare circumstances. I'd be lost without my debit card.
Lane