I see the word "Borg" refering to Home Depot, Lowe's, etc. here... I'm
wondering how the term originated. I'm guessing that it refers to the Borg
cube from "Star Wars, the Next Generation" being compared to the large
square buildings of above mentioned stores??

BTW, I do enjoy the warped sense of humor that seems to be yet another
common factor among WWer's here.

Will

Big Orange Retail Giant, but it applies to either.

Borg

Yes, that's pretty much it.

Also refers to the Borg motto:

"Resistance is futile. You will be assimilated"

"Gus" wrote in message
ps.com...
Borg

Yes, that's pretty much it.

Also refers to the Borg motto:

"Resistance is futile. You will be assimilated"

Referring to the fact that whenever a borg shows up in your neighborhood,
that many small businesses offereing much higher levels of service go out of
business.

They are "assimilated".

In article ,
wch wrote:
I see the word "Borg" refering to Home Depot, Lowe's, etc. here... I'm
wondering how the term originated. I'm guessing that it refers to the Borg
cube from "Star Wars, the Next Generation" being compared to the large
square buildings of above mentioned stores??

Well, "sort-of". grin

It's a weak pun on the aliens from "Star _TREK_, the Next Generation", As well
as a (possibly back-formed) acronym for "Big Orange Retail Giant".
Referring specifically to Home Depot, originally. Since generalized to
refer to any of the "big box" super-stores.

Occasionally 'qualified' with a color, to indicate a particular operation,
e.g. "the blue BORG" meaning Lowes. The 'red' BORG is, obviously, Menards.

The Star Trek reference was only somewhat motivated by the 'boxy' nature
of the stores. Those aliens were known to invade a territory, and take over
*everything*. Their oft-quoted mantra was:
"resistance is futile, prepare to be assimilated."

The parallels with regard to the superstores vs. the local mom-and-pop
operations are obvious. wry grin

I have read a lot of grumbling about the giants coming in and running the
small lumber yards out of business. I don't see much evidence of that
happening in south central Kansas. What little hardwood they sell is well
above local hardwood dealers.



Even more telling is their dealing with contractors. I built one of the
first homes in a development that has since added about 80 houses. On the
very few occasions that I have seen a big-box delivery out here (I am home
during the day) they are dropping off appliances. The lumber and other
materials are being delivered by local lumber yards - many are from smaller
area towns.



When we built we decided to buy lighting from Lowe's because their prices
were much better than the local lighting houses. Our contractor was a
little hesitant because he didn't know much about their quality. We did the
legwork on getting his account set up, bought the lights ourselves, and he
ended up being very pleased with the quality we selected. BUT - getting him
a contractor's account with Lowe's was absolutely ridiculous. Their
contractor rep was one of the rudest people I have dealt with and he even
told a couple of outright lies. If they treat contractors the way they
treated us it is no wonder they don't deliver into developments. I still
own Lowe's stock but I deal with the locals or big orange more these days.



My son is a superintendent with a heavy construction company. They told
Lowe's to pound sand about a year ago because they were impossible to deal
with. Their payment terms and penalties do not fit most business cycles -
except theirs.



Bottom line - this should be good business for the smaller guys. You can
compete if you treat customers and contractors like customers.

Referring to the fact that whenever a borg shows up in your neighborhood,
that many small businesses offereing much higher levels of service go out
of business.

They are "assimilated".

This only proves once again that most people care more for cheap stuff at
cheap prices that they do for quality service and products.

Dave



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RonB wrote:

I have read a lot of grumbling about the giants coming in and running the
small lumber yards out of business. I don't see much evidence of that
happening in south central Kansas. What little hardwood they sell is well
above local hardwood dealers.

....

Definitely seen it in SW KS/SE CO/OK panhandle, however, where there
isn't the population density of even central KS.

It's possible to compete in larger markets but very tough in
smaller...trasportation costs are a prime killer as the volume problem
is exacerbated by rising fuel costs and the distance from suppliers.
Consolidation of distributors also is a difficulty.

Mead Best Buy did build a new store here last year but the smaller
surrounding communities which had nice little lumber yards have just
gone away since the HD in Garden opened as well two in Garden itself.
This was a trend in place before the HD opened, but it has been
accelerated...what is really move observable in the Wally-World and
other retail as the HD hasn't been around quite long enough to really
judge its long term effect, but imo it isn't all positive even now.
Star in Wichita, for example, has pulled all their western KS stores.

Truthfully, I don't much care about the size of the distributor per se,
if purchasing weren't so biased by their practices of "browbeating"
distributors who then (somewhat like in the case of medical services who
make up for uninsured and Medicare/Medicaid charges by higher costs to
the fully-insured) don't provide similar costs to independents.

Service can make up for some w/ some customers but not all and certainly
in smaller markets w/ lesser average income levels, the tendency to buy
cheap is overwhelming to most.

This only proves once again that most people care more for cheap
stuff at
cheap prices that they do for quality service and products.

I don't know about that.

I've found that, by and large, the Borg has high-quality products.

You can buy cheap goods just as easily at a Mom & Pop.

I do, however, mourn the demise of Mom & Pop stores.

They are "assimilated".

This only proves once again that most people care more for cheap stuff at
cheap prices that they do for quality service and products.


If this weren't true, McDonalds, Burger King and Harbor Freight would all be
out of business.

"You too, will become one with The Borg"

wch wrote:
I see the word "Borg" refering to Home Depot, Lowe's, etc. here... I'm
wondering how the term originated. I'm guessing that it refers to the Borg
cube from "Star Wars, the Next Generation" being compared to the large
square buildings of above mentioned stores??


Well, it was November 19, 1998 at exactly 12:00 A.M. when
Eddie Munster sat down at his keyboard, composed and sent:


Subject: The Borg

The Borg have arrived. I have recently seen a post calling
HD the goliath. Well that me be so but my friend, but I call
them the Borg. And so does my friend, The Dinger!!!! Beware
the Dinger!!!! He always speaks the truth.

They, assimilate. Yes you, little mom and pop hardware
store. The competitive pricing policy will eat you alive
and assimilate you. It will take the most thoughtfull human
and he will turn you in for ten percent of the price
difference. We are all guilty, admit it...

The staff there will call it "working for the orange cube.
We know it is a Borg Cube!!

J


The whereabouts of Eddie are unknown today but I'm thinking
he became aggregate for a slab poured for a brand new Home
Depot. Dinger has not been heard from either.


BTW, I do enjoy the warped sense of humor that seems to be yet another
common factor among WWer's here.


We're just warming up.

UA100

wch wrote:

I see the word "Borg" refering to Home Depot, Lowe's, etc. here... I'm
wondering how the term originated. I'm guessing that it refers to the Borg
cube from "Star Wars, the Next Generation" being compared to the large
square buildings of above mentioned stores??

BTW, I do enjoy the warped sense of humor that seems to be yet another
common factor among WWer's here.

Will


While in this group 'Borg' refers to Lowes/Home Depot or whatever
particular megastore is crushing your local hardwares and lumber yards,
a bachelor friend believes it refers to women. Specifically the credo
of the Star Trek alien - "Resistance is futile, you will be assimilated."

Robert Bonomi wrote:

Menards.


Ah, a fellow mid-westerner. As I am a cheese-head, at least Menard's is
a local Borg.

"T" wrote:

They are "assimilated".

This only proves once again that most people care more for cheap stuff at
cheap prices that they do for quality service and products.

If this weren't true, McDonalds, Burger King and Harbor Freight would all be
out of business.

"You too, will become one with The Borg"

The opposite of "cheap" is not necessarily "quality" nor is good
quality obligatorily expensive.

McDonalds for example produce excellent french fries, better than
anything you can make, and better than anything the top-rated
restaurants can produce. A few years ago the New Yorker, a journal not
renowned for its support of fast food, ran a long in-depth article on
the subject detailing the steps taken to ensure that McDs fries are
without parallel. At the time the top-rated restaurant in the US was
"Daniel" in NYC owned by Daniel Bouloud and in an interview even he
admitted to indulging in the occasional "large fries" pointing out
that while most of McDs food was suitable only for the dumpster, their
fries were sublime and well beyond what he could produce.

If you're interested, the reason is that the making of good fries is a
function highly contingent upon the industrialized processes at which
McDs excels. The potatoes have to be of a particular variety and
harvested at a time of low water content. Since they're usually sold
by weight the farmer has the opposite interest; McDs solves the
problem by having exclusive contracts, supervising the growing and
harvesting, and ensuring they're harvested at the appropriate time.
Even then they go through a long drying process in vast hangers until
they reach the optimum level. The cutting and then pre-cooking and
freezing for delivery are minutely controlled and finally at the
franchisee end those deep fryers maintain exactly the right
temperature for the second cooking and notify the grunts by buzzer of
the exact moment to remove the ideal french fry.

And no, contrary to rumor, they don't add sugar to the fries.

wrote:
....
McDonalds for example produce excellent french fries, better than
anything you can make, and better than anything the top-rated
restaurants can produce. ...

Well, what you've described is how McDonald's controls consistency.

Whether they're "unparalleled" is a matter of personal taste. You
apparently like their model--while I recognize I can usually get the
same thing at any Mickey-D's, I don't find them nearly as appetizing as
a "home-grown" version. But my taste apparently doesn't match yours.

On Wed, 23 Feb 2005 09:58:06 -0600, Duane Bozarth
wrote:
wrote:
...
McDonalds for example produce excellent french fries, better than
anything you can make, and better than anything the top-rated
restaurants can produce. ...

Well, what you've described is how McDonald's controls consistency.

Whether they're "unparalleled" is a matter of personal taste. You
apparently like their model--while I recognize I can usually get the
same thing at any Mickey-D's, I don't find them nearly as appetizing as
a "home-grown" version. But my taste apparently doesn't match yours.

My preference is for my Mom's fries, which I've been unable to
duplicate.

Second is Wendy's, followed by McD's. Burger King keeps changing their
fries, so it's hard to say.

But if I want the best fast food in my area, it's time for a pilgrimage
to Hot Dog Johnny on Butzville. Good dogs, good fries. Two with
ketchuponionpickle -- "To the left" iirc, fries, and a buttermilk.

I grew up in Springfield, CO, graduated Boise City OK. Where are you from?
I now live in north Idaho.

Will
...

Definitely seen it in SW KS/SE CO/OK panhandle, however, where there
isn't the population density of even central KS.

Duane Bozarth wrote:

wrote:
...
McDonalds for example produce excellent french fries, better than
anything you can make, and better than anything the top-rated
restaurants can produce. ...

Well, what you've described is how McDonald's controls consistency.

Not quite. You could have consistently soggy, oily fries as you get in
most restaurants, fast food and otherwise, or you can select, process
and cook the potatoes correctly to produce the desired superlative
product.

Whether they're "unparalleled" is a matter of personal taste. You
apparently like their model--while I recognize I can usually get the
same thing at any Mickey-D's, I don't find them nearly as appetizing as
a "home-grown" version. But my taste apparently doesn't match yours.

I quoted indirectly an acknowledged expert in food taste. I presume
you'd say an evaluation by Robert Parker of a wine at 99 was simply
"his taste" and by implication no different than yours.

wrote:

Duane Bozarth wrote:

wrote:
...
McDonalds for example produce excellent french fries, better than
anything you can make, and better than anything the top-rated
restaurants can produce. ...

Well, what you've described is how McDonald's controls consistency.

Not quite. You could have consistently soggy, oily fries as you get in
most restaurants, fast food and otherwise, or you can select, process
and cook the potatoes correctly to produce the desired superlative
product.

But it's still controlling consistency ... same thing as any other
industrial process. Just like any other "six-sigma" process (although I
don't know that M-D's uses the formal process, it's the same idea).

I grant the target is one which is palatable to the mass market they're
targetting, and more so than some, but it's still simply a matter of
personal taste as to whether the target is or isn't one's own favorite.

Whether they're "unparalleled" is a matter of personal taste. You
apparently like their model--while I recognize I can usually get the
same thing at any Mickey-D's, I don't find them nearly as appetizing as
a "home-grown" version. But my taste apparently doesn't match yours.

I quoted indirectly an acknowledged expert in food taste. I presume
you'd say an evaluation by Robert Parker of a wine at 99 was simply
"his taste" and by implication no different than yours.

Well, I'll grant I wouldn't rank as anything of an expert by anyone who
was a wine expert--I have some things I enjoy and others I don't. Some
of what I enjoy I know is rated moderately well, some of what I have had
that has been highly rated I don't care for at all...that is personal
preference. I could care less on a personal choice as to what
anybody elses's opinion is---I may consider other recommendations for
choices on occasion, but I don't feel at all obligated to cater to their
choices if their "educated" or "sophisticated" palate doesn't match
mine....

As noted, I stand by my contention that it is all personal preference
and for me my preference is far more significant than all the "experts"
whose judgement is in large part a support for exclusiveness and elitism
designed primarily to justify the financial returns.

On Thu, 24 Feb 2005 04:25:57 GMT, wrote:


I quoted indirectly an acknowledged expert in food taste. I presume
you'd say an evaluation by Robert Parker of a wine at 99 was simply
"his taste" and by implication no different than yours.

RP is an "expert" on wine. But from the point of view of me
enjoying a wine, it is in fact the case that his preferences are
no more important than mine. For me, the primary utility of
his ratings are that they help narrow down the choices among
wines I have never tried (cheap wines, since that is all that
I buy). But I do know by now that I am much more likely to
enjoy the dry wines that he has recommended and to stay
away from those where the word "fruit" is emphasized in his
description. He rated the 2000(?) Vitiano higher than the
following year's; I liked the latter better personally, but I
"agreed" that both were quite good for the money.

Duane Bozarth wrote:
....
As noted, I stand by my contention that it is all personal preference
and for me my preference is far more significant than all the "experts"
whose judgement is in large part a support for exclusiveness and elitism
designed primarily to justify the financial returns.

"Primarily" was an unintended overexageration--it is a significant part
of the process, but I'll grant it wouldn't survive if that were the only
cause.

"wch" wrote in message
...


BTW, I do enjoy the warped sense of humor that seems to be yet another
common factor among WWer's here.

What humor?
I'm too busy scanning up every FWW issue I have to be funny.

TeamCasa wrote:

Referring to the fact that whenever a borg shows up in your neighborhood,
that many small businesses offereing much higher levels of service go out
of business.

They are "assimilated".

This only proves once again that most people care more for cheap stuff at
cheap prices that they do for quality service and products.

Actually, people care for effective marketing and don't usually pay that
much attention to prices or service.

Dave



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--
--John
to email, dial "usenet" and validate
(was jclarke at eye bee em dot net)

wrote:

Duane Bozarth wrote:

wrote:
...
McDonalds for example produce excellent french fries, better than
anything you can make, and better than anything the top-rated
restaurants can produce. ...

Well, what you've described is how McDonald's controls consistency.

Not quite. You could have consistently soggy, oily fries as you get in
most restaurants, fast food and otherwise,

Actually, most restaurants make them too crisp and dry for my taste. Wendys
fries used to be exactly to my taste but they're now insufficiently soggy
and oily.

or you can select, process
and cook the potatoes correctly to produce the desired superlative
product.

Whether they're "unparalleled" is a matter of personal taste. You
apparently like their model--while I recognize I can usually get the
same thing at any Mickey-D's, I don't find them nearly as appetizing as
a "home-grown" version. But my taste apparently doesn't match yours.

I quoted indirectly an acknowledged expert in food taste. I presume
you'd say an evaluation by Robert Parker of a wine at 99 was simply
"his taste" and by implication no different than yours.

Given the choice between an expert's opinion and my own concerning food I'll
take my own thank you. There is no universal standard. The fact that some
overpaid commentator likes something is no guarantee that anybody else
will.

--
--John
to email, dial "usenet" and validate
(was jclarke at eye bee em dot net)

wrote in message
...
"T" wrote:

They are "assimilated".

This only proves once again that most people care more for cheap stuff
at
cheap prices that they do for quality service and products.

If this weren't true, McDonalds, Burger King and Harbor Freight would all
be
out of business.

"You too, will become one with The Borg"

The opposite of "cheap" is not necessarily "quality" nor is good
quality obligatorily expensive.

McDonalds for example produce excellent french fries, better than
anything you can make, and better than anything the top-rated
restaurants can produce. A few years ago the New Yorker, a journal not
renowned for its support of fast food, ran a long in-depth article on
the subject detailing the steps taken to ensure that McDs fries are
without parallel. At the time the top-rated restaurant in the US was
"Daniel" in NYC owned by Daniel Bouloud and in an interview even he
admitted to indulging in the occasional "large fries" pointing out
that while most of McDs food was suitable only for the dumpster, their
fries were sublime and well beyond what he could produce.

Opinions vary!!!