Technology ConnectionsApr 25, 2023
One thing I'm noticing here on Mastodon (mostly through observing experience of others, to be fair) is that there seems to be a point at which catering to people with, let's call it, overly-particular needs seems to embolden those people to foist those needs onto others and it devolves into a mess of opinions real fast.
Show threadTechnology ConnectionsApr 25, 2023

One of the reasons Trader Joe's is successful is that they limit choices.

Do you really need to have two dozen varieties of peanut butter? Probably not. So they just stock a few. Gets people in-and-out very quickly, makes the stores smaller, and it's a very enjoyable experience for many despite being objectively quite limited.

Choice-overload is a real thing, and I think those steering this ship need to sit with that for a while.

Show threadPaul McGraneApr 25, 2023

@TechConnectify Do you ever visit grocery stores that have *only* the house brand? Aldi in USA is what I'm thinking of, but maybe Whole Foods is a bit like that too.

The choices are simpler, but the brand I am used to is surely not there.

Show threadTechnology Connections

@pmcg Trader Joe's is basically that! I rarely shop at Aldi but I'm never one to be brand loyal.

I will happily buy the generic version of almost any product (I only have a few exceptions), and TJ's has a ton of variety when it comes to frozen foods.

But when you drill down to one specific food item, particularly commodity products like flour, sugar, butter, they'll have just a few choices. And gosh does it make shopping easy.

Apr 25, 2023 at 12:41amWeb
Show threadPaul McGraneApr 25, 2023
@TechConnectify I have only been to those stores a few times but I reckon I could get used to it. I don't quite follow your analogy toward Mastodon, but it is interesting to muse about it.
Show threadBaconDragonApr 25, 2023
@pmcg @TechConnectify Fun Fact: Trader Joe's basically is the American Aldi. They are owned by the same Family foundation.
Show threadPaul McGraneApr 27, 2023
@BaconDragon @TechConnectify There's two German companies called ALDI. And thus there are two in America. One is TJ and the other is called ALDI.
Show threadJon KunkeeApr 25, 2023
@TechConnectify @pmcg You've read the crazy history of Aldi and Trader Joe's, right?
Show threadMyMiloCat+MydogNoodlesApr 25, 2023
@jkunkee @TechConnectify @pmcg Indeed I was in Germany in 08 to assist my brother while he had surgery - there was an Aldi near the hospital that carried a few Trader Joe's branded items (California peanuts !) - also, in Germany, the brothers who owned Aldi had split the company between them - Aldi Nord/Aldi Sud.
That said, TJ's is the only place I know of that carries Saint Andre triple creme brie for less than an arm and a leg...
Show threadJernej Simončič �Apr 25, 2023
@TechConnectify @pmcg Isn't Trader Joe owned by Aldi Nord (while Aldi in the US is Aldi Süd)?
Show threadPaul McGraneApr 25, 2023
@jernej__s @TechConnectify I know for sure one is owned by one and the other by the other. It's hard to remember which is which.
Show threadJersey GryphonApr 25, 2023
@pmcg @TechConnectify
It makes me laugh when you see those “I moved to Germany but why don’t shops have the same choice as the US” YouTube videos.
In Europe, the choice is often between the biggest of all (say) Cornflake brands and the stores own-brand one … beyond a certain point, choice leads to unhappiness.
Also, if I want good bread, I’m going to the boulangerie, not the warehouse.
Show threadPaul McGraneApr 25, 2023
@jerseygryphon @TechConnectify that may be the case but not for me. I live near Raleigh and I believe the host lives sort of near Wisconsin.