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pamf
Aug 27, 2012 05:58 PM
I was questioned in the grocery checkout line this past week. The person in line in front of me asked me if Ii was sure that the dog treats that I was purchasing were OK. There have been some recent recalls on a few brands.
He was a little bit loud and aggressive about it, which I didn't appreciate at the time, but I did check online when I got home. Didn't find any current complaints about the brand I purchased.
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alliegator
Aug 20, 2012 09:59 AM
The only time I've ever done this, and I felt really weird about it, was when a 25ish? year old guy was looking at all the different containers of pre-shredded meats in bbq sauce. He stood there for a a bit, looked confused, looked at labels, and picked one that I had once that was full of fatty chunks and was really salty. I just said excuse me, and it's not really my business, but the one he had was just not so good and pointed out one that I did use once in a pinch and found to be pretty decent. I was so relieved when he seemed appreciative and said he didn't know the first thing about these things. He thanked me and took the one I advised, but I was mortified that I even had said anything.
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re: alliegator
westsidegal
Aug 20, 2012 02:04 PM
i wish someone had helped me out like that when i took money from the first paycheck i ever earned and went out to buy a steak with it.
well, the package at the grocery store said, "chuck steak," and i didn't know any better. . . ..i spent all my money on that steak.
i wish someone had been kind to me the way you were kind to the young man-
re: westsidegal
alliegator
Aug 27, 2012 04:52 PM
I'm glad you think that was kind, it was my intention. My husband thought I was weirdo, haha.
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To answer the OP, no I can't recall ever persuading someone not to buy a certain food item.
On the other hand, I've certainly persuaded family member to buy something. It's all a matter of personal taste so whether they changed their future habits as a result of trying the new product is a matter for them. Last year I was in the Carrefour at Calais and someone recommending buy a tin of cassoulet. So I did. It was vile. Tastes are personal.
Olive oil adulterated with other oils is such a rarity where I am as to simply not be a problem. Most of us shop in large supermarkets which have extensive procurement departments able to carry our spot checks on the whole process with suppliers. For example, some ten years ago, the sampling did reveal attempts to add hazelnut oil to olive oil.
As far as I can see from the internet, the ongoing problem of adulteration appears to be confined to north America which may say a lot about the procurement processes and retail culture in that part of the world.
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re: Harters
Ruthie789
Aug 15, 2012 03:34 AM
The retail culture in North America varies. Pure olive oil can be found at a grocery store along with some that are not 100%, it is about budgets and what one can afford and our stores try to offer options for all. As well we have specialty shops and health food shops where we can buy the best in terms of olive oil and other food products. Regarding the OP it is great to be helpful but not imposing. Sometimes consumers buy the specials for a reason even if better options are available, based on what they can afford.
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re: Ruthie789
I think you have the answer there, Ruthie. As anywhere, your speciiality shops sell a known good branded product.
The producers' reputations are an important part of the business and it is much less likely that they are going to sell something that it not to their quality. There will be much larger producers who sell through supermarkets for whom reputation is also important and who are likely to have stringent checks on the process. The possibility of adulteration is going to come in the more down market product, I suspect. It is, of course, possible that a well known brand is adulterated somewhere in the production process - the important thing is that the deception is discovered quickly.
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re: Harters
Cheflambo
Aug 15, 2012 03:01 PM
I occasionally get asked in a grocery store about which brand of something to get - its usually a clueless hsuband with his wife's cryptic list of items. I've also taught those who seemed confused about how to choose a ripe melon or avocado. But I would NEVER offer unsolicited advice on which steak or olive oil (or anything else) to buy. And if someone tried to tell ME that what I was buying was "wrong", I would just smile sweetly, say "thank you" and continue on my way.
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re: Harters
westsidegal
Aug 20, 2012 02:01 PM
there's adulterated and adulterated.
if something is adulterated with water, that is simply fraudulent.
if something that ISN'T supposed to contain something to which many people are HIGHLY allergic (i.e. tree nut products), and, in fact DOES contain them, to me that sonething worse than simple money-making larceny.
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Ruthie789
Aug 14, 2012 10:57 AM
I strike up more conversations with people in the grocery store than anywhere else. We often end up chatting about items and what we like. You can learn from others and they from you this way.
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re: Ruthie789
Quine
Aug 14, 2012 04:06 PM
I am sort of the middle between meddle and answering if asked. For some reason, no matter what kind of store I am in, I must look like I know what I am doing, as many people ask me if I work there, or just out right ask me a question. If I know the answer, I'll tell them and explain it. If I here a question, I'll pop in to offer the answer. I do strike up conversations with people very easily. Plus I am super curious, so will ask questions myself.
But "I had to stop someone from buying a" would *never* happen, unless I knew they were buying rat poison to eat it themselves. That is WAY over the top.-
re: Quine
Ruthie789
Aug 14, 2012 04:30 PM
Quine, I am convinced that some are lost when it comes to cooking. I volunteered at a women's shelter and taught cooking. To my surprise even some of the workers needed help on the cooking issue. Perhaps your grocery basket is an indication that you know what you are doing or that you have a plan. I would not stop anyone from buying a product either, as I feel it might cross into a person's space, for example their budget.
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re: Ruthie789
Quine
Aug 14, 2012 06:44 PM
At one point, I was the manager of a Gourmet Food shop. We were having issues with our produce suppliers and so I was buying cases and multiples of veggies at the local supermarket. I very soon had a following, people asking me how to know good from bad, tests for ripeness, all sorts of questions.
I guess I must have this "ask me" face, as no matter what store (well maybe not a jewelry store), I am stopped and asked for help.
Last week at H-Mart, I was walking by a couple who were trying to decide what instant miso soup to buy. As one non-Asian person to two others, I just leaned over and said it was as easy to make from scratch as to make from instant. They were happy to learn, and it was fun.
The whole "had to stop them" was so dramatic, like it was poisonous, that raised the hackles and got the responses.-
re: Quine
Like you, Quine, I have the same "ask me" sign above my head. I enjoy helping people so it makes me smile. I have stepped in to steer away from making a purchase they were considering. I usually do this to inform them that the item they're thinking of buying has expired or whent there is a "like" item of better quality on sale.
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Motosport
Aug 14, 2012 07:41 AM
Yes! I am a meddler! My wife hates it so I usually shop alone.
When I am at the market I will suggest:
Items that are on sale at another market. I always pay attention to the sales.
Produce that is so much fresher @ the local farm stand. I like supporting the local farmers.
I do it in a friendly way and most people appreciate the suggestions even if they don't follow.
My beautiful wife says: "Making friends everywhere you go!" I think this may be sarcasm!›1 Reply-
re: Motosport
HillJ
Aug 14, 2012 08:00 AM
Moto, my stepfather was just like you! And proud of it. And my Mother would say the same of him, "Making friends everywhere you go!" Sometimes my sibs and I found it embarrassing. One time he went into the kitchen to tell the cook how to improve the sauce and we all expected to be kicked out of the restaurant...instead we heard laughter & singing! As we got older, we found the trait "his way" and it became a source of great laughter for my entire family. Being our stepDad made him special anyway.
But I never shared or learned this trait from him. Being asked a question was fine.. and then try and shut me up...but offering advice in RL that isn't actually asked for, well, I dare say I took after my Mother in that department.
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Bill Hunt
Aug 13, 2012 08:29 PM
I have not.
However, I did encounter a gentleman, in the wine aisles of Costco, who looked into my cart, and recommended a particular Bdx. blend of wine. He begged me to not look at the price. It turned out to be about 20% of most of my purchases. On his rec., I bought two bottles, and immediately returned for a case, and then another case. I gifted many bottles, and those people went to purchase cases for themselves.
I would never have even looked at that wine, but for the gentleman's rec.
Hunt
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re: Bill Hunt
Quine
Aug 13, 2012 08:36 PM
I will recommend for the positive. "Did you know...", and do that for folks I see looking and deciding. But to "stop someone" er, nope.
I have been in the Biz all my life, so I do shop with a different "eye". I do have folks asking me what is fresh, why I am choosing the produce, as I am etc. When asked, I do explain. But will I "stop someone", please no. -
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re: sandylc
Bill Hunt
Aug 14, 2012 06:40 PM
It was the SA "Bdx blend" Glen Carlou Grand Classique: I had a couple of Bdx. blend wines in my cart, plus some CalCabs (mostly heavy-hitters), and his admonition was "promise that you will not look at the price of the wine that I am recommending." Well, I looked. Then, it was US $ 12.99 at my Coscto. It was about the best sub $15 Bdx. blend, that I have every encountered. It does not age well, but is very good in its youth, even if you do not know what price-point it comes in at. Almost everyone, to whom I gifted the wine, ran out and bought a case. Costco ran completely out of it, and has had a difficult time keeping it in stock in AZ.
Was it a "great wine," such that people write leather-bound books about? No. Was it a "fine wine," that one would enjoy with a special meal? Maybe. Was it a really "good wine?" Absolutely, at least on my palate. Many of my friends feel the same way, and then there was that price!
Hunt
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Midlife
Aug 13, 2012 05:47 PM
The subject of misleading olive oil labels has been discussed here in detail: http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/720875
Whether, or the extent to which one should go, to "stop" someone else from buying an offending oil is certainly a whole other thing. Personally, I don't mind helpful input, even from strangers, but 'in my face' ,,,,,,, not!
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njmarshall55
Aug 13, 2012 02:09 PM
Not DIS-suading anyone...but I have suggested my thoughts to someone who was up in the air between two products.
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HillJ
Aug 13, 2012 01:57 PM
If I'm standing in the produce dept and someone asks me how would I use this X in a dish, I might make a suggestion, a small one. If I'm looking at the same produce as someone and they ask me do these seem ripe, I'll give my opinion. But I won't stop someone from buying something. A) I'm not watching you that closely B) I'd be afraid of hearing "who asked you?!"
oh and FWIW, I met my husband in an international food store looking over olive oil and the discussion led to our 1st date.
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re: HillJ
Beach Chick
Aug 18, 2012 06:27 AM
Play on words is fun and couldn't help it... : )
Just no singing while shopping in the chow line..
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applgrl
Aug 13, 2012 01:42 PM
I did suggest to a guy and his son at Costco not to buy a 2-pack pot roast for Beef Dip. He was talking about it with a very young guy in the meat dept and when the kid left I re-directed him to the sirloin tips.
I wouldn't have offered if he hadn't asked the kid for help....and gotten a silly answer. :-)
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Fowler
Aug 13, 2012 11:47 AM
"I had to stop someone from buying a brand of olive oil. You can research this, sorry. Have you ever persuaded someone from buying a certain food item."
"Stop someone" and "persuade(d) someone" are two different actions.
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re: Fowler
And how would one go about "researching" the act of stopping/persuading another from buying olive oil?
Has there recently been a controversial brand of olive oil that consumers are warned not to buy? Perhaps due to their farming practices? Treatment of workers? I haven't heard of any.
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re: thegforceny
babette feasts
Aug 13, 2012 12:17 PM
There have been revelations about some oils not being extra virgin, or possibly even all olive oil, despite being labeled as such.
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re: babette feasts
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re: Fowler
babette feasts
Aug 13, 2012 06:09 PM
That is the thread I was thinking of, but I admit to not actually reading it.
While friends might find it helpful to be warned away from a poor value or a brand with fraudulent practices, there is nothing inherently harmful about blending oil with other edible oils.
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No. I mind my own business and let other adults make their own decisions about non life threatening activities such as which olive oil to purchase for themselves.
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Olive oil is a subjective purchase. It's like someone's favorite butter or favorite soda or favorite coffee...
Unless this person was a friend of mine I don't think I'd presuade a total stranger to not buy it.
Everyone's palate is different and sometimes I've found that the olive oil one person loves is the one another has a distaste for. Some people (not me) like a bitterness to the oil. Some people like it sweeter....unless the store has an area to sample I'd leave it alone. -
Quine
Aug 12, 2012 11:55 PM
"someone" define please? A total stranger in a store? Best friend at a mega gourmet shop? What/which Olive oil. Sorry, too many variables in your OP to help.
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re: LindaWhit
Quine
Aug 13, 2012 12:18 PM
"Have you ever persuaded someone from buying a certain food item. " That is a question, I was asking for what he meant by his post, and the too many variables to make a comment back.
The "You can research this, sorry." sounds weird. So I am just trying to understand what the post is about, so I could comment.
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re: LindaWhit
emglow101
Aug 13, 2012 03:01 PM
Your exactly right. I stopped someone from buying this brand of olive oil which is on a list of extra virgin olive oils that have found to have additives like vegtable oils. This is a big problem in the industry. Take olive oil and mix it with alternatives. This is not extra virgin. It's a topic that's been kicked from one end of the block to the other. Check the archives on "EVOO."
One of the better pieces around is Tom Mueller's article here:
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re: emglow101
LindaWhit
Aug 13, 2012 03:26 PM
Well, as Quine said, these people are adults and one should assume they're perfectly capable of making up their own minds. If you had simply asked them if they were aware that this was a brand that was on a list of olive oils that wasn't actually extra-virgin olive oil, and then let them make up their own mind, I'd be more inclined to give you a pat on the back.
P.S. Your link goes nowhere at the online New Yorker.
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re: emglow101
LindaWhit
Aug 13, 2012 03:51 PM
Except your initial post's wording doesn't seem that way at all, however. "I had to stop someone from buying..." "I stopped someone from buying..." Sound very forceful and in-your-face. It's probably why you're getting the types of responses you are here.
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re: emglow101
HillJ
Aug 13, 2012 04:00 PM
See now when this kind of information comes across my desk and I see the product in the store, I talk to store Mgr. and find out for myself what's up with the brand rather than approach another customer. This way the Mgr can deal with it for every customer.
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re: emglow101
If you feel so strongly about it, why not just stand in front of the store with a sign declaring your "beef" with the EVOO industry? Your initial post came off quite pushy and forceful. I have oftentimes helped out people in a grocery store, those looking for help, showing them where things are if they are unfamiliar with the layout. But to tell someone else, a stranger, what I think they should buy or not buy seems to be a little unaware of personal bubbles and boundaries. That's my .02 worth.
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re: emglow101
westsidegal
Aug 20, 2012 01:44 PM
it sounds to me that what you did was give the buyer accurate information about the product about which the buyer was unaware.
it doesn't sound like you really "stopped" them from buying the product, it sounds more like you just gave them enough information so that they wouldn't get ripped off by misleading or unclear labeling.
i am always grateful when someone, even a stranger, helps me in the way that you helped that person.
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re: westsidegal
Fowler
Aug 20, 2012 02:07 PM
>>>it sounds to me that what you did was give the buyer accurate information about the product about which the buyer was unaware<<<
How do you know "the buyer was unaware" of what they wanted and may have just been seeking something at a price they could afford?
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