1606 replies to this topic

[Mike K.]

These small, local farmers are going to be hit hard by these changes and cancellations and they’ll need to find other ways to move their crops, or forgo the season.

So what does the City of Victoria do? They decide to get into the business of growing vegetables.

[Jackerbie]

 

Sidney’s chief administrative officer says it is unlikely the town’s popular street market will proceed in its familiar form because of COVID-19.

 

“The EOC did previously recommend that the Sidney market be cancelled for June and July,” said Randy Humble, who currently serves as director of the emergency operations centre (EOC) as Sidney responds to the COVID-19 pandemic.

 

 

https://www.vicnews....nt-upon-return/

 

 

As the article says, having it be a true farmers market (i.e. locally grown fresh produce only) is a good step. It's amazing how many people go simply for the atmosphere or the mini donuts. Full disclosure: absolutely guilty of that myself!

[Victoria Watcher]

Lifestyle Markets:



Staff voted to unionize on Feb. 11, but say they only recently began bargaining to form a first contract.




https://www.vicnews....ovid-19-crisis/

[Redd42]

 It's amazing how many people go simply for the atmosphere or the mini donuts. 

 

Me too! 

[Matt R.]

Sysco now open to the public, sort of.

https://www.syscoathome.com/

Matt.

[Victoria Watcher]

After two weeks of workers at Victoria’s Lifestyle Markets demanding hazard pay during the COVID-19 pandemic, a group of activists decided to hold a protest in person, while still maintaining physical distances.

A group of 20 customers, workers, and labour activists showed up at a Lifestyle Markets store on Thursday afternoon, banging pots and pans in an effort to disrupt regular business and provoke a response from management.

https://www.victoria...ay-for-workers/

Edited by Victoria Watcher, 18 April 2020 - 11:20 AM.

[Jason-L]

Sysco now open to the public, sort of.

https://www.syscoathome.com/

Matt.

Well, this is a window into restaurant menu items I didn't expect to see.

 

Also makes me wish I had a bigger freezer.

[Matt R.]

Well, this is a window into restaurant menu items I didn't expect to see.
 
Also makes me wish I had a bigger freezer.

I flipped through some of the store, the prices are a little more than I pay, but probably less than some small operators pay. There’s already some people annoyed by this new access, as lots of restaurants have pivoted to selling groceries from sysco. How would grocery stores feel if their distributors opened up to the public and undercut them?

Back in the day, North Douglas (now Sysco) had the option of customers coming to do cash and carry.

Matt.

[Victoria Watcher]

I flipped through some of the store, the prices are a little more than I pay, but probably less than some small operators pay. There’s already some people annoyed by this new access, as lots of restaurants have pivoted to selling groceries from sysco. How would grocery stores feel if their distributors opened up to the public and undercut them?

 

yes i'm sure they thought long and hard about how to do this.

 

they will face issues of course as the general public will make errors - ordering items or quantities they did not intend to - and of course that's what wholesalers hate and are generally not well set up to rectify since restaurant orderers make far less errors. 

 

but i'm sure their business has dropped off by 80% plus.  they want to do something to keep some of the forklifts rolling.

[Matt R.]

$7.16 for a pound of butter?! Lol

Matt.

[JanionGuy]

$7.16 for a pound of butter?! Lol

Matt.

 

ya but that includes delivery, no?

[Matt R.]

ya but that includes delivery, no?

Fat chance!

Matt.

[lanforod]

Looked through it, and even for a larger family, didn't really see anything that looked worth purchasing. hmm. Some of the prices actually looked higher than the grocery store.

[Rob Randall]

Maybe I will stock up and open my own off-the-books restaurant out of my home, like they do in Cuba.

[Jason-L]

Looked through it, and even for a larger family, didn't really see anything that looked worth purchasing. hmm. Some of the prices actually looked higher than the grocery store.

I kind of hope those aren't the prices restaurants pay, because if so, the margins are even worse that I thought.

[Mike K.]

Oh yeah, all the profit is in booze sales, or you’re not really making much. It’s hard for smaller operators to make a buck if they’re catering to the lunch crowd or the office crowd, but if that’s your thing then volume is your best friend.

It’s also easier to operate smaller businesses like that with a larger family as you’re not bound by strict renumeration requirements (ie the son can hop out and pick-up supplies then start his shift for the 10-1 rush, then go home, then come back to help close at 5. It would be very costly if you required paid labour to do that for you. That’s why small food businesses are so popular among immigrants where everyone is working towards a collective goal and hourly wages are beside the point.

[Victoria Watcher]

I kind of hope those aren't the prices restaurants pay, because if so, the margins are even worse that I thought.

 

probably not.  for consumers they have to build in the costs all the hassle that individual shoppers pose.

Edited by Victoria Watcher, 20 April 2020 - 07:37 AM.

[Mike K.]

Restaurants would also benefit from quantity discounts and supplier perks, like order 10kg of this brand of butter and we’ll supply 200 rolls free, that sort of thing.

Matt will have the skinny on that.

[Nparker]

10 kilos of butter and 200 rolls doesn't sound very skinny to me.

[Matt R.]

I kind of hope those aren't the prices restaurants pay, because if so, the margins are even worse that I thought.

There are better prices to be had for restaurants through contract buying and negotiations, but from what I saw on this site the prices we really not too much higher. Butter seemed out of line for some reason.

Restaurants also don’t get any discounts on liquor. They pay what you pay at the store.

When the press reports net profits of 3-5% they probably aren’t too far off, but I think generally it’s higher than that (5-10%) and the industry is giving people the low end for publicity sake.

Matt.