Pasta, missing co-worker, and Good Things™

[skreidle]

Do none of you shop for pasta?
I found that Shoppers has their own brand for $0.55/lb, which is a) in Prince William County, and b) at Shoppers, who generally claims to be cheaper than Giant. Still not $0.25-$0.33, but at least better. Maybe I -will- find the closest grocery stores across the county line for my major food shopping. :P

Work could've been better, but it wasn't bad. By one account, Amanda (co-worker, recent hire) requested off today, didn't get it off--requests aren't guaranteed--and then didn't come in anyway. By another account, it's a standing situation that she can't work Mondays, but they scheduled her anyway. At any rate, she didn't call to talk to Ross (dept. manager) today, and didn't show, which is a very risky venture during one's 90-day "we can fire or you can quit for any or no reason" probationary period. Ross's comment when I showed up [at 3] was, "I don't expect her to come in [at 5], so just do what you can." Fortunately, they called in Christina (on her day off, which she wasn't thrilled about) at 7, though four hours of "just me in Aquatics" isn't the easiest show to run.

However, we got out at a reasonable time, I picked up my paycheck, and the cockatoo is adorable and cuddly. :D (I then stopped by home to fetch curtain hardware from my old bedroom, get one of my computer's extension cords, and make sure my spider had water.) Came home to find that Nathan has been playing Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic on his new Xbox all day--he took a vacation day!--after playing it most of the day and all night Saturday and most of the day Sunday before crashing Sunday evening. Seems to like it, he does.

Comments

[jasminerayne.livejournal.com]

What do you do for work? The middle paragraph confused me. heh. Also, I added you. :) hope you don't mind.

[skreidle.livejournal.com]

I'm a Specialty Associate at Petsmart, meaning I care for, sell, and sell supplies for all manner of {avian, aquatic, reptilian, and small mammal-y} critters, as well as help with cat/dog supplies.

Nope, I don't mind at all. :)

[profworm.livejournal.com]

What state? I don't complain about working mondays. :P

[skreidle.livejournal.com]

Clarification--she can't work Mondays at Petsmart because, according to that account, she works another job then. I work any day of the week, anytime between 7am and 11pm, for a total of 30-35 hrs/wk, because it's retail.

And, I'm in VA.

[jude.livejournal.com]

well, i -do- shop for pasta, but as i shop for it in another country and with another currency, i figured my findings wouldn't do you much good. :P

[classytart.livejournal.com]

Same here.

[skreidle.livejournal.com]

Tell me [how much generic pasta costs for you] anyhow! I'll do the conversions if necessary. :D

[classytart.livejournal.com]

Tesco pasta costs about 30p for 500g, I think. I'm not a real pasta buyer.

I have tried to reply to this MANY times now. Grrr.

[skreidle.livejournal.com]

(0.30£/0.500kg) * (1.5871 USD/£) * (0.4536 kg/lb) = $0.51/lb. Not bad, not bad.

[classytart.livejournal.com]

Where does that fall on the price chart?

[skreidle.livejournal.com]

Better than I can get at mass-market grocery stores around here. Giant can offer me $0.79-$0.89/lb not on sale, $0.10 less on sale; Shoppers can do $0.55/lb regular. If I buy larger quantities, or especially at bulk/wholesale stores, I could get much cheaper.

Still, upstate NY offered $0.25-$0.33/lb regularly.

[classytart.livejournal.com]

Tesco is a cheap supermarket, but that is Tesco Metro prices, which are a bit more than usual Tesco.

Also, they are approximate because I don't pay attention to the price of things like pasta, and I rarely buy pasta.

[skreidle.livejournal.com]

I buy pasta because it's a good base for a wide variety of meals, the simplest of which is "and a jar of sauce." :)

[classytart.livejournal.com]

Sauce is expensive though!

I checked when I went shopping - 500gfor 34p. Just so your chart is accurate. :)

[skreidle.livejournal.com]

$0.58/lb, then, not that I'm actually keeping track anywhere. :)


Sauce isn't necessarily expensive--prices vary, to be sure, but I think the last couple of jars I bought were around $2/16oz ($1.232/.473L, £1.30/0.5L).

[classytart.livejournal.com]

Well, even if it was VERY cheap here you'd have to buy a lot to make the trip worthwhile. :)

Nice suaces are expensive. I don't like tomato, you see.

[skreidle.livejournal.com]

I have at least three large grocery stores within 5-10 minutes, so it doesn't take much to have a trip be worthwhile. :)

Nice sauces don't -have- to be expensive--both of the ones I got last time were discontinued Emeril sauces, I think, which are an exception, but still.. ;)

[r-transpose-p.livejournal.com]

What country?

Are you euro-trash now?

Or just a canook?

[jude.livejournal.com]

eurotrash for three more weeks. i come home from Germany (*sniffsob*) in mid-August.

[skreidle.livejournal.com]

Tell me anyhow! I'll do the conversions if necessary. :D

[jude.livejournal.com]

my 3kg bag of pasta was euro2,99.

[skreidle.livejournal.com]

2.99E*(1.1467$/E)/ 6.614lb = $0.52/lb. Stiiill better than mine, unless I go Shoppers. :)

[xviragox.livejournal.com]

Do none of you shop for pasta?

The way I see it, pasta is too cheap to worry about shopping around. I just buy whatever assortment I like best at BJs.

[skreidle.livejournal.com]

It was just a mild shock--expecting 25-33c and finding 2-4x that. And at this point, I'm still shopping very wisely, what with limited income and all. :P

[elf.livejournal.com]

sure i shop for pasta. but not often. i'm still in college kid mentality where going home = free food to take back to school. i did buy pasta on sale up in new haven once(four rather large boxes for a dollar? maybe? possibly five?) but i bought so much of it last fall that i haven't worked through my supplies yet.

but i also am a firm believer in the fact that food down here (even generics) is generally better than it is in new haven. so, it being a little more expensive doesn't surprise me - plus they hike it up more because here in nova we don't live in the ghetto.

[skreidle.livejournal.com]

I only bought pasta when shopping for food over the summers I spent in Ithaca; this is the first time since college. I think mom buys pasta through a wholesaler, or at most on sale.

Apparently Melody's dad has a wartime supply of pasta in his pantry, for no apparent reason.

Ah, the bane of a higher "quality of life"--higher cost of living. :P

[r-transpose-p.livejournal.com]

which is a very risky venture during one's 90-day "we can fire or you can quit for any or no reason" probationary period.

You know in Cali they have a law that says something about "at will employment" which I think means "employers can fire anyone at any time for any reason, and employees can quit at any time for any reason"

Maybe it only applies to white-collar jobs though, I'm not sure how that law interacts with union labor.

It has wierd effects when an out-of-state employer has some different policy, but hires people here.

[skreidle.livejournal.com]

Well, that's pretty much the case here for the first 90s days, at least--not sure how it works after 90. But I'm a good employee, so unless I do something seriously amiss, I shouldn't get dropped all of a sudden. (Also, quitting suddenly is a bad way to hope to ever get rehired, if it should become desirable.)

Also, "any reason" is probably too broad--"Your clothes didn't match that one time" or "you're black" are probably grounds for a lawsuit.

[skreidle.livejournal.com]

As far as I'm aware, that applied to the 90-day probationary period at Petsmart, but I'm not sure about following. I'd imagine it was different for P/T and F/T folks.

Currently, I'm contractually obligated to stay at my new job for 12 months following training, or I'm liable for $5K to recoup the costs of training.

[skreidle.livejournal.com]

I never bought enough milk to pay much attention to the price. I wouldn't drink a gallon before it went bad, and last summer, my girlfriend and I combined wouldn't manage it, so we bought by the half-gallon.