Furst Draft

Strategies for the 90-Second Grocery Grab

Four people have shared their strategies for grabbing product from the shelves at Hy-Vee if they're lucky winners of our contest. Here they are:

Hello Jay:
 
If I were to have the opportunity to grab whatever I wanted in Hy-Vee I would go for the proteins...meat and fish!  Namely the lobster tails in the frozen section.
I am a lover of fish and my husband and kids love meat...any kind!
 
Next I would hit the diaper isle (they are expensive!)
 
Laundry soap is a must...soap can last forever.
 
And I would definately watch re-runs of SuperMarket Sweep for tips.  I loved that show!.
 
I am a loyal weekly shopper at Hy-Vee.  Always armed with a personalize pre-printed shopping list I made as a spreadsheet, coupons,  the Hy-Vee ad for sale reference and my re-useable bags.  My friends and family laugh cause I take grocery shopping so seriously.  I have had numerous people ask for my grocery list (Microsoft Excel).  Makes shopping easy and you spend less money if you plan ahead.  It has a section on there for meal planning (see attached).
 
Thank you!
Julie 
 
++++++

I would go straight to the meat section and clear out the steaks, keep going to the pork section, slabs of ribs and then round the counter to the brats (probably grab a few containers of herring as I round the corner) and then ground beef and turkey brats and products, cross the aisle to the chicken section and frozen chicken in bags, then straight north to the frozen fish, back up and go the to the dog food aisle and grab dog food and dog treats, back up and go to the coffee section if I have time and whatever else is in that aisle.

Mary C.

+++++++++

My strategy for the 90 second grab would be to concentrate on the most expensive things that are the hardest to get good deal, the items that are compact and spendy, and  items that I need, not that I want.  For the most part, I cannot get around buying formula and other baby necessities like wipes.  Finding coupons or sales on formula and other baby items that bring the price down to a level that I'm impressed is hard to come by.  I would concentrate on items in the same isle (which would take some plotting before the actual grab).  The items I would be going for would end up being formula, wipes, baby food, toddler food, pacifiers and other small non-food items.  Diapers, while expensive, take up lots of room and I may consider grabbing a box on the way out if there is room, possibly shoving underneath the cart.  (The diapers in plastic wrapping are a lot easier to pack in a cart than cardboard boxed diapers.)  If there is anything on the nearby end caps that I would like I could possibly stack on top at the last minute, but that depends if I have to be at a finish line at the end of 90 seconds or if time runs out where you stand.

I have been couponing since about March when my husband was laid off of his job for two weeks.  While we are by no means struggling to make ends meet, but we are raising a baby and eventually want to build a house.  Any money we can save is precious, especially with the economy being so volatile.  I decided after speaking with a coworker to check out a web site that give tips on making the best use of coupons.  I have a coupon binder that I keep the weekend newspaper coupon inserts.  I place any other coupons that I find (at-home printed coupons, magazine clipped, etc) sorted in the back.  Every week I peruse the grocery ads (in print or online) and look for the best deals on the "basics", such as milk, cheese, bread, etc. and purchase in bulk when the price (either with coupon or just on sale) is right.  Sometimes there are items that I wouldn't normally buy, but if the price is cheap, I'll pick them up (processed snack foods, treats, etc.)  The price on produce varies greatly from store to store and usually weekly there are a couple of fruits or vegetables that are bargain priced. It has worked out that it's cheaper to eat healthier! (Who would of believed that!) By shopping around, keeping a mental list on how much you usually spend on certain items and striking when the time is right, I shaved quite a bit of money off my monthly grocery spending (with and without coupons!)

+++++++

Strategy:

cash register boxes and ATM machine
maybe a thank-you card if time left 

'Not sure why this new virus is so scary'

Here's something more substantial on the swine flu story:

Hi Jay,

FYI, this link (from a release issued in 2003) from the CDC http://www.cdc.gov/od/oc/media/pressrel/r030107.htm says that an average of 36000 (that is 36 thousand!!) people die from influenza-related complications every year in the US, + 11000 people die from another virus (RSV) that causes respiratory tract infections, primarily in the elderly and children. Maybe its less now with the flu shots being so common, but that's still a lot of deaths.

So I am still not sure why this new virus is so scary. No immunity? Then why have all the people in the US infected with the virus recovered without serious harm (except the child who was from Mexico)? The following article says the ~100 cases in the US all appear to be mild.

http://www.ny1.com/Content/news_beats/politics/98252/health-officials--swine-flu-continues-to-spread--most-cases-mild/Default.aspx

Have most of the infected Americans had the flu shot in the last couple of years? Could that explain why the virus does not appear to be as virulent here?

Just my thoughts.

Cris Charlesworth

My first piece of junk e-mail regarding swine flu

Finally my mailbox is filling up with swine flu promotions! Here's one:

Subject: Prevent Swine Flu with Moisturizing, Eco-Friendly FRAIS Hand Sanitizer!

Sydney, Australia (May 2009) With the recent outbreak of Swine Flu, and the concern of an epidemic on the rise, it’s more important than ever to be extra vigilant in protecting ourselves and our families. According to the Center for Disease Control, “The most important way to prevent the transmission of dangerous diseases, including swine flu, is to frequently wash your hands with soap or use a hand sanitizer that contains at least 60 percent alcohol.”

Since soap and water are not always accessible, the best option is to always have hand sanitizer with you, in your pocket, purse, briefcase, car, office, home etc. This way a quick little drop can be the difference between protection and contraction! ...

A 'very useful communications forum'

Last night's Dialogues gathering at the public library was one of the best-attended and most informative to date. About 80 people were on hand and asked excellent questions about the Elk Run biobusiness project, and city officials from Pine Island, MnDOT and RAEDI responded with a lot of information.

I'll post more on the meeting shortly, but thanks to Abraham Algadi, Pine Island city administrator; Karen Doll, EDA director in Pine Island; John Eickhoff, city finance director; Terry Ward of MnDOT and Gary Smith of Rochester Area Economic Development Inc., for joining P-B reporter Jeff Hansel and me at the front table.

Here's a note from someone who joined us last night:

Jay, I attended the session on Elk Run last night.  It was the first P-B Dialogues session that I was able to attend - and it was GREAT.

I was impressed with the people at the head table AND the people in the audience.  You did an excellent job of introducing the meeting and in keeping it moving (including controlling it so that it was "over" at close to 8 pm).  I've seen those types of meetings go on for way longer than they should have.  Good job.

I was also very impressed with the articulate responses from the 2 Pine Island people and from everyone else at the head table.  I was also impressed with the thoughtful questions from the audience.

I don't have any involvement in Elk Run, so I attended merely as an interested citizen.  Thank you - and the P-B - for conducting these very useful communication forums for the community to participate in.

Gerard Goulet

Be patient and understanding

Only in Rochester: Signage in the skyways today, pointing toward the clinic: "Patient understanding of probiotics: Focus group session."

Without knowing a lot about probiotics, I'm sure patience and understanding is a good thing.

Actually, here's the definition of probiotics from Wikipedia:

Probiotics are dietary supplements of live bacteria or yeasts thought to be healthy for the host organism. According to the currently adopted definition by FAO/WHO, probiotics are: ‘Live microorganisms which when administered in adequate amounts confer a health benefit on the host’.^[1]

'GRATEFUL that the paper will continue to serve us with Total TV'

We've taken some lumps regarding the dropped movie listings from Total TV, our TV book in the Weekend edition, but one reader took the time to write and pass along this sentiment:

Hello, Jay Furst --

I'm a regular subscriber and I certainly appreciate my only preferred daily paper. Times are difficult for newspapers -- I understand.
   
Want to let you know that I have always appreciated the Total TV guide. Refer to it about two times daily, to check and recheck the evening listings.

I will occasionally miss the movie reviews -- yes.

But I am so GRATEFUL that the paper will continue to serve us with Total TV.

Thank you!

Janet Sunde
Rochester

Sneak peek at Wednesday's column

Tomorrow's masterpiece-in-waiting:

I’m carbon-dating myself, but when I was a kid there was a TV show called “Supermarket Sweep,” which gave people a chance to race around a grocery store and grab whatever they could in a minute or two. There was probably a grand prize tucked away amid the boxes of Rice Krispies or the canned tomatoes.

That was the golden age of television, by the way. Now we have “Dancing with the Stars” instead. (And a quick check of Wikipedia says “Supermarket Sweep” has resurfaced in recent years in cable versions.)

Everyone likes free stuff, though, and that’s what the Post-Bulletin and Hy-Vee Food Stores will be offering with a promotion beginning on Saturday, called the “90-Second Grocery Grab.”

Here’s how it works: Look for the entry form in the P-B’s Weekend edition, send the entry form to us or drop it off at any Rochester or Austin Hy-Vee store, and hope your name is drawn. If you’re one of the four winners, you’ll get 90 seconds to race around the store and grab everything in sight for 90 seconds. (Everything except for tobacco, alcohol and pharmacy products, that is.)

If you were to win, what would you grab? Send your 90-second strategy to me at furst@postbulletin.com and I’ll share it in a column or blog post.

Watch for the ad in Saturday’s paper, and good luck!

The Coupon Queen

Closely aligned with the idea of supermarket sweeps is the value of grocery coupons in the Post-Bulletin. Coupons are a big reason people buy our paper, and in fact we need to make the case more often that if you use just one or two coupons per week, you’ll likely get back the roughly $3 you pay for home delivery for the paper all week.

There’s a popular columnist who goes by the name of the Coupon Queen who has advice on how to clip, organize and maximize the use of coupons and discounts. Beginning on Saturday, you’ll find Jill Cataldo’s column in the Home & Away section.

Cataldo, who writes the column weekly, has been “super couponing,” as she puts it, for more than two years and calculates her grocery savings in the thousands of dollars. And since 88 percent of all coupons are distributed via newspapers, it makes sense that we run a column helping you take full advantage of what we offer.

Look for Jill’s column this weekend and tell me what you think.

Poetry in the P-B

Here’s a plug for something I’m proud of -- we publish excellent poetry by local and area writers every Monday in the Life section.

We began running poems on our Books page several months ago, but just in the past month it seems that a growing number of Rochester area writers have discovered this, and my mailbox is now relatively full each week with good poetry to consider.

As a writer and editor, my goal has always been for the Post-Bulletin to be a newspaper of high literary quality, and it’s a privilege for us to be able to publish new poetry of local interest by local writers. I hope you agree. I’ll also say here, I’m not aware of another daily paper anywhere that runs locally written poetry every week.

If you’re a writer and want to have your work considered, send it to me at the address below. I’m always glad to read it and I respond to every writer with at least words of encouragement.

Jay Furst is the Post-Bulletin’s managing editor. To comment, send a note to furst@postbulletin.com or P.O. Box 6118, Rochester, MN 55903. Also check his Web log, Furst Draft, at Postbulletin.com, and follow him on Twitter, pbjfurst.

St. Paul to Rochester: High-speed rail's already left the station

Maybe I'm wrong, but reading between the lines of today's Star Tribune report on a meeting in St. Paul Monday, it looks like St. Paul city and legislative leaders are saying the high-speed train from Chicago to the Twin Cities has already left the station -- and it ain't gonna stop in Rochester.

The meeting Monday of the new On Board Midwest coalition was all hyperbole about how "high speed rail will come to Minnesota sooner than people might think," according to the two dozen elected officials on hand. That, of course, is if Gov. Pawlenty, Minneapolis and Rochester interests will just stay out of the way and not gum up the works with questions such as, "Shouldn't the state's No. 1 and No. 3 cities be considered as part of the process?"

As the Strib story notes:

Absent from Monday's gathering of the new On Board Midwest coalition was any mention of Rochester's efforts to steer the high-speed line through that city. Elected officials there have their own coalition, the Southeast Minnesota Rail Alliance, to lobby for a direct connection to the Twin Cities. They argue that the Mayo Clinic's drawing power makes Rochester a required destination.

The story goes on to quote state Sen. Ann Lynch of Rochester as a lonely voice in the wilderness, saying MnDOT's study of high-speed routes should be completed and taken into account -- which of course puts the governor and Rochester's legislative delegation on the same side here, against what appears to be a St. Paul-DFL led effort to steam ahead with the river route, bypassing Rochester.

Just to show how fast high-speed rail is moving forward -- and thus has no time to wait for Rochester and Minneapolis as part of the planning -- St. Paul Mayor Chris Coleman says it's possible the Chicago trains will be running about the same time the new light rail connecting downtown Minneapolis and St. Paul is purportedly going to be ready, in 2014.

"Not only is this possible, but it will happen in just a few years," said Coleman, who with U.S. Rep. Betty McCollum and others described how President Obama has created a favorable climate for high-speed rail.

Really? I haven't read any estimate that high-speed rail to the Twin Cities or anywhere else will be up and running in five years. You're welcome to print out this blog post, file it away and if high-speed trains are running from Chicago to the Twin Cities in 2014 (whether through Rochester or not), I'll buy you coffee.

The main point, though, is that St. Paul, Winona and river route interests seem determined to make their route seem the inevitable choice.

One hundred days of Obama

Not so reluctantly, we'll take our swing at an Obama 100 Days story on Wednesday, as every other news organization will do. Say what you want about the value of such stories, it doesn't hurt to take the pulse of citizens three months into a new president's term and assess how he's doing.

So -- tell me how he's doing. We'll use some of your comments in Wednesday's story.

Extra points if you give me your name and phone number so we can verify, but we'll also consider anonymous comments of value...

Today's KTTC list

For the record, here's what I pitched on KTTC this morning at 6:45:

House explosion reported in Albert Lea -- we're getting the details...

Rochester mayor and council members are feeling left out of the process of choosing the joint emergency management/homeland security program in Rochester/Olmsted...

Now that the Washington Village apartment project is completed and open for business, what do neighborhood people say about it?

U.S. 52 near Fountain is finally getting fixed...anyone who's driven that road knows it's more like a township road than a U.S. highway.