Richmond’s Costco stores are the test market for a new generation of milk jugs that could soon replace all that are on the market now and will save the industry ten cents per carton because they’re stackable. I just found this interesting when I looked in the refrigerator and saw the new, oddly-shaped gallon jug. I’ve got to say though, I really like them. Here’s a Richmond Times Dispatch article about the new jugs:
The iconic 1-gallon milk jug is getting a makeover. The streamlined plastic bottles showed up this month at Costco stores in the Richmond area, and they’re causing customers to do a double take in the dairy aisle. At home, people are having to relearn a skill they took for granted — how to pour milk without sloshing or dribbling.
The redesigned jugs are flat on top and have a wide cap at one corner. They pour more like a pitcher than a traditional gallon jug. Because they can be stacked, they save money — about 10 cents a gallon. Early reviews are mixed, which is what Costco experienced in other areas as customers got used to the new bottle. “I like the milk fine,” said A.T. Grady as he picked up one of the new containers at the Costco off Hull Street Road in Chesterfield County, “but I don’t like the jug it’s in. It’s harder to pour out. It’ll drip back down the jug if you’re not careful.”
His wife, Helen, was more willing to give it a chance. “It’s time for a change,” she said. “These milk jugs have been around since the ’60s. I wonder how long it’ll be before they get to the supermarket?” Mary Dennis was glad to hear about the lower cost. “It’s something to get used to,” she said. “If it saves a dime, I’m all for saving.”
Costco has been phasing in the new design since an Ohio dairy presented the idea in 2004, said Sandra Custer, corporate foods buyer at the national Costco office near Seattle. “We saw merit in it. We’ve been slowly rolling it out around the country ever since.” Traditional milk jugs must be loaded onto a metal rolling rack called a bossie cart for shipping. One bossie cart can hold 80 gallon jugs.
The new stackable design can be shipped on a pallet that holds 224 milk bottles. “That’s almost three times as much in a similar display space,” Custer said. “Those bossie carts are often stolen for scrap metal. . . . They have to be hauled back to the dairy. They rust in a cold, wet environment. Now it’s only a one-way haul.” The savings get passed along. In East Coast markets where the new jug has been introduced, customers may have “a little bit of comment at the beginning,” said Jim Stafford, vice president of merchandising for the Northeast market. However, milk sales have remained steady. Designers have been making modifications to the jug based on customer feedback, Stafford said. “We will do another cap at some point in the future. That’s probably a few months out.” From Custer’s viewpoint, there’s something good to be said about the reaction. “It’s certainly got people talking about milk.”
So I couldn’t help but post this. It wasn’t on something like Jay Leno where you’d think, but rather the Nightly News with Brian Williams. I don’t think it was supposed to be funny, but I was laughing out loud. Apparently Hillary Clinton has spent $1,500 on donuts while on the campaign trail, and, get this, $11,000 on pizza! Wow. And I thought I ate out too much and didn’t eat well when I did. Now I know that’s for some of her campaign people and all, but still!
So I was at the Miller’s gas station on Nuckols Road today pumping gas. It was cold as all, and me being the procrastinator that I am, had no coat to wear whatsoever because I was washing every single one at once. So not only am I standing out in the freezing cold, but then the gas pump decides it would like to strike up a chat. The first thing that loud, annoying box thing blares through the speaker tries to lure me in for a snack. “In a rush? Come on in and pick up a ready-made sandwich for the road!” No thanks, I just ate. The thing just keeps on belting out reasons that I should venture even farther from my warm car and enjoy a less-than-decent snack or beverage. It’s bad enough that the on-screen prompts ask if you want a receipt, a car wash, or want to pay in or outside (okay seriously, if I’ve already swiped my card, isn’t there, oh I don’t know, pretty much a more than 100% chance I’m paying outside?). But this thing just kept on telling me what I needed to buy. The short version: “You want a sandwich?” NO! “Some chips?” NO! “A slushy?” NO! It’d be frozen solid by the time I got it back to the car anyway. “Coffee?” I don’t like coffee. Plus, I just gave away half my life savings to the big oil companies anyway by filling my gas-sucking Xterra (I really need to sell it) all the way to the top; you think I have any more money left over to donate to your dinky mini-mart snack department anyway?
I’ve been to Red Robin four times in the past week. I went on Thursday with my mom and sister, Saturday with Tori and Lucy, yesterday with my dad and sister, and tonight with Tori, Jessica, and Anthony. This place is starting to become my new Casa Grande it seems. See I could go to Casa a whole week in a row in the Summer and not think anything of it. However, I never, ever get tired of Casa. I get my standard “Numero Cinco” everytime, too. Still can’t ever get tired of it. It’s two soft beef tacos with double the rice, no beans.
I had the opportunity to check out Fast Eddie’s Jukebox Cafe last night with Allie. It’s located on Broad Street in Centerville (somewhat across from Bogey’s Sports Park). It’s basically an old house converted into a restaurant. It’s had a bunch of other names in the past few years, such as The Bungalow Grill, Diner 250, and most recently, Grandpa Eddie’s BBQ. The last time I went it was The Bungalow Grill. I’m not sure if the place has changed hands or not, but I couldn’t believe how much better it was. The first thing I noticed was the friendly staff. We were greeted and seated by the very friendly owner, and our waitress was one of the nicest I’ve encountered in a long, long time. The next thing was the decor. The place has been totally redone and looks like an old-time diner. It’s a small place, but still open and inviting.
One unique thing about Fast Eddie’s is what they serve before the meal. While most places will bring out rolls or some other kind of bread, they serve you a basket of buttered popcorn! Very unusual, but what a cool idea. It was a little too salty, but props for the uniqueness. Allie and I both started with a cup of chicken noodle soup. There’s nothing better on one of the coldest days of Winter. I ordered meatloaf for my entree. This had to be the best meatloaf I think I’ve had in years. It was encrusted in what I think was brown sugar, giving it just a hint of sweetness. The macaroni and cheese was delectable, and the green beans were seasoned to perfection. Allie got a chop steak covered in gravy much in the style of Salisbury steak and enjoyed her meal as well.
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