Crackers, the supermarket and the state of the world

We've all seen the destruction in Haiti, the economic collapse in the western world, hopefully you've all seen that fantastic post on the pollution in China, and so many threads that can make the world seem out of control. It seems to me that there has not been an event that brings these things together that creates a cognitive understanding of what is really going on. I had one of those today.

First, I'm a capitalist, a economic capitalist, a biological and economic darwinist. I don't vote (different topic), and generally view the situation in the Third World largely the fault of those in the Third World. I understand the consequences of the ecomomic situation and what it means to have familys lose their jobs, homes and in far too many cases, their familys. Lastly, I live in Western Washington. Fort Lewis, about 3 miles from here is where the Striker Brigades are from. Flags are at half mast about half the time here, whenever some 20 something boy dies from one of those road-side bombs. The fact that all flags, nation-wide should be at half mast while we are involved in this nonsense is another thread.

Today something happened to me. I went to the Supermarket. I've got a big family and my kids eat like wild animals so we go to the market a lot. I'm probably there twice a week picking something up and my wife goes most days. When I go, I know where the thing I need to get is and just motor there, get it and get out. I'm guessing thats what most of us do.

For some reason, today I walked through the supermarket and actually looked at what was there. I don't know why, but in the cracker isle, I stood there and looked at the number of different kinds of crackers were there. Had to be 200 different kinds of crackers. Wheat, gluten free, rice, super spicy, mild, salted, no salt, round, square (even some octogonal), all different ways to press grain into something flat. I just stood there and was struck with how stupid it was. Frankly it was a profound moment for me.

How many kinds of crackers do you really need? Even if you're successful, how many do you need? I'm not going to get into which crackers I enjoy (basic Saltines and Triscuts - there are 7 kinds of Triscuts now!).

As I said before, I'm a capitalist, hence I know that they would not be making all of these different kinds of crackers if folks were not buying them. That being said, it seems a bit nutty.

I then walked through the rest of the store and found much the same thing. I walked out of there shaking my head, almost as if I had never been a supermarket before.

I came home and immediately went through my pantry and yes, I have 11 different kinds of crackers in my house! I asked my wife why we had all of these different kinds of crackers and she did not really had an answer.

Go to the supermarket and walk around. Look at what is in there and maybe you'll have the same feeling that I had in that something was wrong. Not wrong that we had all of this and there were folks who had nothing, but why we all did not have more in our pocket that we could do more with.

Big day for me today. Odd and I've yet to come to understand what it really means, perhaps nothing, but I don't think so.

I totally agree with you. Did you happen to notice how many of the exact same product is packaged several different ways? Take cereal, for instance. You've got you big boxes, small boxes, then you have your individual size boxes. Now you've got some marketed toward babies in a totally different kind of package. Then you've got the new and improved. All the same product in 6 different packages.

It's not just cereal, it's almost everything!

I fill my house with the basic ingredients and I make most of my own of everything. You wont' find a single pancake mix in my house, or a cake or brownie mix. No pre-made bisquits or gravies, etc.

Yeah, some things are convenient and I'm lucky I'm able to do what I do, but how much is wasted on all this packaging the same product over and over again?

We obviously do not stand too far away from each other on the political scale. Voting is crap.

and generally view the situation in the Third World largely the fault of those in the Third World. I understand the consequences of the ecomomic situation and what it means to have familys lose their jobs, homes and in far too many cases, their familys. Lastly, I live in Western Washington.

Those in the third world are constantly being manipulated by the governments in the first world. "Aid" is just a bribe to whatever warlords have control of the area so they don't act out against the US.
Colonialism didn't help either, though I do blame the third world for some of its own issues.

When I go, I know where the thing I need to get is and just motor there, get it and get out. I'm guessing thats what most of us guys do.

I corrected that statement.



On to the cracker issue. lol.

Survival of the fittest. The tremendous amount of crackers exist because Americans have gotten to the point where we have the luxury to choose flavor, fat content, consistency, salt level, brand (paying for the box), and thrift.

In many third world countries the only crackers they get are paradropped from C-130's in giant cases as a form of aid because we bombed their cracker factory or something.

reply to post by DINSTAAR


It would be interesting to see what an impoverished person would do if dropped into a Safeway. Probably starve to death due to the inability to make a decision on what to eat. The entire thing is manipulating nonsense, IMO

A maker of paracetemol here in Australia has a huge range of different products - some make sense such as the infants, child and adult dosages being provided, but other are seriously incredible.
Tablets, capsules, caplets and tabsules. Headache relief, period pain, back pain and fast acting or long acting.
Seriously, people are paying extra for less product so that they don't have to be inconvenience swallowing two tablets every 6 hours instead of every 8.
If you look at the active ingredients on the items targetting particular areas of pain, they are all exactly the same.
The funny thing is that most people I know swear by the different products that they have chosen to support, they really believe that there is a different effect from the same dosage if it comes in a capsule or a tablet.
Toothpaste is nearly as bad - many different tubes that promise various effects but all contain the same amount of active ingredient.

One might understand the various crackers based on dietary needs and alleriges and flavour options, but relabelling the same base product and then marketting it as being something new is ridiculous. Charging MORE for that same item goes beyond the pale.

It's really just a marketting thing I guess. And an attempt from companies to ensure they have the next fad item. I just don't understand why so many people fall for it all.

[edit on 21-1-2010 by ilandrah]

I noticed the same exact thing when I came home from Iraq; the only difference is that it was more apparent and quite shocking for me. In Iraq we had opportunity's to go to a small PX (general store) and buy the necessity's such as toothpaste and deodorant. The difference over there is that we only had about 4 kinds of each item to choose from (Axe was always in stock, that deodorant just isn't made for that level of heat). When I returned home I went shopping and had a moment much like yours when looking through the selection of items. At one point I remember getting frustrated and thinking, I just want the regular deodorant.

At this point I am thinking that company's want there products taking up the most space on the selves.