Right?? So did my cis white husband. And a lot of people I know across a variety of identities.

Agree with this. I loved it.

I’m old enough to remember when baggers were pretty standard, and I do see them sometimes at various stores in the area. Heck, even TJ’s has separate baggers sometimes. The difference is that even with a dedicated bagger they still don’t follow the logical flow of weights and cold/frozen things at any other store, at…

Oh sure. But the TJ’s people are usually bagging alone - it’s not that hard, you just scan it and put it in the bag :P And that’s what I mean, I think they’re trained to be more efficient than at other stores. 

My favorite thing about Trader Joe’s checkouts is that their cashiers are very, very good at bagging. No other store I’ve been to comes close. It seems like common sense, but I’ve been at grocery stores where I carefully sort things - heavier items first, cold items together, etc - and then the cashier just chucks…

I shop at our local Kroger variant (Mariano’s) and use the self-checkouts, but I actually don’t like the ones with the belts - where you scan your item and then put it on a belt to the bagging area. It would work great if I had someone with me to bag things, but 99% of the time I’m at the store alone so instead of…

A company I worked at two jobs ago had regular blood drives and I donated there every time I could. Around here the Red Cross doesn’t seem to run most of the drives, it’s either Versiti or Vitalant or - my least favorite- LifeSource. I had to pause on LifeSource for awhile and they freaking SPAMMED me -- called 3-4-5…

Study after study after study has shown that giving people money is not only the simplest and quickest way to help them out of poverty, it’s also the CHEAPEST. And yet, we as a society keep ignoring that in lieu of various “means tested” programs and various other bullshit.

I think chipotle’s chips are marginally better but otherwise they’re both good and fine :)

We thought so too. Also of note: Mark Prosch is from western Wisconsin. Slatterly was dead on.

Probably more related to Lent and the influx of fish sandwiches at that time of year.

Yes, and ALS is a particularly cruel way to go. 

According to various sources citing his family, he was 57.

Only two Illinois spots on that list? Don’t get me wrong, Plush Horse is amazeballs, but... come on.

Definitely no drinking problems here, it really is just trying to be more selective and make sure what I’m drinking is worth the money and calories.

I haven’t been to the taproom (yet) but I am familiar with Afterthought! They do good stuff. 

hm, I still see 4-6 packs mostly under $15, but I believe you. For a lot of people, drinking habits change both with trends and as we age. (I’ve also found myself buying canned cocktails and hard seltzer because I have friends who don’t like beer.)

That would make sense. Either way though the section is definitely getting smaller, at least at the Glen Ellyn location.

Around Chicagoland we have Binny’s, which is a big-box liquor store, basically. There are plenty of smaller liquor/craft beer focused stores, but Binny’s is an easy go-to. It’s interesting to me how our own drinking has shifted over the years. I used to go to Binny’s 1-2x a month to stock back up, and we’d each drink…

Bear was hit by a dart, not an arrow!