"safeway" news and stories

We don't know why we're feeling especially green this weekend, but we were tickled when we came across news that Safeway, the nation's third-largest grocer, announced that it will convert its entire fleet of trucks to run on biodiesel. This will reduce Safeway's carbon emissions by 75 millions pounds each year.

The move is just another step in the grocery chain's full-scale initiative that executives call their "green energy tree." The program includes recycling, energy efficiency, and using sustainable sources of fuel like solar power in stores and now, biodiesel based on soy in their 1,000 trucks.

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American Inventor Spot did a taste test of several types of non-name brand sodas, not comparing them to the major brand equivalents, but just to see how they stood on their own. After all, you can get quite a deal when you buy the store-brand soda instead of a national brand. With brands from Albertsons and Wal-Mart, they rated each soda on flavor, aftertaste, scent, consistency and design before giving it an overall score. Their favorite was Dr. Bold, a Dr. Pepper facsimile from Albertsons.

The problem with generic sodas is that because they vary from place to place, it's hard to know when you're going to get a good one. Fortunately, they're usually inexpensive enough that even if the soda isn't that great, you're only out about a quarter, but I still like to know where I can get a good one. For example, Safeway Select sodas are always on sale and are very good, not to mention that they seem to come in an almost endless number of flavors (though you might want to think twice before buying the diet orange). It's worth picking up a six pack or four when you have a chance.

Do you buy store brand sodas, and if so, tell us where in the comments.

I don't even live in America but I found this article (in PDF format) by Ursula Gross fascinating and a great read.

Apparently they have so many Safeway stores in Washington that each has been unofficially named by the cities inhabitants. So you have super-secret-safeway hidden behind a school and not-so-safeway in, what I can only guess, is a none-to neighbourly neighbourhood. I can see this habit of naming stores taking off in the UK as some towns are now so saturated with a certian supermarket chain that no other competitor actually remains in the town!

Found via Netscape Food Channel

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There was a time when a vending machine simply dispensed chilled sodas. After that, they carried a full range of candy bars and salty snack products. There were even vending machines that brewed you a cup of coffee and heated your instant cup o' soup. Soon other industries beyond food will be able to stock their wares in these machines, traditionally only food-delivery systems. The Denver Post reports that Safeway supermarkets in Colorado have been testing these machines in stores since late last year. Nestled amongst food products, the Zoom Shops carry such goods as iPods, Playstations and DVD sets. Don't dig out the retractable quarter on a string from your childhood, though. That trick may have gotten you a free Coke, but these new machines only take credit cards. Will there eventually be a middle ground between 65¢ packets of pretzels and iPods - like a blender or a mid-range toaster oven? Only time will tell....

 

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For years, companies like Starbucks have been asking customers for their name. Using a name - as opposed to a generic “sir”, “ma’am” or “miss” - gives the cafe a sense of familiarity, as well as providing a convenient way to match customers with their orders. I find this to be a good system and would rather have my name called out by a barista than have to match a number on a receipt to my order or try to explain to an angry looking octogenarian that my caramel macchiato is not the same as her black coffee. Incidentally, the latter happens quite a lot, since the people who want to fight over drinks are the same people who hate to give their names to the baristas. Needless paranoia, since your first name is not generally considered to be classified information.

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