Do you think grocery stores should offer a vegetarian check-out lane?

1. 75

   CraftytotheCoreposted 10 years ago

   Do you think grocery stores should offer a vegetarian check-out lane?
   
   I was grocery shopping this morning and the check-out lines were 5 people deep.  A customer in front of me was disgusted by the packages of fresh meat on the counter in front of her that the first customer in line was purchasing.  I thought to myself, maybe grocery stores should start marketing vegetarian check-out lanes!  What do you think?

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2. 38

   ChristinSposted 10 years ago

   I'd use them! We are vegetarian and we have nothing against those who eat meat, but for me, I can smell meat even in packages and there is a distinct odor I can't stand. I also don't like it when the packages leak on the belts because that is highly unsanitary.

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      CraftytotheCoreposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      Yes!  I'm not a vegetarian but I completely agree. I have a very sensitive nose, and it's not fair to those who buy fresh produce that have no place to put them except on a conveyor belt/counter with raw meat.  Fresh stuff bagged with meat is gross 2

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      christiananrkistposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      that is really unsanitary. i wouldn't be against packaging the meat better. how difficult could it be to keep it from leaking?

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      ChristinSposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      I agree christian, it's not the "ick" factor so much as the sanitation issue, I don't really want raw meat where my produce is. I'd be all for better packaging.

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   CalebSparksposted 10 years ago

   I would say no. It does not make sense for a business to go to all the extra expense of opening an additional checkout line with the equipment and employee(s) for a reason like this. Vegetarians should realize that most people use meat products in some way and just accept that fact and be "tolerant." Where would it end? Should they open a separate checkout line for people who don't like candy or tabloids? Just because that person could not control his/her facial expressions at the sight of meat does not mean a store should make that concession.

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      mbuggiehposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      Actually, we have NO candy check-outs where I live. As for the meat it is not a matter of "tolerance". It is a matter of food safety and health. Drippings on the conveyor from meat products can and do contaminate non-meat products and can be harmful.

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      christiananrkistposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      that makes sense with the no meat thing, but not candy? do you know their purpose for that?

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      CraftytotheCoreposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      Well here they have child-friendly lanes which are no candy lanes.  They also have handicap lanes too at some stores.

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      christiananrkistposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      If i was a child and the no candy lane said child friendly, i would be super confused. lol

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      CraftytotheCoreposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      LOL, I totally see your point!

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   christiananrkistposted 10 years ago

   I dont think we should cater so much to everyone. I sympathize with the vegan, because I know they physically get ill, but where does it end? I think people just need to start acting like adults and deal with things in life that are unpleasant and at times just plain sucks. LIfe is full of situations we find difficult to deal with. Most people who handle unpleasant or even very terrible situations are looked at at as having good character, and i think for good reason.

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      CraftytotheCoreposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      Oh yes, no doubt, that we can't cater to everyone.  I just thought from a marketing point of view.  There are stores here taking the vegetarian business away from regular grocers.  I am not vegetarian personally.

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   mbuggiehposted 10 years ago

   Yes...that would be great! I am a vegetarian as a matter of self-defense and meat and poultry slime (who knows what it is) on the conveyor belts pose a significant health risk.

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      duffsmomposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      Most checkers have an antibacterial spray and will wipe down the counter between customers, especially if you ask.

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      ChristinSposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      chemical antibacterial sprays - even better! I usually just go to the DIY checkout lanes when possible, otherwise I directly hand potential contaminants to the checker so they don't touch the belt.

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      CraftytotheCoreposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      My son's therapist said that she buys at Whole Foods, but she will buy meat products from other countries that are offered at local grocers.  I thought that was very interesting!

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6. 77

   stclairjackposted 10 years ago

   do i think vegitarians should have a seperate check out lane?... no,... its a big world and we can all get along,.. else wise we'd be setting up a seperate kosher lane for those who didnt want to be near pork,... an AA lane where a customer would never have to watch anyone else buy booze,... where does that line of thinking stop?.... ultra conservative christian check out lane,.. this one would not scan condoms, nudy mags, tobaco, alcohol or caffinated beverages,.. and deffinately would NOT have those gossip news rags that have pictures of alien/human babies on the cover because that would be inter-racial breeding.
   
   on the other hand, once we have 17 different lanes in our stores to cater to all the individualy easily offended folks, at least the line in my "i could care less just take my money and get me the H**L out of here" lane would be pretty short.
   
   all that said,.... if some ones chicken leaks all over the conveyor belt,... get the nice checker to hit it with some sanitizer before you drop your grapes there.
   
   they actualy have check out lanes that dont include a conveyor,.. your items are picked out of your buggie, scanned, bagged, and placed into the next buggie,... a LOT more sanitary.
   
   if the presance of meat in your field of vision offends you that deeply change where you shop.

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      CraftytotheCoreposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      I'm not a vegetarian stclairjack!  It doesn't offend me from a meat perspective.  But, I do think it's gross when my fresh produce is bagged with my fresh chicken!

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      stclairjackposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      agree,.. thats a question of the bagger not having a clue,.. but then you shouldnt set the cans on top of my bread or my eggs in the bag with the gallon of milk,... i bag my own groceries often.

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      CraftytotheCoreposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      I like to bag my own as well.  One time I got home to find a bottle of Tilex leaking in with my loose fresh veggies and fruit.  It happens too often that I get home and find raw ground hamburger in with my fresh carrots.

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7. 82

   annartposted 10 years ago

   I'm not vegetarian but eat very little meat and I too do not like the smell of some raw meat.  However, shoppers are shoppers, would have the same amount of goods (not like using a fast lane) and therefore I can't see the justification.  As someone else has said, the counter can be wiped, or one can use the self-service counter to check out one's own goods as this means just scanning from basket to bag/trolley and doesn't touch the counter.  It's bad enough trying to find a lane without a long queue, let alone scrabbling for a place in yet another special lane.  It would, however, be interesting to see if it could work.  The proof is in the pudding!
   Great question; a possibility I'd never thought of!

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   1. 75

      CraftytotheCoreposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      There seems to be more vegetarians here now than ever.  We are starting to see more vegetarian stores and I'm wondering if the grocery stores would benefit from doing this to gain those customers back?  I don't know.

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   junksellerposted 10 years ago

   That is a great idea, but only if in the vegetarian checkout line they play videos of kids working for 10 cents a day in banana fields while getting dosed with pesticides, or videos of environmentally degraded landscapes as a result of emissions from their car that they drove to the store, or fish kills from thermal pollution from power plants that are running their homes, or animal testing videos for the few hundred beauty products they dump on their body every day. How about offering a bucket of insecticides that were used on the crops they are buying for them to snack on while waiting. How about some informational packets about recent produce-spread E. Coli outbreaks.
   
   Now that I think about it, why have them wait in line at all. Why not have a bunch of servants sweep them off their feet as soon as they walk in the door and give them a spa treatment while all of their shopping is done for them and the aisles are cleared for their passing and all of us lowly meat eaters have to bow down to their holiness.
   
   It is so easy to criticize harm to the world when it is a pile of bright red meat nicely wrapped up in cellophane, it is much harder to look for the harm that is much less obvious. I have yet to meet a vegetarian who was a saint and floated above the world causing no harm. I think perhaps it is best they just shop and live with the rest of us flawed human beings. We are all boats in the water. We all leave a wake. Sneering at the person next to you because theirs is a little bigger, really doesn't get us anywhere. And I will guarantee that some vegetarians leave bigger wakes than some meat-eaters.

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   1. 75

      CraftytotheCoreposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      I know what you are saying here.   I am not a vegetarian and I don't like being called out for killing an animal because I enjoy steak.  I was raised on a farm actually.  But, I just wonder if the stores would gain anything from marketing this way.

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      ChristinSposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      Wow, not all of us who are vegetarian look down on meat eaters. Did it occur to you that some of us do it for health reasons? And you say we're on a high horse? geez.

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      CraftytotheCoreposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      I have many dear friends who are vegetarians.  I also had a cousin hunting deer that got his truck soaked in paint by an activist.  What really stinks is that I have a friend who wasn't a vegetarian and now is and finds what I eat totally gross.

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      CalebSparksposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      You basically summed it up, junkseller---"...just shop and live with the rest of us..."

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      junksellerposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      Christin, my irritation is with philosophical vegetarians who pretend to be grand environmentalists while being oblivious to the other 95% of their activities. I have known way too many like that. My rant was way overboard, but that is my style.

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      aliasisposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      But what you said has nothing to do with vegetarianism? Meat-eaters will buy the cheapest produce, too. Shall I say "meat aisles" should play videos of factory farms on repeat? Everyone should strive to get food raised humanely, veggie or meat both.

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      CraftytotheCoreposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      I would also like to see more humane treatment of animals raised for food.  I saw Fast Food Nation and it horrified me!

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      junksellerposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      aliasis, meat-eaters, via their food choices, aren't expressing an environmental ethic, unlike some vegetarians who are, and I have often found their 'ethic' to be superficial, sentimental, and/or faddish, which irritates me.

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      brblogposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      Zing . . . .

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   freecampingaussieposted 10 years ago

   It would be difficult especially having a checkout open all day and no vegetarians came through that day. I always made sure I cleaned up any blood from meat straight away when it dripped . Even as a meat eater we didn't like the way meat would drip everywhere . I think it is more of a concern to see the meat packed properly in the first place.

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      CraftytotheCoreposted 10 years agoin reply to this

      Very true!  I agree that meat should be packed properly.

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10. 74

    aliasisposted 10 years ago

    Vegetarian here! A check-out lane seems a bit silly, to be honest. But I WOULD love a nation-wide labeling system for vegetarian food. You'd be shocked how much food you think must be vegetarian actually uses animal products of some sort or other. If there were even just a small "V" label on the packaging, that would be so awesome.

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       CraftytotheCoreposted 10 years agoin reply to this

       That is a very interesting perspective Aliasis!  I do think that would be helpful.  I know people who have allergies to certain things.

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       annartposted 10 years agoin reply to this

       We have labelling on packages here, to indicate whether products are vegetarian or not.  Many restaurants also print signs against the dishes on the menu to indicate this.

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       CraftytotheCoreposted 10 years agoin reply to this

       Nice Annart!  I have never noticed it here in our stores.  What I have noticed are specialty aisles.  My son has allergies and I have to go to a completely different area in the store to find certain products.  Then I have to read the labels.

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       aliasisposted 10 years agoin reply to this

       Thanks! Yeah, I have a relative with a gluten allergy, so we have to be careful about that, too. Most foods mark it on the back, but it'd be nice to have a clear, recognizable  label on the front to mark vegetarian, vegan, or common food allergies.

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    danijean99posted 10 years ago

    The world needs to get along, the time of checkout or what people are buying does not matter.

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       CraftytotheCoreposted 10 years agoin reply to this

       I believe in peaceful living for sure!

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12. 87

    StoneCircleposted 10 years ago

    The grocery store I use has a self check out.So if I have 10 items or 150 items, I can bag and check myself out.
    They have conveniently placed sanitizer for the scanner, I have brown cold bags for my frozen items so they make it home still frozen and my bread makes it home unsquished. There is always an attendant there to make sure there is a cart to load in while I unload from my cart.
    Even the organic store I use at times has a self check out and also has it so you buy at each department if you choose.
    As far as your question goes, I think it will be a long time before that will ever happen. It took a long time for organic produce to even be placed on a regular supermarket shelf!

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       CraftytotheCoreposted 10 years agoin reply to this

       Yeah, I still have to go to a completely different section in some stores just to buy lactose free products.  The veggie cheese I buy for my son is way up front with produce, but the regular cheese is near the last aisle.  It makes things harder.

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    Borsiaposted 10 years ago

    I doubt that it would be a very good business model given that vegetarian / vegan make up a rather small percentage of customers and it would likely annoy those in the longer lines.
    Just look at how many people get into the 10 or less item lanes with 15+ items and have a fit when they are called in it.
    Here in the Philippines you are given a bin box for meats and frozen items. It is done to keep the counters dry and clean but it could be done elsewhere. That said in the US meats are usually so well packed and then placed in another plastic bag so I don't see any contamination issues.

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14. 79

    emilynemchickposted 10 years ago

    As a non-vegetarian who nevertheless eats a mainly vegetarian diet, I would be indifferent to a vegetarian lane. I'm just not picky. I do think that many vegetarians, particularly those who have strong feelings against meat, might appreciate it.
    
    Out of curiosity, are there any wholly vegetarian stores?

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    1. 75

       CraftytotheCoreposted 10 years agoin reply to this

       I live in the Northeast, so there are a few vegetarian stores.  That's what got me thinking about whether or not a grocery store might benefit from marketing vegetarian lanes only.  ;D

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       mbuggiehposted 10 years agoin reply to this

       Yes...there are vegetarian stores---at least here in New England and the Northeastern part of the US.

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15. 56

    PoeticFailosophyposted 10 years ago

    the customoo
    in front of you
    was in dire need
    of some weed
    or a xanax pill
    to help him chill.

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       CraftytotheCoreposted 10 years agoin reply to this

       Well you've demonstrated fine poetry skills!  LOL  That's what the site is for afterall ~ writing. 

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    Fuginagasakiposted 10 years ago

    This may be a nice feature but the business would have to ask whether or not they could afford to do so, also if there's enough demand for one to compete with strictly vegetarian stores. Also there will always be that subset of non-vegetarian customers who demand that it's not fair. This is still a nice thought from a non-vegetarian.

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    katiecooksposted 9 years ago

    I don't think it's a bad idea. Considering that fact that most people don't even consider putting their meat in the bags provided, I can see where there can be a conflict of interest here!

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    lisavollrathposted 9 years ago

    This is the very reason I do self-checkout whenever possible. Although I used to be a meat eater, I find I'm now sort of grossed out by raw meat. I don't think grocery stores should have to make a vegetarian checkout, though. It's my problem, so I find a way to deal with it.

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