Alpha-Bits

My wife tried to eat a little generic lightly sweetened cereal with marshmallow bits, and didn't like them. The marshmallow bits were too sweet for her, and the cereal not quite sweet enough. She asked "Where are the Alpha-Bits?" I started looking online to find out if I could find some place that sold it regularly. Well, apparently, Kraft Foods pulled them, after trying a no-sugar variety.

I know there are others out there who can't believe that Alpha-Bits Cereal, by Post, now owned by Kraft Foods, but being sold shortly, are no longer regularly available at any grocery store. Apparently, they will still do occassional "special editions" - We found them at a Super Wal-Mart a few weeks ago), but 1) you never know how long they will remain "on the shelves", and 2) you never know how FAST they will leave the shelves!

I know that one of the reasons many mention is the reason they are no longer available has to do with the fact that American kids are becoming obese. HOWEVER, how can they use this excuse to get rid of whole-grain Alpha-Bits (not the crappy NO SUGAR variety, either - That didn't work at all), but NOT get rid of "Golden Crisp", formerly known as Super Sugar Crisp, whose commercials starred Sugar Bear; Cocoa and Fruity Pebbles, which SURELY has more sugar in them than Alpha-Bits, and that melt into a gooey mass the second you pour milk on them; Honey Comb, a "poor-man's" Alpha-Bits, that has the same problem with melting, albeit slower, as Pebbles, and tastes like a light, air-filled Alpha-Bits; Frosted Shredded Wheat, which OBVIOUSLY has more sugar ON it than regular Alpha-Bits (but probably not Frosted Alpha-Bits)?

Kids are becoming obese because of video-games, television, working parents who buy fast-food and pizza all the time for lunch and supper, lack of "playing outside" (usually for safety concerns), being driven EVERYWHERE (even down the block), etc. Not because they had a bowl of sweetened cereal in the morning!

While Post may be number three in the cereal battle, and apparently stagnent in sales, it seems to me that they could raise some of their bottom line by putting cereals that everyone knows and loves (Alpha-Bits for sure) back on the shelves. I would also venture to say that they could sell quite well in larger batches, online, etc. Well, if and when the RalCorp sale goes through, hopefully it will make them enough money to bring Alpha-Bits back as a regular. (And no screwing around with the recipe, coating, whatever. You can try out different versions after you get the real stuff going! ;-) )

And, while I know the slower-selling products get removed from grocery shelves, it would seem that, say, an online grocery or specialty shop could sell them, still relatively inexpensively, and still make a profit.

Anyway, that's my take on the Alpha-Bit thing. (My wife and I love those things for snacks - with and without milk!)

Holidays and Work

Most people who work in white collar and labor jobs get certain holidays off, and the Fourth of July is one of them. Most people in retail work shifts that force them to miss something, usually eight hours during the day of the Fourth, but most get to spend evenings with family and friends and watch the fireworks. There are those who work the holiday for 1-1/2 to 2 times the pay. And there are those who don't care ...

Then there are those who are "trapped", and can't plan anything for Holidays in the middle of week. This also includes other holidays which have not been moved to Mondays to allow for long weekends. (And, if they ever do that to Thanksgiving or Christmas... GEEZE!)

My wife works third shift at a factory in Lebanon. She goes in at 10:30PM Sunday through Thursday (leaving at 10PM, getting home about 8:15AM), and she normally sleeps between 9AM and 3:30PM-4PM on the following days. Those are her "Mondays through Fridays".

With the Fourth of July coming up, Wednesday, we were looking forward to sitting out in our driveway and watching the fireworks, like we've done since before we were married. But, because the 4th falls in the middle of the week, and Management was short-sighted - or those in HR are being dicks about it - she has to go in to work at 10:30PM Wednesday night, "just like normal" (which, technically, is her Thursday).

Day shift gets the 4th off, and if night shift got it off, it would be (most of our) Tuesday night. But the fireworks are done on Wednesday night (you know... The FOURTH OF JULY), and around here, and especially with Daylight Savings, they will go off between 10PM and 11PM. This, of course, means Day Shift gets to have family over (or visit), go to parks, parties, etc. ON THE FOURTH, but Night Shift gets shafted, again (other stories).

As of today, she's scheduled for Wednesday night, meaning she will probably get Tuesday night off. So, she might be able to spend time with family, but again, she will leave for work around 10PM, which is shortly before the fireworks go off. HOWEVER, if they figure out that they screwed up, and give her Wednesday night off, she will work Tuesday night, get home shortly after 8AM, and will have to sleep through Wednesday, probably at least until 2PM.

Someone is going to talk to management about this, but they will probably just shift the day (the full eight (8) hours off. So, for the Fourth, she will either be sleeping, or will have to be at work when the "festivities" of the fireworks happen.

I don't understand why they can't split the shift, so they work for four (4) hours Tuesday night, going in like normal, but leaving four (4) hours early, then not have to go in on Wednesday night until 2AM, which is four (4) hours after they would normally start. Or it could be two (2) hours on Tuesday night (until midnight), and go in at midnight Wednesday night. Either way, she could get her sleep, spend the day with family, and actually get to see the fireworks.

I know she's not the only one in this situation (and I don't mean just in her factory). She said, when I mention the schedule in the last paragraph... "They won't do that... They don't care...".

Helluva place to work, huh?

-wds