SHOP FARMER JOE'S

Yesterday on the news and this morning in the Tribune there are reports about the most recent brouhaha around Farmer Joe's in the Dimond.

People are saying that the food is spoiled and well past the sell-date on the shelves of this local store in East Oakland. The article and some others point to a connection between these complaints and some Union related folks who have been pressuring employees of Farmer Joe's to do a card-check election in terms of unionizing the staff at this family-owned store.

1. I'm not an expert, or necessarily objective, so read my words with my disclaimer in your mind. I'll never be in a union - because there's no money to be made either in working as a pastor or in trying to unionize the pastor workforce! I find it suspect that this is coming up now when I have the impression that the Union forces are losing face in our neighborhood.

2. Famer Joe's is just the kind of business, along with others such as Paws & Claws, that will not only transform our Oakland neighborhoods but then also sustain the dynamic they help create.

3. I've shopped at Safeway - a union store - and noticed the difference. I'd disagree with the quotes in the article. Based on experience in the Dimond, the non-union store is definitely the way to go. Unless you like shopping for items and not finding them on emtpy shelves.

4. The Tams (owners of Farmer Joe's) work their butts off. Their staff is always courteous, helpful and kind. If they're being persecuted by the store owners it must be in some bizarre, Brave-New-World under-the-counter electric shock thing going on that zapps disgruntled employees without anyone - and I mean me - having ever noticed in my 80 or so trips to the store.

5. If you can't tell if a product is past its shelf-life, put on your glasses, learn to read, use your seeing-eye dog, or as a last resort actually ask the staff in the store - there to help you - for help in reading the very complicated labeling that our goverment ensures is used on food products for sale.

6. If you buy something that's rotten, take it back. Duh! That's what receipts are for. Don't call KTVU or KRON. Simply go to customer service. If it's not ripe....wait...nature works that way.

7. Fight the power. Shop Farmer Joe's. Let the union build their own grocery store!

8. If you don't believe me. Believe others. Check out their yelp review of Farmer Joe's.

9. This is a smear campaign, meant to bring down a quality business that is strengthening our (re)emerging neighborhood.