#the wholesale market is a place from where

[thummars24]

Top Almonds (Badam) Supplier and Exporter: N. Thummars 

Almonds, also known as badam, are one of the most popular and nutritious nuts consumed worldwide. Rich in vitamins, minerals, and healthy fats, almonds have become an essential part of a balanced diet. For those looking to source the best-quality almonds for consumption or business purposes, N. Thummars stands out as a leading supplier and exporter. With a reputation for quality, sustainability, and customer satisfaction, N. Thummars has established itself as a reliable partner in the global almond trade. 

Why Choose N. Thummars for Almond Supply? 

N. Thummars has carved a niche for itself as one of the top almond suppliers and exporters in the industry. Here’s why they are trusted by consumers and businesses alike: 

Premium-Quality Almonds: N. Thummars offers top-grade almonds that are sourced from the best almond-producing regions. The almonds are carefully selected and undergo rigorous quality checks to ensure they meet international standards for freshness, size, and nutritional value. 

Wide Range of Almond Products: Whether you’re looking for raw almonds, blanched almonds, or almond flour, N. Thummars has a diverse product range to meet your needs. They supply almonds for various purposes, including snacking, baking, and food manufacturing. 

Global Export Network: N. Thummars has built a robust global supply chain, exporting almonds to various countries. Their efficient logistics and packaging ensure that the almonds reach international markets in optimal condition, maintaining their freshness and quality. 

Sustainable and Ethical Practices: In addition to providing high-quality almonds, N. Thummars is committed to sustainable farming and ethical business practices. They work closely with farmers to ensure that the almonds are grown in an environmentally responsible manner, minimizing their carbon footprint. 

Competitive Pricing: Despite their premium quality, N. Thummars offers almonds at competitive prices, making them a preferred supplier for both bulk buyers and retail customers. 

Health Benefits of Almonds 

Almonds are often considered a superfood due to their high nutritional content. Here are some key health benefits that make almonds a popular choice among health-conscious consumers: 

Rich in Nutrients: Almonds are packed with essential nutrients such as vitamin E, magnesium, fiber, and protein. Just a handful of almonds can provide a significant portion of your daily nutrient intake. 

Supports Heart Health: Almonds are known to lower cholesterol levels and reduce the risk of heart disease. The healthy fats, along with antioxidants and magnesium, contribute to better heart health. 

Boosts Brain Function: Almonds are often regarded as brain food, especially in traditional Indian diets. They are rich in riboflavin and L-carnitine, nutrients that support brain function and may reduce the risk of cognitive decline. 

Aids in Weight Management: Despite being calorie-dense, almonds are beneficial for weight management. Their high fiber and protein content help keep you full, reducing the temptation to snack on unhealthy foods. 

Promotes Healthy Skin: The high vitamin E content in almonds helps protect the skin from damage caused by free radicals, promoting youthful and healthy skin. 

N. Thummars: Your Trusted Almond Exporter 

As a top almond exporter, N. Thummars has successfully built strong relationships with clients across the globe. Their dedication to quality and customer satisfaction has made them a leader in the almond industry. Whether you’re in the food processing industry, run a bakery, or simply want premium almonds for personal use, N. Thummars offers a wide selection to meet your requirements. 

By choosing N. Thummars, you are not only ensuring high-quality almonds but also supporting a company that values ethical sourcing and sustainability. Their almonds are packaged and delivered with care, ensuring that you receive them in the best condition. 

Conclusion 

When it comes to sourcing the finest almonds (badam), N. Thummars is the go-to supplier and exporter. With a commitment to quality, sustainability, and customer satisfaction, they have become a trusted name in the global almond market. Whether you need almonds for commercial or personal use, N. Thummars delivers premium products at competitive prices, making them the top choice for almonds worldwide. 

[octuscle]

Expats

Gabriel was quite a freeloader. Of course he didn't come to Dubai as an expat because he was stupid or lazy. But he also knew pretty well that he would have had a much harder time in France affording the life he could afford here. Life in Dubai was luxury, pure luxury. He had a cool house with a pool, a gardener, a housekeeper and a chauffeur, and he earned a huge amount of money. He didn't necessarily work nine to five, but he didn't necessarily work himself to death either. In short, for him, life here was pure paradise!

Gabriel had heard the news that the climate had turned a little against the privileges of expats. But he wasn't interested in it. He would do his job here, he was saving a lot of money, which was safely invested in Switzerland, if necessary, he would be on the plane back to Paris tomorrow and look for a job in Riyadh or Kuwait. The United Arab Emirates were not the only place on this planet where he could make money. And besides, he didn't really care about it today. It was Saturday. Tomorrow he would have to sit in the office again, today he wanted to work out at the gym and then hang out with a few friends at the beach club for the rest of the day. A few cocktails, lobster for dinner and then to bed. The only problem was: his driver had the day off. And even though Gabriel had been living in Dubai for several years, he couldn't drive a car himself! He had forgotten how. That's why there were drivers. So he ordered a taxi.

The porter at his community had announced the driver. Gabriel took his sports bag. A quick check in the mirror: yes, he looked good. He opened the door. The brand new Toyota taxi was parked in front of the door. The driver got out and asked in English if Gabriel wanted to put the sports bag in the boot. Gabriel barely looked up from his phone and just shook his head. He didn't feel like having any more contact with the driver than absolutely necessary. The driver opened the back door for him, Gabriel got in, repeated his destination once more and continued playing with his cell phone. The driver remained quiet at first. But then he started talking. First in English. About the weather, about football, where Gabriel came from, whether he liked Dubai. Gabriel simply didn't react. The driver just kept talking. That he had fled from Syria. That he had been in Dubai for four years. That he had two children. He showed Gabriel pictures in his wallet. His English became more and more incomprehensible. A mixture of English and Arabic. Gabriel continued to pretend to be deaf. The driver kept talking. In Arabic. He was ranting about the expats. About the arrogance of the infidels, who thought they were better than everyone else, even though they were dependent on the mercy of Allah, who had given the Muslims oil.

Gabriel was annoyed. He wanted to work on a few e-mails and not talk about politics. What did he care about politics? So he snapped at the driver, "Rakkiz 'ala al-siyaqa, ana mashghul!" The driver smiled. He looked in the rear-view mirror. God's plan was working.

The taxi driver's language began to change again. Arabic with a French accent. Gabriel sat in the back on the worn imitation leather seats of the old taxi. In the front, Ayoub couldn't stop getting worked up about the last few games of Olympic Marseille. Djibril grinned. He knew the feeling. When Ayoub was in a rage, he was in a rage. Fortunately, they were almost at the wholesale market, then his brother would let him out. Ayoub would drive his shift to an end. And Djibril would see what kind of job he could get. He and his pals ironically called themselves the expats. It was true in a way… His brother and he had immigrated from Morocco ten years ago. They had family in Marseille. Djibril had really tried hard at school, but at some point he stopped going and started working as a day laborer at the wholesale market. He was doing well. By now, Djibril had his network, he knew his way around. And he was strong and fast. He saved what he earned. He was proud of his brother Ayoub, who made it to get a taxi license and his own taxi, which was also Djibril's goal.

He checked his messages. It was still dawn. Ayoub was on his way to the banlieue to sleep. It was good when he drove the night shift, then he and Djibril didn't have to share the small bedroom. So far, no one had contacted him to request Djibril's services. If necessary, he could help out in his aunt's café in the kitchen. There was no money for that, though. But a café and a lunch. Life as an expat wasn't so bad.

[thebearer]

no but i love your writing! ever since i watched s1 and 2 last weekend because of a youtube ad, i peaked in the carmy tag and was a surprised to see the amount of stories carmy had! would love a scenario where he’s married to a sassy, take no shit type of reader sim to natalie. his wife legit could work with him for all i care. but for whatever reason he does something w/o checking in— he prolly just forgot. she finds out and confronts him hella pissed (could be at family or during restaurant prep idc) and she says “oh, if carmen said it was cool.” not even carmy the full government name bro 😭. p much how natalie articulated it 🤣. can’t remember the ep but in early season 1 when marcus blew the fuse you can also include slick commentary from richie (and fak) if you’d like! tysm in advance 🥰. also if you don’t me me asking, do you have name/alias on this blog? what we can call you? enjoy your week

- 🥣

yes yes yes ahhhhh! he definitely needs someone who keeps him in line but walks that fine line where he can also keep them in line (bc dom!carmy is living in my heart rent free forever lol). also you can call me e if you'd like :) thank you for your sweet words! i hope you have a good week, and hope you enjoy this!

"What's this?" You ask Sydney, looking at the new box being unloaded from the truck- big and bulky in a crate, far too large to be a produce shipment.

"Uh, I think it's the new glassware for the bar." Sydney looked at her clipboard, back at you carefully.

"Glassware? What new glassware. We haven't picked that out yet." You frowned, looking at the crate carefully.

"Oh, well, it was in Carmen's notes for the day, so... I think that's the only shipment we have. Unless the hostess stand came early, which would be amazing, but you-" Sydney stopped her ramblings, seeing your soured expression. "You know what? Never mind, uh, ignore me. I'm just...Carmen's with Sugar and Richie in the back if you want to ask him."

"Thanks, Syd." You muttered, ripping the bell open with a shrill before bounding towards the back. You could hear them before you saw them, a familiar chorus of chatter and rising voices.

"Hey, so what's the delivery out front?" You ask, not bothering to wait for them to acknowledge you. If you did, you'd never talk, they all talked over each other.

"The new glasses for the bars." Sugar turned, smiling softly at you. "How are you doing?"

"Good." You muttered, eyes cutting to Carmen. "We haven't ordered new glasses yet."

"Uh, well, I thought you liked the ones from last week, angel." Carmen's eyes were bulged, clearly flustered.

"I said I liked them for basics, but I needed you to confirm a drink menu." You glared at him, arms crossing over his chest.

"You can't put the drinks in that?" Carmen asked, hand flying out towards the hall.

"Not if you want the specialty, no." You huffed. "Carmen, I told you to wait just a few days and we could get them at the wholesale market. The textured ones for the signature at least."

"Uh-oh," Richie muttered, snickering to Fak.

"Can you not use the glasses I got?" Carmen sighed.

"I can, but did you get enough? And did we decide if the signature is going in a whiskey glass or a cylinder one? Did you order double of those?" You lifted a brow, taking a step towards him. Richie and Nat watched, heads turning from you and Carmen like a tennis match.

Carmen paused, running a hand down his face. "N-No, but-"

"-So what are you going to do when we open and you run out of drinks, huh? When everyone orders the signature and it comes in different glasses? You think those travel groupie influencers won't notice? Won't post about it and make it a big fucking deal?" You countered.

"Then we'll figure it out!" Carmen huffed. "Look I gave the order to Richie, and-"

"-Hey, no fuckin' way cousin. You gave me your order." Richie held his hand up. "Sweetheart, Carmy said it was good so I just placed the order."

"Well, if Carmen said it was good, then it must be, right? He's the fucking boss." You snarl, glaring at Carmen furiously. "Seems like you've got it under control, Carm, so I'll leave it to you." You turn on your heel, furiously stomping away.

Richie and Fak wait until they hear the slam of the office door, to release their cackles. "Oooh! Cousin, you are in the fuckin' dog house now." Richie laughed, Fak's chorus of barks emphasizing his statement.

"Shut up, ok? Just shut the fuck up." Carmen growled, running a hand through his hair.

"Carmy, why wouldn't you ask her before you ordered? She's your mixologist." Nat sighed, shoulders heavy with disappointment.

"Also your girlfriend." Sydney added, poking her head in. "I told you to wait. Just saying."

"Thank you, alright, thank you all for your fuckin' helpful words." Carmen snapped. "Just... Nat, make sure they get all that shit set up right, ok? Make sure the dishwasher fucking works before we're open, please."

The office door was shut, and Carmen hesitated, reaching for the knob anxiously. He wasn't sure if he should knock- I mean, fuck, this is his office but... you were already so mad at him. Knuckles rapping on the door, he didn't wait for the invite in- knowing he'd never get one.

Carmen found you, sniffling in a furious pout in the corner, body angled away from the door. "Baby-" Carmen started with a sigh, shoulders falling gently at your upset state.

"-Don't." You snap, wiping your eyes. "Don't even start with me, Carmen." The way you say his full name sounds so bitter, too formal and full of malice to be from you.

"I-I'm sorry. I thought we agreed on it, and-and Richie was pressuring me and... And you're right. I shouldn't have made that decision without you, and I'm sorry." Carmen said slowly, waiting for your gaze to meet his, angry, wet, waterline.

"Yeah, you shouldn't have." You agreed bitterly, wiping your eyes. "I get this is your restaurant, Carmen, but don't ask for my help if you're just gonna do what you want anyways. That's-That's not nice."

"I know." Carmen nodded slowly, approaching you with the caution he would a wild animal. "I want your help. I do, and-and I like your idea that the house drink goes in the special glass. Makes it stand out."

You lifted your gaze up to his. "Yeah?" You asked, he nodded, sitting next to you. "Did you blow your budget?"

"No," Carmen shook his head, not a total lie. Fak had been able pull some strings with the new stoves, turns out he did have a guy. It left a little over five thousand left over.

"We could go to that place, if you want to. Go look and see if they have the glasses. Get a rough estimate of about how many we'd need." Carmen offered, his hand cupping your thigh gently, thumb rubbing over your leg in soothing circles.

"As long as Sydney or Nat does the numbers and not you." You snorted lightly, rolling your eyes at him.

He laughed, nodding in agreement. "Yeah, I'll get Sugar to run 'em, alright? Then we can go. Call it an early night."

You beamed at the idea, letting him slide in next to you, melting into your side. "That sounds good." You hummed, letting your head fall on his shoulder.

"I-I'm real sorry I didn't as you ." Carmen muttered. "That was shitty."

"Yeah." You sighed in agreement. "I just... I want to be included in things." You asked, looking up at him sweetly. "Not everything, but-but at least the things that apply to my area."

"I know." Carmen nodded, his hand catching your cheek softly. "I'll let you handle it next time, alright? I trust your opinion."

"You don't have to do that-"

"-No, you're right, I don't. But-But I want to." Carmen nodded. "I know you're lookin' out for the best in this place just like I am."

[quirkymarshmallows93]

Gas Station Stream of Consciousness Post

Gas Stations as Liminal Spaces

I've had quite a few hyperfixations in my day - ATMs, laundry detergents, credit cards - so my current one pertaining to gas stations is fitting considering my affinity for liminal spaces and the dedication of this blog to them. Liminal spaces are transitory in nature, hence their portrayal in online circles through photos of carpeted hallways, illuminated stairwells, dark roads, and backrooms, among other transitional points.

Gas stations are posted online as well; images of their fuel pumps or neon signage photographed through a rainy car window communicate their liminality and the universal experiences they provide to all of society. Perhaps they are the ultimate specimen of a liminal space. The machines they are created for, automobiles and tractor trailers alike, themselves are tools for motion, vestibules that enable travel and shipment across long distances at high speeds. Cars and roads are liminal spaces, albeit in different formats, and gas stations serve as their lighthouses. Vehicles at filling stations, therefore, are in a sense liminal spaces within liminal spaces within liminal spaces.

The uniqueness of a gas station as a liminal space, however, is its intersection with the economics and aesthetics of capitalism. Gasoline (and diesel fuel) is a commodity, downstream from crude oil, merely differentiated by octane ratings. Some argue that minute distinctions between agents, detergents, and additives make some brands better than others. Indeed, fuels that are approved by the Top Tier program, sponsored by automakers, have been shown to improve engine cleanliness and performance, but this classification does not prefer specific refiners over others; it is simply a standard. To a consumer, Top Tier fuels are themselves still interchangeable commodities within the wider gasoline commodity market.

The Economics of Gas Stations

The market that gas stations serve is characterized by inelastic demand, with customers who reckon with prices that fluctuate day in and day out. This is not to say that consumer behavior does not change with fuel prices. It has been observed that as prices rise, consumers are more eager to find the cheapest gas, but when prices fall, drivers are less selective with where they pump and are just happy to fill up at a lower price than last week. In response, gas stations lower their prices at a slower rate than when increasing prices, allowing for higher profit margins when wholesale prices fall. This has been dubbed the "rockets and feathers" phenomenon.

When portrayed as liminal spaces, gas stations are most often depicted at night, places of solitude where one may also enter the adjacent convenience store and encounter a fellow individual who isn't asleep, the modern day lightkeeper. The mart that resides at the backcourt of a gas station is known to sell goods at higher prices than a supermarket, simultaneously taking advantage of a captive customer, convenient location, and making up for the inefficiencies of a smaller operation. It may come as no surprise, then, that gas stations barely make any money from fuel sales and earn their bulk through C-store sales. This is a gripe I have with our economic system. Business is gamified, and in many cases the trade of certain goods and services, called loss leaders, is not an independent operation and is subsidized by the success of another division of a business, a strategy inherently more feasible for larger companies that have greater scale to execute it.

Nevertheless, most gas station owners, whether they have just one or hundreds of sites, find this method fruitful. Even though most gas stations in the US sell one of a handful of national brands, they operate on a branded reseller, or dealer, model, with oil companies themselves generally not taking part in the operations of stations that sell their fuels. The giants do still often have the most leverage and margin in the business, with the ability to set the wholesale price for the distributor, which sells at a markup to the station owner, which in turn will normally make the least profit in the chain when selling to the end customer at the pump. This kind of horizontal integration that involves many parties lacks the synergies and efficiencies of vertical integration that are so applauded by capitalists, but ends up being the most profitable for firms like ExxonMobil, who only extract and refine oil, and on the other end of the chain merely license their recognizable brands to the resellers through purchasing agreements. Furthermore, in recent years, independent dealers have sold their businesses to larger branded resellers, in many cases the ones from whom they had been buying their fuel.

A Word on ExxonMobil's Branding Potential

The largest publicly traded oil company in the world is Exxon Mobil Corporation. It is a direct descendent of the Rockefeller monopoly, Standard Oil, which was broken up in 1911 into 34 companies, the largest of which was Jersey Standard, which became Exxon in 1973. This title was generated by a computer as the most appealing replacement name to be used nationwide to unify the Humble, Enco, and Esso brands, decades before AI was spoken of. The latter brand is still used outside of the United States for marketing, arising from the phonetic pronunciation of the initials of Standard Oil. In 1999, Exxon and Mobil merged, and the combined company to this day markets under separate brands. Exxon is more narrowly used, to brand fuel in the United States, while Mobil has remained a motor oil and industrial lubricant brand, as well as a fuel brand in multiple countries.

Mobil originated in 1866 as the Vacuum Oil Company, which first used the current brand name for Mobiloil, and later Mobilgas and Mobilubricant products, with the prefix simply short for "automobile". Over time, Mobil became the corporation's primary identity, with its official name change to Mobil Oil Corporation taking place in 1966. Its updated wordmark with a signature red O was designed by the agency Chermayeff & Geismar, and the company's image for service stations was conceived by architect Eliot Noyes. New gas stations featured distinctive circular canopies over the pumps, and the company's recognizable pegasus logo was prominently on display for motorists.

I take issue with the deyassification of the brand's image over time. As costs were cut and uniformity took over, rectangular canopies were constructed in place of the special ones designed by Noyes that resembled large mushrooms. The pegasus remained a prominent brand icon, but the Mobil wordmark took precedence, which I personally believe to be an error in judgement. This disregard for the pegasus paved the way for its complete erasure in 2016 with the introduction of ExxonMobil's "Synergy" brand for its fuel. The mythical creature is now much smaller and appears only at the top right corner of pumps at Mobil gas stations, if at all.

Even into the 90s and the 21st century the Pegasus had its place in Mobil's marketing. In 1997, the company introduced its Speedpass keytag, which was revolutionary for its time and used RFID technology, akin to mobile payments today, to allow drivers to get gas without entering the store or swiping a card. When a Speedpass would be successfully processed, the pegasus on the gas pump would light up red.

When Exxon and Mobil merged in 1999, the former adopted the payment method too, with Exxon's less iconic tiger in place of the pegasus.

The program was discontinued in 2019 in favor of ExxonMobil's app, which is more secure since it processes payments through the internet rather than at the pump.

What Shell has done with its brand identity is what Mobil should've done for itself. The European company's logo was designed in 1969 by Raymond Loewy, and is a worth contender for the "And Yet a Trace of the True Self Exists in the False Self" meme. In recent years, Shell went all in on its graphic, while Mobil's pegasus flew away. I choose to believe that the company chose to rebrand its stations in order to prevent the malfunction in the above image from happening.

ExxonMobil should have also discontinued the use of the less storied Exxon brand altogether, and simplifying its consumer-facing identity to just the global Mobil mark. Whatever, neither of the names are actual words. As a bonus, here is a Google map I put together of all 62 gas stations in Springfield, MA. This is my idea of fun. Thanks for reading to the end!

[mostlysignssomeportents]

Rural towns and poor urban neighborhoods are being devoured by dollar stores

Across America, rural communities and big cities alike are passing ordinances limiting the expansion of dollar stores, which use a mix of illegal predatory tactics, labor abuse, and monopoly consolidation to destroy the few community grocery stores that survived the Walmart plague and turn poor places into food deserts.

If you'd like an essay-formatted version of this post to read or share, here's a link to it on pluralistic.net, my surveillance-free, ad-free, tracker-free blog:

https://pluralistic.net/2023/03/27/walmarts-jackals/#cheater-sizes

"The Dollar Store Invasion," is a new Institute For Local Self Reliance (ILSR) report by Stacy Mitchell, Kennedy Smith and Susan Holmberg. It paints a detailed, infuriating portrait of the dollar store playback, and sets out a roadmap of tactics that work and have been proven in dozens of places, rural and urban:

https://cdn.ilsr.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/ILSR-Report-The-Dollar-Store-Invasion-2023.pdf

The impact of dollar stores is plainly stated in the introduction: "dollar stores drive grocery stores and other retailers out of business, leave more people without access to fresh food, extract wealth from local economies, sow crime and violence, and further erode the prospects of the communities they target."

This new report builds on ILSR's longstanding and excellent case-studies, augmenting them with the work of academic geographers who are just starting to literally map out the dollar store playbook, identifying the way that a dollar stores will target, say, the last grocery store in a Black neighborhood and literally surround it, like hyenas cornering weakened prey. This tactic is repeated whenever a new grocer opens in the neighborhood: dollar stores "carpet bomb" the surrounding blocks, ensuring that the new store closes as quickly as it opens.

One important observation is the relationship between these precarious neighborhood grocers and Walmart and its other big-box competitors. Deregulation allowed Walmart to ring cities with giant stores that relied on "predatory buying" (wholesale terms that allowed Walmart to sell goods more cheaply than its competitors bought them, and also rendered its suppliers brittle and sickly, and forced down the wages of those suppliers' workers). This was the high cost of low prices: neighborhoods lost their local grocers, and community dollars ceased to circulate in the community, flowing to Walmart and its billionaire owners, who spent it on union busting and political campaigns for far-right causes, including the defunding of public schools.

This is the landscape where the dollar stores took root: a nation already sickened by an apex predator, which left a productive niche for jackals to pick off the weakened survivors. Wall Street loved the look of this: the Private equity giant KKR took over Dollar General in 2007 and went on a acquisition and expansion bonanza. Even after KKR formally divested itself of Dollar General, the company's hit-man Michael M Calbert stayed on the board, rising to chairman.

The dollar store market is a duopoly. Dollar General's rival is Dollar Tree, another gelatinous cube of a company that grew by absorbing many of its competitors, using Wall Street's money. These acquisitions are now notorious for the weaknesses they exposed in antitrust practice. For example, when Dollar Tree bought Family Dollar, growing to 14,000 stores, the FTC waved the merger through on condition that the new business sell off 330 of them. These ineffectual and pointless merger conditions are emblematic of the inadequacy of antitrust as it was practiced from the Reagan administration until the sea-change under Biden, and Dollar Tree/Family Dollar is the poster child for more muscular enforcement.

The duopoly has only grown since then. Today, Dollar General and Dollar Tree have more than 34,000 US outlets - more than Starbucks, #Walmart, McDonalds and Target - combined.

Destroying a community's grocery store rips out its heart. Neighborhoods without decent access to groceries impose a tax on their already-struggling residents, forcing them to spend hours traveling to more affluent places, or living off the highly processed, deceptively priced (more on this later) goods for sale on the dollar store shelves.

Take Cleveland, once served by a small family chain called Dave's Market that had served its communities since the 1920s. Dave's store in the Collinwood neighborhood was targeted by Family Dollar and Dollar General, which opened seven stores within two miles of the Dave's outlet. The dollar stores targeted the only profitable part of Dave's business - the packaged goods (fresh produce is a money-loser, subsidized by packaged good).

The dollar stores used a mix of predatory buying and "cheater sizes" (packaged goods that are 10-20% smaller than those sold in regular outlets, which are not available to other retailers) to sell goods at prices that Dave's couldn't match, driving Dave's out of business.

Typical dollar stores stock no fresh produce or meat. If your only grocer is a dollar store, your only groceries are highly processed, packaged foods, often sold in deceptive single-serving sizes that actually cost more per ounce than the products that the defunct neighborhood grocer once sold.

Dollar stores don't just target existing food deserts - they create them. Dollar stores preferentially target Black and brown neighborhoods with just a single grocer and then they use predatory pricing (subsidizing the cost of goods and selling them at a loss) and predatory buying to force that grocery store under and tip the neighborhood into food desert status.

Dollar stores don't just target Black and brown urban centers; they also go after rural communities. The commonality here is that both places are likely to be served by independent grocers, not chains, and these indies can't afford a pricing war with the Wall Street-backed dollar store duopoly.

As mentioned, the "predatory buying" of dollar stores is illegal - it was outlawed in 1936 under the Robinson-Patman Act, which required wholesalers to offer goods to all merchants on the same terms. 40 years ago, we stopped enforcing those laws, leading the rise and rise of big box stores and the destruction of the American Main Street.

The lawmakers who passed Robinson-Patman knew what they were doing. They were aware of what contemporary economists call "the waterbed effect," where wholesalers cover the losses from their massive discounts to major retailers by hiking prices on smaller stores, making them even less competitive and driving more market consolidation.

When dollar stores invade your town or neighborhood, they don't just destroy the food choices, they also come for neighborhood jobs. Where a community grocer typically employs 12 or more people, Dollar General employs about 8 per store. Those workers are paid less, too: 92% of Dollar General's workers earn less than $15/h, making Dollar General the worst employer of the 66 large service-sector firms.

Dollar stores also lean heavily into the tactic of turning nearly every role at its store into a "management" job, because managers aren't entitled to overtime pay. That's how you can be the "manger" of a dollar store and take home $40,000 a year while working more than 40 hours every single week.

Understaffing stores turns them into crime magnets. Shootings at dollar stores are routine. Between 2014-21, 485 people were shot at dollar stores - 156 of them died. Understaffed warehouses are vermin magnets. In the Eastern District of Arkansas, Family Dollar was subpoenaed after a rat infestation at its distribution centers that contaminated the food, medicines and cosmetics at 400 stores.

The ILSR doesn't just document the collapse of American communities - it fights back, so this report ends with a lengthy section on proven tactics and future directions for repelling the dollar store invasion. Since 2019, 75 communities have blocked proposals for new dollar stores - more than 50 of those cases happened in 2021/22.

54 towns, from Birmingham, AB to Fort Worth, TX to  Kansas City, KS, have passed laws to "sharply restrict new dollar stores, typically by barring them from opening within one to two miles of an existing dollar store."

To build on this momentum, the authors call for a "reinvigoration of antitrust laws," especially the Robinson-Patman Act. Banning predatory buying would go far to creating a level playing field for independent grocers hoping to fight off a dollar store infestation.

Further, we need the FTC and Department of Justice Antitrust Divition to block mergers between dollar-store chains and unwind the anticompetitve mergers that were negligently waved through under previous administrations (thankfully, top enforcers like Jonathan Kantor and Lina Khan are on top of this!).

We need to free up capital for community banks that will back community grocers. That means rolling back the bank deregulation of the 1980s/90s that allowed for bank consolidation and preferential treatment for large corporations, while reducing lending to small businesses and destroying regional banks. Congress should cap the market share any bank can hold, break up the biggest banks, and require banks to preference loans for community businesses. We also need to end private equity and Wall Street's rollup bonanza.

All of that sounds like a tall order - and it is! But the good news is that it's not just groceries at stake here. Every kind of community business, from pet groomers to hairdressers to funeral homes, falls into the antitrust "Twilight Zone," of acquisitions under $101m. With 60% of Boomer-owned businesses expected to sell in the coming decade, 2.9m businesses employing 32m American workers are slated to be gobbled up by private equity:

https://pluralistic.net/2022/12/16/schumpeterian-terrorism/#deliberately-broken

Whether you're burying a loved one, getting dialysis, getting your cat fixed or having your dog's nails trimmed, you are already likely to be patronizing a business that has been captured by private equity, where the service is worse, the prices are higher and the workers earn less for harder jobs. Everyone has a stake in financial regulation. We are all in this fight, except for the eminently guillotineable PE barons, and you know, fuck those guys

At the state level, the authors propose new muscular enforcement regimes and new laws to protect small businesses from unfair competition. They also call on states to increase the power of local governments to reject new dollar store applications, amending land use guidelines to require "cultivating net economic growth, ensuring that everyone has access to healthy food, and protecting environmental resources.

If all of this has you as fired up as it got me this morning, check out ILSR's "How to Stop Dollar Stores in Your Community" resources:

http://ilsr.org/dollar-stores

I’m kickstarting the audiobook for my next novel, a post-cyberpunk anti-finance finance thriller about Silicon Valley scams called Red Team Blues. Amazon’s Audible refuses to carry my audiobooks because they’re DRM free, but crowdfunding makes them possible.

Image: Mike McBey (modified) https://www.flickr.com/photos/158652122@N02/38893547595/

CC BY 2.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/

[Image ID: A ghost town; it is towered over by a haunted castle with a Dollar General sign on it, with the shadow of Count Orlock cast over its tower. One of its turrets is being struck by lightning.]

[flyingfabio]

Please, more of Fabio?

hi anon you’ve obviously come to the right place to ask for fabio content! i didn’t want to simply post fabio pics like last time so i’ve decided to take something out of the vault with this article published latest march by l'equipe on the famous backstory of fabio learning to ride at 4 years old on a parking lot. below is the article page with a cute pic of fabio at the location and under the read more i tried to translate some parts, i hope you enjoy x

ON THE PARKING LOT OF THE ANGEL: 4 year-old Fabio Quartararo made his first laps on a bike in the parking lot of the Nice wholesale market. A founding place that launched El Diablo’s ascent to the MotoGP world championship title.

~

"Why ride a motorcycle at this location just outside the airport and just off the A8 freeway? Because it's very close to the Quartararo house, where the parents still live. [...] Twenty years ago, little Fabio waited for his father to come home from work to go to this parking lot."

~

"At the time, Quartararo was riding a PW, a tiny motocross model from Yamaha, the brand for which he competes in MotoGP."

~

"The rider is therefore able to recount how he and his father used to access the wholesale market, which was reserved for professionals. “We'd say we were going to see a friend who sold fruits. To get in, you had to pull off a few little tricks”."

~

“I remember this place,” [Fabio] lights up, pointing to a patch of resurfaced asphalt. It was like a manhole. I'd ridden right over it and made an involuntary stoppie. The hole was so big that I ended up balancing myself on the front wheel. I was so happy! My father, on the other hand, was white as a sheet because he’d been so scared.”

~

"Once the duo [went to] Direction Cap 3000, a nearby shopping center. “The parking lot was the same except that there were a few more people,” recalls Fabio. I rode around, waeved a bit and then I went out and took the freeway. There was my grandmother, my uncle, they were shouting: “Oh, he's leaving!” So that's when they told me we'd have to go back to the wholesale market, it's very good there.”"

~

"Quartararo did return to the wholesale market parking lot a few years later, this time without his father. He wanted to learn how to make the scooter rear up and ride on the rear wheel. “I thought this was the right place for it. But in the end, once was enough, because after five minutes I could already do the wheelies.”"

~

"[Fabio's] good friend Thomas Maubant accompanied him and he too feels like it’s a moment to have a lump in the throat, even though he didn't live through those moments with him. “We’re like footballers going back to their crappy childhood football ground.”"

[delyth-thomas-art]

Tired Webcomic Creator Noises

Gags … ah yes lets make art into mindless content spat out by Ai cos we've been literally killing creators with inhumane workloads to spit out as many episodes as possible for mindless consumption.

I make my comics with passion and love of the craft! I have a degree in Comics, I spent years...years learning, practising, experimenting, adapting. I recall the days where you may get a page a week, or a few at the start of the month back in the 2000s era of self hosted webcomics and smackjeeves. (Rant below)

I've had to learn how the whole scrolling format worked to adapt to where all the readers had gone to, having been taught the traditional print page formats. And now cos its suddenly a massive money maker for these few hosts and they've pushed creators to the brink with the sheer volume they want pumped out that of course they want to use AI.

But it will speed up colouring! I have multiple tools available by the software I use and made by the wonderful people who love creating that colouring isn't that much of a chore, Its my fav part honestly. And its also a job sector within comics, colourists are skilled artists and this is another way to trim the fat, to pocket more money and keep churning out the 5th millionth villainess story.

Yes I am in most views a tiny creator, I haven't even broken their 1000 sub goal to even try applying for ad rev in the near 5 ish years on webtoon. But what I make I love, I spend hours researching folklore, scripting, drafting the whole kabudle like many other creators. And other than the kind supporters on my Patreon and Ko-fi I don't make much from the hours, days, weeks I pour into what I make. But at least I know its made with my own hands. That its made with love as corny as that sounds.

Ai is creeping its tentacles into everything, now ethically trained ai tools to help smaller creators would be fine. Most creators already rely on 3d tools to speed up things like backgrounds for webcomics. But when we don't know what its trained on, and is marketed wholesale as something anyone can use to make "content" is where it gets insidious. I am all for anyone with the desire to create and tell a story to go out there and do so, whether a beginner or a master. Part of the joy of a long running webcomic is seeing the artist grow both artistically and literary. But with ai it will be all one homogenous style, a copy of what ever is the hot thing. We already have amazon stuffed to the teeth with ai generated books, videos, merch and more all to be sold in some get rich quick manner. (need I point at the Willy's Wonderland incident). Youtube videos being spat out by faceless accounts stealing and regurgitating content at the speed no human video making team can easily match without cutting out quality or fact checking.

It is tiring. Creatives as a whole are treated poorly for decades, and now with the rapid late stage capitalism, website /social media enshitification and the blind headlong rush into the next big money making thing (watches the nft crash). I can't deny Covid sped this up, as everyone was locked inside and turned to what we creators made for comfort. But that content eating boom, lead to more demand, faster output and tighter budgets. We are seeing journalists being cut, game designers in their thousands and recently Dreamworks cutting a bunch and pushing to make their Robot film come out sooner due to public demands.

Skilled creatives are being treated like disposable fast food restaurant employees. Used til they burn out, get injured and even die! And then are simply replaced.

I've never been a creator with huge ambitions to work at places like DC, Marvel or Top Cow. I simply wished to create and share stories with the world, to bring smiles, to create art that evokes emotions, inspires others to look around themselves and create too.

Art is for everyone. You just need to take that scary jump, there is a whole array of welcoming communities willing to teach and share. I wouldn't have improved so much without the kindness of the webcomic groups I've discovered and learnt from. Everyone is always learning, and there no shame in not knowing how to do a thing. Even I started with the cheesy how to draw books as a kid and made my own pokemon and digimon.

Don't let the world treat your art as content. It is "ART" as much as what's kept in the louvre is seen as art, so is that little stick man doodle on a postit.

So Try something new, try a new material, a new style.

And support the artists you enjoy, tip their Ko-Fi, pledge to their Patreon, buy a sticker or print. Share their posts and tell them what you love about what they make.

Don't let machines steal away the art in HEART.

[cyberaxolotl]

The Typhoon

SoS:3oT Domestic Fluff (Lisette/Siluka)

Warnings: Mild suggestive humor

Rough summary: Siluka gets caught in Westown in a typhoon, and knows exactly who she wants to spend the storm with.

Words: 4k

Illustrations: 0

See AO3 Version for more specific tagging

Fic below the cut

It was a dreary afternoon in the three towns. There was rain pouring, wind howling, and everybody wanting to get inside if they weren’t.

All-in-all, a day where Siluka didn’t want to be out getting groceries. But there were ingredients she needed that she could only get elsewhere, so as she would every month, she went to go get them.

Walking into the wholesale store, she took a deep sigh, holding her arms. She was shivering, drenched, and wishing she’d brought a coat with her. Then, she looked up at the room.

Everyone was very colorful that day. She could see anxious purples in everybody’s auras, a slight angry red in the manager’s, and the little girl in the back was noticeably blue. It made her slightly happier to see the dots of loving pink in the married couple’s auras, something she had seen every time without fail, no matter the weather or day.

Walking up to the grocery counter, she pulled out a paper list. “Welcome to Ra-Man’s. What can I get for you today?” The man greeted her.

“Aloha.” Siluka said plainly, “I need three pounds of ice, two pounds of seaweed, a pound of salt…” She listed off her groceries, focused on her list, and tried to block out the world around her. Poor weather itself did not make her anxious, but the discomfort of being cold and wet was making her antsy, and a little annoyed.

“Here it is.” A bag was placed on the counter. “That’ll be-“

She had already placed a bag of gold on the table. “We do this every month. I know.” Taking the bag, she turned around, but immediately felt bad at the pinch of blue she saw as she left. Being angry didn’t feel good.

Leaving the wholesale store, her empathy left her, sent back out into the rain. Her pigtails whipped in the harsh weather, getting all over her face, and as tempted as she was to run, god forbid she fall into the mud. Clutching her bag, she held a steady pace as she made her way out of Tyusukusa, taking the path into Westown.

Siluka didn’t like Westown’s architecture. Too many stairs, too much effort, and too much risk when it was wet. If she didn’t have to, she wouldn’t go into Westown at all, if it weren’t for two things she would never miss out on.

With her nose scrunched, she followed the many stairs up to the highest stores, walking into the general store. “Oh! Welcome to Straw Market, what can I get for ya?” The lady greeted her, smiling brightly. Her aura was, like others, anxiously purple, but also happily yellow at the same time.

How could she smile so brightly on a day like that? “Aloha.” She again let out flatly, pulling out her list. “I need… Ugh.”

It had gotten wet from the rain, smudging. If she could see her own aura in that moment, she’d bet it was blue. Or red. Or both.

“Ah, roughed up list? I’ve gotcha. I do my best to remember the lists of the regulars!” The shopkeeper laughed, then walked behind the counter.

“…Mahalo.” Siluka thanked, but was now more annoyed. It was hard to distract herself when she couldn’t focus on her words or her writing.

A bag was placed on the counter. “Here it is! That’ll be-“

“Take it.” Another bag of gold as she snatched the groceries away. “I-“

Thunder echoed through the building, lightning coming through the windows at the same moment.

“…Damnit.” She hissed under her breath.

“Oh, dear, looks like a typhoon is rolling in out there. I’m sorry, it seems like you might have to stay here a while longer.”

It definitely sounded like a typhoon. The rain slammed onto the windows, they could hear trees rustling, and thunder crackling near and far. Siluka didn’t want to go all the way back to Lulukoko in that abominable weather, but she didn’t want to stay in that shop either.

A thought occurred to her, a small idea. “…Mahalo for the groceries. I need to go next door.” Turning around, she held the bags tight, knowing what she was going into.

“Ah-?! Wait, you can’t just-“

The door was already opened then closed behind her, and immediately, the wind blew into her face. It was harsh enough that she could barely keep her eyes open, freezing every piece of skin that she had exposed, and the heavy rain dampening her clothes. Supporting herself with a hand against the shops, she fought the wind to make it to the shop next door.

Grabbing the door knob, she took a quick breath. Throwing it open, she practically threw herself inside, slamming it behind her as she fell ungracefully to the floor. “What in- Siluka!?” A sweet, warm voice reached her, footsteps running up immediately.

Looking up, barely peeking through her wet hair, she smiled at a freckled face. “Aloha, Lisette.” She said calmly, though a bit displeased at the aura in front of her. Fearfully purple, and worriedly blue, with a refreshing spot of pink.

“Siluka, what are you doin’ this far out here?! They just issued a typhoon warnin’!” Taking her hands, Lisette picked her up, confused by the gentle smile the other was holding.

“I know. I was just getting groceries when it started.” Siluka picked the bags up, “Can I stay for a while?”

“Ah… Mmhm!” The florist nodded and stepped past her, flipping the open sign in the window to closed. “Your bags can go in the fridge upstairs, I gotta tidy up a little down here, but you make yourself at home!”

“Mahalo.” Already much more comfortable, she made her way upstairs, doing as she was told. Yawning, she sat down into a dining chair, folding her arms on the table.

She glanced at the clock. It was about time for her afternoon nap, but there was no sun, and she wasn’t warm, and she wasn’t dry… But she felt comfortable anyway. The room smelled really nice too. She knew Lisette wouldn’t mind if she slept for just a little while, putting her head into her arms, and getting comfortable right there at the table.

Within moments, she was asleep. If she dried, she didn’t notice. If she warmed up, she didn’t notice. It was her favorite way to pass the time, just to sleep, and dream. It usually smelled like salt in her dreams, but this time, it didn’t. Not at all.

“…-uka..! Siiiluuukaaa..!”

“Mmh… Hm?” Siluka opened her eyes, looking over.

Lisette’s smiling face and pink-yellow aura greeted her. “Did you have sweet dreams? I just made dinner!”

“Ah… Yes. I did.” She picked herself up, glancing at the window. It was still storming, and as she acknowledged it, she could hear the thunder rumbling outside. “It smelled like flowers in my dreams.” She blushed softly.

“Ah, hehe~! That's lovely!” The florist giggled, “I hope you don’t mind mimosa salad. I saw you sleeping up here once I finished cleaning, and I couldn’t bring myself to wake you up, so I made what I’d usually have.”

“Mimosa salad is okay.” A bowl was slid to her side of the table, “How long will it be storming for?”

“Mmm, I muted the radio to let you sleep. But by the looks of it? Well into the night, I don’t think you can go home any time soon.” Lisette looked out the window, eating her first bite of salad. “It’s already dark.”

“…That’s okay.” Siluka smiled, turning to face her. “Iluka will understand. She’d rather I stay here than go in the storm.”

“Do you reckon she’ll come lookin’ for you herself in the mornin’?”

“Maybe.” The priestess shrugged, “She knows exactly where to look, though.”

The florist didn’t hide a pleasant giggle. “I’m glad she does~! If you don't mind nightgowns, I’ll lend you a dry one to sleep in, and I could brush your hair!”

Siluka hadn’t even noticed that her thick hair was still drenched, her clothes still damp as well. “Hm… Usually, I wouldn’t let anyone but Iluka touch my hair…” She pulled a wet strand of it out of her face, “…But, you can be the exception. Mahalo.”

“Ohh, it’s like a slumber party~! I never got to have them when I was little!” Lisette happily flapped her free hand, “Once dinner is done, do you have any dessert preferences?” With that, she pushed a forkful of salad into her mouth.

“The desserts I know are all from Lulukoko, I don’t think you’d have any of those… I’d like something warm.” When she thought about her temperature, she could feel a chill run up her spine.

“How does peach pie sound? I baked it the other day, it just needs to be heated back up!”

Siluka looked up at the other, wondering if it sounded good or not. But that bright, beautiful, pink and yellow aura was too much to decline. “Peach pie sounds good.” She looked away, blushing softly.

A couple minutes later, they had finished their salads.

Lisette pointed across the room. “My nightgowns are in the bottom drawer of that dresser, they should all fit you fine, so just take the one you like the look of! I’ll go heat up that pie.” She stood up, taking the bowls with her.

Siluka nodded, getting up and walking across the room. As she opened up the drawer, she felt flustered by the contents, quick to pick out a nightgown without looking at the other side. Unfolding it, she looked it over.

It was very different to what she’d see in Lulukoko every day. Tailored from thicker cloth, and with less geometric patterns, not to mention being long-sleeved. Glancing across the room to see the florist in the kitchen, she knew she had nothing to worry about as she got changed.

It was a very comfortable nightgown. Soft, and a little big on her, but the best part was the smell. It smelled like flowers… and it smelled like Lisette.

“Get ‘er while she’s hot!” She heard as two plates were placed on the dining table. Walking back over, she watched Lisette’s aura get pinker. “Oh, you look so cute in my nightgown! You get started, I should also get changed.”

“Mmhm. Mahalo.” The smell of peaches was irresistible, a dash of whipped cream in the center of the slice, with a cut strawberry in the cream. Looking over at the other’s slice, it had cream on it, but no fruit. “…Hmph.” Picking the strawberry off of hers, she cut it in half, then reached across the table to place half on Lisette’s slice. “That’s better.”

“Hm? Did you say somethin’?” The florist came up behind her, now in a nightgown of her own. “Ah… You didn’t have to split your strawberry, Siluka!” She noticed the modification made to her slice.

“I wanted to. It’s fair that way.” Siluka started digging into her own slice. The peaches were sweet and juicy, and the crust wasn’t crumbling apart, making it easier to eat. ‘…I love it.’ She thought, her mouth too full to say.

“That’s wonderfully kind of you. I guess that growin’ up with siblings would make you care about fairness!” Lisette sat down, happy to have her own slice.

“…I hadn’t thought of that.” The priestess realized, “I guess I didn’t spend much time alone growing up. If I wasn’t with Iluka, I was with Ludus, and if I wasn’t with anyone, someone was looking for me. Anything I did was shared with someone else… Any family meal we’d have, we’d get the same portions…” She started to twirl her hair, thinking.

“Wouldya have wanted anythin’ to yourself?”

“…No.” She smiled, “I like it this way. I can’t imagine being an only child.”

“Well, as an only child, I try to be as generous as possible after somethin’ that happened a few years back. Growin’ up alone, I guess I got used to havin’ things to ma’self… I’ve accidentally been selfish a couple times.” Lisette glanced away, “I don’t know whether havin’ a sibling woulda made the spoiling worse or not, though.”

“You’re not a selfish person. It’s not your nature. I can tell. A selfish person wouldn’t give me a nap, shelter, dinner, dessert, and a dress.” Siluka hummed happily, “You haven’t hesitated to give me those things. Your aura hasn’t changed colors once… It makes me very happy.”

“…Hehe.” She was blushing a bright pink. “You make me happy too, Siluka. Do you like the pie?”

“I love the pie.” She replied without hesitation. “It’s good. The cream and strawberry make it even better. Mahalo.” She was timely in putting another bite in her mouth, almost done with her slice.

Lisette didn’t reply, but smiled, turning to look out the window. “The storm is still ragin’ hard… Ah, I can’t stand to look out at that darkness.” Standing up, she walked over, pulling the curtains. “I know I live on the second floor, but dark windows still scare me. Too many horror stories about seein’ silhouettes in them.”

“I didn’t think you liked horror stories.”

“I don’t.” She sighed, walking back over. “But, you always end up hearin’ spooky tales one way or another.” Picking up the pie crust, she finished off her dessert.

“Yeah… I heard a lot of tales and warnings from my Gram. I believe most of what she tells me.” Finishing her slice, Siluka picked up her empty plate. “I’ll put these in the sink. You’ll brush my hair, right?”

“Oh, yes! Thank you, I’ll go get the hairbrush and bands.” Lisette was happy to oblige, handing over her plate then walking away.

Once they were done, they walked over to the bed. The priestess was already carefully undoing her hairstyle, being gentle with the flowers and leaves as she removed them. Once undone, her hair went down past her hips.

“I can’t imagine all the effort you go through, putting that all together every morning.” The florist said kindly, sitting on her bed. “Your hair is so long and beautiful, up or down.”

“…If I tell you something, you won’t be grossed out?” She started, getting a surprised look. “I sleep in late enough that I don’t have the time to wash my hair every morning. It stays styled like this until Iluka and I have a day off, and then I wash it, she styles it, and it stays like that until our next day off.”

“Oh!” Lisette looked surprised, “I wouldn’t have been able to tell if you hadn’t told me! Now, wouldya sit on the floor here?”

“…You’re not upset or something?” Siluka questioned, sitting on the floor in front of the bed.

“Mmm… No. You said it’s because you sleep in too much, and if it’s part of your disordered sleepin’, then it ain’t my place to judge. Have you tried washin’ it at night as an alternative?” Picking up a handful of thick hair, she started to gently brush it, running her fingers through it as well.

“…I’m too tired to do my hair at night. Maybe I should look into mixing my own dry shampoo…” She started to think about that, wondering what herbs could do it.

“That’s a start, but- and I’m sorry if ya hear this a lot- you really should see Ford about your oversleepin’.” Lisette sighed, “But, I’m not here to nag you. I’m here to do your hair, and I can’t do your usual hairstyle, so what would you like instead?”

“High pigtails is fine.”

“High pigtails it is!” She put the smile back on her face, picking up a hair band. Her strokes were soft and smooth as she brushed the incredibly long hair into two parts, careful not to pull or tug.

“Mmmh…” Siluka hummed, blinking tiredly. “You’re much gentler with my hair than Iluka. It’s making me sleepy…”

“We’ll be goin’ to bed in a few minutes, but try to hold your head up right now, I wouldn’t want you fallin’ over on me!” Putting up the first pigtail, she could feel the girl below her jolt.

“Ow.” The priestess said flatly, “That woke me up…”

“Ah, I- I didn’t mean it! I am a bit rough on my own hair, puttin’ it up so quickly, I might pull it when I’m tying it up.”

“You should be gentle with yourself. Is your hair as soft as it looks?” Siluka took a handful of her made pigtail, twirling her hair.

“Hm…” Lisette quickly bounced one of her pigtails, “Yes! But if you want to feel it, I’ll let you.” At that, she was done doing the other’s hair.

The priestess stood up, turning around. “Mahalo.” She felt both of her pigtails, running her fingers through her untangled and dried hair.

“You’re welcome~! And, um, now that that’s all done…” The florist got up as well, “Th-the couch is a little slim for either of us to sleep on, and I don’t exactly have another bed, so-“

“I’ll sleep with you.”

“..!?”

“In your bed.” Siluka flushed red, “I’ve shared beds with others my whole life. The one I know might be big enough for two, but I don’t think I’ll mind this.”

“…Um, well, that solves that, haha~!” Lisette was blushing too, quickly stepping past the other. “I need to turn the kitchen light off, but I’ll be right with you.”

“Okay.”

She took a long look at the florist’s bedspread. The quilt had flowery patterns sewn into it, her bedsheet had a more abstract pattern of rose bushes, and the pillow… was a standard white pillow. Tucked beside the bed, sitting against the wall, was a little teddy bear.

Sitting down on the bed, looking at the bedside table, it was everything she’d expect out of Lisette. An alarm clock with a cartoon flower on the back, a lamp with a floral printed lampshade, and a small, paperback book. “Princess Adeline and The Princess Switch…” She mumbled aloud, seeing the illustration of two princesses on the cover. One was dressed in blue, the other in yellow.

“That book is a wonderful one.”

“-!” Siluka was startled by her return.

“When I first saw it, I thought Princess Adeline was going to fall for the other princess! But, um… She didn’t. They were just really good friends, and then they both marry princes in the next book.” There was disappointment in her voice as she spoke.

“They always marry the prince.” The priestess got under the blankets, letting the other take her place sitting on the bed.

“Or a knight.” She shrugged, putting her hands together. “Oh lovely Gaia, tonight my prayers reach you in good will…”

The bed was warm and relaxing, a comforting reprieve from the sound of the ongoing storm outside. Siluka watched Lisette as she prayed, realizing that she had never gone to the ruins to dance for the spirits that day, and making a mental note to put her all into it tomorrow. She wondered how much more comfortable that bed could get with both of them in it.

The lamp was clicked off, leaving her to only see the faint silhouette of someone else getting under the covers. They both let out a small grumble as they bumped into each other, but then, their position came together naturally. Siluka put her arms around the other’s waist, resting her head into her collar, and Lisette put her hands by Siluka’s head and on her back, closing the distance between them.

“…Heehee. Through all the books I’ve read, I’ve wanted to be the princess, but holdin’ you… It makes me feel like you’re the princess.” The florist whispered, closing her eyes.

“Mmh… I think we’re both princesses...”

“I like the sound of that. I think I’d be a princess of flowers… What would you be a princess of?”

“…”

“Siluka?”

A gentle snoring.

“Oh..! Goodnight, sleep tight…”

~~~~~~

Birds chirped as the sun came through the window, beaming into the upstairs of the building, warmly landing on Siluka’s back. With a stir, she woke up, blinking a couple times. She was alone in bed, as she always was when she’d wake up. But this morning, her mind felt light and airy.

Across the room, in the kitchen, she could hear Lisette humming a tune, and see her working by the stove. With a tired grumble, she got up, walking into the kitchen.

“What’s for breakfast?” She asked, noticing the other jump.

“Ah-! I didn’t hear you wake up!” The florist looked over her shoulder, her aura getting pinker when her gaze landed on the other. “I’m makin’ omelets, Westown’s top breakfast! Y’ever had one?”

“I’ve heard of them, and I know what they are. Never had one.” She sat down at the dining table, looking at the window. “…Is that my dress?”

“Oh, yeah, I hung your dress over the sill to dry when I woke up. It might not end up completely dry, but it should get better than it was last night!”

“Mahalo. You’re very-“

Suddenly, the doorbell rang.

“Hm-?” Lisette turned around, confused. “The closed sign is still up, who could that be?”

“…I think I know.” Siluka got up, “I’ll come back up for breakfast.”

Going downstairs without another word, she could already see who was at the door through the windows. Pulling it open, it was as she expected.

“Siluka!” Iluka put her hands on her hips, her aura both red and a relieved green. “Having a good time with your girlfriend, hm? Leaving me home alone in a typhoon?”

“I fell asleep here and then I woke up when it was dark. Lisette let me stay since it was late.” Siluka winced at the bright sun, “I want to stay for breakfast. Can you wait?”

“Wait?! I came all the way out here to get you!”

“Then go see Wayne.” She said bluntly, watching her twin blush. “He’s always talking to you when he’s in Lulukoko. I’m sure he’ll like it if you do it instead.”

“Ah- fine!” She turned away, “You’re lucky it’s our day off… AND I’m glad that you’re okay!”

“Mmhm. I’m glad too.” Siluka smiled reassuringly, then turned around.

“I could hear Iluka from the window. Was she mad?” A voice asked as she got upstairs.

“Not more than usual. She’s going to see Wayne while we eat.” She sat back down at the dining table, “Is it done?”

“Almost.” Lisette plated what was in the frying pan, “Would you like anything specific on yours? I’ve got salt, pepper, butter, or cheese.”

“Plain is fine.” Being catered to made her feel appreciated, and she wondered what she could do in return. “You should come eat at the Carosello someday. I can’t give you a discount at work, but I can serve you extra nicely.”

“That’d be lovely, but I get so lost in the other towns. I’d have to ask Wayne if I could tag along while he’s on his mail route.” She looked remorseful as she came to the table, putting down a plate and a mug, then going back to get her own.

“He comes to the Carosello anyway when he finishes delivering mail. He says it’s because he can’t resist Iluka’s beauty, but I can sense the truth. He gets too hot in Lulukoko.” Siluka picked up the mug, smelling it and looking in. “This is… lemon tea?”

“Mmhm! If it’s too sour, I’ve got honey.” Lisette sat down with her own plate and mug, “Now, an important question, what would you be the princess of?”

“Hm…Natural medicines. Herbal remedies? Maybe just herbs…” She twirled her hair, thinking about it.

“The princess of flowers and the princess of herbs… Plants, that’s our kingdom, heehee.” The florist giggled and blushed as she pictured it.

“Would our people be plants too?”

“Hm… Two princesses, magical enough to have sentient plants as their kingdom’s people… I wonder if that’s a book.” Cutting into her food, she couldn’t get her mind off of the idea.

“It should be.” Siluka smiled.

“Oh, but I don’t know any writers, and I don’t read enough adult books to be good at writing.”

“Then write a children's book. Kids can read about two princesses.”

“…You’re right, Siluka. Thank you for the inspiration… teehee~!”

[zstargalaxy]

I like the Toriko x Pokemon AU, how about Toriko's interactions and reactions to us and our pokemon? Does he meet us during the Gararagator event?

TORIKO X POKEMON

Meeting Toriko

You will meet Toriko after the Garagator events that he and Komatsu had been through, like the Rainbow Fruit Arc or the Puffer Fish Arc.

I will make a separate fic/headcanon that is similar question to this but with all the Heavenly Kings and with specific pokemon for them to meet, like/are similar to but for now, lets focus on Toriko.

I always like to imagine your meeting with him during the two arcs that I had mentioned, specifically one about the adventures they have in getting the Rainbow Fruit.

The hot sun shine warmly upon your outing with your in all but blood brother, Komatsu at the Central Gourmet Wholesale Market where you had decided to give him a suprise visit two days ago and have a fun time together just like old times with your Pokémon. It was the battle for the fittest when you had announce to your hundreds of companions that you are going to visit Komatsu and are bringing some of them along for the trip.

Many are eagered to jump to the chance to meet their short chef friend again!

Which lead with you trying to evade a stampede of pokémon running all over the place to get a spot on the trip.

In the end, you had decided to bring one of your little Milceries along that had gotten very close to Komatsu, Appletun, Meganium, and Mimikyu, since it was left in the dust and you wanted to give it a little more attention.

Komatsu was bewildered two days ago at the news he got from one of the waiters about a someone waiting for them at the dining hall during minutes before closing, with two beasts that they cant recognized. One being a floating cream and the other a turtle-like beast with a crust as a shell.

Those descriptions were familiar to him as he went out to see who was waiting for him, in which it turned out to be you!

You two had chatted from evening until morning, yesterday 'till today, where you had catch up of what you two were doing so far in life as your pokémon enjoyed the food that you had both made for them all. If you two were outing in a outdoor eating establishment with your partners eating away the food in joy, people will stare and be shock at such strange Gourmet beasts. They have never seen something like them before.

One of them even teases about you two buying food for a doll until they realize it is actually alive!

The last day of your staying kinda took a turn when Komatsu was called for work to go to the Gourmet Market with an IGO Chief named Johannes, who came for something involving an ingredient.

Now, you have heard of the IGO, and their work, but you dont exactly put them in the lime light or any sort of light whatsoever. The organization kinda reminded you of some that are similar, but the name alone being spoken through your mouth made you feel like a pit is in your stomach, making you uncomfortable and uneasy. Yet, nonetheless, you just view them neutrally.

The same feeling came back when you look around the market. The place made you quasi whenever you see so many Gourmet beasts being sold and displayed out in the open. Back in your home world of pokemon, it never was like this Gourmet market place since majority of everyone in the planet is vegetarian with very little meat eaten. Even when meat is eaten, it never was sold like...this. Even after years of being here in this strange and unique of the Gourmet age, you will never understand some of it's customs.

"She's spunky" as you and Komatsu watch Tina, a news reporter for the "Gourmet News", switch personalities between on and off camera and being dragged away to prevent any toruble from intervening IGO business, you finally meet the man your brother has been talking about, Toriko.

Toriko didnt exactly felt any different to any of the Gourmet hunters you meet prior today, but his aura...it didnt take a genius to knew that this man is strong, and its not because of how he carried that Underbite Dragon . The Milcery, who was floating beside Komatsu had let out a cry and hid behind his head from the aura she had felt. Appletun, on the other hand, took a few steps back away from Toriko, feeling wary from what he felt in the man. Meganium and Mimikyu, who are in their pokeballs, shook abit.

It seems your Pokémon, too, had felt the aura...

There wasnt much interaction between you and Toriko. Komatsu had introduced the Heavenly King to once he had realize you are there.

Toriko was very curious about the creatures you have. He had never seem them before or recognise them from any data or encounter he had. The smell of Appletun quickly invaded his nose. It smells so good! The Heavenly King already had taken a swipe of pie skin from Appletun and ate it with a delighted moan from the taste, much to you and Komatsu's shock! He later on apologises but...

HE EVEN HAVE THE ODESCITY TO ASK TO HAVE A TASTE OF THEM!!!

It took all you could to stop yourself from growling and running away from the man as possible and preventing Appletun from using Dragon Rage on the man upon hearing the comment!

He may be an Apple Pie, and he may let it slide of Toriko taking a bite, but this dragon is one where you should earn it's respect!

This action kinda increase your thoughts subconsciously about Gourmet hunters being nothing but killers and eaters. Yes, we have to kill to eat food and to survive but the amount of animals at the market and how many times Gourmet hunters had come and try to hunt your pokemon back home....

It wasnt pretty.

Gourmet Tamers (atleast, he thinks you are one) are rare. And they dont just come off as genuine or great as they come but Toriko was definetly impressed and interested in hearing and meeting you and these so called "Pokémon" in person.

There were rumours from other Gourmet Hunters that he had heard from have told the same thing over and over again : how bloodthirsty and ruthless you are with your unimaginable beasts that could rivaled the 8 kings of the Gourmet World.

They werent entirely wrong. The way you have strategically ordered your pokemon through the Troll Kongs with Meganium's sun bean and vines, Milcery's attract, and Appletun's bullet seeds. Toriko raised a brow when he saw you releasing Mimikyu, a small rugged clotheds...thing, in front of the Kongs that were shaking and even slightly backing away...

You soon later on, after Toriko decided to use Knocking instead of killing one of the Troll Kongs, had learned that he may not be exactly like those Gourmet hunters you meet. He may eat alot like when he had eaten a thousand dishes at the Gourmet Hotel, is a glutton, loves big juicy beasts but he has his morals in hunting, and that is to kill what he wents to eat, not for the thrill.

You may have gotten a new shine in the Gourmet Hunters....for now.

OMG...this is so long! I might gonna redo this but man, this was long so I hope I have answered tou questions! And sorry for the long wait...i have gotten lazy and busy at the same time due to me being tired from school. But I am back! 😀

[yourtoradorasextendedwarranty]

Boycott Youtube

Inflammatory headline I know but it needs to be said. We need to displace youtube in the market. If you watch this video, Henry makes something pretty clear. That of which being that it seem like bots are handing out strikes now to channels and he can't even get a human to review his videos anymore.

And if I'm being honest, people need to stop giving Amazon and Google so much power over their lives. Youtubing IS a job. It's an entertainment job with a lot that goes into it. And if youtube can't keep up with traffic then they need to hire more people, or implement a system in which if you have over X number of videos (in the 100's) you have to pay them to keep posting with none being deleted. It would stop garbage from being posted in bulk, or at least slow it down, and it would weed out the people not dedicated enough to make it on the platform.

What's more, after this 100+ threshold you could have creator system in place where they can pick which ones stay up and which ones auto delete if you don't pay to keep them on. Sure, a lot of archives would be gone and that sucks, but since people are CLEARLY not willing to give platforms like Rumble or others a chance, OR are not willing to sue youtube for blatant abuses of law, then we need to fight for change by having youtubers at the top demand change. Google sell US AS PEOPLE to other companies. WE ARE the product. They need to get their heads out of their asses.

They can afford to hire more people. They just chose not to. And it hurts creators. Either people need to find a way to create a viable alternative to youtube, or we need to force youtube to change. Either by wholesale throttling traffic to their site, or getting some of their top creators to sacrifice a few months of income to prove a point. I know this might be a pipe dream but we need to make waves here. And it's frustrating. In an ACTUAL capitalist system, youtube would have actual competition. However in the Corporatist system we live in the political machine, and the news keep other sites from gaining prominence. And we see it with every single site that tries to usurp Youtube. "Oh they claim to be for free speech but they have NAZI'S ON THEIR PLATFROM". Oh? You mean like your platform YOUTUBE has pedophiles, rapists, al qaeda and other acts of terrorism and recruitment to such on the site. You mean how I can go on to Youtube right now and find hardcore porn?

I don't care if a PLATFORM has nazi's on it. Shame them, and move about on your way. Stop giving youtube your money. Otherwise they will never change.

[candiirabbitart]

I think its so cool that you have your work in so many stores! Do you have any tips on how to get art into a local storefront? I've been wanting to do it and cold called two businesses once, one straight up said no and the other seemed interested until I gave my pricing (maybe it was too high? idk). I have keychains and stickers that would go well in game shops I feel like

Thank you so much! I am actually quite lucky to live in an area where there are many opportunities for independent artists like myself.

I actually have been rejected by a few places, and I tried contacting a store with their applications open THREE times and never got a response, and even tried my local manga shop that sells a variety of anime and japanese culture goods but they said they currently had no intentions of working with local artists. So you're not at all alone!

There are SO MANY places nowadays that are open to artists. Small business, bookstores, coffee shops, cafes, comic/manga/game stores, nerdy stores, artist collectives, markets, conventions, galleries.

Try to get connected with artists in your area, they might know of places and things you've never tried. please make sure you have a portfolio ready to show ANYONE that includes your main focuses and best works. If you're going in person, please bring some of your products to show as examples.

Please make sure you have bio/description of your brand/services ready to go "I am candiirabbit, a self-taught illustrator. Creating cute and whimsical art in a nostalgic retro anime style. Pulling inspiration from rabbits, jfashion, magical girls,  and fairy tales, I make a variety of goods and art that celebrates the magic in life." you want to make sure you use descriptors that encompass your style, products, themes, etc to make it easy for them to understand quickly what you're offering.

Some places will have you rent a space with possible extra commission fees. (e.g. $25/month + 10% fee on sales) Some will go by consignment, which will be you get the majority of your sales, while the store keeps whatever percentage you've agreed on. (e.g. 60/40) Some will buy wholesale, so you will make your money upfront in that purchase, but it might not be as much as other routes, but it is a guaranteed sale.

People recommend AROUND 30-50% your retail price is general wholesale price. This will differ from person to person, you decide. Please make sure you know what your production cost is so that you are not losing money. (e.g. $10 production, $20 wholesale, $30 retail) This helps to make sure you're still making money even through wholesale, especially if you have a lot of expenses in your art business. Please make sure you have a list of wholesale prices ready IF YOU ARE OFFERING WHOLESALE. Generally people will have a minimum purchase for wholesale like $100+.

There is another option if you don't have many places in your area. Some collectives and stores will have artists from out of state or another country mail their goods to them. Usually I find that these places will be VERY strict with quality and theme/aesthetic/styles, so please be aware of that.

Some places will have you creates your own set up and displays. You might even have to package and label your own goods in a professional way. And always remember business cards!

I hope this was helpful, please reach out if I missed something! Good luck and have fun!

[octuscle]

My boss has been giving me shit ever since I got this job. If I could just put him in his place for one day…

Your boss's day is off to a great start. Power cut. And the Tesla is not charged. The only way to get to the office is by bus and suburban train. He hates public transport. But what should he do? At the bus stop, he pulls out his cell phone to buy his ticket. All around him are schoolchildren and wetbacks on their way to work. Damn, did he pocket the cell phone of his cleaning lady from Colombia? All in Spanish. And the phone far from his own brand new show-off model. And already has a few scratches too... Maldita sea! Why can't he buy a ticket now? Tarjeta bloqueada. That's all he needs. His not-so-clean trousers hang low on his narrow hips. The waistband of his fake Calvin Klein briefs is clearly visible. When the bus arrives, he rummages in his deep trouser pockets for a few dollars. Just enough to buy a ticket.

When your boss changes trains, he realizes that his briefcase is gone. Where the hell did the hip bag come from instead? He looks inside. Tobacco, cigarette papers, a few crumpled dollar bills, some weed. And condoms. Lots and lots of condoms. His gaze falls on his reflection in the window pane. Mierda, soy un espalda mojada. ¡Un sucio y apestoso espalda mojada! Instead of his spotless white shirt, he wears a dirty wifebeater. And the jacket has become a sleeveless open plaid shirt. Not entirely clean either. His feet are in dirty biker boots. A couple of silver chains around his neck. Shit, something's not going well. When he arrives at the station, he walks towards the toilets. He needs a mirror. Sporty and dynamic, he jumps over the turnstile at the entrance. He has no more money to use the toilets. There are the mirrors. And that's no longer your boss. Okay, the other hustlers at the station all call Juan "jefe" because he has the biggest cock. But apart from that, he's nothing but a well-trained wetback hustler.

One of the other hustlers comes up to jefe and asks for a fag. Juan panics. Should he be nice to the scum? Juan will probably need help. On the other hand, the mere presence of this gay trash makes him nauseous. At least he speaks English. Juan decides to be friendly. And he tries to reply that they can share a fag. He replies in broken English with a heavy Spanish accent. The other hustler thanks him with a fist bump. He doesn't seem surprised by the language. Juan builds a cigarette, takes a first drag and passes the fag on. While they smoke in a corner of the train toilet, a punter wanders around them. Juan doesn't think much about it. He needs money. And it can't get much worse than this. His eyes and those of the punter meet. The rest happens without a word. A few minutes later, Juan kneels on the piss-strewn floor of the toilet and swallows the cum of a strange man. And he's a pro, he gets a hard-on even though the punter is rather disgusting.

It gets quieter from 10:00 onwards. The rush hour is over. There's nothing to do at the station until 16:00. Juan counts his takings. 120 dollars. Not bad. He joins the other hustlers at the kiosk in front of the station, smokes a cigarette and drinks a beer. He needs to get rid of that damn taste of cum from old fat white men. Then Juan has to go to the wholesale market and clean the market halls. He's definitely no longer the boss here. The job is also badly paid, but he has to prove he has a regular job so as not to lose his residence permit. And there are showers for the employees. If he goes back to the station sweaty and dirty, he can forget about good sales.

Juan is just getting out of the shower when a regular customer contacts him via Facetime. He asks how his favorite slut is doing. Juan poses a little in front of the cell phone camera. He doesn't understand English very well, but he knows that his customer gets horny when he shows off his hairy armpits. And the customer pays well. Most of the time, Juan even gets a bit to eat. And if he's lucky, he can even spend the night with the client and doesn't have to go to the dirty dormitory where Juan has currently rented a bed. But if he's not lucky, at least he knows where his place is.

Pic of your jefe found @marechais 

[literaticat]

Hi, Jenn! I was wondering: I know supply chain issues are still a thing, but how much lead time do publishers usually need for a YA book? I heard you need to finalize everything a YEAR before publication? Is that still true?

This is not a supply chain issue per se, it's always been the case that there needs to be a long lead time. Typically the due date for a (non-illustrated) book is around a year before pub date. Ideally, it's then able to be made into galleys/ARCs around 9 months before pub date, and it's ready to print, absolutely no more changes, around 6 months before pub date. A typical timeline might look something like this:

Book sells in mid-late 2022 with a mid-2024 pub date. Contract comes late 2022, and edits ensue in January 2023. There are a couple back-and-forths, final draft is due June 2023. Book goes into copyediting in June, and there are a couple rounds of pass pages where mistakes can be fixed, etc, in July/August, and it is proofread and absolutely done by October 2023. Then it goes into the long queue for printing. Once it has printed, sometime in early Spring 2024, then the final books get shipped back to this country (literal ship. very slow boats.), sent to warehouses around the country, and then distributed to bookstores and wholesalers, each step of which is a whole weeks-long process, and god help us if something happens to a ship or a truck or whatever along the way.

And then in June 2024 - Happy Book Birthday!

Meanwhile also in January/February 2023, the cover is starting to get talked about, the author gives input, they choose an illustrator (or whatever). By June there are sketches, by the end of summer the cover is final, by September the ARC is being distributed (the ARC is generally made from first pass pages -- ie, there still may be some mistakes -- they can't wait for the final-final. That's why they say "NOT FINAL" all over them).

Why does the ARC need to be done 9 months before the book is out? For two reasons: Bookstores need a lot of lead time. The catalogue for Spring/Summer 2024 probably comes out in August/September 2023, and the publisher's sales team is selling Spring/Summer 2024 titles to bookstores in Fall 2023. So all that marketing material (like ARCs, the catalogue copy, the cover, etc) all needs to be in place BEFORE the sales reps get out there and bookstores start placing their orders. Also, review outlets want at least 6 months lead time as well, and we REALLY want reviews!

It might vary a bit by publisher, but this would be what I'd consider a perfectly normal, average timeline for a novel. It *could* certainly be LONGER — and probably WOULD be longer — for a picture book or anything illustrated, and the supply chain issues and whatnot of last year did mean lots of things got pushed because even with a generous timeline they simply were not ready when expected.

It couldn’t really be a SHORTER timeline and still be a normal book: If it were to go faster than this, it'd be a "crash" book -- this can happen for sure, I've had books come out and be on shelves the same year that they got offered on -- but it adds a layer of expense and drama that publishers are not undertaking unless there's a very good reason.

ETA:

Also bear in mind: Yours is not the only book. So while all this is happening for your book, it's also happening for dozens of other books at the same time -- and still more books are at some other stage in the process while this is happening for you. I think it's easy to think like "ugh, why does everything take so long" -- and this timeline might give you some insight, but it still feels like a very long time! -- but remember, it's not like "oh, we have this one book we are working on, let's take three months getting it from point A to point B because we are slowpokes who like to screw with authors" -- rather, it's "we have dozens (or for a huge publisher across many imprints, HUNDREDS) of books coming out in the same season, and ALL of them need to be ready and to a place at a certain time, and it keeps happening, month after month" -- it's like a whole logistical dance that takes many people to pull off, and frankly it's amazing to me that it works as well as it does as often as it does.

[bread-tab]

i bought a cheap squishy toy and it smells like something i should definitely not be inhaling at all (kind of like gas/petrol but more factory-plasticky? i'm a retail drone not a chemist) and, of course, it was made in china.

("of course" not so much because of the price or quality but because everything is. at every price range and standard, tbh. i'm not trying to say everything made in china sucks. for the tumblr-pedantic record. rip to the workers in the stinky plastic factory though. :/)

so i was like "if this was made in america i could figure out where. we put the company address on everything here. but can i do that with an overseas company?" and the answer is yes maybe (i found the import/middleman companies and there are "trading" websites that track this stuff) but also no because i can't read mandarin. (sorry ancestors)

anyway that's how i find out about this place

yiwu "market" aka "international trade city." alleged "world's largest wholesale market." the mall to end all malls. this place sells stuff to the entire world by the shipping container. didn't even slightly exist in 1980; now does billions of dollars in trade annually which supports a city of 2 million people. which previously was just. like. a farming village.

(btw take this info with a grain of salt *please* i got it from youtube, google and wikipedia and i'm existing in an incredulous sleep-deprived haze)

literally miles of showrooms of every random manufactured item you can imagine. toys, clothes, electronics, household goods, christmas decorations...

i cannot stress enough that we do not have this kind of thing here. (... do we?) but. we have the stuff. this is where all the stuff is from. all roads lead to yiwu, apparently

sometimes you just get reminded... world big. but also. world interconnected. not so small after all. but so connected.

[shazwan-iman]

Unveiling the Logistics of Tea Packaging

The Hidden Journey: Unveiling the Logistics of Tea Packaging

From the verdant fields where tea leaves are meticulously plucked to the shelves of your local store, tea undergoes a fascinating journey. And within this voyage, one crucial step often goes unnoticed – the logistics of tea packaging. More than just slapping a label on a box, efficient tea packaging ensures the delicate leaves reach you fresh, flavorful, and ready to be enjoyed. Let's delve into the intricate world of tea packaging logistics, exploring the planning, processes, and considerations that bring this essential beverage to your cup.

From Leaf to Label: The Planning Stage

Before a single tea bag is filled, meticulous planning sets the stage for efficient packaging logistics. Here's what goes on behind the scenes:

Understanding Market Demands: Accurate forecasts of anticipated sales volume and consumer preferences for loose leaf tea versus bagged tea are crucial for determining packaging needs.

Material Selection: The type of tea, desired level of protection, and sustainability goals influence the selection of packaging materials. Tins offer excellent protection for delicate teas but might not be the most eco-friendly option. Conversely, compostable pouches are ideal for sustainability but might not be suitable for long-term storage.

Inventory Management: Maintaining a balanced inventory of packaging materials based on production schedules and anticipated demand is essential to avoid stockouts or overstocking.

Production Planning: Production schedules are meticulously planned to ensure packaging materials are readily available during the processing and packaging stages.

Effective planning lays the groundwork for smooth and efficient packaging logistics, ensuring the right materials are available at the right time to meet production demands.

The Art of Filling: From Bulk to Individual Servings

Once the tea leaves have undergone processing and any necessary blending, the magic of filling takes place:

Bulk Packaging: For large quantities of tea destined for wholesalers or further processing, bulk packaging in airtight containers like drums or sealed bags ensures secure transportation and storage.

Loose Leaf Packaging: For loose leaf tea sold directly to consumers, specialized filling machines ensure accurate and consistent measurements. These machines often incorporate weigh scales and automated filling mechanisms to minimize human error and maintain quality control.

Bagged Tea Packaging: For bagged tea, high-speed filling machines work tirelessly. These machines feed filter paper or mesh bags with pre-measured tea portions, seal them securely, and attach the all-important string and tag.

The filling process plays a vital role in ensuring consistent quality and maintaining the proper weight of tea in each package. Modern filling technologies not only increase efficiency but also contribute to maintaining product integrity.

Sealing the Deal: Securing Freshness and Protection

After the tea is meticulously filled, sealing becomes paramount:

Heat Sealing: For bagged tea and some pouch packaging, heat sealing utilizes heat to create a secure and airtight bond, protecting the tea from external elements like moisture and air.

Lids and Closures: Tins and some boxes rely on secure lids and closures to ensure a tight seal, preventing contamination and preserving freshness.

Leakproof Measures: During transportation and storage, packaging needs to withstand potential bumps or jostles. Leakproof seals are essential to prevent spillage or damage to the tea.

Proper sealing ensures the tea remains fresh and protected throughout its journey from production to your cupboard.

The Journey Continues: Storage, Distribution, and Beyond

Once packaged, the tea's journey continues:

Storage: Tea is typically stored in a cool, dry, and dark environment to maintain optimal freshness. Warehousing facilities play a crucial role in ensuring proper storage conditions.

Distribution: Depending on the destination, tea can be transported by land, sea, or air. Temperature-controlled containers may be necessary for delicate teas to prevent spoilage during transportation.

Retail Packaging: For retail sales, additional packaging elements like outer boxes or display cases might be used to enhance shelf presence and brand visibility.

The logistics extend beyond the packaging itself, encompassing storage, distribution, and even the final presentation on store shelves.

Unveiling the Mysteries: FAQs on Tea Packaging Logistics

1. How does the type of tea impact packaging logistics?

Delicate teas like white tea or high-grade oolong require packaging materials with superior light and moisture resistance, such as tins or foil pouches. Everyday black teas or herbal blends might be more suited for flexible pouches with good resealable closures.

2. What are some considerations for sustainable tea packaging logistics?

Sustainable sourcing of packaging materials like using recycled paper or biodegradable films is becoming increasingly important. Additionally, minimizing unnecessary packaging materials and ensuring packaging is easily recyclable or compostable contributes to a more eco-friendly supply chain.

3. How does technology play a role in tea packaging logistics (continued)?

Modern filling machines and automated systems improve efficiency and accuracy while minimizing human error. Additionally, inventory management software helps maintain optimal stock levels for packaging materials. Furthermore, tracking systems can monitor the location and condition of tea shipments throughout the supply chain, ensuring proper storage temperatures and timely delivery.

4. What are some of the challenges faced in tea packaging logistics?

Maintaining Freshness: Preserving the delicate aroma and flavor of tea throughout the packaging process and transportation remains a key challenge. Utilizing high-quality materials and proper storage conditions are crucial.

Balancing Cost and Sustainability: Sustainable packaging materials often come at a higher cost than traditional options. Finding a balance between affordability and environmental responsibility is an ongoing consideration.

Managing Inventory: Accurately forecasting demand and maintaining optimal inventory levels of packaging materials can be tricky. Overstocking leads to storage costs and potential material obsolescence, while understocking can lead to production delays.

5. What innovations are shaping the future of tea packaging logistics?

Smart Packaging: The integration of sensors and RFID tags in packaging could provide real-time information on temperature and humidity during transportation, allowing for better monitoring and control of tea quality.

Sustainable Materials: Research and development in biodegradable and compostable materials with superior barrier properties offer promising alternatives for more eco-friendly packaging solutions.

Automation: Automation in warehousing and distribution can further improve efficiency and minimize the risk of damage during storage and transportation.

In conclusion, the world of tea packaging logistics is a complex yet fascinating ecosystem. From meticulous planning to innovative technologies, every step ensures the tea reaches you in the best possible condition. By understanding these intricate aspects, we appreciate the journey behind this cherished beverage and the tireless efforts involved in bringing it to your cup. As the tea industry continues to evolve, so too will the logistics of packaging. Sustainable materials, automation, and real-time monitoring hold the promise of a future where tea reaches consumers even fresher, while minimizing environmental impact. So, the next time you raise a cup of tea, take a moment to acknowledge the silent heroes of the journey – the logistics of tea packaging.

[magnetothemagnificent]

Wheres the best place to buy tallit katan online? And do the tzitzit come knotted?

Depends what kind you're looking for.

There are independent textile artists on etsy and online that make custom tallitot as part of different movements and stuff, and there are plenty of online wholesale stores. Word of warning for etsy and amazon, though- the market is saturated with Messianic Christian "tzizit", which are literally just fancy keychains honestly. Any tzizit that come unattached to a garment and are just made on a keychain or clip should be avoided. They're not kosher and they're most likely Christian.

My family is Chabad, so I wear a simple Chabad-style tallit katan, which I bought from Eichler's. They have many traditional options, some coming with pre-tied tzizit and some without.

I've seen some gorgeous tallitot on the Tallis Man website, too.

You can buy tallitot on amazon, too, although the quality varies.

Judaica Place also sells tallitot.

Most of the time they come pre-knotted, but you can always double check. Also I highly recommend learning how to tie tzizit according to the Minhag you want to follow, it comes it handy if you ever need to replace the strings (which is obviously cheaper than buying an entirely new garment).