Ritz Crackers, <i> or: The Yanks Are Coming </i>

10/27/2006 - Ritz Crackers, or: The Yanks Are Coming

Someone please tell me if I'm overreacting, but I discovered something in the grocery mart down my street that worries me big time: Ritz Crackers. Added to this the arrival of Oreo Cookies back in March, and Ocean Spray fruit juices... I mean, a lot of people are worried about those "thieving, lazy," immigrant workers that arrive on a daily basis, which has led to an outburst of discrimination I couldn't even imagine ten years ago, but frankly the Ritz Crackers worry me, while the immigrant workers don't.

There are a lot of construction sites around town, and the ones where Dutch people are supposed to be working, always seem to be at a standstill, while Polish workers simply get the job done. If you shop at a place owned by a Turk, or an African or whatever, the owner will help you bring your stuff to your car, while Dutch clerks always seem disinterested and are invariably chewing gum with their mouths open... I'm a big fan of immigrant workers. There are fears that these people, esp. the Muslim ones, are a threat to our culture, etc., but at the very least they may teach us a thing or two about work ethic, and service. They're truly at par with North Americans.

Which brings me back to the Ritz cracker. That's something I do fear will hurt our culture. It isn't of course just the Ritz Cracker... It's the steady influx of American brands, for which there is perfectly good Dutch, or European alternative. I mean, I know two European products available at the same grocery mart, that have a different shape, but taste exactly the same as Ritz Crackers. Yet, somehow the American stuff is ten cents cheaper, and will probably drive the other products out of business, if they don't lower their prices. The same with Oreo cookies. It's nice to have jet cookies, but we have enough cookies of our own, why do we need them?

It's also the decrease in variation they cause. I've traveled a lot. Well, not a lot, but to a lot of places, and what I like a lot about it is the fact that you encounter different brands everywhere. I've eaten Chilean yoghurt, drank Uruguayan water, etc., etc., but I fear that there will be a time when shops throughout the world will sell only Dasani water, Lay's chips, Coca Cola, and that every town will have the same KFC, McDonald's, and Taco Bell restaurants. An action plan may be required here. Any ideas?

Yet, North Americans can take my comment about immigrants at par with them as a huge compliment. The quality of service I got in the US and Canada was almost scary at first. If America does want to leave its mark on our market, let them teach store clerks about service.

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10/27/2006 - Ritz Crackers

Posted by SilverWind

I found reading all about the immigrant workers quite intresting it is amazing how the same kinds of problems can exsist all around the world.

As for the ritz crackers, I feel for you, and I can sympathize with your plight at wanting to keep your own local brands in your stores. I like to travel, and if I were overseas I would not want to just see all the same stuff I could get at home.

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