Community Chat

[kivah]

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@chickenbone wrote:

It's by design to put the Mom & Pops out of business. Think about it.

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You got it. Destroy small businesses - eliminate jobs in America - and make enemy countries RICHER!!!!

[Duckncover]

I was in WM today and several people had as many multipacks of tp as they could fit in the shopping cart. Guess there was no limit since I saw several people checking out with no problem. I know Costco has put limits on paper products but I have not seen limits anywhere else so far. 
I had a list of 12 things I needed that Kroger has not had in weeks.....and WM was out of 5 of the things on my list also. They did have four frozen turkey breasts but had probably been there since last Thanksgiving, so I passed. 

[icezeus]

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@Duckncover wrote:

I was in WM today and several people had as many multipacks of tp as they could fit in the shopping cart. Guess there was no limit since I saw several people checking out with no problem. I know Costco has put limits on paper products but I have not seen limits anywhere else so far. 
I had a list of 12 things I needed that Kroger has not had in weeks.....and WM was out of 5 of the things on my list also. They did have four frozen turkey breasts but had probably been there since last Thanksgiving, so I passed. 

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@Duckncover 

That literally made me laugh out loud.

It annoys me though the people with all of the TP.  I understand being prepared, but filling up your cart with all of the TP that could fit is just selfish and hoarding.

[hckynut]

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@gardenman wrote:

The way shipping containers are loaded and unloaded now is a bit slow and clunky. The containers are a uniform size (well sizes) and the whole loading and unloading process could be fully automated because of that. It would take ship redesign, container redesign, and port redesign, but it's doable. A large shipping container ship will have 5,000 or more containers on it. They're typically lifted off one by one. That takes time. Lots of time. 

Redesigning the port so the ships enter a lock and are settled onto a flat bottom or other support for stability, then interconnected containers are simply rolled off onto conveyor belts like paper towels are pulled from a roll and you could empty a full-sized ship in a few hours. Then have the outgoing containers ready to go and have them slid aboard the ship and then flood the lock and off the ship goes. It's a very doable option. You could take the turnaround time from days to hours.  

It would take a big upfront investment and you'd be fighting the port workers' unions who don't want ship loading and unloading automated, but it could change the way shipping is done on a very large scale in a very short period of time. Ships don't make money in ports. They make money when they're moving. The more they move the more money they make. Time spent loading and unloading is money lost. Speed up those processes and you make more money.

@gardenman 

Not much of what you said makes 1 iota of difference when we are talking about the present. Not " could be if unions, and on and on".  The ships "cannot get to the ports". Why? The same reason you see "help wanted signs" on so many businesses.

A ship has to port to get unloaded, and workers are needed to unload them. After they do get unloaded there is only so much room to store them. So!!! Ship them out you say! Sounds simple, but since there is a massive shortage of truck drivers, guess what? 

I could go on and on, but I will leave it at this. I worked in manufacturing for 33 years. It made no difference how much telephone wire was made, if the subsequent jobs to finish making the cable are short workers? Hello! Wire I made stacks up, and no cable is made.

That is the way making something and the end result of getting it to a customer may sound easy? When you have anywhere from 5-10 steps to go through to accomplish that, you need coordination, and more importantly, workers.

The way you see things! The way I SAW things working for those 33 years in all aspects of manufacturing, including inspecting and shipping departments.

hckynut 

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[hckynut]

@DiAnne 

"Self driving 18 Wheelers"?  He!! the "self driving cars" are still being figured out. Most of us will be long gone before self driving "trucks". And who knows, by then they may have to be electricity powered 18 wheelers. That I would love to see, from a distance of course.

hckynut 

[Drythe]

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@kivah wrote:

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@gardenman wrote:

The way shipping containers are loaded and unloaded now is a bit slow and clunky. The containers are a uniform size (well sizes) and the whole loading and unloading process could be fully automated because of that. It would take ship redesign, container redesign, and port redesign, but it's doable. A large shipping container ship will have 5,000 or more containers on it. They're typically lifted off one by one. That takes time. Lots of time. 

Redesigning the port so the ships enter a lock and are settled onto a flat bottom or other support for stability, then interconnected containers are simply rolled off onto conveyor belts like paper towels are pulled from a roll and you could empty a full-sized ship in a few hours. Then have the outgoing containers ready to go and have them slid aboard the ship and then flood the lock and off the ship goes. It's a very doable option. You could take the turnaround time from days to hours.  

It would take a big upfront investment and you'd be fighting the port workers' unions who don't want ship loading and unloading automated, but it could change the way shipping is done on a very large scale in a very short period of time. Ships don't make money in ports. They make money when they're moving. The more they move the more money they make. Time spent loading and unloading is money lost. Speed up those processes and you make more money.

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Hundreds of ships are sitting in the Pacific Ocean - tens of thousands of containers not being unloaded in several Los Angeles Ports. They claim there's no one to unload the containers --- not true!!!! Goal is to increase the prices of all our goods/products - and pay higher taxes - and make Americans poorer.

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@kivah 

Ah, yes, The evil “they”.  

Take a look at American taxes, when, how much, whose, and who raised them  last?   🔔 

[Drythe]

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@kivah wrote:

If we manufactured and produced products in America - we wouldn't be waiting at the docks for cargo to arrive from Asia. It's all about destroying America.

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@kivah 

America started purchasing out of the country because WE wanted access to cheaper goods.

Everyone discussing destroying America, should have a good long look in the mirror.

[hckynut]

@Drythe 

I fully agree with your post to @kivah. The big manufacturers left the United States for a reason, and you supplied that reason. Cheaper labor/cheaply made products, along with the big difference in the Import/Export costs.

Can this ever be reversed? Not in my lifetime!

hckynut 

[Drythe]

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@hckynut wrote:

@DiAnne 

"Self driving 18 Wheelers"?  He!! the "self driving cars" are still being figured out. Most of us will be long gone before self driving "trucks". And who knows, by then they may have to be electricity powered 18 wheelers. That I would love to see, from a distance of course.

hckynut 

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@hckynut  @DiAnne 

I’m thinking trains, more efficient, tracks pretty much there, few people to manage one HUGE train.