Official "Seattle Freeze" Discussion Thread (Redmond: new house, swimming)

[CCCVDUR]

Originally Posted by blondandfun

yeah, target is like that everywhere in a major city... It's obvious from the turnover I've seen that that company treats it's employees like trash.

Go to trader joes, those cashiers deserve 2 thumbs up.

Is Trader Joes Unionized?
How about Whole Foods?
Costco certainly is, how about REI?
Santa Fe and Flagstaff need more UNIONIZED stores like in Seattle. These two cities are anti-all growth and can't seem to differentiate between "blue companies" vs. the others.
The locals, even the Elite Liberals, don't understand that recruiting Unionized stores (vs. non-unionized) would bring more jobs to help the economy.
Prescott, AZ has matured, and now has a Costco and a Trader Joes is forthcoming.

[Jennibc]

Originally Posted by Tom Lane

Is Trader Joes Unionized?
How about Whole Foods?
Costco certainly is, how about REI?
Santa Fe and Flagstaff need more UNIONIZED stores like in Seattle. These two cities are anti-all growth and can't seem to differentiate between "blue companies" vs. the others.
The locals, even the Elite Liberals, don't understand that recruiting Unionized stores (vs. non-unionized) would bring more jobs to help the economy.
Prescott, AZ has matured, and now has a Costco and a Trader Joes is forthcoming.

Where are you reading that Costco is unionized? I don't believe it is unless this is a very recent development. They have always paid their folks really well and given them benefits, so no union necessary. And yes, Seattle has growth ordinances. Maybe you are talking about outlying areas when you talk about blue collar workers living there but unless they bought homes in the first half of the eighties or earlier, you won't find much of a working class living in-city because of the outrageous price of housing there.

Edit- just googled Costco and union and found that stores in CA, VA, and NY are unionized but none in WA. Those in unions amount to about 15% of the entire workforce and was the result of Costco purchasing Price Club stores which were already unionized. The rest of the stores are not unionized. Costco always paid its people well even before acquiring unionized stores.

[CCCVDUR]

Originally Posted by Jennibc

Where are you reading that Costco is unionized? I don't believe it is unless this is a very recent development. They have always paid their folks really well and given them benefits, so no union necessary. And yes, Seattle has growth ordinances. Maybe you are talking about outlying areas when you talk about blue collar workers living there but unless they bought homes in the first half of the eighties or earlier, you won't find much of a working class living in-city because of the outrageous price of housing there.

Edit- just googled Costco and union and found that stores in CA, VA, and NY are unionized but none in WA. Those in unions amount to about 15% of the entire workforce and was the result of Costco purchasing Price Club stores which were already unionized. The rest of the stores are not unionized. Costco always paid its people well even before acquiring unionized stores.

Many thanks for the clarification and new information about Price Club. Costco is on the Blue Fund of companies because they have liberal values, such as good pay and benefits as you point out:
A Mutual Fund That Plays Politics

[DarkHumour]

My Seattle rant/opinions/observations

I moved to Seattle back in 2006. I was fed up with Chicago's nonsense (and other personal reasons). I did have relatives in Oregon but I had a distaste (unfairly) for what I perceived Portland to be (hippies and homeless). In hindsite that town was probably closer to what I wanted in a city (top 20 size wise, decent public transportation, jobs/opportunity, and NOT in "Chebus"ville).

I put most of my stuff into storage, stayed with a friend in the suburbs for a few weeks, and just picked up and went. I didn't have a job lined up but I did purchase a cell phone with a local number (206) several months before going. So that local companies could call me and it would be a local number. Few did. That should have been an omen.

It took a while but eventually got work temping in a factory in North Bend. None of the agencies I registered with had office work and never mind that I had a degree in engineering, decade tech support experience, etc... I was trying to find full time employment (direct hire) as dealing with technical recruiters is as pleasant as sucking on a bile popsicle.

I constantly applied to jobs at the University. I initially received a hopeful response from HR and I was psyched but like most tech opportunities they disappear into some kind of vortex - as though the opening never actually existed.

Getting someone to return a call for either employment or housing seemed to be asking too much. I couldn't believe the seeming indifference or craptackular customer service when it came to renting apartments. If you're not going to answer the phone, return calls, or give me some idea when something is available then why did you post an ad?

Eventually I got an apartment in lower Queen Anne. It surprised me that it was cheaper than the shacks around the U-dub. I could see the space needle from my building's parking lot.

The area has a grey overcast most of the time. Not just the weather. People were polite but seemed hollow. My apartment building didn't have annoying neighbors with loud music. It was quiet. Almost too quiet. Oh no, is *everyone* in my building a serial killer ? I also got a call from the landlady about smelling cigarette smoke in the hallway near my door. I replied that #1) I don't smoke and #2) I wouldn't violate my lease agreement. Sigh. Is this the 'nanny-state' that some right wing nutjobs complain about ?

There is also a grumbling just below the surface anger / class warfare going on. I guess a bunch of real estate speculators came up in the 80s and 90s from California and so people from that locale seems to be particuarly loathed.

No one seemed to be homegrown. Everyone I met was from somewhere else. Even the "Chicago Hot Dog stand" was run by a guy from Utah. I just thought that was funny.

Anyway, I didn't find a corporate gig (grew weary of broken english 1099 offered sub-subcontracts at basement rates) Every third rate/world technical recruiter seemed to be hustling for scraps from the big companies like tickbirds off the back of a rhino.

In 2007 did vote in the pacific highway "viaduct" referendum which offered two non-binding options for their upkeep or improvements. Both sucked. Both got a majority "NO". The governor wanted one thing and the mayor wanted another. Hmm, am I back in Illinois ?

I thought it was stupid to spend millions(?) of dollars on what was basically a poll.

After only nine months or so I returned to Chicago. I guess I missed out on the five minutes of sunshine. (snarkity snark).

Both towns have serious dysfunctions but I at least understand or can tolerate Chicago/The Midwest.

If I was 15-20 years younger, found a cubicle job, or some kind of "love connection" I may have stayed out there longer. Maybe Seattle will be the town I thought it was in about 15-20 years from now?

[VeronikaW]

Witnessed the freeze amongst children yesterday.

I was in Safeway, and there were two little sisters in the produce department getting some fruit. They were approached by another little girl who went up to them and said, "Hi, my name is Alyssa, what's your name." She was met with silence, but continued, "I'm 6, how old are you?" Reluctantly the older girl said, "I'm 7 and she's 4." The first little girl continued, "I'm shopping and I'm without my mom...." and she kept talking, but the two little girls just brushed past her without saying anything else to her and walked away.

The poor first little girl was lost, and presumably went to talk to the other two little girls because they were the "safest" people to talk to. I helped her find her mom.

That episode is starting to make me think regardless how good the schools are, I'm not sure I want to raise my kids here.

[toughguy]

It's hilarious that you think children are aware of social customs.

[SonicsFan93]

Originally Posted by toughguy

It's hilarious that you think children are aware of social customs.

Agreed.

[stuckinseattle]

It's bizarre that you two think children don't act like their parents and surrounding culture.

I have observed this too, VeronikaW, it's really twisted.

[shoegal111]

Originally Posted by toughguy

It's hilarious that you think children are aware of social customs.

Children behave like the adults around them. A 4 year old I could see being awkward and not having a full grasp of social custom. But by 7 they should. At least where I grew up, mostly lived (one exception) and in the places where my relatives live, a 7 year old knows better than to behave like that. It's right up there with knowing when and why to say "please" and "thank you".

[Topaz]

Originally Posted by VeronikaW

Witnessed the freeze amongst children yesterday.

I was in Safeway, and there were two little sisters in the produce department getting some fruit. They were approached by another little girl who went up to them and said, "Hi, my name is Alyssa, what's your name." She was met with silence, but continued, "I'm 6, how old are you?" Reluctantly the older girl said, "I'm 7 and she's 4." The first little girl continued, "I'm shopping and I'm without my mom...." and she kept talking, but the two little girls just brushed past her without saying anything else to her and walked away.

The poor first little girl was lost, and presumably went to talk to the other two little girls because they were the "safest" people to talk to. I helped her find her mom.

That episode is starting to make me think regardless how good the schools are, I'm not sure I want to raise my kids here.

An incident very similar to this one was one of the last straws that made me want to move. In Issaquah, my friendly and extroverted son kept trying to play with children in the park and their parents would usher them away to play with their siblings or other children they already knew. There was absolutely nothing inappropriate or weird about how he was approaching potential play mates, but the parents looked alarmed about the prospect of social interaction. They weren't interested in talking with me as the parent, either.

The social climate here in Texas is extremely different. When my son sees another child kicking a soccer ball around the park, he runs up to the other child and asks him if he wants to play. Five minutes later, the children are happily playing together and usually the parents are talking with each other, too. Just last night I took my child to swim lessons and it was really nice how quickly the other parents started a conversation.

To each their own but I greatly prefer a warmer, friendlier social vibe. If we had stayed in Seattle, my son might have thought there was something wrong with his natural friendliness. That would have been a shame.

Texas has its own, different problems, for sure...I realize that. But unfriendliness is usually not one of them.