Sale Tax Holidays at Whole Foods gives me Earworm
Tax Holidays
A bunch of states are giving shoppers a “tax holiday.” States that can’t meet their budgets and are cutting essential services have decided it’s smart to give up a revenue stream for a weekend. The rationale is that this is “back-to-school” time and stores are stuffed with shoppers.
Harriet puts this into perspective
The National Retail Federation says that a U.S. family, on average, is expected to shell out $606.40 on clothes, shoes, supplies and electronics this year, up from $548.72 last year…
At best, 9% sales tax (Tennessee) would save $54. I’ll bet you dollars to donuts (yum, donuts) any Mom dragging along kids to shop for school spent that much on junk food today.
Tax holidays are stupid.
Whole Foods
Last weekend was the first weekend all summer I didn’t kayak. You decide the reason:
- Nancy had hand surgery
- It stormed all weekend
At any rate, I hung around the house and watched her drug induced slumber. This weekend she is out of drugs. I told her we were doing something this weekend: whatever she wanted – with or without dogs.
She decided she wanted to go to the grocery. Whole Foods.
We don’t have a Whole Foods in Smallburg, we had to drive to Nashvegas. Why? Because her friends say “it’s the best grocery store you will ever see.”
That’s kind of like “it’s the best root canal you will ever have.”
The place was full of organic, tofu, locally grown, gluten-free, overpriced yuppies. Dayam. Stuff was expensive! But people were filling their hemp cloth bags like the holocaust was upon us.
Had a lot of good samples, better than Sam’s Club. We bought five bananas and a bottle of extra virgin olive oil. And, we bought a baguette of bread and some artichoke and Parmesan cheese to eat on the way home.
Earworms
Last night Orchestra Smallburg had a ’70s music concert sponsored by Chuck and Mary Barris. Yeah, THAT Chuck Barris! Smallburg has a lot of great local talent: they raid the church choirs and university. If ever there was an opportunity for me to have an earworm, last night was it. Didn’t happen. I miss having earworms after a concert!
Grandad, an Irish fellow, calls it a “snatch”. If he knew the 70s American definition of “snatch” he would be more careful about wiping it. He has a method of wiping a snatch.
I keep my haunting little piece to hand now. If ever I am troubled by any repetitive snatch, I play my wee sound track. It never fails. It erases both the irritating piece, and also itself. I am left with a clear, unmelodic head.
Larry indulges his earworms, nay embraces them!
If you know me, you can probably guess the rest. I wound up with an earworm. And so did my friend. We spent a lot of the rest of the day asking one another to stop whistling.
He compiled a post based on his ear worm, complete with narrative and links.
I decided last night about 6/8 of the way through the concert and after surveying the crowd at halftime, the Orchestra Smallburg maestro must be very frustrated.
First, he is no slouch at waving his stick at musicians. He has conducted the St. Petersburg (Russia) State Symphony (and other guest stints) and his leadership of the finale of the Charleston Piccolo Spoleto got a rave:
“the very best Piccolo Spoleto Finale in the history of the festival.”
Will ya go on outa that, Sixty! Do ya think I was born yesterday?
Occasionally I like to use a drop of double entendre to catch the unwary. Looks like I caught one? Heh!
I get confused on slang from your side of the world. Go have a pint and settle.
Harriett didn't mention that anyone who buys clothes or shoes or school supplies get the discount. Penny pincher that I am, today I bought items that I was going to buy last week, but postponed because of the sales tax holiday. All the items were drastically reduced and I used my 15% and 25% discount cards, plus got the 5% sales tax discount. Result: 4shirts and 3 pairs of socks for hubby, 2 dresses, 4 shirts & blouses and 2 pairs of shoes for me, and 2 tops for a daughter – all high quality and all for less than $100.
But I listened to the radio on the way home, and I got a darn earworm and it spoiled the shopping high.
I want to know three things about your trip to Whole Foods:
(1) Did they sell any partial items?
(2) Was the tax holidy extended to include Entermann's Chocolate Donuts?
(3) What potential earworms were being piped throughout the store to help get you in the mood for food shopping?
1. You have to go to DDS to get partial.
2. Food is exempt in KY, no? Dunno about TN.
3. Didn't notice, probably Enya
First of all, I used to LOVE Whole Foods. But I WILL give you the the ridiculousness of the price.
I am from Austin though, and I think that we are the bringer of Whole Foods.
I stopped going to Whole Foods when Central Market came into being. I love Central Market so much better.
But when I need my almond butter, I go back to Whole Foods. It IS full of pretentious assholes and hippies, but that's Austin in a nutshell. That's why I left Austin anyway. All the damned Californians moved in and ruined my city. Try to find an original Austinite, and you will be hard-pressed. But that's another story.
I don't understand the earworm. But Larry, here's what I do know. Every damned grocery store I go to can't afford decent music. All I want to do is rip my head off. If I have to listen to Debby Boone's "You light up my life" one more time while I wait to check out, I am going to take a shotgun and rig it and shoot myself in the heart.
At least they are now up to "Private Eyes" by Hall and Oates. Well, maybe that's not good either. I think that makes me REALLY old now that that's considered an oldie by goody.
In Mexico City, we have our own version of Central Market. It's called City Market. But it's so pretentious I refuse to set foot in it. I would rather go to market twice a week and get my veggies and fruit fresh. I'm back in the states for a few weeks, and nothing has any taste. Even bananas.
And don't forget about that killer spider that they found at that Whole Foods (I think it was in Austin, actually). the one that kills within minutes once it injects poison. Go Whole Foods.
As for hemp bags, what a waste of hemp. I don't do drugs or anything, but for god's sake, would the damned world wake up?
Sheesh!
And I love this quote:
“the very best Piccolo Spoleto Finale in the history of the festival.”
We have a festival in the hill country near Austin called the "Oatmeal Festival". Very close to where we have the "Watermelon Thump".
Yup.
Yup. 'bout sez it all
The Illinois tax holiday is for everyone as long as they buy clothes, shoes, and school supplies. So, being the frugal person I am, I waited until the sales tax holiday, armed with my 15% and 25% discount cards, bought off the clearance racks, and walked away with 2 pairs of shoes, 2 dresses, 4 shirts/tops, t-shirts and socks for hubby, and a couple items for a daughter, all high quality and for less than $100. I saved about $5 in sales taxes, but it bought me an extra blouse.
Then on the way home I caught an earworm and it spoiled the whole shopping high. (The Lion Sleeps Tonight, if you were interested.)
Yesssssss. What a shopper! I like to pile on the discounts too. People like us keep the recession going!