THE RULES: Please read before posting!

You must, repeat MUST read this section before posting.

Moderator: Groceteria

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Groceteria
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THE RULES: Please read before posting!

Post by Groceteria »

Welcome to the Groceteria.com Message Board.

The Basics:

The first thing you should know is that this is not a general interest supermarket message board. It is a somewhat tightly-moderated board on the subject of supermarket history. Posts about current operations are generally off-topic and subject to deletion. If you're curious about my rationale for this, read this thread. That's the primary guideline you should keep in mind, but please read on.

Those who wish to post about issues related to current retail operations, trends, and news should check out Retail Watchers, a board dedicated to just those topics un by a Groceteria.com participant. Many users here frequent both boards.

Please note:

In addition to the guidelines below, each individual forum has its own set of rules, posted at the top.

New Posters:

I don't like to use the term, but you should consider yourself a "probationary" user at first. Consider lurking and getting a feel for the board before posting. If you make twenty posts on your first day, understand that you will probably be viewed warily by me and by other board members. If a significant number of these posts are off-topic, you may even be banned right off the bat.

Here are some suggestions for new users.

The Ground Rules:

1. Please use the correct forum for you post, and please use a descriptive term in your subject when starting a new topic. For example, include the name of the chain you're discussing, and any specific location your post is about. Subjects like "A Question" or "Need Some Info" are virtually useless. If your reply is not related to the original topic at hand, please start a new topic.

2. Please use the board's search function to make sure that there is not already a topic covering what you want to discuss. If there is, don't start a new one; doing so will either get your post deleted or merged into the correct preexisting topic.

3. Keep the discussion friendly. Heaping abuse on fellow posters is the quickest way to get your post removed and yourself banned. Also please leave your sense of entitlement at home; people are here because they enjoy the research and subject matter, not to listen to your demands and criticism that their contributions are insufficient.

4. Post only when you have something relevant to add. Avoid "me too" posts or posts which are not of general interest to others on the board and "do you remember" posts which contain only the question and no specific information. Private conversations should be carried out offline.

5. Do not post the same message to multiple threads. A message should be posted only once. If duplicates are found, all but the version in the most relevant forum will be deleted.

6. Please limit your quotes to the part of the previous message that is relevant to your reply. It is not necessary (nor even desirable) to quote the entire message, particularly if there are pictures included. That said, it IS generally a good idea to use quotes, particularly in a long, complex thread; you can't assume that everyone knows what you're responding to.

7. Please divide long posts into paragraphs, and please skip a line between each paragraph. This will make your posts MUCH easier to read. A giant, unbroken wall of text is a horrible thing to be confronted with, and it's a sure way to send lots of people running to the next post to avoid reading yours.

8. Please do not under any circumstances post inline links to photos hosted on someone else's personal website without obtaining their permission first. This is EXTREMELY rude and involves stealing someone else's hosting bandwidth. An acceptable alternative would be to post a link to the URL of the page on their website which contains the photo.

9. Where possible, please post LINKS to articles in newspapers, etc. rather than copying and pasting the actual text. BRIEF quotes from articles are OK, as long as they are included as an addendum to your own commentary. In any case, you MUST include the source of the article.

10. Please do not use any current trademarks as your avatar.

11. Please use correct spelling, grammar, and punctuation. Avoid annoying internet shorthand and jargon that some people might not understand. Word censors are in place to combat profanity and stupid "text-speak" acronyms. Undecipherable posts are subject to editing or deletion.

12. If you post commercial, marketing, or promotional materials (current coupon offers, etc.), your post will be DELETED WITHOUT COMMENT and you will be BANNED WITHOUT WARNING OR FURTHER DISCUSSION.

Subject of the board:

The focus of this board is supermarket HISTORY and ARCHITECTURE (in historical perspective), specifically that of chain supermarkets in the US and Canada, and that's what the bulk of the forum areas cover.

The following are generally acceptable topics:

-- Supermarket history
-- Supermarket architecture (pre-2010 or so)
-- Operations and corporate structure in HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE.
-- Historical operations of other chain retailers and related businesses within the appropriate forum.
-- Stories about PRE-2010 supermarket experiences, etc., or current experiences with a HISTORICAL TIE-IN.

Some other topics may be acceptable as well. If you see a category or forum title that fits, you're probably OK.

Unacceptable topics:

The following topics are unacceptable in ANY forum and will result in your post being deleted:

-- Current customer service issues and complaints. Just don't do it.
-- Discussion of current labor or strike-related issues.
-- Discussions of current operational issues. Use this board instead.
-- Questions about pensions, how to get in touch with old coworkers, etc. at a specific store, or similar issues not of general interest to all participants.
-- Blatant bashing of a currently-operating chain or obvious boosterish "insider" or "what's the best supermarket?" type posts. Your opinion is irrelevant; facts about supermarket history are the preferred subject matter here.
-- Rude or abusive comments directed toward any other member.
-- Inquiries and discussion of the value of collectibles, etc.
-- Advertisements for other websites, although links to related and on-topic sites are acceptable.
-- Advertisements or solicitations for ANY product or service, including eBay or other online auctions. If you're trying to buy or sell something, do it somewhere else.
-- Discussions or questions about the operation of the board; please EMAIL or PM me instead.

Repeated violations may result in your being banned from the board.

Things that are likely to get your post deleted, edited, or moved to another forum:

-- Any post involving unacceptable topics shown above.
-- Irrelevant "me too" type posts or those which add nothing but "we have those in my city too" to the discussion; your post should state or ask something specific.
-- Identical messages posted to multiple forums/topics.
-- Messages with such significant grammar, spelling, or punctuation issues that the average person would find them difficult to read.
-- Messages posted to an inappropriate forum.
-- "Bumping", or attempting to move the topic back to "the top" without making some new and relevant contribution.

Things that are likely to get you banned immediately:

-- Abuse of other posters. This is (and will remain) a friendly forum. Disagree all you like, but do so in a civil manner.
-- Posts of an off-topic political nature. No one on this board cares about your politics; the topic here is supermarket history and architecture.
-- Bigoted, or prejudiced comments based on race, ethnicity, political affiliation, religion, sex, gender identity, or sexual orientation. Comments of this sort will not be tolerated under ANY circumstances.
-- Repeated off-topic or unacceptable posts as defined above.
-- Spam or any type of advertising.
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