Food Lion-Chinese Connection

Several weeks ago I was driving from Washington, D.C. to Charlotte, NC. I was driving leisurely down Rt. 29, when I decided I wanted some food. I had been feeling kind of nauseated the last couple days, so I decided to get something bland. What I REALLY wanted was some plain white rice; warm, bland, and tasty with a little salt and pepper. Knowing that Chinese food permeates every culture in the world (I believe you can find Chinese food in some of the more 3rd world countries in Africa), I figured even in the desolate Bible-belt north of Danville, VA, I would eventually come upon a Chinese restaurant.

Well, I did. I went inside, and ordered one large order of plain, white rice. $2.35 and a pitstop later, I was I getting back into my car. I noticed directly across the street, in the middle of nowhere, there was a Food Lion. I thought to myself, "Trusty Food Lion, serving the desolate and destitute of the Southeast."

It was at that point that I realized I couldn't recall the last time I had seen a Food Lion without a Chinese restaurant in the same or adjacent shopping center. As I continued my drive, I decided to look for Food Lions, and as I found them, look for a Chinese restaurant nearby. Sure enough, I found several Food Lions as I drove through the hinterlands of Virginia's Piedmont, and in most cases, there was a Chinese restaurant in the same shopping center. If not in the same shopping center, then right across the street in another shopping center.

When I got home, I decided to do a little research, which you can find HERE. I went to several different geographic areas within Virginia and North Carolina, and Googled Food Lions and Harris Teeters. I then Googled to find the nearest Chinese restaurant to each. I used Google-maps to find the distance between the two. I tried to pick areas of varying population density, to check different socio-economic microcosms within the grocery store markets.

What I found was that the average distance between a Food Lion and a Chinese restaurant was 801 ft., while the average distance between a Harris Teeter is 6846 ft; over 8 times further than for Food Lion.

What's up with that?

At first I thought, "Well, Harris Teeter and Food Lion target slightly different markets." I assumed that Food Lion was targeting a rural poorer demographic than Harris Teeter. After a little more empirical thought, however, I don't see how that's relavant. First, Harris Teeter, targeting a richer demographic would put it in more populated areas. However, even the Harris Teeter in Martinsville, VA (which, aside from the race track, is no bustling metropolis) is almost 2 miles from the nearest Chinese restaurant. Conversely, the Food Lion in Fair Lakes (,which has since been converted to a Bloom - Food Lion's "Cadillac" of stores, Fair Lakes being a solid upper-middle class area) is only 141 feet from the nearest Chinese restaurant. So clearly I don't know who the target demographic is for each chain.

Then I thought, "Well, maybe the Chinese restaurants target the same demographics as the Food Lions." By that logic, however, there should be Food Lions in Africa, per my previous statement. I know, I know... that logic is just stupid. But seriously, if you look, you will find the density of Chinese restaurants to Food Lions much higher in any region where Food Lion is active. Each Chinese restaurant cannot service as many patrons as the Food Lion can. The same is true for Harris Teeter, too, actually, but the geographic proximity of the Harris Teeter to the nearest Chinese restaurant is clearly much higher for Harris Teeters.
In all honesty, it might be interesting to see the square footage of the establishment vs. the square mileage of the service area for each establishment for Harris Teeter, Food Lion, and "Chinese restaurants."

I can only think of one more thing; Chinese restaurants, by virtue of their Asian heritage, find it good luck to be located near the "Food Lion," Lions being mythical protective icons in Chinese culture, and having clearly even MORE protective influence with their "Food" influence. How could a Chinese restaurant proprietor NOT put his establishment in the protection of the "Food Lion?"

Car Rental Fees

I rented a car this weekend because my wife's family was in town.  We needed something that could carry 6 of us, and we only have two Corollas, so we rented a minivan. 

I rent cars a lot when I travel (although not always).  I have noticed there are a lot of fees, but today, since I was personally responsible for the cost, I looked, I mean REALLY looked at the fees.  This is what my receipt looked like.

Base Rate $120.00

$4.28/day fee $8.56

11.11% fee $13.44

FTP SR$0.50DY $1.00

Taxable subtotal $143.00

Tax 8.000% $11.44

*8% Surcharge $10.68

Total $165.12

So, my base rate was $120.00, but the cost to me was $165.12.  That's $45.12 in fees, or 38% of the base fee!  What the hell is a 11.11% fee?  It's like a phone company stacking on hidden fees until you don't even know what you're paying for!!!

Couldn't the $4.28/day fee be factored into my base rate?

If this is "standard" on every rental, shouldn't the rentals simply BE 11.11% higher? 

What the hell is an FTP charge?  It's only $0.50/day, but it's not clear at all what the $1.00 is for.

And why isn't the 8% tax rate ($11.44.) the same as the 8% surcharge ($10.68)?!?!?  It seems like 8% is 8%, so shouldn't they be the same?  

I won't boycott Avis on this, simply because they do treat me well, and I think $160 for two days with a nice minivan (Chrysler Town and Country) isn't a terrible deal.  It's just that it seems misleading to quote one price as the base price, and then add so many fees that the base price isn't even recognizable.  

In the future, I may just ask to borrow a friend's car, though.