May 11, 2011--A Bunch of Grapes
We’d been back in New York for about a week before Florida friends began to call to ask how we were finding the city.
“Are you handling the crowds, the hustle and bustle, the noise and all the garbage in the streets?” Harvey asked.
“To tell you the truth,” I said, “I’m surprised by how well we’re doing. Actually, it seems as if things are less hectic than last year. Maybe there are fewer people around because of the economy. Though,” I quickly corrected myself, “things weren’t any better then. Maybe worse.”
“Glad to hear that,” Charlotte said during another call, “To tell you the truth, though I’m happy to know this, it worries me a little that if you do too well in New York maybe you’ll spend less time in Florida next year. We do miss you and . . .”
I cut her off before she could conclude her thought and assured her, “Not to worry, we hope to be back there as planned. We are liking our peripatetic life. On the other hand, you may be pleased to know, all things here are not to our liking.”
I could hear her perk up at this, “Tell me. Tell me.”
“We needed to do a little stocking up the other day. You know, get some yogurts, juice, fruit. A few things to have in the house for lunch and snacks. Of course we've already resumed our routine of eating out while in the city, but we did want to have some things in the frig.
“Ahead of us on line at the supermarket," I told Charlotte, "was a woman of about 30 who was nicely turned out. You know, smartly dressed and well spoken. She was asking the checkout person to weigh a small bag of yellow grapes to see how much they would cost. The clerk put them on the scale, entered the code, and told her $9.25." I could hear Charlotte gasp.
“Before anyone could say anything," I continued, "Rona cried out, ‘What? Nine-twenty-five?’ The customer looked back at us, shrugged her shoulders, and told the clerk she’d take a pass on the grapes.
“’That’s ridiculous,’ Rona said, ‘Not that it’s any of my business, but that’s a ridiculous amount for a handful of grapes.’ The checkout woman said, ‘But they weigh more than two pounds.’ Still ignoring the customer, Rona pressed on, ‘For more than $9.00 you should get at least five pounds. Again,’ she now said to the customer, ‘forgive me for getting involved, but we just got back from Florida where grapes nicer than these would cost less than half that.’”
“I can’t believe Rona or this,” Charlotte said, “But you’re right about how much less things cost here.”
“Like everyone else, we’ve been noticing how prices have been rising. For gas, for fresh vegetables, for everything. I know the government says there’s no structural inflation, that what there is is transitory—I think that’s the word Fed Chair Ben Bernanke used (though how would he know if that’s true)—but $9.25 for a bunch of grapes is, like Rona said, ridiculous.”
“Good for her for saying that,” Charlotte said.
“That’s not all,” I said. “When we paid—Dannon yogurt here, by the way, is more than twice what we paid for it in Florida--and left the store, the woman who had been in line ahead of us was waiting to talk with us. She told us she’s a New York City public school teacher, has been for about three years, and is just managing to get by on her salary. During her first two years teaching she needed to have a second job, working as a waitress on weekends. She told us how amused it made her when she heard people talk about how easy a job it was to be a teacher. How teachers work only 'half a day' and have the ‘whole summer off.’
“’Sure,’ she said, “I had the whole summer off to work at a French restaurant waiting on tables to make ends meet. Not that there’s anything wrong with that. I’m not saying teachers, or anyone else, should have an easy ride; but the things you’re hearing these days about teachers and all the benefits doesn’t capture the complete picture. Especially when you work in a city like New York where Wall Street salaries and bonuses are at all-time highs. How come we’re not hearing anything about that?’
“I couldn’t disagree with any of that,” I said to Charlotte. “Then the teacher added, ‘Did you hear about those new lofts in Tribeca that cost umpteen million each where there’s a special elevator that takes your car up to your floor so you can have it right there waiting for you?’
“’I haven't heard about that one,' I said, 'Sounds like the Batmobile.'"
“She laughed and said, ‘Exactly. Again, not that I expect to make enough teaching school to be able to buy one of those places, much less a Batmobile, but closer to home, I’d like to be able to afford a bunch of grapes.’
“’I can’t disagree with that,’ Rona said.
“Nor could I,” I said to Charlotte.
“One thing,” Charlotte mentioned, “Don’t get too jaded while you’re there and be sure to come back to us in December.”
I promised that we would.
“Are you handling the crowds, the hustle and bustle, the noise and all the garbage in the streets?” Harvey asked.
“To tell you the truth,” I said, “I’m surprised by how well we’re doing. Actually, it seems as if things are less hectic than last year. Maybe there are fewer people around because of the economy. Though,” I quickly corrected myself, “things weren’t any better then. Maybe worse.”
“Glad to hear that,” Charlotte said during another call, “To tell you the truth, though I’m happy to know this, it worries me a little that if you do too well in New York maybe you’ll spend less time in Florida next year. We do miss you and . . .”
I cut her off before she could conclude her thought and assured her, “Not to worry, we hope to be back there as planned. We are liking our peripatetic life. On the other hand, you may be pleased to know, all things here are not to our liking.”
I could hear her perk up at this, “Tell me. Tell me.”
“We needed to do a little stocking up the other day. You know, get some yogurts, juice, fruit. A few things to have in the house for lunch and snacks. Of course we've already resumed our routine of eating out while in the city, but we did want to have some things in the frig.
“Ahead of us on line at the supermarket," I told Charlotte, "was a woman of about 30 who was nicely turned out. You know, smartly dressed and well spoken. She was asking the checkout person to weigh a small bag of yellow grapes to see how much they would cost. The clerk put them on the scale, entered the code, and told her $9.25." I could hear Charlotte gasp.
“Before anyone could say anything," I continued, "Rona cried out, ‘What? Nine-twenty-five?’ The customer looked back at us, shrugged her shoulders, and told the clerk she’d take a pass on the grapes.
“’That’s ridiculous,’ Rona said, ‘Not that it’s any of my business, but that’s a ridiculous amount for a handful of grapes.’ The checkout woman said, ‘But they weigh more than two pounds.’ Still ignoring the customer, Rona pressed on, ‘For more than $9.00 you should get at least five pounds. Again,’ she now said to the customer, ‘forgive me for getting involved, but we just got back from Florida where grapes nicer than these would cost less than half that.’”
“I can’t believe Rona or this,” Charlotte said, “But you’re right about how much less things cost here.”
“Like everyone else, we’ve been noticing how prices have been rising. For gas, for fresh vegetables, for everything. I know the government says there’s no structural inflation, that what there is is transitory—I think that’s the word Fed Chair Ben Bernanke used (though how would he know if that’s true)—but $9.25 for a bunch of grapes is, like Rona said, ridiculous.”
“Good for her for saying that,” Charlotte said.
“That’s not all,” I said. “When we paid—Dannon yogurt here, by the way, is more than twice what we paid for it in Florida--and left the store, the woman who had been in line ahead of us was waiting to talk with us. She told us she’s a New York City public school teacher, has been for about three years, and is just managing to get by on her salary. During her first two years teaching she needed to have a second job, working as a waitress on weekends. She told us how amused it made her when she heard people talk about how easy a job it was to be a teacher. How teachers work only 'half a day' and have the ‘whole summer off.’
“’Sure,’ she said, “I had the whole summer off to work at a French restaurant waiting on tables to make ends meet. Not that there’s anything wrong with that. I’m not saying teachers, or anyone else, should have an easy ride; but the things you’re hearing these days about teachers and all the benefits doesn’t capture the complete picture. Especially when you work in a city like New York where Wall Street salaries and bonuses are at all-time highs. How come we’re not hearing anything about that?’
“I couldn’t disagree with any of that,” I said to Charlotte. “Then the teacher added, ‘Did you hear about those new lofts in Tribeca that cost umpteen million each where there’s a special elevator that takes your car up to your floor so you can have it right there waiting for you?’
“’I haven't heard about that one,' I said, 'Sounds like the Batmobile.'"
“She laughed and said, ‘Exactly. Again, not that I expect to make enough teaching school to be able to buy one of those places, much less a Batmobile, but closer to home, I’d like to be able to afford a bunch of grapes.’
“’I can’t disagree with that,’ Rona said.
“Nor could I,” I said to Charlotte.
“One thing,” Charlotte mentioned, “Don’t get too jaded while you’re there and be sure to come back to us in December.”
I promised that we would.
posted by Steven Zwerling at
4:39 AM
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