It was only a week ago when I stopped at the Hostess thrift store in Uncasville to get a loaf of wheat bread for a buck. Given those healthy intentions, could I resist the temptation of mix-and-match ten snack cakes for three dollars? Of course not. Had I realized the fate that was about to befall parent company Hostess, I would have included the iconic Twinkie in my assortment. I actually prefer the Hostess cupcakes with the vanilla cake, chocolate frosting and signature curl on top. Twinkies cake always had a funny texture without some chocolate coating. That may be why I've missed the Chocodile, the chocolate covered Twinkie that hasn't been sold here on the East coast since the nineties. Chocodiles were junk food heaven! Much like the late night Black Friday shoppers getting on the news annually stampeding each other, it reminds me of how little common sense we continue to display when people start hoarding Twinkies and other Hostess products. For one thing, I can't imagine some of these brands going away permanently. Some corporation will buy most of these brand names and the Twinkie legend will live on. The sad part of the Hostess liquidation is the possible loss of 18,000 jobs nationwide. The company blames the shutout squarely on the bakers' union strike, but any research reveals a company plagued by problems on many fronts including market changes and big failures in restructuring. I hope some jobs can be saved and these bakeries and distributors will still serve a purpose under another owner. The Hostess saga also highlights how even givebacks by 70% of the unions couldn't keep it competitive with non-union shops that keep things cheap while lowering the average worker's standard of living. I don't begrudge their success, but can we all afford to be working in "Walmart World"?
Monday, November 19, 2012
Twinkies Will Live On - Will Good Jobs?
It was only a week ago when I stopped at the Hostess thrift store in Uncasville to get a loaf of wheat bread for a buck. Given those healthy intentions, could I resist the temptation of mix-and-match ten snack cakes for three dollars? Of course not. Had I realized the fate that was about to befall parent company Hostess, I would have included the iconic Twinkie in my assortment. I actually prefer the Hostess cupcakes with the vanilla cake, chocolate frosting and signature curl on top. Twinkies cake always had a funny texture without some chocolate coating. That may be why I've missed the Chocodile, the chocolate covered Twinkie that hasn't been sold here on the East coast since the nineties. Chocodiles were junk food heaven! Much like the late night Black Friday shoppers getting on the news annually stampeding each other, it reminds me of how little common sense we continue to display when people start hoarding Twinkies and other Hostess products. For one thing, I can't imagine some of these brands going away permanently. Some corporation will buy most of these brand names and the Twinkie legend will live on. The sad part of the Hostess liquidation is the possible loss of 18,000 jobs nationwide. The company blames the shutout squarely on the bakers' union strike, but any research reveals a company plagued by problems on many fronts including market changes and big failures in restructuring. I hope some jobs can be saved and these bakeries and distributors will still serve a purpose under another owner. The Hostess saga also highlights how even givebacks by 70% of the unions couldn't keep it competitive with non-union shops that keep things cheap while lowering the average worker's standard of living. I don't begrudge their success, but can we all afford to be working in "Walmart World"?
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