Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: WEDNESDAY, April 14, 1993 TAG: 9304140049
SECTION: BUSINESS PAGE: B6 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: Sandra Brown Kelly
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
THERE'S SOMETHING ROTTEN IN THE MEAT-VENDING BUSINESS
Max Bryant Sr. was near Lynchburg recently, selling frozen meats from his truck, when an angry motorist blocked him in a parking lot."That was me," said Mike Dawson of Dawson Aluminum Products Inc. in Madison Heights.
But Dawson had the wrong truck. He was mad at another steak vendor who sold him and his dad $600 worth of meat that Dawson says wasn't fit to eat.
There are quite a few door-to-door meat vendors riding the roads these days, and some are leaving a smelly trail.
Bryant's company is American Gourmet Steak & Seafood Co., and he said he prides himself on being a reputable businessman in a business that sometimes draws another kind.
Here's how the meat vending business generally works: A person sets up a company, buys trucks, buys meats wholesale and then signs up drivers or independent contractors to run the trucks and hawk meats by the case in neighborhoods and office buildings.
Many of the customers found at home are elderly, and some of them are vulnerable to sob stories and other misleading information.
One man said his 82-year-old grandmother paid $197 "for what she could buy at Winn-Dixie for $40."
Bryant said he was with his dad last weekend when a door-to-door salesman gave his spiel that didn't stick close enough to the truth.
"He said he had 98 percent lean hamburger," said Bryant, who didn't tell the guy he also sold meats door-to-door.
Bryant said he wonders what vendors who tell whoppers to make an initial sale "tell the customer the next trip."
In addition to Bryant, other vendors known in the area include Western Brand Meat Co., Lone Star Cattle Co. and American Steak & Seafood. Steaks Express appears to be out of business since its owner, Ronald K. Bendy, was convicted recently for failing to pay $14,000 in sales taxes.
\ Poor Prodigy.
In January, the computerized information and home-shopping service dropped its Frank Discussion social issues electronic bulletin board because it got too frank. Subscribers complained about sexually explicit messages being accessible to children.
In October 1991, Prodigy was criticized by the B'nai Brith Anti-Defamation League for the growth of anti-Semitic messages in its bulletin boards.
Then it was criticized for censoring the messages. Before that, it was accused of censorship after it eliminated a bulletin board that had become a forum for debate between homosexuals and Christian fundamentalists.
But now it has really done it.
There's talk of a pricing change that would create a fee structure something like cable television's tier system. Charges for some premium services are rumored to range from $6 to $18 per hour on top of the monthly membership.
In protest, Prodigy subscribers are lobbying each other to participate in a 24-hour sign-on blackout. It's set for Thursday, the same day federal income taxes are due.
Subscribers hope that if no one signs on to read the advertising then maybe the company will realize the clout of its customers and rethink plans to increase rates for some features.
Rebellious subscribers hope to bring the system to its knees Friday by having all members attempt to sign on at 7 a.m.
Roanoker Shawn Maguire said subscribers think advertising prices should be increased before subscriber fees.
"You always have an ad in front of you," he said.
Prodigy, owned by Sears, Roebuck and Co. and IBM, claims 2 million members. It needs to start charging for some of its services because its costs and competition have increased.