Some things I miss
I truly miss grocery delivery service. Peapod, Groceryworks, et alia were great services, at least for me. I don’t know why, but I just hate going into grocery stores. Even with the most recent trend of new upscale stores like Central Market or Rice Epicurean down in Houston, there still are some glaring similarities.
#1. You now have to walk through twenty different product displays to get to the actual aisles.
#2. Even the most basic grocery stores now sell the strangest stuff, like patio furniture, wood burning fireplaces, feng-shui consultants, etc.
#3. The ONE THING you’re looking for isn’t there. The stockers have never heard of it.
#4. There is always one product somewhere in the store that is way past its prime. Safeway select brand salsa is the primary culprit in our store close to us.
I’m ranting. I must stop and … go to the store! Laureen’s mom was kind enough to send us a juicer after our visit down there, and so now I know that any fruit, vegetable, or shoe can be turned into a small amount of liquid and a massive amount of crud (known to insiders as “crud”) that doesn’t get juiced and winds up in the special crud holder, which they recommend you line with a plastic bag from the grocery store, a non-recyclable bag once the crud is in it…I knew this health thing had a catch.
I love grocery stores. They’re so cool and clean and sleek and bursting with food and other lovely products. I can’t wait to go back. I make up reasons to go. "Honey, we’re out of…uh…um…dried shiitakes! I gotta go to the store!" As for your points above:
1. I’ve gotten to the point that I don’t even see the front-end displays anymore. Except when they’re relevant to me (see #2).
2. Selling strange stuff is no bad thing. I was grateful to discover last Friday that my local grocery store had snow shovels for sale. What’s more, they were in one of those front-end displays.
3. If the item I seek isn’t there, it’s just an excuse to go to…another grocery store!
4. If you’re buying Safeway salsa, you’re genericizing in the wrong places. Trash bags – genericize. Frozen waffles and maple syrup – genericize. Even deli meats, breads, and other important staples can and should be genericized in the name of more economical shopping. But you can’t compromise salsa quality.
Just wait. There will be a day that grocery shopping will be your big escape. Especially, late evening shopping. It’s so relaxing.
http://www.albertsons.com/
After looking at albertsons.com, I found it amazing that they could get away with charging $10 for delivery after jacking up the prices on the stuff they sold in the store. They even charge you $5 to go pick the stuff up! So, let’s see… You spend time (either at home or at the store) making a list and "shopping"…
Sigh. The genericization of salsa is more for the wallet impact than for the taste.