Mindfulness

There’s Something To Be Said for Shopping at Smaller Stores

In my experience I find it easier to shop where there are less choices

Upon moving to New Jersey the first grocery store we found was about two miles away, small, but had everything we needed. Decades later, due to its small size, it has remained almost untouched offering the same name brands as always and very popular with the seniors.

Old store

When we first moved from Brooklyn during the late 50s, there were two main supermarkets, both of which are part of an ever-growing large food chain.

At the time, the one we frequented most was the smaller one closest to our home. It had everything we needed for the week to feed our large family.

As the years and decades went by, more stores were added to this chain, and then many of those were expanded to include hot food and cold food bars, bakeries, sushi sections, and more.

The produce aisles are a navigation challenge all by themselves. Although almost everything under the sun could be bought in these new, huge stores, for someone like me, it is a little overwhelming.

Brand loyalty

One of the reasons I prefer the smaller stores is because they sell the brand I’m accustomed to and I can find it easily. Less room — less choices!

As an example, when I buy a bag of potato chips, I want only Wise or Lay’s, plain, nothing fancy. For me, having not only the choice of many brands but also having each brand have many flavors makes my eyeballs go berserk.

It’s frustrating sorting through an entire aisle of snacks just to find one bag of my favorite chips. In the smaller store, with limited choices I can zero in quickly on the bag I’m seeking.

Same thing with cereal, and these are just two examples.

For someone like me who is loyal to a certain brand, unwilling to try new flavors of anything most of the time, and likes to get in and out of the store quickly, there’s something to be said for smaller stores.

The exception

Occasionally, my son will bring home something I’ve never tasted before. He loves to try new flavors of snacks, chips, crackers, and drinks. He leaves it out for the kids to try and I normally ignore it.

But one time I tasted BBQ-flavored potato chips — hmm — okay, this is the exception to the rule, I have now added these to my list of favorites. Other than that, I still love plain, simple, salted potato chips with no added flavor.

So many choices!

So this smaller store, which I still frequent, will never be expanded because it’s on a small parking lot. There’s no room for a bakery (that’s the one thing I would have liked), and there will never be room for center aisles filled with salads and such.

The aisles are pretty-much stocked exactly the same as they were 50 years ago!

Because it is part of a food chain, though it may be the last one of the old relics that remain untouched, the prices and sale items are the same as the larger stores in that chain.

Drawback

Are the aisles small? Yes, they are, which is a drawback at times when people don’t stick to the far right, but this is the store I grew up with. I don’t need big and fancy all the time.

Not to say I don’t shop at the big stores, sometimes. I do, especially when I wish to buy in bulk, and this smaller store has no room for “club size” anything.

I’m not knocking all those prepared food sections, either, although they are a navigational nightmare at times. But they are a huge convenience for many, just not for me. I still have the time and presence of mind to cook for myself so far.

Best for seniors

I call this smaller store the senior store because I do notice a lot of older people shop there, probably feeling the same way I do. Maybe I even shop at the same time as someone I went to school with, but we’d never know, no one’s recognizable at my age.

There are times when I need help reaching something on one of the higher shelves or on top of the shelf, as every bit of usable space is utilized.

I’m a senior. I’m old-school. I like the same brands I liked 50 years ago. I do not understand why there are so many flavors of everything from chips to coffee creamers and beer — pumpkin-flavored beer, oh, my?

The world is changing fast and I’m not keeping up with it.

However, we are one of the most lucrative countries in the world and we have more choices of products and their variations than most countries have. We wouldn’t miss what we never had, either, would we?

Does this mean we’re spoiled? In a way, yes. Couldn’t we be just as happy if things were simpler? We used to be.

Simple, that’s all I want is simple, especially when I shop.

I’m not knocking big, luxurious stores with lots of choices if that’s anyone’s cup of tea (if you could find your favorite brand quickly, that is) but there is something to be said for shopping at the smaller stores — at least for this old gal.

Here’s a story I read just yesterday by OCTAVIA EVER AFTER which truly opened my eyes to viewing a few people in my life very differently. A good, powerful read:

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