Grocery store musings

It seems whenever I meet a woman, one of the first questions she asks is, “are you finding your grocery stores OK?” Notice “your” grocery stores. Meaning, ones I like. Well, the unspoken answer is “not really,” and who would have ever thought I’d miss Winco?

Mexican food is not popular here. That section in the “ethnic” food aisle is very small. But the array of canned tomato products is huge!

Beef, lamb and pork are cheaper here. Chicken is about the same. Vegetables are much more expensive. $3.59 for a head of cauliflower!

Buttermilk is not popular here. I can only find quarts, not half-gallons. Often that space on the shelf is empty. Sometimes there is no space for it at all.

Many people express great loyalty to Genuardi’s, because it’s a small local chain. But it was bought out by Safeway a few years ago, and the family name is all that remains. It’s really just Safeway. But don’t tell anyone that!

Double-bagging means a paper sack inside a plastic one. No handles on the paper sacks except at Trader Joe’s and Whole Foods. But if you need a bag at Whole Foods, you get a (mercifully short) lecture. Or maybe just a baleful glare.

Bulk bins? Forget about it. Maybe a few with candy and nuts. Way behind the times on that here!

I have yet to find a store that requires me to bag my own!  (The one thing I don’t miss about Winco.)