Groceries

Several years ago our local supermarket employees went on strike and as a union member myself I refused to cross the picket lines. The strike lasted  some weeks and I had to find a new market. I found a family run market with an excellent meat counter, complete dairy section, small processed foods section, and a superior produce section.

Despite the settlement of the strike we continue to shop at this small market.  The prices for produce are great and most importantly the fruits and vegetables are fresh and flavorful.  It's hard to get a bad piece of produce there. Many produce items like green beans and corn are locally grown. Their meat may cost a little more but it's always tender and I can get precisely the cut and amount of meat I want.

So that's where we usually shop.  Great food, good prices, and a small store.  Upon returning from vacation  I needed groceries so I headed to my local supermarket because it was close and I was jet-lagged. Of course it's huge and I spent a lot of extra time searching for what I needed.  This store now has a section dedicated to cookware, magazines, and other non-food items. Really, they think I'm going to buy pots and pans at the grocery store?  When I got to the cashier with my meat, produce, milk, and 1 toothbrush the grand total was $187! This for two people! Then I gave the cashier my "Ralph's Card" number.  The machine did its work and miraculously reduced my bill to $146 (still too much since I only had 1 taxable item and 2 meat items).

This is one reason I rarely shop there: the price is not the price. One price for cardholders, another for non-cardholders. What is that about?  Of course all thinking people know it's about food manufacturers tracking your buying habits.  Every time you swipe your card big business puts your data into its system.  Think about it: food processors, advertisers, distributors, the grocery store itself, they all want to know what you're buying.

So what is the real price of groceries? I don't know. I think they mark items artificially high so cardholders will think they're getting a deal by having a card. Look you can say, I saved $1000 today just by swiping my card!!  Shoppers can feel good about their local supermarket because every time they go they're saving money! But they're not really saving money because the quality is inferior and the price is artificially high designed to give you a warm glow and make you feel smart 'cause you have a card.

The results of my run to my local supermarket are that so far I've had to throw out a bag of watercress because it was too bitter to eat and the nectarines I bought are tasteless.  The cherries also leave something to be desired.  To be fair I did buy a nice piece of wild-caught sockeye salmon there that was delicious. But that doesn't negate the fact that the rest of my purchase was over priced and of low quality.

If we really want to get down to brass tacks, I don't want to be part of the many databases to which that damn card attaches me.  I also want good food at reasonable prices. AND I want the price of an item to be the price, not some inflated number designed to trick me into shopping at a particular store.