Kristen's Written Ramblings: My Online Journal
Monday, March 31, 2008
My Grocery Store is Breaking Up with Me
I just found out tonight that my favorite local grocery store, Wild Oats / Whole Foods, is closing. I've decided that it feels much like being dumped.
Sure, I can just drive for an hour to another one, and that other one will be very similar to my old local store, but it won't be the same. It won't be the same friendly faces. It won't be "right around the corner." Things won't be in the same spot. The cashiers won't joke around with me in the same way. It's much like being dumped but then being told, "Hey, you can date my brother if you want." Sure, they look similar, and they might even sound similar, but it's not the same.
Some of the employees told me which other stores they would transfer to and suggested that I come by those stores to visit with them once in awhile. It was very sweet, but it felt far too much like "But we can still be friends."
I can just go to other grocery stores in my area, but I don't want other grocery stores. I want my old grocery store, the one I fell in love with, the one with the earth-tone colors, samples of organic-natural-fair-trade-vegetarian-eco-friendly treats scattered throughout the store, aisles of PETA approved cosmetics and lotions with "try me" stickers on at least one of every product line, progressive or folk music playing through the speakers in the ceiling, and weekend events like free wine and cheese tastings and free 5-minute massages. The other stores don't have that. They only have some guy who interrupts the pop top-40 music to mumble over the loudspeaker about the special of the day, and their organic-natural-fair-trade-vegetarian-eco-friendly products section doesn't bloom with variety at all, and I've never seen them offer their customers free massages.
Oh well. Every relationship breakup in my life has pushed me toward becoming a better me. Maybe this one will do the same. Maybe it will inspire me to open my own little health foods store or cafe and not rely on others for my grocery needs. Maybe it will force me to find better stores, leaving me to wonder why I was so madly in love with this store in the first place. Maybe this store was just a phase in my life, and I need to appreciate it for what it was and start a new chapter. Whatever. I still hate being dumped.
Sure, I can just drive for an hour to another one, and that other one will be very similar to my old local store, but it won't be the same. It won't be the same friendly faces. It won't be "right around the corner." Things won't be in the same spot. The cashiers won't joke around with me in the same way. It's much like being dumped but then being told, "Hey, you can date my brother if you want." Sure, they look similar, and they might even sound similar, but it's not the same.
Some of the employees told me which other stores they would transfer to and suggested that I come by those stores to visit with them once in awhile. It was very sweet, but it felt far too much like "But we can still be friends."
I can just go to other grocery stores in my area, but I don't want other grocery stores. I want my old grocery store, the one I fell in love with, the one with the earth-tone colors, samples of organic-natural-fair-trade-vegetarian-eco-friendly treats scattered throughout the store, aisles of PETA approved cosmetics and lotions with "try me" stickers on at least one of every product line, progressive or folk music playing through the speakers in the ceiling, and weekend events like free wine and cheese tastings and free 5-minute massages. The other stores don't have that. They only have some guy who interrupts the pop top-40 music to mumble over the loudspeaker about the special of the day, and their organic-natural-fair-trade-vegetarian-eco-friendly products section doesn't bloom with variety at all, and I've never seen them offer their customers free massages.
Oh well. Every relationship breakup in my life has pushed me toward becoming a better me. Maybe this one will do the same. Maybe it will inspire me to open my own little health foods store or cafe and not rely on others for my grocery needs. Maybe it will force me to find better stores, leaving me to wonder why I was so madly in love with this store in the first place. Maybe this store was just a phase in my life, and I need to appreciate it for what it was and start a new chapter. Whatever. I still hate being dumped.
Labels: Things that Annoy Me
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