I like to do our weekly shopping in larger supermarkets. They have the variety of produce and seafood I want. Some of them will cater to ethnic populations in their neighborhoods. But sometimes when I just need to get two or three items on the way home, smaller grocery stores will do the trick. Some are independent, others are small branches of large chains. Note that I’m not talking about “convenience stores”, which exist to sell cigarettes, cheap beer, rolling papers, and junk food for the post-cannabis munchies. I mean real grocery stores.
Going to smaller grocery stores has several advantages. You can get in and out faster. You usually don’t have to worry about managers frequently “reorganizing” items in an attempt to separate you from more of your money. Sometimes smaller stores will carry organic or other items that are hard to find in mainstream stores. You can get acquainted with the staff, who are usually happy to help you find items.
My usual small supermarket in our old neighborhood closed earlier this year. Kroger, the owner, said it was underperforming. This is nonsense. The store was always busy. Sometimes I couldn’t maneuver a cart around because of the other customers. The building was small, which left no room for a pharmacy. That’s probably one reason for the “underperforming” that the corporation saddled it with.
Now that I’m stuck working from home, the closest thing to a small grocery is the Yakima Fruit Market around the corner from us. There’s a Mexican market across the street from the fruit market as well. Having stores within walking distance works – at least when it’s not 90° or more outside.
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