The new store in town

We've been hearing rumours of a new grocery store in town for weeks now: a brand-spanking-new, 24-hour A&P. I've been threatening to switch allegiances for some time since the store located a couple minutes away from my house has disappointed me time and again with their lack of fresh produce and general inventory. Finally last night, my husband and I decided to stop in on our way home from dinner at my folks' for the week's lunch stuff. We should have known it wouldn't have been a quick trip.

Aisles and aisles of perfectly-shelved items, rows and rows of gorgeously fresh and varied vegetables. A bakery to die for, with a self-serve bread slicer with which you can choose your desired thickness of slice! You get to pick between thin, medium, thick, thicker, and thickest!

The trip aside though, I started thinking how funny it is how accustomed you become to your regular store; I shop regularly at 1-2 stores and know the brands and layout like the back of my hand. In fact, I write my grocery list by aisle. So it was a bit like being in a foreign country where the labels and food are familiar, but it still takes you a while to absorb all the items you're not used to seeing.

I hope I'm not in the minority here, but surprisingly, expecting a well-stocked market with plenty of brands and qualities to choose from at a store that charges more than your average market, is too much to ask for in my neck of the woods. I'm afraid I've become infamous, bitching to neighbours and staff and customers in-store when I go to buy a basic item like jalapeno peppers and there are none in sight. I usually get an odd look, then maybe a half-hearted acknowledgement that perhaps they've had difficulty finding something themselves on occasion, yet I think my overzealousness on the topic startles some.

Oh well. I'm just happy I have a place to depend on when I need dried lobster mushrooms, kohlrabi, and more than one brand of soy sauce... and HAVE IT GUARANTEED TO BE IN STOCK!

Did I mention the A&P was in a new plaza that also houses my town's FIRST Starbucks? My Saturday afternoon shopping cycle is now complete!