General Store

Good Sunday Morning to you all, and welcome to General Store week. We will be looking at grocers from the past. We start with this picture of a general store, taken in 1914. I like how there is both a Model T, and a horse and buggy out front. One mode of transportation on its way out, and one on its way in. I note the chickens running around the store, and would be willing to bet that their fresh, free range eggs would be available for purchase in the store.

My gripes with modern grocery stores are very similar to my gripes with modern gas stations. The first gripe is the sameness. Visiting a grocery store is almost like visiting a hospital. Everything is so sterile and predictable. Each one is the same, and grocery shopping becomes a chore, not something you look forward to. Growing up, the grocery stores were individually owned by owner/proprietors. Each one reflected the individual tastes of the owner, and the local community. They were a place to not only buy groceries, but to also visit with folks and catch up on what was happening around town.

My biggest gripe is how chain stores have those huge idiotic signs hanging every 4 foot from the ceiling. The signs are a garish lime green, and scream at you "LOWER PRICES", "JUST LOWER PRICES", "ALWAYS LOWER PRICES", "LOOK HERE FOR LOWER PRICES". The signs make me nauseous, and I significantly resent the blatant attempt at subconscious manipulation. You know, they think that if they keep flashing those signs at me every three feet, I will become programmed that they actually have to best prices. I would much prefer a warmer and more subtle shopping experience where I did not feel like I was being shouted at.