Supermarkets

I came across an article this morning titled 12 Worst Supermarkets in America.  On this list was Weiss, at which I have shopped a few times since they took over some of the Safeway stores in our area, otherwise known as Genuardi’s.  I didn’t have too much of a bad experience at the Weiss in West Norriton or the one in Plymouth, so I was relatively surprised to see them on this list.  Maybe because they are new stores to the area, they are on their best behavior.  The two stores I was in were clean and the prices were reasonable.  They have an incentive program going on now where you get points toward a cookware set, and the brand of the pots is the same brand of a saucepan my mother gave me a few months back.  I really like the pot and if I can get more pieces of that same brand just for shopping somewhere, it works for me.

On the list was Wal-Mart.  The thing that struck me reading the reason this chain was on the list was that despite the fact everyone loved the prices, everything else was unsatisfactory.  I found that really interesting and telling in that it seems that if the price is right, most Americans will deal with unclean stores, poor customer service, and questionable quality.  I know my personal experience shopping at Wal-Mart has always been less than satisfactory because I am frequently treated poorly.  I try to get in and out of there quickly because I just get a bad feeling there.  The store near my house is not always the cleanest and the people aren’t the friendliest.  There are no smiles and thank yous when I check out, and even the other shoppers seem grouchy.  I guess pleasantries do make a difference.

I have blogged about Wegman’s in the past and their prices are pretty reasonable considering the type of store they are.  My personal test of a good supermarket is the produce and Wegman’s has the best by far in my opinion.  Customer service is less important to me because I generally accept the fact that most shop clerks are going to be less than pleasant so when they are overly friendly it is a surprise, but customer service is not something that I would give as a reason not to go back.  Generally if the store has what I need at a reasonable price, I will shop there.  The few pennies difference I have found between Wegman’s and Weiss is worth the drive for me specifically for the fact they have what I want.  I am very happy there was no sign of Wegman’s on that list.   

The Art of Shopping

So I was in the mall the other day. I haven’t been there in years, but I went to buy a present for my brother who turned 50 this week. I mean, 50 is a pretty big milestone. Not only for him, but for me. It means I AM OLD!! Oh well… Anyway, 50 deserves a present. I used to work in the mall at the Camera Shop before I got the job I am in now. Ages ago…. Decades ago…you get the picture. So there I was wandering around looking at all the shops and trying to make a decision on what to get him.

Anyway, I am wandering around the mall and I come across the Pandora store. A few years ago I got into Pandora charm bracelets. I was buying charms off eBay and got enough for one full bracelet. They were all the rage and I loved to wear mine, even though it was really heavy with all the charms on it. I thought to myself that the Pandora store could be dangerous for me. I don’t really need another bracelet, but they are so pretty…and so shiny…and I fought really hard to resist.

I reminded myself of my mission and ended up deciding on getting him a pen. My first thought was that he should have a fine distinguished pen that men of that certain age have, like a Mont Blanc. My ex loved those pens and longed to have one. I knew they were expensive but I had no idea. So…there is a Mont Blanc store in the mall and I went in. I should have gotten my first clue when I walked in and no one was in the store. The sales person was polishing one of the many glass cases looking rather bored. He blithely asked if he could help me, looking rather disdainfully at my t-shirt and shorts with flip-flops, and I launched into my story about my brother’s milestone birthday and said that I was thinking about the type of gift I was going to get him. I told him my price range and I am sure he nearly choked, silently of course. The least expensive pen is the corporate model for $150 and the least expensive regular model with the custom engraving is $350. Clearly, out of my range. He tells me of another store in the mall which has pens in all kinds of ranges and I went there. I bought a fun pen with notes all over it since he is a musician, along with a journal and two refills, and the total cost was well below my original estimation.

The cost of the pen was still more than my husband would have paid for a pen. When I told him of my saga, he said, “why would you spend that kind of money for a pen when you can buy him a Bic for 38 cents?” You see what I have to deal with?