There are just some things that should not be tampered with in this world. By "tampered with" I mean changed, modified, altered, etc. We all know what a grocery store or supermarket is. Over the course of the last forty to fifty years, 'mega-markets' have sprung up all over the country. These are 'super stores' where you can find a grocery store, drug store, clothing store, hardware store, maybe a dry cleaning establishment, bakery, floral shop, coffee shop, and, sometimes, a US Postal Shoppe under one roof. Truly everything from A to Z. As a nation, we have become accustomed to this type of store.
Then there is the Big Box type of home-improvement store where one can find everything to build a home or undertake a remodeling project, large or small. Need some duct tape or caulk? Head to your local Big Box Home Improvement Store and you will find just what you need. What doesn't fit into this equation is the Big Box Home Improvement Store/Grocery-Store-Wannabe. Within the past year, I became aware that some of these types of businesses now have what they call 'grocery departments'. Excuse me? A grocery department inside a Big Box Home Improvement Store? This makes as much sense to me as being able to buy crown molding or rebar at my grocery store. If I'm a tradesman running in to purchase more nails for the nail gun and I haven't had a thing to eat since breakfast, I might be tempted to hustle over to the 'grocery department' and grab some beef jerky and a two-litre bottle of pop, but if I am shopping there to purchase some drop cloths for my painting project, it is unlikely that I would consider purchasing the ingredients for the beef stroganoff I am planning for dinner.
What made me decide to write about this retail oxymoron was a recent advertisement in my daily newspaper. A national Big Box Home Improvement Store included a grocery-sized sack promoting the (paraphrase) "Celebration of our grocery department's second anniversary". The sack also said, "20% off anything you can eat or drink AND you can fit inside this bag!" It listed candy, pop, bottles water, beef jerky, nuts, chips, soups, sauces and more as being available. This seems like an example of my SO's strategy for me to drive through large cities: "Pick a lane and stick with it." Big Box Home Improvement Stores should stick with what they do best. Leave the groceries to the grocery stores.
Besides, someone just might want to purchase broccoli.
Ancora imparo
