Okay, I have not gone to the grocery store much lately, but it seems like every time I do (Wal-Mart) there is one less store brand to choose from. This is most noticable in the chip aisle. There used to be GV pretzels, crunchy cheese puffs, and ridged potato chips. Now Frito-Lay has totally monopolized the entire aisle. The ONLY things I can find that aren't are the GV cheese puffs, and potato chips in BBQ, Sour cream and onion, and plain, Medallion Nacho cheese chips and two other brands of plain tortilla chip. Is this a regional thing or a national trend? Have you noticed it in stores other than Wal-Mart?
It is bad enough that food prices are skyrocketing, but to allow a full monopoly on snack foods is unconscionable. (Ha! I spelled that right the first time!) Do you ever feel like you are being tested to see how much crap you are willing to put up with--I don't mean by your kids, that goes without saying. I mean, I couldn't take baby bottles filled with water into the airport. That is not a security issue. That is a profit issue. You know as well as I do that the only reason they won't allow you to bring bottled water into the airport is because they want you to buy it.
We are so complacent as consumers. None of the manufacturers care about what we want or need, they build products and their promotions based on what they can convince us to want. They don't care what we want to buy, they care what they want to sell--something they can produce in massive quantities, at low cost and still convince us to pay huge amounts for it.
Like, a frozen PB&J sandwich with no crust. That is poor man food, but Smuckers turned it into "convenience food" because its too hard to slap, spread, and take a cookie cutter to some bread. Even for the lunch lady at my children's school. I couldn't believe when I went to eat lunch with Andrew and Claire that they had those stupid little single-packed "sandwiches" from the cafeteria. If I wanted them to eat that crap I would have bought it for them and sent it with them in a brown paper bag--or a Sponge Bob thermal bag.
Anyway, I am actually making myself aggravated (or just bringing my seething, subteranean lava to the surface), so I will quit for the night and see about resting.
What is Genius?
12 years ago
4 comments:
Yes, it's just you. The rest of us love the cost of food and gas and just wish we had more money to throw away. :p
Hope you are well. Sorry your new place might not have the "best" schools. Things are cheap here in Copperas Cove but you have to put up with the army effect. It's not generally a good thing but at least you know where to complain. ;)
It's not you, it's Wal Mart. Our store just doesn't stock their shelves with anything. They always seem to be out of EVERYTHING. If the store wasn't the cheapest place in town to shop, I'd go somewhere else. Sometimes they are even out of GV MILK. And I won't buy the other local brand they carry at over $1 more a gallon than GV. Basically Wal Mart sucks, but I have to shop there to try and save money over the other grocery chains in the area.
Darn our Wally Mart is good at having lots of stuff (John says stuff you don't need). If I ever have some rare ingredient that I can't find elsewhere, they have it. Maybe you live too close to the home or Frito Lay? and why do kids need too eat so much food? My friend says, "I don't know why I grocery shop, they just eat it all!"
LOL Marla. That's gratitude for you! You shop and they just eat it.
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