AT THE GROCERY

I'm not even hungry. Which is a good thing. When I go to the store and I'm hungry, everything looks good to me. If I go right after a meal, I'll buy much fewer products. I guess that's universal.

When I went to the store before supper tonight, by the way, I never understood how some could call lunch dinner, even the special Sunday dinner. Dinner is supper, not lunch. Never has been, no matter how big. Brunch is for another entry on another day. But as I was shopping, there was a guy in the aisles, as if there's not enough stuff in the aisles anyway, hawking watermelons. At another aisle not far away, a woman was offering free samples of beer. Surprisingly she had no takers. Neither did the melon man.

Maybe other shoppers have the same attitude as I. Keep out of the aisles. If you want a bigger store to house more products, then move or build on. But an aisle is for walking or pushing a cart. Some carts are big. And I'd like to complain about those big enough to allow kids to ride in them. Some are shaped like cars. But they look so cool, how could I complain? So cut 'em some slack and leave some space. No more special displays or salesmen hogging the aisles. Clog up another artery. But leave an aisle for, well, aisling.

Finally, when was the last time you went shopping and had a quick check out? Wal-Mart may be the worst. Most have counters a plenty. But checkers a few. Oh, sure most have self-check outs if you like talking to machines and taking orders, sometimes rather gruffly given, from them. Then there's the produce and leaving your bag until told to place it in the cart. It's time consuming.

Hey, how's this for an idea. Shelve the self-check outs and put displays there. Man or woman the counters that are left deserted and check out your customers in an orderly and efficient manner. See I come from a line of grocers dating back to the Red and White Store days. There's only one of them left in Illinois. Maybe if they'd take my advice, there's be more.