THE GROCERY STORE

Hey there sagacious reader.  I have shopped in several different stores over the (many) years and have discovered that most of them do certain things that annoy me.  There are 3 things though that really drive me crazy.  First is what I like to call 'coupon confusion'; second, 'no shelf left behind' and last, 'the price is (maybe) right'.

'Coupon confusion' is an ad in the (junk mail) store's flyer that comes in the mail every week.  I'm sure you know what I mean. Doesn't matter where you live - we all have our own brand of junk mail, don't we? Recently I saw an ad for coke and I needed to replenish my stock.  I love my coke!  (Cola, people, relax)  :0 Anyway, the ad wasn't particularly specific, just said something about 'selected varieties'.  So off I go to the store hoping to pick up a nice variety of my favorite drink. When I walked in, there was a large stash of coke piled right inside the front door.  You couldn't miss it.  However, there were only two kinds displayed there.  Diet coke, regular coke.  Hmm. What? That's it?  Not much of a variety in my opinion.  

I started my regular shopping and figured I'd ask an employee about it when I saw one.  I did see a manager and asked him.  He was not helpful (and a little cranky about it, too!)  He pretty much just pointed at the pile and went about his business.  He must have been busy cause I don't usually have customer service problems at that particular store.  Well, I decided at the last moment to take a look at the soda aisle itself to see if I could find clarity there.  Big mistake.  Their stupid "special" tag was placed here and there below many different varieties but there was nothing conclusive about what exactly was on sale. When I asked another employee they just shrugged, smiled sheepishly and said to ask the manager.  Been there, done that.  Not helpful.  

By this time I'm feeling majorly cranky and decide to just stick with the obvious and buy what's available at the front of the store.  I know for sure that coke is on sale.  I wasn't happy about it (to say the least) but didn't want to grab the wrong thing, wait in line, have the clerk ring up the higher price, have to tell her "nope, don't want it", go back and grab the sale item, thus pissing off all the people waiting in line behind me.  Ya know?  I didn't want to be "that person."  So instead, I took my frustration out on the poor clerk.  (So sorry, couldn't help myself!)  Not her fault, I know.  And she was really nice.  

Now, this whole ugly thing could have been avoided if they had been more explicit in their coupon.  Just name the damn varieties in your ad!  How difficult is that?  

On to 'no shelf left behind'.  This phenomenon occurs when the store runs out of a product that should be on the shelf.  Instead of leaving the space empty so shoppers (like me) can see that they are temporarily out of said item, the store puts other product, usually its neighbor, in its place.  I don't like it. Drives me nuts!  When I shop for a particular thing and I don't see it on the shelf, I automatically look to see if its 'sticker' is still posted.  This way I know whether or not they still carry the item.  If I see the 'sticker' I think maybe there's one or two items still there, maybe way in the back. Why there's other crap stocked there, I don't know.  

I was told that it was "store policy" not to have a blank space on their shelves.  Makes em look incompetent or something.  Really?  Who cares? Well, having other product in the space where my product should be doesn't work for me.  Like I said, there may be one or two of my item back there and I have to look. Once or twice I actually have found what I was looking for.  So there is always hope.  As tempting as it is, I stop myself short of chucking the unwanted item on the floor in my desire to find what I want.  I do shove things around a bit, even checking in the back of the adjacent rows.  I can be quite messy at times.  Not my fault.  It all could be avoided if they would just leave that space blank.  (Right?)

Now as for 'the price is (maybe) right', what can I say?  I really hate not knowing what an item is going to cost me.  How hard is it to price things?  I miss the 'good old days' when stores stuck a price tag right on the item. You always knew what you were going to pay for something.  No ugly surprises.  Nowadays it's a crap shoot.

When you're shopping you ought to be able to grab whatever you want, comfortable in knowing what the cost is going to be.  You shouldn't have to guess.  Or hunt down an employee to ask (which would then entail waiting around for them to find out).  Or search for an in-store scanner. (Really?  What's up with that?)  A bar code doesn't tell me anything. Now if they put the price on the bar code, that would work.  But do they?  Of course not. 

The prices should be right there; upfront and center. And if not?  Well, I have my own ideas about that!  My version of an effective 'store policy'.  I think that if you can't find the price of an item either on it or anywhere in the immediate area, it should be free.  That would teach em. After all, give away enough stuff and the stores would wise up. Get their shit together, make sure their products are priced out and make life a little easier for us shoppers. 

So there you have it.  My favorite grocery store gripes.  I'm sure some of you readers out there have run across similar situations where you live. And it must make you at least a little bit cranky. (Even if you aren't an old bird!) If so, then perhaps you will join me in extending to these stores a long overdue and much deserved BITE ME!