Closed!?!

Hey! They closed my go to supermarket! My number one place! That's progress for you. I live in the suburbs where there are lots of supermarkets but they just closed the one that was closest to me. It was also the one I liked the best. It's problem was that it was the smallest supermarket around. That didn't mean it was small but the trend for the last ten years around here has been to build "super" supermarkets. When one "super" is not enough you know we're headed for trouble. Those double super stores are way too big. Getting in and getting out becomes a chore.

The supermarket that closed was a Stop and Shop and they opened a Super Stop and Shop down the street when they closed my store. Ironically the Super Stop and Shop is in the same location where they closed a Shop Rite a year ago because they built a Super Shop Rite on the other side of town. One store's regular became another store's super. Go figure.

I can see why Stop and Shop wanted a super store because the Super Shop Rite does a lot of business. That store is always crowded. Crazy crowded. That's one of the reasons it wasn't my favorite. Another reason is it's sheer size. I'm only shopping for one so I usually pop in for a few items and hit the express line. That's how I roll. It takes a lot more walking around to find things in those huge super stores than it does in a regular super market. Plus when I go to a second store I have to learn new locations for things. Sure things are generally grouped the same in every store but the specifics of walking around are always different. They always hide the apple sauce. Confusion reigns.

Of course traffic plays a part in going to the store too. The store that just closed was easiest for me to drive to. I head down my street, make a right, and in a couple of miles I'm in the parking lot. Piece of pie. The location of the new Super Stop and Shop is not much further away but to get to it I have to go through a busy intersection. A busy pain in the ass intersection I might add. Some intersections are just a matter of waiting your turn but with some you have to wait your turn twice and watch for idiots. This is a watch for idiots intersection. The road was built two hundred years ago (there is a plaque commemorating that this was the intersection where Washington divided his troops after the battle of New York) and even with all the modern improvements it's a pain in the ass. Sight lines are bad, one of the roads is a hill, and the other is a busy stretch of 9W. Who wants to deal with that when you're Jonesing for some clementines?

The Super Shop Rite is a little further away but it's easier to get to. There is a back way and a front way to choose from. Choice rules. The back way takes a bit more time but if there is traffic the front way it's well worth it. If it's anywhere near five o'clock there will be traffic the front way. Last week I attempted to leave the store the front way but had to double back as cars were stacked up at the light ten deep. But at least I could double back. At the 9W intersection there is no choice. You're stuck or you're not.

So now the my number two store is my number one store. They don't get the brand of milk that I like but they make some good cookies in their bakery. Life's a tradeoff. It's a bit of a madhouse in there and I used to like the smaller and quieter nature of my old number one store but time marches on. Maybe someone will open a new un-super supermarket where my old number one store used to be. You never know. But that would be progress.