Checking In (About Checkout Lanes)

Today, I had to run to the grocery store to pick up some things.  Simple stuff, such as garlic bread and coffee creamer.  It wasn't until I was home and Stephen had left for work that I realized that grocery shopping has started to become a mundane task for me.  Just like it used to back in Houston, I suppose.  I guess that means that we are slowly getting used to being here.

When we came to Connecticut for the wedding, back in 2009, I was comforted to see some familiar faces- Wal-Mart, Bed, Bath and Beyond, Chili's- because I knew that in a pinch I could find whatever we would need for starting a new life.  And here in Branford, we are no backwater outpost.  We have Kohl's, Hallmark stores, McDonald's and other neon signs that have come to unite Americans in the past century.  Of course, every region of the country has retained distinctive character, and one of the ways it which it remains strong is in the grocery stores we all frequent.  Here are some of the major players we have here in Southern Connecticut:

1. Big Y. 

Courtesy http://feastingonadventure.com/wp/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/mm-mrkt-big-y.jpg

     Big Y is a newcomer to the supermarket industry here-it's based in Springfield, Massachusetts, which is only an hour away.  In 2010, A&P sold all of its stores in this area to Big Y, including the one in Branford. 

Big Y is sort of a cross between HEB and Randall's.  They have your standard gigantic deli with 53 kinds of cheddar cheese, organic milk and dryer sheets.  They also have a large selection of store brand organic and fair trade coffees, which is very cool.  To save money here, you have to have their Big Y card,  but you also get special prices in certain items if you have silver or gold coins.  No, not the ones that Glenn Beck wants you to buy, but the ones that you can win on the little computer game at the register while you check out.  It's a little pricey, and I'm not crazy about their store-brand cereal, but it's only about three blocks from the house, and let's be honest, I am lazy!

2. Stop and Shop

Not in Branford, and obviously not taken recently.  Courtesy http://www.sacredheart.edu/images/full/33121.jpg

  Stop and Shop is another chain store (aren't most of them these days?)  They're the largest supermarket chain in the region and are actually owned by a Dutch company, which is why Big Y stresses that it is "American-owned" in every circular. 

Our Stop and Shop in Branford is about 3 miles away, and while the prices seem reasonable (similar to Kroger) I am not impressed with the store.  It feels very cold and too bright inside, almost like shopping in an office building.  They also have a program involving handheld scanners that lets you pick one up and the front entrance, scan your items as you go along, and then dock it at a register.  The only human interaction you have to have is with the cashier when you hand them your money.  This IS convenient, but it also means less jobs.  I am not willing to contribute to our state's unemployment rate just so I can save two minutes of my life!

3. Shop Rite

Courtesy http://cae2k.com/photosviewer-0/shop-rite-photo.html

 It's not quite fair to include Shop Rite in this list, because we don't have one in Branford; the closest one is is West Haven, 15 minutes away.  Since I no longer work on that side of the river, deciding to shop at Shop Rite means that I have to make a conscious decision to burn extra gas and possibly get stuck in traffic-either from a wreck on the bridge or in a pack of New Yorkers heading back to the city.  Now, they have really good deals- a few weeks ago, I snagged a 12 pack of Scott toilet paper for only $6.99, which is almost half price (alas I had no coupons for TP that day.)  But the neighborhood isn't great, either, so I watch the circular online and only go there for unbeatable deals. I wish we had one in Branford, or at least in East Haven or Guilford.

You might have noticed that I left out Wal-Mart. I actually LIKE shopping at Wal-Mart up here-unlike the ones in Houston, they are clean and well-stocked.  And we have one near our house; all we have to do is walk through a grove of trees to get there.  The problem is, they are not supercenters- think about the ones we had in Texas about 15 years ago. They have a grocery section, but not a deli counter, meat department, etc.  Zoning is pretty strict up here, so most towns don't want to deal with the traffic a supercenter would bring.  So it's better to buy an item or two there than to try to do all your shopping at once. 

I also left out the independent, Mom-and-Pop stores nearby.  I have been to some of these places, but I am a creature of habit, and shopping at small stores is something I have to learn to do.  But there's time for that, right?  After all, it's only been three months!