I Heart TJ’s
I go to Trader Joe’s a lot. It’s sort of become a hobby, something I do when I need to kill time or when I have nothing else going on. I tell myself I’m going for one thing and always wind up spending $25. It’s gotten to the point where I’m a little self-conscious about it. Am I going to often? Am I really consuming that many groceries? It’s like being wasted – the next day I can’t even remember what I bought or where any of it is. I’ll buy stuff I think I don’t have, and then find duplicates in the recesses of my cupboards. Maybe I’m subconsciously aware of some upcoming natural disaster of monumental proportions.
Trader Joe’s just has that j’ne sais quoi that other supermarkets don’t have. Do the employees at Ralphs or Vons or Pavilions recognize me and silently nod hello as I wander aimlessly around?? Are the cashiers always happy and high high on life?? For some reason “normal” supermarkets are staffed by people who seem like life just won’t cut them any slack, and it really brings me down. Paper or plastic? Please, let me just get that myself. Looks like it’s time for your tenth cigarette break of the day already. Does Ralphs ever offer me a tasty little (free!!!) morsel of something that was frozen five minutes ago?? Or a teensy weensy cup of coffee, complete with my choice of agave, sugar, soy creamer or half and half?? So what if I took the paint off the entire side of my passenger door navigating my way out of their disaster of a parking lot. The collective gasp I heard from a dozen sympathetic bystanders made me feel missed before I’d even left.
In a city sorely lacking any sense of community, TJ’s makes me feel like maybe I am part of something after all. Some people have their gyms, beach clubs, member’s only bars, trade associations, and other such nonsense, whereas I’m part of a large, anonymous community of compulsive Trader Joe’s shoppers. Or is “anonymous community” an oxymoron? Whatever. I think it’s the closest I’ll ever get to group activities.
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