I haven’t had a good rant for a while, so best I put that right.
I had cause to go into a large store of a well-known supermarket a while ago.
Make that a very large store.
An extremely large store. Obscenely large.
It was like a medium sized city inside.
Or possibly a large cathedral, which would feel more appropriate, since these things are the glorification of the worship of money. How so? This store, like most others of its hateful ilk, does not simply sell food, any more.
Oh no.
It sells clothes. It sells white goods. DVDs and CDs. Computers and accessories. Mobile phones. Books, stationery, and greetings cards. Items of furniture. Garden items. DIY stuff. It has started its own bank and offers everything from insurance policies to bank accounts. The list seems endless. If I had wanted a lighthouse or a wolf they would probably have got me one from out the back.
There seems to be very little that it does not yet sell, although I have no doubt that it will only be a matter of time before those few gaps are filled.
Its business plan is simple – put every single other type of shop out of business, and corner the market in everything.
I had the strangest feeling – the feeling that I was somehow diminished, just by being in there.
And the food items? The reason I went in there in the first place?
Apparently it is essential that we are able to choose from well over a hundred types of cheese which particular one we need – strong, very strong, beat your brains in, mild, sliced, grated, chopped in cubes, turned into string, low fat, no fat, cows’ milk, sheeps’ milk, antelopes’ milk, crocodiles’ milk, virtual cheese, and all produced by four or five different companies.
And that’s just the cheddar.
Its website tells me that it sells 343 different cheese products. I’m all for choice, but, good grief!
Interestingly, looking at a website for a rival big multinational, I find they sell 344 of these products. Perhaps I should go there, instead? I wouldn’t want to miss out on a shopping opportunity. They might be able to offer me a better ‘shopping experience.’ For my ‘shopping solutions.’
Why do advertising agencies have to come up with that drivel?
And that brings me to another interesting thought.
There is the push to encourage all shoppers to use the ‘self’ check-outs, but at least they seem to have reined back a little on the verbal persuasions. I was standing in line at my ‘local’ small branch last year, when I was approached by a member of staff who suggested I use a ‘self’ check-out.
‘No thanks.’ I said.
‘It’s okay,’ he told me, ‘I’ll show you what to do.’
I can see perfectly well what to do. I don’t intend to use it.’
‘Why not, sir?’
‘Because it’s sole purpose is to take away your jobs.’
‘That’s not so…’
‘I suggest you look at their website, then. Because I have. It clearly states that is one of the advantages of buying one.’
Damn the lot of them.
I sympthise Mick. I have a choice of Supermarkets to shop in but thanks to them, very little in the way of local corner shops now. The one I generally start at for convenience now is a Superstore and is owned by another large company from the U.S. Oddly enough they stopped selling the cheeses I like for a good while ( the crumbly ones like Cheshire) and stuck to varieties of Cheddar which I don’t enjoy.There seem to be more and more American goods on the aisles,especially sweets and the chocolate which is foul, and less and less choice in the men’s clothing than there used to be.
While I’m griping too, I can’t help but wonder why Cadbury’s (also American now) changed the formula of the milk chocolate and completely did away with dark chocolate fingers and yet bars of Bourneville are still on sale.They don’t say they were a poor seller.
Hugs
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yes, far more American goods on the aisles, David. I’m sure the idea is to Americanise all of our tastes, so we happily live on burgers and fries and jelly sandwiches and similar crap.
None of this is about giving the consumer what they want, it is about ‘encouraging’ the consumer to buy what the companies want them to buy.
LikeLike
Exactly what I needed this am….😀
LikeLiked by 1 person
Happy to oblige!
LikeLiked by 1 person
I hate the self check outs. Unfortunately, that is the future because it means less employees. And 343 cheese products is a bit overboard.
Have a good day.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you. I’m sure it is the future, but I’m just reluctant to go down without a bit of a fight…
LikeLiked by 1 person
Then, we can fight together lol
LikeLiked by 1 person
I am so with you on this Mick. More is not and does not equate to better, it just makes things more confusing. At the risk of jumping on the bandwagon, from cable TV, to email subscriptions, to robo calls I’m sick of it. And don’t even get me started on advertisements. Sorry, but wow I feel so much better. 😉 Happy Monday!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks, Steph. Plenty of room up here on the bandwagon for you. Happy Mondays all round!
LikeLiked by 1 person
😀
LikeLiked by 1 person
I sympathize with you Mick and hope you have a better rest of the week! I loathe those self check outs, it’s a different system everywhere and I actually miss the tiny conversation I can otherwise have with the employees as I check out:)
LikeLiked by 1 person
Ah, the human touch. Yes, less and less of that all the time, which is odd in such an overpopulated world!
Thanks, Divya.
LikeLiked by 1 person
It must be some sort of trade pact. Here in the U.S. supermarkets, the aisles are blocked with huge pyramids of Vegemite and Weet-Bix, and freeze-dried Witchetty Grubs. And the butcher counter has no beef anymore, other than Four ‘N Twenty Pies, mostly now it’s emu, snags, kangaroo.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Something very weird, certainly. We don’t get the witchetty grubs, emu or kangaroo, as far as I know. Of course, it might be disguised as something else…
LikeLiked by 1 person
We do see Australian beef sold here, off & on, that’s the only imported beef I’ve ever seen, other than canned corned beef from Brazil.
The self-checkout is gaining ground here, too. And of course, Amazon opened a prototype store in Seattle, with no checkout line at all – – hundreds of cameras watch your every move, and add up whatever you put into your cart. Not at all creepy.
LikeLiked by 1 person
No, not in the slightest bit creepy. Hmm. Yes, I read about that. Again, I suppose it’s only a matter of time before they get here.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I loath the self checkouts with a passion! I am the customer. I want to be served. I want our young people to be able to take weekend jobs and our old people to earn pin money and stave off boredom in retirement. I do not want to be beeped at by a thing that is incapable of knowing whether or not I have placed an item in the bagging area. Unknown item in bagging area? I just scanned the bloody thing, how can you not know what it is?! Usually I would be excited in a place full of food, but these places are soulless and plastic. The food isn’t even a consideration. Money is king. Overthrow the king! (Apologies, I got a bit excited, there)
LikeLiked by 1 person
Hey, that’s my rant! but never mind, you’re more than welcome to share it, Lucy. Yes, yes and yes again to your comments. Mobilise the troops!
LikeLiked by 1 person
I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to go off on one. But your excellent post stirred fiery emotions within me! (It just took me three attempts to spell ‘fiery’ correctly, by the way.)
LikeLiked by 1 person
I’ll put your spelling down to your fiery emotions (hey, right first time! Give that man a Shiraz…!). No, you go right on ahead and rant if you wish to. I declare this page open rant page!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Give that man a shiraz – I second that! Very well. I shall return with more ranting. I’ve just eaten some cake so feeling fairly docile at the moment 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
That’s fine, Lucy. Never rush a good rant – I’ve been known to nurture an especially good one for months.
LikeLiked by 1 person
A slow-cooked rant is the tastiest.
LikeLiked by 1 person
With extra chilli to ensure it is extra fiery!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Large and super large stores has to be an American concept. First kill the competition after which “loot” the customers because they have no option.
I prefer the variety small store provides rather than standardised 20 mass produced items.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Oh, absolutely, Arv. It’s just another step towards an aseptic, mechanised, sterile, high-surveillance, highly policed…have I forgotten anything?…world.
LikeLike
To me it seems a different version of imperialistic corporation. Remember East India Dutch co and East India company from UK? Everything is fair when it comes to profit maximization.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yes, there is a similarity there. Greed and arrogance going hand in hand.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Absolutely!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Hate the places. I try to shop at small local stores and markets whenever possible. Apparently though, they’re on the way out, because of Amazon, and online shopping. I’d rather order some stuff online, like washing powder, and wander around looking at things in season to inspire my cooking
LikeLiked by 1 person
I fear the end of the small shop. Even the medium sized one, eventually. I imagine there will come a time when everything is bought or ordered from just one huge, universal, mega-store, probably run by whatever group then runs the world. Or am I being unduly pessimistic?
LikeLike
Hopefully you are. I do think there is a backlash, what with all the articles on locally grown food, etc. I think we all have to vote with our purse!
LikeLiked by 1 person
It’s our only chance!
LikeLike
Couldn’t agree more. I’d be happy if I never walked into another one of those big sterile boxes with too many choices. Too many options = overwhelm = despair/confusion/frustration and a whole lot of wasted time reading labels, which in many cases are filled with lies, lies, lies. That’s how it seems to me.
LikeLiked by 1 person
That’s rather how it seems to me too, Monica. Too much choice is a fine headache, as the saying goes. I can’t see that we’re any the better for all those choices, anyway.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I must say I had to smile when I read this, you have said what I think. Each time I go to Honolulu, I go to a certain huggggeeeee supermarket with my friends and it blows my mind. I am so overwhelmed by the size of it, the culture of it and the following it has. I could not even consider shopping at a place like this, as I cannot even get past the size of the car park, it freaks me out. There is nothing nice about it but if it helps folks save money and they are happy to do it, then go for it. We have a couple of these here in Aus but I will never be visiting them.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Glad you smiled, Lyn. Yes, I find them overwhelming. And so antiseptic and impersonal. The real trouble now is it’s often difficult to find alternative shops to use – little shops like greengrocers get driven out of business by them, leaving one with little choice.
LikeLiked by 1 person
That’s the stuff, sow the seeds of discord… break them from the inside.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I’m sure it won’t work, but it’s worth a try!
LikeLike
The self check-out thing is still not in vogue here in the supermarkets.
But, crocodiles’ milk…I laughed hard… 😀 😀 thank you!
LikeLiked by 1 person
You’re welcome, Maniparna. It would be nice to think you won’t get them…
LikeLiked by 1 person
my mom loves cheese. she’d be delighted walking by these – or overwhelmed. if i let her, you’d find at least five or six types of cheese on the fridge at once.
on the other hand, a thief would have a nice time in there.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I think she’d be overwhelmed. I certainly feel that way sometimes.
LikeLiked by 1 person
or in heaven.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Starts with ‘t’ and rhymes with ‘fresco’, by any chance? It is a shame these superstores are trying to take over. It’s like how Borders destroyed all those indie bookstores in the 90s and changed the way writers make a living… But that’s a whole other rant! 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
It could do, Helen. It is the way of the world, regrettably, but as I said in an earlier comment, I just don’t feel like going down without a fight.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Good for you, Mick! 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
I agree with you, Mick! Sadly, the biggest super store of all is Amazon, which has clearly stated their goal to be the monopoly on all consumer goods. It never ceases to amaze me how many people will resist Walmart and Costco (the super stores here in the States) and yet happily order all kinds of things from Amazon. And yet they treat their employees horribly and are responsible for driving out more small stores than anyone else! Long live the mom and pop stores! I love them, I miss them, and all too soon they will be nothing but a memory.
LikeLiked by 1 person
It’s very sad, and unfortunately all of us who are self-published have no choice but to use Amazon, since they have already created a virtual monopoly when it comes to selling self-published books.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I hate self check-outs too. Part of the pricing structure of every item is made up of staff costs so by self checking out I’m actually giving the mighty machine money for free. No thanks. Pretty soon we won’t need to go anywhere else ever apart from the megamarkets for anything.
LikeLiked by 1 person
That is clearly the plan. Around where I live, for example, it’s already impossible to find alternative shops to buy fruit and veg.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Depressing isn’t it? Such a shame they’re killing the local shops.
LikeLiked by 1 person
At a great rate of knots.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Money talks though and cheaper goods make it hard to ignore them.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I have this thought that when they have put the last of the independent shops out of business, they will start hiking up all their prices.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Of course they will. It’s all part of their dastardly plan.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Damn their eyes!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Other half does all the supermarket shopping and seems to have it down to a fine art – me, I loathe the places for the same reasons you do, and more. Oh and your rant looks like it might be about one beginning with a T end ending with an O…
LikeLiked by 1 person
Oddly enough, Val, someone else suggested the ‘T’ answer to the riddle…
LikeLiked by 1 person
Just when I was getting used to the idea of self-checkout in the grocery store…
Today we went to a vehicle emissions inspection station. Use to be, there’d be a couple employees, they’d stick wands up your car’s wazoo to take readings, rev things up, etc. Then, they decided newer cars didn’t need all those inspections as they didn’t pollute as bad and all they’d do is plug in some electronic gizmo and write a few things down, then process the paperwork. Today, all they did was plug in a gizmo, point us towards a kiosk and gave 15 seconds of instruction, and left us to enter all the data, unplug the gizmo, and confirm that yes indeed we would be paying those vehicle renewal fees that are triple what they use to be.
In short, even emissions testing is damn near self-checkout now.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Seems the thing every company wants to cut down on is employees. Check-out, check-in, check-ups…I wonder if there’ll actually be any jobs for my grandchildren to do when they grow up.
Given the car emissions scandals of the last twelve months or so, I can’t resist wondering about the software involved in your car check. But that’s a post for another time, perhaps.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I agree with you. These huge corporate are taking over absolutely everything and taking everything that is nice out of the shopping experience. I like the UK where there are still lots of little shops in the streets with nice owners who talk to you rather than horrible, impersonal malls.
LikeLiked by 1 person
There are quite a few still, Robbie, but they are slowly being pushed out. It’s very depressing.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Great post dear 😊😊 I prefer being served by a person and having a quick chat. It’s always nice. Have a lovely day x x
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you, and thanks for visiting!
LikeLike
Three comments, my Dear Mick!
Excellent!
Good Grief, and,
Damn the lot of them.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Ha! Thank you, Swami! What a great response!
LikeLiked by 1 person
You are too kind, my Dear Mick! 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person