In the interest of keeping my health and well-being intact, I will make no disparaging comments about members of my family of origin. Why? I'm surrounded by them presently, and will be until tomorrow morning.
But seriously, this visit is mighty good, and I have no beef about which to vent. It probably takes a visit to Southeast Texas to refresh my appreciation for living in the Arizona desert (dry heat!). And I am using my accrued knowledge to remind myself that a visit to Houston does not have to lead to pathos (not EVERY time, at least).
The entire reason for this trip was to be present to celebrate a milestone birthday for my mother (the exact age will not be posted here). Today's picture is indicative of the classy nature of this party (took place last night) and everything went off without a hitch. Which is no small statement considering the presence of two small children amongst pricey china and Waterford crystal.
Onto other subjects: Namely, the title of this entry. In preparation for the festivities, Geogal and I (and numerous other family members) made frequent trips to the local grocery store. Grocery store. Something of a misnomer in this case. I've been in Wal-Marts that are smaller than this place.
(pause--Geoana slammed her fingers in a door and is wailing. Must go now)
I'm back, Geoana is OK, just one of those childhood occurrences (although they are known to happen to adults, which is when they are more painful and embarrassing).
Where was I? Right, starting my rant about really really large grocery stores. I believe the correct term is "Big Box," at least that's how they're known in AZ. This one, though, I think, is representative of how grocers are reinventing themselves for the suburban shoppers. I don't mind a large selection of items, but different kiosks with store employees wearing the Garth Brooks-in-concert microphone giving pointers on how to correctly cook this or that? Numerous other businesses offering their wares or services in the front of the registers? It seems to me this is better limited to the aforementioned Arkansas-based mega-retailer
Perhaps I should not be so quick to criticize. After all, this was just my first experience with this type of a grocer-retailer and they apparently don't exist in my corner of the world. Yet. But I am certain this is not the first Really Really Huge HEB store in Texas and this might just be another indicator of what suburban life is becoming. More offerings, bigger store footprints, more businesses under one roof. Soon these stores will offer more square footage than the larger Las Vegas casinos.
But overall, is there anything wrong with this? After all, the consumer is getting what they want. However, will these places lose the personal touch? Even though I know it's fake, I still like it when the employees of my nearby Safeway still take time to greet me and ask me if I'm finding everything OK. I guess I should enjoy it while it lasts.
Maybe I just need to spend more time in the rural areas to remind me that suburban living is really not so bad.
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