Culture From The PinHibited Cook

When it comes to stocking up the fridge, freezer, and pantry, there are so many factors in determining brand value, taste, and price.  Where you shop says a lot about you.  Are you health-conscious?  Do you have special dietary needs?  Is your budget stretched to its limit?  Do you want to save time and gas?

Let's talk about grocery stores for a minute.  In the US alone, there are over 37,716 grocery stores in existence (according to latest statistics from The FMI in 2014).  And then you throw in the smaller mom-and-pop grocers found in more rural areas, and the "super" stores that sell everything from pajamas to frozen peas and car tires, and the list continues to grow.  There is no shortage of places from which to choose to do your shopping!  

Chain stores can be good for brand loyalists and those who are coupon mavens.  It can be a boon when your favorite products are on sale, or using coupons can entitle you to something free.  However, just because there are sales, doesn't mean that the quality is always there.  Think about that for a moment.  In the olden days of the last century, we have seen the advent of stores as we know them, who all started as small mom-and-pop type establishments, featuring local meats, produce, and baked goods.  Prices were fair, and products were healthier.  Oh sure, one can argue that sanitary practices might have made it less healthy for a person, but there were also less chemicals used to grow produce, feed animals, or package products.  And that seemed to keep people less susceptible to the diseases that have run rampant through modern society today.

Then of course you have to consider the fact that as industrialization swept in that more and more of what became offered in stores strayed away from the local "little guys" to move on to bigger producers and suppliers.  Such moves changed the economy and the way small towns operated.  For some it meant the difference between prosperity and being written off the maps.  Many towns ceased to exist once the railways, motorways, and airways began shipping products across the country and globally.  So the move from locally-owned stores to bigger conglomerates has held more drastic consequences and has shaped the way we look at food as an industry and as a demand.  The chains became enticing options for consumers to find "lower-priced" items, which they equated with the ability to buy more of, thus making it to their advantage, especially if having to feed large families.  

Now that we are in tthe digital age, we can purchase items online.  This takes things to a whole new level.  People can buy standard fare, or find supplements, and organic and other specialized products all at the click of a button.  While it has allowed many to become entrepreurs, it also has hurt business at physical stores - and this time, it's not just local shops, but chain stores have been affected, too.  And as we saw in the hayday of chain stores, the same is being played out with internet stores.  So is there a compromise?

I personally believe there is.  Some chains have recognized consumer trends by incorporating a little of everything.  By that I mean that places like Trader Joe's, Whole Foods Market, and Fresh Thyme Farmer's Market and more, find organic suppliers and producers from as many local places specific to their physical stores, as much as possible.  They even find things like supplements or organic lines of facial care and personal products that are commonly sold online and sell them in their stores so shoppers don't have to buy online.  Between such stores, as well as road-side farm stands, and meat markets, we can all shop more economically and healthy without having to shell out more money to do so.  In fact, you might find that you save as much as if you used coupons in traditional chain stores.  

So my advice to you for today is this: find at least one local shop you can buy from today (as opposed to any mega-mart), and test the deals for yourself in terms of value, taste, and price and then tell me what you think.