My Love (or Hate) Affair with Shaw's

I have been grocery shopping at Shaw's in the next town over from us for about 4 years now. I know that store like the back of my hand and am able to set my list up according to the aisles. This enables me to zip in and out of there in no time (since I'm really not particularly fond of grocery shopping to me, it's a waste of valuable time on the weekends).

Lately, I find myself very dissatisfied with this Shaw's. The first thing they did was drastically cut down the selection of Crystal Light...Steve and I are both CL fanatics and that's our choice of drink at home. I used to have so many flavors to choose from.....peach iced tea, raspberry iced tea, regular iced tea, mango peach iced tea. On one shopping trip there, I noticed the CL shelf looking quite bare, but thought that maybe they just didn't get their stock in yet. A couple of more trips there and all of a sudden the flavors got reduced from so many down to just one or two! Now we are stuck with drinking just plain iced tea. Now, I could go to the Stop & Shop which is just down the street from there, but I just hate doing so many stops to different places.

Next to go....my beloved espresso coffee (very upset about this one!). While I'm not a big coffee drinker, I do like my cup when I get out of the shower and while I'm getting ready for work. And I do love my coffee to be as strong as possible, which is why I buy espresso, and set the timer to go off 5 minutes before getting out of bed. While I'm in the shower, the coffee is sitting on the burner getting stronger by the minute. By the time I'm ready for it, it has sat on the burner for at least 30 minutes and is oh so dark and delicious! Same thing as the CL, the stock was running down on the shelf until one day there wasn't even a spot for it! Now I have to settle for a dark European roast, which is okay, just not the same as the espresso.

Then, two weeks ago, I realized that they just don't carry garlic oil anymore. I love garlic oil, I use it to saute chicken, toss vegetables and potatoes with it before roasting, and flavoring for broccoli rabe. I searched high and low for it, and again, could not find it, couldn't even find a spot for it on the shelf. I stood there in the aisle and found myself wanting to pick up a bottle of oil and just smash it on the floor!!! (I must've been PMSing that day, but I was also very, very upset, haha!).

Now, you must be saying to yourself "why doesn't she go to another market?" I've tried that before.....during the summer, Lilibell and I stopped by there on our way back from my brother's house to do the weekly shopping (Lilibell has been with me to this store several times before that). Lilibell would sit in her carry bag on the little seat of the cart and would be quiet as a mouse the entire time. That particular day, when I had a loaded carriage and was just about finished.....we got caught!! Some little twerpy manager ordered her immediately out of the store. I begged and pleaded with him, asking to just let me finish, I only had 3 more items to get and I would be done, but no, he stood there and ordered my little darling right out of the store!! No way was I going to leave her in my car while I finished, she would have a conniption at being left alone in the car to watch me walk away from her! I was so mad I left my full cart right where it was, picked her up and marched out of the store. (Yeah, I know that dogs are not supposed to be in food stores and I was taking a chance, but geez, he could've just let me finish!!)

I came home in such a huff and declared to Steve that I was NEVER going back to that Shaw's, they would never get my business again and needed to find another one close by. Monday after work he took me to another one. While it was a nicer one, it was not set up the same as the other one and I rapidly became discombobulated as I tried to locate everything on my list. It took me forever to do my shopping! The next week I crept back into the old Shaw's with my head lowered, hoping no one would remember the crazy lady with the dog who took a fit the week before!!

So, what to do......stick with the old Shaw's and deal with my favorites rapidly disappearing, or go through the process of learning a whole new market to shop at? For now, I'll stick with the old one.....until another favorite of mine disappears, then it will definitely be time for a reevaluation!!!