I’m convinced grocery stores are designed to hook folks at an early age. As a matter of fact, it becomes a family affair. While moms shop for nutritional items, their children tag along for the goodies…or maybe the whole shopping experience.
Recently, I walked into Schnucks, a St. Louis’ family chain of stores. A little girl, maybe about five, ran circles around me on a mission to find a miniature shopping cart that had a long green pole with a flag that boldly read, “Customer in training.” The child took charge and steered her vehicle—shopping cart—behind her mother as if she had buying power too. Yep, the store was working on loyalty at an early age.
Fast forward fifty, sixty, or seventy years and that same little girl has grown up, fell in love and had children of her own who now have families of their own. The customer in training has slowed down and leans on that cart to steady her while a loved one trails patiently nearby. It’s easy to spot the mother-daughter duo. I can see a glimpse of the youth the older woman once held, and if life is kind, the maturity that awaits the daughter.
Back to the shopping experience. For the old woman, it’s the thrill of perusing the merchandise on the shelves that keeps her going down the aisle. As far as buying power, she’s probably on a budget and can’t splurge on those goodies like extra fruits, vegetables, or cereal. Maybe, the first of next month.
Whenever I see this scenario, it warms my heart. One day, if the Lord wills, I’ll be that old woman. Will my son or daughter trail me, or will I be one of those sassy seniors who can speed walk through the stores to the envy of young folks.
Pat Simmons is a multi-published Christian romance author with more than thirty-five titles. She is a self-proclaimed genealogy sleuth who is passionate about researching her ancestors, then casting them in starring roles in her novels. She is a three-time recipient of the Romance Slam Jam Emma Rodgers Award for Best Inspirational Romance: Still Guilty, Crowning Glory, and The Confession.
Pat’s readership reaches across genres besides Christian romance and ethnicities. She has been a featured speaker and workshop presenter at various venues across the country. Pat has converted her sofa-strapped sports fanatical husband into an amateur travel agent, untrained bodyguard, GPS-guided chauffeur, and administrative assistant who is constantly on probation. They have a son and a daughter. Pat holds a B.S. in mass communications from Emerson College in Boston, Massachusetts. Visit her at www.patsimmons.net.
Look for her upcoming Christmas novella, Taye's Gift in the Small Town Christmas series October 2019.
Interesting. I prefer shopping in a smaller grocery store.
ReplyDeleteOne of my daughter's favorite activities is grocery shopping, Pat, even when she was a child. (She's now 24.)
ReplyDeleteFun post, Pat. I've never been a fan of shopping. When my kids were small, my husband traveled a lot, so I shopped on my own with two toddlers, a year apart in age. This was before the nice seats and baby carriers attached to shopping cars that they have these days. You description of the older woman reminded me of my mother-in-law, who in her later years couldn't walk down the aisles, but she sure could drive one of those motorized carts. Look out ahead!
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