Pay more attention, reflect in the grocery store aisles

The Collegiate Times will resume publication on Tuesday, Sept. 7.

Tuesday, February 9, 2010; 8:54 PM | 3 | | Print

by Vincent Guida, regular columnist

As the first round of exams descends upon thousands of students, some of you may find yourself under obscene amounts of stress.

You may find yourself twitching involuntarily, grinding your teeth in your sleep, smoking dozens of cigarettes, or even yelling at strangers simply to release some tension. Everyday tasks become perverse, torture-filled nightmares. Your mind will instantaneously flood with pure white rage in a fraction of the time it takes the person who bumped into you to say, “Excuse me.” Fear not dear reader, there is hope.

In my extensive travels, I have found a Shangri-La that is as near to you as your local grocery store. In fact it is your local grocery store.

Like any type of store, grocery stores are designed in such a way that presents their merchandise in the most visually appealing way. However, the grocery store has a significantly greater amount of merchandise and brands for sale than just about any other type of store. The grocery store provides a shelf space for several of the same products and allows you to choose. Which brand of potted meat will be your next meal? You decide.

The decision of a particular product over another usually depends heavily on its price. Kroger-brand white bread sells for $.78, God bless America. But how does one decide when the price negligible? Will the can of baked beans with the familiar logo be victorious over the can with the retro, “I think this is a collectible” label? Once again it is your decision.

As you stroll casually up and down the carefully engineered and well spaced, precise aisles, just take a look at all of the labels aimed at attracting your attention — each one different and designed to sell the unique product underneath it. Every jar of spaghetti sauce or bottle of clam juice is screaming “BUY ME!”

Beyond the pre-packaged food that is imported to the grocery store shelves, many stores prepare and sell their own food. The baked goods, fried chicken and potato salad, just to name a few, are some of the ready-to-eat foods sold at grocery stores. While made in the store, these items have the taste and feel of being homemade.

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