Tag: Dollar Store

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DG MARKET RESCUED THE FOOD DESERT

Our city has one of the highest poverty rates in the state of Indiana.  A disproportionate number of  low income people live in the inner city, in old, deteriorating houses and apartments.  At one time, there was an A&P  within walking distance, but that disappeared long ago.  It was never replaced. Nowhere to shop but the Dollar Store. Which meant that you often saw people buying  unhealthy foods. Bacon, sugary snacks, processed meat .  Because  nothing fresh was available.   But this week , DG Market  rescued the food desert.

dg MARKET has rescued the inner city food desert with fresh produce.
DG Market rescued the food desert in our inner city last week.

Imagine my surprise yesterday, when I stopped for my usual supply of  bargains like mouthwash and vitamins.  It’s on the way home from the YMCA and the library, so I often pull in there, even though it used to be one of the dingiest Dollar Stores in town:   piles of jumbled up merchandise. aisles of packaged  food  full of salt, carbohydrates, and fat.  (Potato chips, lunch meat, cupcakes, etc.)

A lot of their clientele  suffer from diabetes and obesity, due to poor diets.  Many folks don’t drive.  Can’t afford a car, and all that it entails—insurance, license plates, etc.  Breaks your heart to see them trudging along in inclement weather with heavy bags.  But yesterday, a bright light appeared.  A great big yellow sign that read, DG Market.  I really didn’t need anything, but when I saw a grand opening sign, I had to stop.

First thing I noticed was the neatly stocked shelves.  No tables and racks piled with  merchandise.  Plenty of room.  A fresh smell.  And then, as I approached the new self-serve checkout, my heart soared.  Just inside the door,  bananas! Baskets of  apples, oranges, fresh vegetables and fruits.  And then, believe it or not, a whole refrigerated section with fresh, unprocessed meats.

As a dietitian, I felt like jumping for joy.  At last, disadvantaged  kids can have an orange for breakfast, a fresh salad for dinner.  And a pork chop or chicken leg that isn’t full of sodium and preservatives.  Patients with high blood pressure can buy low sodium meat and fresh fruits to provide the potassium they need to keep their fluids under control. Kudus to Dollar General for rescuing our city’s food desert.

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LIBRARY GETS AN A FOR EFFORT

If there is one thing I could never do without, it’s the library. Libraries have always been a place of refuge and joy for me. I grew up walking to the library from the time I was eight years old. That was before a child walking by herself  a few blocks from home wasn’t considered child abuse.  It wasn’t just the library I loved, it was the librarians.  I don’t think I’ve ever met a rude librarian.  They’re unfailingly pleasant, patient, and helpful.   Thank heaven, they were only closed for a short time during the pandemic.  And now that they’re open, they’re doing a fantastic job of following CDC guidelines. Our library gets an A for effort from me.

Did I say they were closed?  Actually, they were sort of open.  You could order print  books online.  Then, when you got to the library, you could call inside, and they would bring the books out  to your car. Is that cool, or not?  And then, just to be safe, they “quarantined” the returned books for three days before letting anyone borrow them again.  You can still use this service if you want to.

Library Gets A for effort during this pandeimic. They are enforcing masks.
Library gets “A” for effort. They’re enforcing mask wearing & following CDC guidelines.

When the library re opened to the public,  they had removed  most  of the furniture and put  Plexiglas barriers all over the place.  No plush, comfy sofas and chairs, or wooden reading desks and chairs.  All of which meant people couldn’t spend hours in the library reading newspapers and magazines, or halfway sleeping. ( Sleeping in the library was banned a few years back).  They do have two or three small, metal tables and  chairs.  These came in handy if you need to sit a minute, which I often do, at my age.

 

Everyone is required to wear a mask, and it’s enforced.   I don’t know how these kind, gentle librarians are able to make everyone mask up, but they do.  Yesterday I saw a couple of teenagers approach the door without masks.  I figured they would get away with it.  But when I got inside, they were wearing the paper masks the library provides.  I’d loved to have seen that transaction.  If these sweet librarians can be enforcers, why can’t the people at Aldi’s and the Dollar Store do the same?  I guess it’s a matter of economics.  The stores don’t want to turn down any extra sales, whereas the library isn’t in it for the money.

Why do I go to the library instead of calling and ordering books?  The same reason I don’t have my groceries delivered.  I like to wander the aisles and see what’s there that I hadn’t thought of.   But I feel 100% safer in the library than I do in the supermarket.  There’s no loud talking from barefaced people. No one crowding behind you at the checkout. No clusters of people clogging the aisles for a chat.  The library is quiet, subdued, and safe.  Our local library gets a an A Plus for observing CDC guidelines during the pandemic.

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MAXING OUT AT THE DOLLAR STORE

Dollar Stores are everywhere—out in the country, and all over town. During this pandemic  they’ve become a good place to shop for basics while getting in and out quickly.  Some are classier than others, although none of them really fit that description.  I’m most apt to stop at the one near the public library on my way home. Compared to other Dollar Stores,  It’s pretty much down to the nitty gritty.   Because of  shoplifting,  many products are either locked up or in short supply.  They have a steady stream of customers in this low income neighborhood.  Yesterday, I noticed more people maxing out at the Dollar Store.

It didn’t seem very crowded at first.  But after I’d picked up my vitamins, I noticed the checkout line was backed up, and moving slower than usual.  The bottle neck was a woman  who couldn’t seem to get her credit card to work.  She made several attempts to key in various numbers, with no luck. The clerk was kindly, trying to help.  I contemplated offering to pay her bill, until I noticed her cart was filled with soda pop and salty snacks.  The dietitian in me just couldn’t deal with that.  If you’re almost broke, shouldn’t you buy something healthy?  Not for me to judge. She finally found a card that worked, so that ended my moral dilemma.

It’s not unusual to see someone on the edge at that Dollar Store.  But it didn’t used to happen very often.  However, the next person in line had a similar problem.  Since her credit card seemed to be maxed out, her companion pulled some coins and  a few wrinkled bills  from his pocket, and they made it through.  I looked at the customers lined up behind me.  They seemed tired and worried.  One woman took some items from her cart and put them back on the shelf. The parking lot was full of dented cars and rusty trucks.

Maxing Out at the Dollar Store is a sign of the times.
More folks are maxing out at the Dollar Store, which is a bad sign for the economy.

As I drove out of the parking lot, I felt something  coming on;  restless as a hurricane.  Is this  a portent of things to come?   I would guess that many of the customers in that store are unskilled folks who work in restaurants or other places where  more educated  people don’t want to work..  Because of the covid’19 pandemic,  their  low paying jobs have dried up.  They went through their unemployment pay and stimulus money in July.  What will happen next?  Are we headed for a deeper recession?

When people are maxing out at the dollar store, you have to worry.

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SOCIAL DISTANCE DIARY: WEEK 2

Drove to the Dollar Store for a few things, simply because I’m getting cabin fever.  Only three or four  customers–unsmiling, looking tired and worried. Had the feeling the cash register clerk couldn’t wait to get me out the door. But it sure felt good to be out in the real world again.  Social distance diary: Week 2

My grandpa's outhouse was often out of toilet paper. They used Sears catalog, instead
When my grandpa ran out of toilet paper on the farm, they used Sears Catalog. Social Distance Diary: Week 2

Of course, they were out of toilet paper at the Dollar Store. We have plenty, but I was going to pick up some extra. It got me wondering about what people did without tp. There are alternatives. My grandfathers farm lacked modern plumbing.  Sometimes, there was a Sears  catalog next to the wooden seat in the outhouse.  As a child, I took it in stride, even though we had modern plumbing and toilet paper in our city home.

Found an old Tai Chi CD. Now, I practice with it every day. It’s not the same without my wonderful teacher and fellow classmates, but at least I’m not getting rusty, and it’s helping to calm me down. And, it does give me a bit of exercise.

Finally located a cousin who lives in LA. She’s like a sister to my husband, and he was really upset. She wasn’t answering her phone, and her mailbox was full. We were afraid she had contracted covid-19, and maybe even died. But yesterday we got a call from Mount Cedar, Sinai hospital. She’s recovering from pneumonia—not corona. We’re feeling much relieved, and moods have improved.

Talked to all of my children this weekend. Yes, actual conversations, not texting. Their lives in this modern world are much more complicated than when I was parenting. Living in big cities, they’re always on the run, juggling jobs, driving kids here and there. They have very little time to spend on the telephone. But this weekend, they had nothing urgent, and it was nice having a relaxing conversation.  So far, they’re healthy and safe.  Hope no one gets sick.

No mass shootings this week. Empty malls, churches, schools and restaurants mean that  evil people have no targets. I hope they can’t buy more guns during the crisis.

Sunday brunch at home, since all the restaurants are closed. Tried frozen waffles for the first time. They’re amazingly easy and good. Especially combined with sausage patties. And,  sugar free syrup is only 10 calories per serving.

I’m beginning to adjust to the slower pace. The introverted part of me enjoys the solitude.  At least for a little while.