Most urban areas have at least one upscale market. This is where you can buy fancy cheeses, luscious pastries, exotic coffee and fresh seafood. Of course, you have to pay more, but it seems worth it. The ambiance outclasses any big box supermarket. As you walk in the door, you can smell roses, and you don’t have to rub shoulders with poorly dressed people who drive rusty old trucks. But if you shop for ordinary grocery items like hand soap, tv dinners, or even lettuce, you may pay twice as much as you would at supermarkets like Kroger’s or Walmart. Beware! Snobby stores cost more.

Beware:! snobby stores cost more. You may pay double at upscale urban markets.

Beware! Snobby Stores Cost More. You pay a lot for the ambiance in upscale urban markets.

Sometimes, if you’re in a hurry, you really don’t care. Last month, I paid $8.00 for a bottle of hand soap. This week, as I stopped at the dollar store on the way home from town, I saw the exact same product for $3.50. Only one problem, if you’re bothered by that sort of thing: the place smelled of disinfectant–not fresh roses. . And the customers weren’t wearing designer clothes. Some were outside taking a smoke break. A few were walking home, carrying bags across the railroad tracks. All in all, not a place to mingle with the upper classes. Or be seen.

There are those who wouldn’t be caught dead in a dollar store, and will shop only at upscale markets. They enjoy seeing friends and acquaintances from their clubs , charities, and cultural pursuits. Apparently , they have so much disposable income that they don’t check the prices, or even care. It’s where the elite meet and greet.

But there are some of us who don’t like feeling ripped off. With inflation running at an all time high, I will only pay so much for atmosphere. There are many bargains at the dollar store: vitamins, readers, household cleaners, paper goods, canned vegetables, and even greeting cards. Why pay $6.00 for a birthday card, when you can get a very nice one for a dollar?

Beware! snobby stores cost more.

News junkies that we are, my husband and I take two daily newspapers which we read over coffee every morning. Today, each newspaper had a headline that seemed somewhat contradictory:

Local paper: Students host program to highlight hunger, support backpack program

IndyStar: Jump In battles weighty problem of youth obesity

What a contrast between the two articles: Childhood obesity vs. hunger.

Many children go hungry over the weekend — THE BACKPACK PROGRAM HELPS RELIEVE CHILDHOOD HUNGER

Which is worse? Obviously, it’s painful to suffer hunger pangs. And yet some of these children may also be obese because their parents can’t afford fresh fruits and vegetables or other healthy foods.

Once upon a time, supermarkets like A&P were in the heart of the inner city, so nutritious food was more accessible for low income families. But the major food chains have relocated along the highways , where you can’t go if you don’t own a vehicle.

Dollar stores located in poor areas have plenty of bread, cakes, cookies and crackers full of carbohydrates and sodium. They also have salty, fatty lunch meat , sausage, bacon, greasy snack foods and pizza. . Drive by these inner city stores anytime and you will see people carrying sacks of food, walking along the sidewalks to their homes. Without a car or truck, they have no way of getting to the stores out on the highway, where the counters are loaded with tomatoes, carrots, oranges, apples and other fresh produce. When the mom gets home, the kids may gorge on potato chips, bread and jelly or other unhealthy snacks. For dinner that evening they may have sausage and eggs, because their parents can’t drive to a grocery store for salads and lean meat.

The backpack program at our local school corporation strives to relieve the hunger problem, especially over weekends and holidays, when children may have no food in the house. Drug abuse, alcohol, and mental health issues all contribute to child neglect. And even in stable families, a dad can lose his job, or the mom gets sick, and there isn’t any money left for the basics.

40$ OF CHILDREN IN THE US ARE OBESE — OBESITY CAN OCCUR IN ANY SOCIO ECONOMIC GROUP

On the other hand, childhood obesity can happen in any socioeconomic group. Why is it increasing? In the old days, kids walked to school and played outdoors instead of staying inside on their computer or smartphone. More exercise and better food choices would obviously help some of the kids to slim down. Many children turn to food for comfort. If they’re depressed, lonely, or unpopular, a chocolate bar may relieve the unhappiness. My daughter once had an overweight friend who ate spoons full of sugar right from the package.

43% of children under 19 in the state of Indiana are obese. Conversely, 40% of the children in my community are living in poverty. Politicians come and go, but the dismal statistics haven’t changed much in the past 50 years.

Suggestions anyone?

Tag: Dollar Stores

BEWARE! SNOBBY STORES COST MORE.