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.
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?