I’ve really been missing my beloved New Seasons. Ginger candy and chocolate soy milk and Bragg’s liquid aminos…mmm. I do hear that there is a Whole Foods or two in London, but that’s a little impractical. Instead we get to do our grocery shopping at places called Tesco, Sainsbury’s, Morrison’s, and, oh yes, ASDA, but don’t tell anyone. It’s just for the jalapeno-stuffed green olives!
Tesco and ASDA are both open 24 hours; ASDA has a giant sign rivaling its store sign advertising this fact. So imagine our surprise when we arrived one Sunday at 4:30 and it was closed. Turns out that “24 hours” means “24 hours every day except Sunday, when we really mean 6.” Apparently shops larger than 280 square meters can only be open for 6 continuous hours between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m. on Sundays, and not at all on Easter Sunday.
Which is fine; go ahead and turn away my business, just don’t expect me to fall for the old “24 hour” bit again!
And I would appreciate it if you would start stocking Rainier cherries and Reese’s Pieces. It’s nearing Best Cancelled Roadtrip Ever 2008 time, which means lots of the aforementioned bite-size snacks. (Little tip, Internets: Reese’s Pieces don’t melt in the car, they just get sweaty; and if you live in the Pacific Northwest you should probably go eat some Rainier cherries right this second.)
And I will give you this, UK grocery stores: not only do you entertain me with your Heinz-brand ham and cheese spread in a can, but also with your customers who I overhear talking about the people “at me birfday party.” I guess I will continue to patronize you.
One Comments
I love UK grocery shops…whenever we are visiting and anyone needs to run to the “shops,” I often insist on tagging along!
Although I tend to have a different shopping philosophy than my mother-in-law, who notoriously underbuys. When we were visiting last December and it was our turn to prepare a meal, Mike and his mum came home with Mexican fixings, but hardly enough to feed the whole clan. (He had argued for buying larger quantities, but she argued him back down.) I sent him back again one more time!
I love Tesco’s, Waitrose, Sainsbury’s, and Marks and Spencer’s, but I would definitely miss New Seasons and Trader Joe’s if I lived there all the time!
I know you and Stephan are not big drinkers, but isn’t it a kick that you can buy hard liquor in the grocery shops?