Trav's Thoughts

Had to answer Gran's question from last week. The blanket in the background of the pic of Princess Leia is a Dodgers blanket. I miss baseball.

So...brands. Last week we ordered groceries for pick up from Fry's. It was yet another new experience for us. Like most, we go to the grocery and shop the rows and shelves. We have a list, which often is a guideline simply to ensure that we don't forget something we truly need

But we rarely come home with only what's on the list. Sometimes they have pumpkin chocolate cookies in the bakery section and we pounce on those. If not, then perhaps we'll go with the large M&M cookies. Or maybe the double fudge ones. The point is, there's typically a decision to be made with the line item "cookies" on our list.

When you order for pick up, you're constrained by limited availability. Sure, you have an opportunity to make a note in your online list what product you'd except as a substitute for something the grocery doesn't have. It's just not the same as browsing in the moment. And often what I want at the time I'm making the list isn't necessarily what I choose at the store.

Yeah, I can be fickle. Bet you are too.

Like last week, we couldn't get Skippy Creamy peanut butter from Fry's. I'm a Skippy dude since I can remember. It didn't occur to me to search for a different brand of PB. We just deleted it from the online list. So when we did our Target run, we looked for Skippy. No joy. All they had on shelf was Jiff Creamy, so rather than do without, we made the executive decision to go with the Jiff, just this once. I did so reluctantly, but Pam has a look and she gave it to me to remind me that...well, let's just say I was embarrassed and put the Jiff in the cart.

We all know the high demand items - TP, hand sanitizer, cleaning supplies, etc - and I think most of us have quickly become accustomed to taking whatever is on the shelf, 1 per customer please. It's annoying if you like Charmin and all they have is Northern. Or you prefer the 12 pack 48 mega rolls and they only have 4 pack regular rolls, 2 to a customer of those. But you need some stuff, so you take what you can get.

If you didn't understand what people meant by privilege before, you're probably getting the idea now. Being in a world where you can typically select between brands is privilege.

Today we struck gold. We were able to get the brand of TP we prefer. And bonus - they had hand sanitizer. Hadn't seen any of that since this whole thing began. Yay us!

Pam and I are fortunate to live where we do. We have the financial means to care for ourselves. We're safe and secure in our home, only venturing out - masked and gloved - for those items that can't be ordered online. We're riding out this current crisis as best we can, and our best is such that it's not putting that much of a hardship on us.

So today we celebrate that we were able to get our brands. There's a comfort in that. I know it seems silly and certainly privileged in these times. We're going to keep reminding ourselves that when we can't get Skippy or Charmin or Sargento cheese that we live in a place where there is still peanut butter and TP and cheese.

Some day soon the shelves will be fully stocked with all of our preferred brands. We'll be able to get them at any time of day, instead of lining up an hour before a store opens and hoping a truck showed up with something that we need.

Or maybe this crisis will break us all of our brand loyalties. Maybe it will change what we think we need. Time, as they say, will tell. 

Oh, just for kicks because I can, here's a glamour shot.