In the town where I grew up there were two grocery stores, Shop'n Save and Lounsberry's. Shop'n Save was the bigger, traditional grocery store, on the outskirts of town. Lounsberry's was a smaller market, located more in the center of town. I remember shopping at both stores with my parents and visiting Lounsberry's when my sister worked there as a cashier. Lounsberry's had character... a small store, owned by a local businessman who was the father of one of my classmates. The store had the automatic doors that swung open when you stepped on the mat. The floor in the aisles were uneven, unlevel, and sometimes made noise when you walked on them. The shelves, if I remember correctly, were wooden... and I seem to recall a sense of familiarity there...I remember a lot about that store...It has been closed for years and one of those chain pharmacy stores is in its place... the other store, the bigger one in town, Shop'n Save, was pretty non descript. I think I remember orange and white tiles on the floor... this store was renovated a few times so I don't really have clear pictures of what it looked like. One memory I have about both places was the process of checking out. At Shop'n Save I remember my mother conversing with the cashier and with the grocery bagger. I remember the bagger asking my mother, or grandmother, whoever I was with.... if they needed or wanted help getting their groceries from the store to the car. At Lounsberry's it seems that I remember the bagger wouldn't ask that question, but instead would just put the groceries in the cart and start pushing it out the door toward the parking lot in anticipation of getting directions to the car in which the groceries would be loaded.

Another memory that stands out to me about Lounsberry's is that many older people in the community shopped there. It was smaller, easier to maneuver around in, and closer to town, which meant less driving or walking for some... As the Shop'n SAve got more popular in town, which probably caused Lounsberry's to go out of business, I remember `my grandmother preferring to shop at Lounsberry's because of it's personal approach.

The last couple of times I have been at the grocery store where I regularly shop, a big box chain grocery store... it seems that I have seen several elderly people there... shopping alone... looking fatigued... seeing them in the parking lot walking those extra steps from the handicapped parking spot their cars are parked in to return their carts to the place they belong... because they are of that generation that does what they should do... the right thing... even if it means more fatigue...The timing has yet to be such that I can offer help, by taking the cart to one of the cart storage thing...

We hear on the news, that there are more elderly people than ever... people are living longer. Yet, these big grocery stores, and even big hardware stores... are not accommodating people. Grocery stores should still at least offer to take someone's groceries to the car, especially for older people. I mean... look around, the next time you go shopping... notice the elderly people who are walking slowly, who are so tired from having to walk around such large stores...
at least there is a bench near the checkout of the store I go to, and often older people sit on the bench for a while to catch their breath to make the trek to their car.

What has happened to customer service? To looking out for each other? Especially our elders? Shame on you, grocery stores... for not helping people take their groceries to their vehicle and then taking the cart back.... I have made a mental note to try to time things when an older person is leaving a store and offer to help them. I can't wait to see how they react... maybe I will also start getting behind an older person and suggesting to the bagger that they escort the person to their car...