I am a wanderer. A peruser. A person who loves nothing more than to look at a bunch of stuff and think to myself “huh, that’s interesting.” This predilection leads me to many a dusty antique mall, poring over the junk of the deceased, but also offers a much more mundane form of entertainment every time I visit the supermarket. Whether I needed an entire pantry restock or just a few necessities, the grocery store was always there, offering me the opportunity for a little exploratory wonder.
But it’s starting to feel like the thrill of wandering down the aisles is fading. Where I once relished the opportunity to spend an hour — or hell, two — browsing the aisles and tediously reading the labels on every can of soup, fueled by the hazy energy of a sativa cannabis gummy. Now, though, I now feel more like a contestant on Supermarket Sweep, making a mad dash to grab my yogurt and potato chips instead of luxuriating in the experience. When I finally realized this on a recent trip for milk and eggs, it was a total bummer, and I haven’t been able to stop thinking about why the grocery store sucks now.