Lost At Wegman's; Remember Our Veterans

We went to Wegman's today to pick up some groceries.  It ended up being a frustrating stop for several reasons.  I don't know why the store has to hide things, especially given how large it is, and the incredible variety they offer, but I find it almost impossible to find certain things.  Like mushrooms.  I like to buy canned mushrooms, which I put into a lot of foods I eat, including my homemade pizza and spaghetti sauce.  I looked everywhere, with canned vegetables (no), with sauces (no), with olives (no)....I asked employees, and they sent me to the exact same locations, and again, no luck.  I never did find them.  I ended up wasting 15 minutes wandering around the store looking, aisle by aisle, with no luck.  I ended up buying fresh mushrooms, instead, which are probably better, anyway, but, brother, was I frustrated!

The store is always entirely too crowded, and the aisles are not wide enough for all of the people and their baskets.  Customers also seem to be oblivious to what's going on around them.  When I see someone coming from the other direction and the person in front of me is stopped, I'll wait until the the person passes by.  But too often, a person behind me won't bother to wait, and they cut me off, the person in front of me, and then force the person coming at us to back up.  To me, that's being selfish.

When I stop to get an item, or look around to find an item when stopped, I'm immediately in someones way, so I feel like I need to keep moving or I'll get run over.  And there are those who are too busy checking their phones to bother getting out of the middle of the aisle and out of the way.

And why is it so hard for stores to stock Sparkling Ice zero calorie carbonated flavored water!?  It has become my favorite beverage and Wegman's, as far as I know, doesn't stock it.  I find it at other stores, but not there.  Maybe it's hiding with the mushrooms.

I guess the store is somewhat too unconventional for me to really like.  Harris-Teeter is much more like a standard grocery store, and I find it much easier to find things, even though it is just as big as Wegman's.  The only real reason to go to Wegman's is to get those unusual items I just can't find anywhere else.  But, as it is, I still end up shopping at three different grocery stores in order to get everything I want.  And that's ridiculous.

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Tomorrow is Veteran's Day, and while I never served in the armed forces, I'm proud to say that my father served in the Army, and my father-in-law served in the National Guard.  My father-in-law always references his action in the "Battle of Cambridge", which was really the Cambridge race riots in the Summer of 1967, during which the National Guard was called in to maintain order.  Dad was in the Army Reserves, and fortunately never had to go to Vietnam.  He was in the motor pool and got to drive VIPs around, and he was one of the few of his peers that knew how to type, so he did a lot of desk work.  Not very glamorous, but he did his duty, and I'm proud that he served our country.

Because of them and so many others who allow us to live with the freedom so many others in the world are denied, I'm blessed to have a day of rest, and I plan to do that very thing.  I hope to rest tomorrow.

Be sure to remember those that served tomorrow.  Enjoy your day off, if you have one.