Jack Hitt enjoys his excursion to a supermarket. He observes an elaborate store with sample tables, happy clerks, and a clean atmosphere (Hitt, 56). In my home town, I shop at a market similar to this. However, recently I attempted to buy groceries at a different store...

I park my mother's car and search among the jumbled pack of carts for the cleanest one. I approach the entrance and through the glass, catch a vague glimpse of color...flowers, how lovely!

The sliding doors open. It's not what I thought.

I am greeted by a small table of fake flowers arranged only half-hazardly. Various bags of candy are piled messily beside the arrangements, and I decide this is a technique designed to make our mouths water. It succeeded, and I realize that my mother is right again - Grocery shop only on a full stomach!

Proceeding down the first aisle, I observe the baskets of fruits and vegetables that probably had been separated at one time, but were unintentionally intermixed. I want a few oranges for my sister because they are her favorite, but I decline from even attempting. The fruit is piled so high that if one was removed, the entire set would fall - a dominino effect, really. Nonetheless, the quality does not appear any more appetizing than would a smashed banana on a cafeteria floor. I hardly glance at the other fruits and vegetables.

I wonder how long the supermarket will stay in business.

I reach the end of the aisle and with little eagerness, approach the next area of produce, the meat counter. To say the least, this show is no more welcoming than the entrance to the supermarket. The expressions painted on the employees are hardly more positive than frowns; their germ-infested, blood-stained aprons are obviously six weeks late for the cleaners. Moreover, the atmosphere reeks of a cross between stale cheese and fish, and I leave to find food that looks more promising: boxed and canned goods, of course!

The remaining aisles are as poor, however, and until I reach the frozen food section, my cart consists of only peanut-butter power bars, various cereals, and an assortment of bagged snacks. I intended to buy sweet corn and chicken noodle soup, but the aisles that shelve these products are unorderly and intimidating at a quick glance. Numerous cans have fallen, unless thrown, on the floor and shoppers are forced to twist and turn with their carts. I'm inclined to grab an employee's walki-talki and shout, Clean up in aisle 3, for cryin out loud! Finally in the last aisle, I resort to boxes of frozen food that require only a quick look at the expiration date.

Whew! I am finished.I pay for my few purchases, thank the cashier politely, and then glare at him for neglecting to say your welcome or let alone, nod.

The designers of this supermarket - The ACME - are not to blame for this poor presentation of produce. Most of the items are placed wisely, and despite the unorderly shelves, the overall arrangement of the day-to-day food succeeds in encouraging the shopper to continue. For example, the cereals are lined on the bottom shelves and attract the darting eyes of children. While they observe the colorful boxes, their mothers may search among the various canned food on the shelves above. The managers, however, appear as the problem and are clearly in great need of sanitation classes. While many areas cry for attention, the dearth of employees is evident throughout the store. Clearly, additional employees are needed desperately (or maybe the old ones should be fired). Nonetheless, a new attitude among the staff would greatly improve the shopping atmosphere and provide a more satisfying experience for the customer.

The effect of a supermarket exursion is important because it may provide the shopper with a hope for the future (Milloy, B1). When something so simple as a store is disappointing, the more complex goals of the community seem that much more unattainable. I should have realized as a shopper in an unfamiliar supermarket, that not every store is capable of providing the quality that can others. Earlier I inquired about the people who would actually buy from the market that I visited. For some people, the fruits may have appeared fresh, but to me, they were not even a possibility. The community in which the shoppers, managers, and designers, live, is one possible explanation for the quality of supermarkets.

Nevertheless, good food is a necessity in everyone's life. It defines a person's culture and plays a role in his or her everyday life. My mother, in particular, thrives on family dinners. When she cooks a meal that appeals to "the kids," our enthusiasm for family togetherness encourages her to search for more ideal platters...Food does wonders to a family! she jokes.

Works Cited

Hitt, Jack. "The Theory of Supermarkets." NYT Magazine. March 10, 1996.

Milloy, Courtland. "In Anacostia, Some Food For Thought." March 16, 1997.