WTF is going on with Associated?

I am quite cross. Associated seems to be trying to become Key Food.

Not all Associateds, of course. This blog is about the 5-6 stores closest to my apartment. And for a long time, there has been an Associated on Grand between Manhattan and Leonard. But Key Food branded products have started showing up. And I went there after perusing the online Associated circular (which still lists it) and found all the sales wrong. I thought I was out of my gourd (was a gourd on special? who knows!) but I found a different circular for only "Ozzie's Fresh Market" without mention of Associated or Key Food.

Also they are requiring an Ozzie's loyalty card to get some deals now.

I don't like any of this. I don't like another Key Food that is worse than the original. I don't like needing another card. I don't like the circular not being online. I don't like their stupid music that is always interrupted by announcements about what is on sale that repeats the prices so many times. I hope it goes out of business. I hope it becomes Aldi.

I'm fed up.

Also, the prices are worse.

Bravo Mint

I've been shopping at Bravo a bit more lately, mostly to buy potatoes. This mint price is absurd. Cilantro was only $0.79. I guess they want you to eat that.

Key Food Sucks on Thursdays

I was going to go to Key Food, but it sucks on Thursday evenings because they take down all their sale signs. Last week I heard an old lady sassing the manager. He said they have 3,000 items and need to take them down early. The other stores somehow manage. Especially since Key Food has them down about 4 hours before the store closes.

Let Me Tell You About Associated

I meant to tell you about C-Town, but I'm telling you about Associated first because that's where the story starts. I've been shopping there more lately. I mostly liked it, except when I walk out without buying something and they question me about that. Sometimes I just don't want to buy something! Sometimes I'm just perusing prices before I make my big purchases. Sometimes your tomatoes are ugly.

Today I went in to get some stuff and saw their ATM was still broken. When I went to check out, they told me the credit card system was on and off. The cashier tried. It was off. I left. If you want me to buy groceries, give me a way to pay. I just left all my groceries there for them to put back because they should pay me to work there if they want me to do that. But I don't know how they'd get money to pay me if they won't even take my money.

So maybe I have to go shop at C-Town more, even if it is gentrifying faster than I am, if only because it will take my money. (Except I didn't shop at C-Town after this. I went to Bravo. But Bravo has a $10 credit card minimum and I can only commit to about $7 so it will never be my regular store.)

P.S. I am 30 years old and I am bad at cooking rice, so my new rice store is the Chinese restaurant next door. It was $2.95 for a "large" of brown, but it is already cooked and I cook rice so infrequently and so poorly that this makes sense for me. I'm stuffing some peppers.

Texts from the Field: Sugar Water

Timmy had a job interview near Harrisburg. He sent along this picture with the commentary "Only a fool would buy this! People say pop is only sugar water. This actually is! And costs more!"

Here are some other pictures he sent.