A Grocery Store Changed My Life

Did you know a grocery store can totally change your life? Neither did I - until last year.

When my family moved back to Utah after many years living in San Diego, we chose to live in a more rural area. At that time cows routinely roamed the streets and you could see acres of empty fields near our house. Now, 14 years later, new housing developments are everywhere, schools have been built and business have begun popping up here and there. The influx of people and buildings changed things but didn’t really impact my life.  That is, until late last year when a grocery store opened less than one mile from my home.

Grocery shopping has always been a rather mundane chore for me. However, the brand new, grocery superstore changed all of that.  It was my former grocery store on steroids with a bigger selection, more services and a slew of offerings our area had never had.  So much, so close.  I never thought that a grocery store could change my life but this store showed me exactly how it could happen.

From a product perspective, the huge variety makes shopping much more fun and life more convenient. I linger over the olive bar and delight in the cheese samplings. The high quality pre-packaged food is a Godsend especially on those nights of working late or those late night soccer games. The amazing floral department makes sending flowers a breeze.

On a lifestyle level, the impact a store like this makes can be significant. It has been for my family.  I find myself greeting the sushi chefs by name that prepare fresh sushi daily. We enjoy the wood fired pizza or food made to order, and my neighbors and I meet at the in-store Starbucks.   The store has become a meeting place and really, a social experience.

There’s a lot of news about how grocery stores are changing to target millennials and this store proves how the grocery industry is doing so much more to meet the demands of their customers. The threat of ordering groceries on-line lingers but a little convenience will never match the experience of walking the natural food aisles late at night with my teenage daughter picking out healthy snacks and talking about her latest crush or getting a late night dessert.

Reflecting on all of the changes that have occurred in my life since the opening of that new store, I appreciate our company’s mission statement “Dedicated to creating great grocery-anchored shopping experiences” even more. The experience that I have had at my new neighbor grocery store makes this mission truly resonate with me on a daily basis.