How big is too big?
I pondered this question as Earl and I made our Sunday morning visit to Meijer. It wasn’t our weekly stocking up either, just a quick grab of snacks for afternoon football games and “Desperate Housewives.” But it still amazed me.
Meijer isn’t just big; it’s huge. There are two main entrances, one in the grocery section and the other in what I call the general store section. It doesn’t matter which entrance you use; you are in for a lot of walking.
I know there are other chain stores that pride themselves on this one-stop shop approach, but – sorry Wal-Mart – the Meijer we frequent is the biggest one I’ve ever been in. You can buy ammunition for your weapons, have an extra key made for your house, fill your prescriptions, sign up for the gift registry, or start saving money for your child’s college education. All this before you even put the first grocery item in your cart.
Until this morning Earl and I stuck together when we went to Meijer, for fear of never finding each other if he went to the men’s section while I went to the cosmetic department. We had played that riff before, and it usually ended in one of us going to the service desk to page the other. And feeling silly for having to do so.
But today we both brought our cell phones (which are also two-way radios). And while I’m not a cell phone devotee, it gave us freedom without frustration. Earl went off in search of sun screen for our upcoming trip. I read labels in search of the lowest calorie potato chip. (I love to read labels, but that’s another story.) From time to time, we secretly paged each other and met without incident by the apples to check out. The cell phones solved our problem.
Come to think of it, they also answered my question. If you and your mate must take your phones to a store for the sole purpose of reuniting, maybe the store is too big!
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