Yep, that's the new theme. Mine is an obsession like putting your tongue into the hole left by a missing filling. I'm generally too lazy to be obsessed. And yet....
Am I the only one aggravated by the amount of time it takes to go shopping these days? We've got shopping centers and supermarkets galore, but it is more time-consuming than ever because of the plethora of products out there. I don't mean browsing for shoes or books. I'm talking basic groceries. Even a bottle of catsup offers a headache's worth of options.
Yeah, yeah, I know... move to Russia where there are fewer choices.
Don't get me wrong. I like variety. But how many people really need to coordinate their laundry detergent, fabric softener, dish detergent, and dryer sheets? Did customers really demand Hawaiian Aloha detergent when mountain or ocean air, florals, vanilla, lavender, citrus, linen, herbs, and floral options already line the shelves? Or was that some MBA's wild hair?
Would you like your detergent with Febreeze, oxi booster, Clorox, fabric softener, or baking soda additives? And will you be using it for darks, colorfast, or bright whites?
Powder, liquid, or tablet?
Regular or HE?
Now, which size?
Perhaps it seems excessive to me because I go for the unscented products. Personally, I love the smell of steak grilling, but have no desire to add the scent to my closet. New car smells are appealing, but not on the towels.
Wouldn't Unscented, Fresh Scent, or French Whore House cover it?
The outdoors used to add a nice, clean fragrance... before the sight of clean laundry on a line became appalling to homeowners associations. Now you have to find it in a box or bottle, BUT you get to choose from a spring, summer, or cool fall breeze.
And yet, the option of airing your dirty laundry is still there. Matter of fact, since Alice Roosevelt Longworth is dead, come and sit by me.
Was it a committee or a consultant who determined our laundry life to be incomplete without...wait for it... Apple Mango Tango fragrance? Did anyone really pine for that?
Salted or unsalted, I understand. Baked or fried? Sure. Regular or low-fat, I get. Even nonfat, when it comes to milk. (Although in ice cream or yogurt, it's sacrilege.) The organic option? Absolutely.
There are enough different sizes, shapes, types, brands, and colors of tortilla chips to make you crazy. Ridges, I don't really understand. Potato chips, maybe, but toilet paper with ridges? And would you like aloe with that? I don't even want to know...!
Not that shopping is always a case of too many choices. Unless you're 22, skinny, and enjoy showing your butt, clothes shopping can be a nightmare. Try finding, for instance, a summer dress or top that isn't sleeveless. If you expect to have your knees covered, too, expect to use your vacation time and perhaps your frequent flyer mileage.
Not that one can complain to Customer Service. If it isn't covered by pressing Option 1 through 5, no one wants to know.
HOWEVER... if you are lucky enough to find that elusive dress, make certain it's washable.
Proctor and Gamble is waiting for you.
I've aged to the point that I can often be found standing stupefied in the aisle of a grocery store, staring at a shelf and pondering the options for...say, marinade or types of vinegar. Even when I realize I should move on, I'm STUCK and can't unstick myself.
ReplyDeleteI'm pretty sure my progenitors got more done in a day at my age than I do; all they had to do was choose between apple cider and white vinegar. They'd have had the good sense to rebel at pomegranate balsamic or authentic vs. inauthentic Aceto balsamic.
Good grief. Are you telling me that this is (gasp!) AGE-RELATED?
ReplyDeleteSo the skinny women in sleeveless tops just yank something off the shelf?
I didn't even mention the time spent having to peruse by coupon...!
Paradox of Choice by Schwartz
ReplyDeleteHe has some interesting things to say!
Being Plus sized without a plus-sized budget, my wardrobe choices are somewhat limited. thank goodness! A couple of trusted catalogs, and 90% of what I buy is over the internet. I will admit, were I able to afford it, I would limit my whole wardrobe to a uniform of Eileen Fisher! everything matches, easy care...
My brain rebels at making unimportant decisions lately, don't make me think abt. what I prefer, mango or spring breeze! I don't care!!
I did a similar post not so long ago; funny how most women with common sense hate this endless choice between one artificial additive and the next; basically, the products are all identical otherwise.
ReplyDeleteYet we do nothing about it.
Vote with your feet or purse, ladies. Buy the simplest stuff you can find. Personally, I go for the stuff I recognise from the last time, that is providing the marketing bods haven't changed the packaging so that I have to start reading labels all over again.
I hate shopping of any kind, other than books and chocolate. Clothes? Who needs clothes living in deepest, rural backwaters?
Life used to be so pleasant before I discovered the joys of moaning about everything. Ah well, that's old age for you.
Some things are cloyingly sweet and I steer my cart away from them. But I received lotion and body wash for Mother's Day and the scent is toasted coconut. I smell good enough to eat!
ReplyDeleteI admit that I love having lots of choices. What I buy depends on my mood of the day or the mood that I wish to conjure up for myself. I'm particularly fond of scented candles and I can easily spend an hour wandering about a candle shop looking for just the right fragrance. I like unscented laundry detergent and fabric softeners but only because I like to wear my favorite perfume of the moment and don't want competition. I do take a ridiculous amount of time in the grocery story trying to decide which juice that I want, currently it's this mango-peach-apple combination that I mix with diet Canada Dry ginger ale, pour over ice, and sip through a straw. Absolutely divine!
ReplyDeleteCathycan...oooh, I'd join you in Eileen Fisher's clothes. Gotta love someone who gives us fashion with an elastic waist.
ReplyDeleteFriko... books, chocolate and yarn. Ahhhhh.
Kenju, I know I would agree with you about how good you smell!
Henny, scented candles implies that you went seeking fragrance. That's a good place to have choices. It's when fragrance has nothing to do with the products, but still come in 25 flavors that don't make sense to me. A mom might want to smell like lavender... but isn't it better to get it from a lotion or cream than to wash her teenage son's clothes in it?
I'm adding the mango-peach-apple combo to my grocery list.
You don't need to go as far as Russia. Just move to Canada! We have waaaay fewer choices in the grocery store. Every time I step into an American grocery store, I am totally blown away by the variety! You even get waaaaay more Ben & Jerry's ice cream flavours than we do.
ReplyDeleteBut French Whore House Detergent, I wonder how that would sell here?