I love shopping at neighborhood Delis!
When we were living in Colorado, I got spoiled as we were privileged to be able to live in a good middle class community where we had the luxury of having an ambience both outdoor (scenic view of Cheyenne Mountain ) and indoors (attributed to some sophisticated interior design of nearby stores ....I miss Par Avion and our local King Soopers!).
WHAT'S IT LIKE: I can still remember...the floor smelled like it was freshly washed with lemon polish ... the apples were so shiny that you can see your reflection as you walked along the fruit aisle . .the teenage diva wearing a Juicy Couture jumpsuit in the cheese area looked like she was on her way to a party, the old man who was buying a 1lb of roast beef in the deli looked like he just stepped out of the golf course ...and of course, there's me - -the 95 lb asian in stilettos running towards the specials section, rummaging through the beef on sale! Yes! Digging her life to get a pack of sirloin or whatever beef cut was placed on the big sign: Sale of the Day!...and maybe she can catch some good slice of cheese and container of olives if she was lucky...
WAKE UP: Now, that we're here at the southern part of the US . I can't help but sacrifice the ambience and shop at the huge ginormodome grocery everybody calls Wal-Mart (I go to SAM's first). Not because I have to ........ I CHOOSE TO!
HERE ARE MY REASONS:
- Majority of the items I purchase are always 0.25 cents (or more) economical than the neighborhood grocery
- I discovered that some Equate brands are as comparable as the
leading brand. I am an expert in marketing and a big snob on brands, so
trust me when I say that as a consumer , I executed my own blind test
comparison to prove my point. To name the Equate items I find that has
no differential advantage than the leading brand:
- Mouthwash
- Face pads
- Apricot Scrub
- Face Wash
- Acne Gel
- Hand Moisturizer
- Mozarella Cheese
- Pretzel
- French Roast Coffee
- Onion Garlic Pasta Sauce
- Salsa
- Where can you find a recently released DVD for as low as $7.50 and $5 on some hit movies
- Did you notice that they always run out of eggs? A good indication that supply turnover is faster
- Have you tried shopping on a Saturday morning and there's selection of breads and cakes at 40% off?
- Have you walked through the teen section and realized that majority of the basics (inner shirt, jogging pants) cost less that $8?
LIFE IS ABOUT CHOICES: As a professional, even if I can stretch my dollar more than the average hourly employee at Taco Bell, I refuse to pay an extra penny for a product that has no differential advantage over the other. Definitely, I will miss the shiny apples, Juicy Couture diva girl, old man golfer in our old deli and grocery in Colorado but at the end of the day , Its not about being cheap! Its how I choose to use good sound judgment to make a decision that every 0.25 cents difference I can save , even in the smallest item every week can make a big difference as I move closer to my million dollar dream in 10 years.
