# Grocery stores are changing and its making shopping much more difficult for disabled and elderly. **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [April 8, 2015, 4:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/grocery-stores-are-changing-and-its-making-shopping-much-more-difficult-for-disabled-and-elderly/717138 "2015-04-08T16:51:10Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![wonky](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wonky/32/393_2.png) [@wonky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wonky)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2015, 4:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/grocery-stores-are-changing-and-its-making-shopping-much-more-difficult-for-disabled-and-elderly/717138/81 "2015-04-10T16:58:42Z")
> [@dada2fish](#): > > Since Baby Boomers are now becoming senior citizens, I’m hoping grocery stores adjust to this fact and offer online groceries with delivery or shopping assistance. One of the big chains here has delivery (Vons). There’s also a service that will pick up from six or seven stores and deliver (Instacart). And I think Amazon does some grocery delivery, though I don’t know exactly how that works. Delivery is really nice, but it’s expensive. You can’t really “shop” to get better prices or use coupons. You’re just stuck with whatever they bring you. ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2015, 5:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/grocery-stores-are-changing-and-its-making-shopping-much-more-difficult-for-disabled-and-elderly/717138/82 "2015-04-10T17:02:21Z")
> [@Saint\_Cad](#): > > **Are they low-carb?** I know they’re high-protein only a couple days a month. Lo-carb AND all fiber. ---
**Author:** ![No\_umlaut\_for\_U](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ea5d25/32.png) [@No\_umlaut\_for\_U](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/No_umlaut_for_U)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2015, 5:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/grocery-stores-are-changing-and-its-making-shopping-much-more-difficult-for-disabled-and-elderly/717138/83 "2015-04-10T17:22:49Z")
I have to say, from shopping with a family member with a walker, that the pallets of stock parked in the aisle is a worse problem. You can’t really judge how far the corner comes out. And, you can’t get the giganto carts through. The large, warehouse-ish store where we shop has the center aisle. How we handle it is to leave the cart in the wide center aisle by an endcap of crap no one wants, dash down the 1/2 aisle, grab what’s needed, and then return to stick it in the cart. Also, I’d say about a third of the aisles contain nothing (or nearly nothing) of interest (baby stuff, baking goods, utensils, chips). Trying to figure out which are the useless aisles is the challenge. When I go to Trader Joe’s, there are two or three things I need, and every last time, they’ve stuck them in a different aisle. So, I go through every one trying to find the one non-refrigerated thing I need. ---
**Author:** ![Musicat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/musicat/32/20189_2.png) [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2015, 10:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/grocery-stores-are-changing-and-its-making-shopping-much-more-difficult-for-disabled-and-elderly/717138/84 "2015-04-10T22:51:23Z")
> [@No\_umlaut\_for\_U](#): > > I have to say, from shopping with a family member with a walker, that the pallets of stock parked in the aisle is a worse problem. You can’t really judge how far the corner comes out. And, you can’t get the giganto carts through. That’s a hallmark of a really bad store, IMHO – the kind that really don’t care about their customers, and I’ve seen ones like that. A few miles away from one that filled their aisles with pallets late at night was the Gelson’s I mentioned earlier in this thread. They considered customer convenience to be so important, that according to a manager, they had special, small carts made to bring stock from the back of the store to the front. If a clerk wasn’t using the cart to restock shelves, it was removed from the aisle. Pallets were never in evidence. And the shelves were always kept full. The manager would get upset if any product line looked sparse. My kind of store! ---
**Author:** ![TBG](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c89c15/32.png) [@TBG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TBG)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2015, 11:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/grocery-stores-are-changing-and-its-making-shopping-much-more-difficult-for-disabled-and-elderly/717138/85 "2015-04-10T23:35:50Z")
You’re supposed to shop there so much you don’t need to see the signs because you know where everything is (until the next unneeded remodel). What are you doing, shopping elsewhere? Please stop, and only shop with them. Would you like to sign up for a rewards card? ---
**Author:** ![TBG](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c89c15/32.png) [@TBG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TBG)\ **Post date:** [April 10, 2015, 11:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/grocery-stores-are-changing-and-its-making-shopping-much-more-difficult-for-disabled-and-elderly/717138/86 "2015-04-10T23:43:04Z")
> [@Shakes](#): > > some people use the scooters and their only “disability” is being fat I’ve never seen anyone use a store provided scooter except fat middle aged women. ---
**Author:** ![Merneith](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/57b2e6/32.png) [@Merneith](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Merneith)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2015, 12:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/grocery-stores-are-changing-and-its-making-shopping-much-more-difficult-for-disabled-and-elderly/717138/87 "2015-04-11T00:41:54Z")
> [@Chefguy](#): > > … but in the end you’re just shit out of luck, because profit will _always_ take priority in a publicly held company. Well, for another ten years or so, anyway, until Amazon’s Pantry service kills everyone’s need for the middle-shelf items, that Bill Door never buys, and then their delivery drone fleet starts making daily drop offs of the perishable items. By that point, Amazon will probably also own UPS and some enterprising industrialist will figure it makes sense to just marry the delivery system with the factory farm. At which point, the giant national grocery chains will start to fade, while crying because their customers have all deserted them for the convenience of online shopping. THE FUTURE - might as well avoid the rush and get there now. ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2015, 3:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/grocery-stores-are-changing-and-its-making-shopping-much-more-difficult-for-disabled-and-elderly/717138/88 "2015-04-11T03:00:22Z")
The Current issue of Consumer Reports rates grocery store chains. I had no idea there were so many. I’ve never heard of most on their list. Locally we have three. Brookshires, Kroger and Harvest Food (used to be Safeway). Whole Foods for organic. We have a few independent IGA groceries. Kroger by far is the most dominant in our market. Except in my childhood home town. That town’s Kroger went out of business 20 years ago, and Brookshires is in that location now. anyway, the three chains we have were pretty far on the bottom of Consumer Report’s list. Not much we can do, since no ones heard of their top rated stores. LOL ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2015, 3:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/grocery-stores-are-changing-and-its-making-shopping-much-more-difficult-for-disabled-and-elderly/717138/89 "2015-04-11T03:12:16Z")
I don’t see online shopping ever replacing grocery stores. Watch someone with three kids check out. They have 2 shopping baskets full. At least 12 bags. That’s too much stuff to fool with shipping and delivering to the doorstep. They’d have to charge too much. Somebody has to fill that order, pull all that stock, pack it in boxes. I wouldn’t want giant boxes of groceries left on my doorstep. Too much temptation for somebody to steal it. Theft of delivery items is already a big enough problem. We get a case of soup delivered from Amazon. Only because the shipping is free and it’s a few cents a can cheaper than the grocery. They usually don’t even box it. They just wrap the case in thick plastic and stick a shipping label on it. ---
**Author:** ![Lorene89095](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/a8b319/32.png) [@Lorene89095](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lorene89095)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2015, 4:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/grocery-stores-are-changing-and-its-making-shopping-much-more-difficult-for-disabled-and-elderly/717138/90 "2015-04-11T04:30:27Z")
> [@TBG](#): > > I’ve never seen anyone use a store provided scooter except fat middle aged women. My daughter hated to use the riding carts because people would look at her in disapproval. She was dieing of Leukemia at the time. No outer signs. So tell me,oh wise one,how EXACTLY do you know what these women were suffering from? ---
**Author:** ![even\_sven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/dfb087/32.png) [@even\_sven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/even_sven)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2015, 9:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/grocery-stores-are-changing-and-its-making-shopping-much-more-difficult-for-disabled-and-elderly/717138/91 "2015-04-11T09:52:46Z")
> [@aceplace57](#): > > I don’t see online shopping ever replacing grocery stores. Watch someone with three kids check out. They have 2 shopping baskets full. At least 12 bags. That’s too much stuff to fool with shipping and delivering to the doorstep. They’d have to charge too much. Somebody has to fill that order, pull all that stock, pack it in boxes. > > I wouldn’t want giant boxes of groceries left on my doorstep. Too much temptation for somebody to steal it. Theft of delivery items is already a big enough problem. > > We get a case of soup delivered from Amazon. Only because the shipping is free and it’s a few cents a can cheaper than the grocery. They usually don’t even box it. They just wrap the case in thick plastic and stick a shipping label on it. Have you ever online shopped? It’s awesome. You schedule the delivery window for when you are home, and they will bring the bags right in to your kitchen. $10 delivery fee, sometimes not even that. I understand it’s not the best fit for everyone, but the idea that it can’t work is just not true. It’s already working. I see the Peapod guy in my building every day. ---
**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2015, 12:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/grocery-stores-are-changing-and-its-making-shopping-much-more-difficult-for-disabled-and-elderly/717138/92 "2015-04-11T12:59:33Z")
Grocery delivery saved my as when I lived in the third floor and was restricted from carrying anything over 5 lbs after my c-section. Strapling young man to carry my kitty litter and canned goods up all those stairs? Sign me up! And their produce pickers are phenomenal…far better than I am. Put, “I’d like three avocados, one ripe now and two ripe in four days,” in the note, and danged if it wasn’t right on the nose every time! ---
**Author:** ![Napier](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ce73a5/32.png) [@Napier](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Napier)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2015, 2:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/grocery-stores-are-changing-and-its-making-shopping-much-more-difficult-for-disabled-and-elderly/717138/93 "2015-04-11T14:43:00Z")
> [@Leaffan](#): > > I had to stop and picture what “a center aisle that runs horizontally across the width of the store” even looks like. > > I think I’ve got it, but if so I’ve never in my life seen a grocery store laid out that way. > > They’ve always had multiple aisles running from just beyond the cash registers, to just before the back of the store. And, as mentioned, milk is always the furthest away. Fresh produce will be the first thing you see, but you’ll need to go to all four corners for a load of groceries. There’s a science to this. This. ---
**Author:** ![Acsenray](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/acsenray/32/4519_2.png) [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2015, 3:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/grocery-stores-are-changing-and-its-making-shopping-much-more-difficult-for-disabled-and-elderly/717138/94 "2015-04-11T15:20:39Z")
> [@Shakes](#): > > Did grandpa not see the motorized scooters they keep at the front of the store? > > Heck, at my Kroger, some people use the scooters and their only “disability” is being fat. Granted some of those people may have medical conditions I’m not aware of, but I can’t help feeling that at least some of them are using them simply because they are lazy. (I site seeing said scooter users not parked in a handicap zone as evidence.) > [@TBG](#): > > I’ve never seen anyone use a store provided scooter except fat middle aged women. > [@Living\_Well\_Is\_Best\_Revenge](#): > > God forbid fat ass Americans have to walk a little more. Of course fat people should be made to suffer as much as possible because face it they’re disgusting worthless repulsive subhumans who should never be allowed to forget how fat and ugly they are. If they ever have any physical difficulty doing things, what should be done is to make it harder, not easier for them, because then maybe they won’t be able to buy as much food to make themselves so fucking fat hahahahahahahaha!!! God they are disgusting, am I right? Fucking fatties. ---
**Author:** ![wonky](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wonky/32/393_2.png) [@wonky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wonky)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2015, 4:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/grocery-stores-are-changing-and-its-making-shopping-much-more-difficult-for-disabled-and-elderly/717138/95 "2015-04-11T16:34:34Z")
> [@even\_sven](#): > > Have you ever online shopped? > > It’s awesome. You schedule the delivery window for when you are home, and they will bring the bags right in to your kitchen. $10 delivery fee, sometimes not even that. I understand it’s not the best fit for everyone, but the idea that it can’t work is just not true. It’s already working. I see the Peapod guy in my building every day. Yep. From Vons, if you buy a lot of groceries at once, that’s when the delivery makes the most sense. It’s a great service. ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2015, 6:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/grocery-stores-are-changing-and-its-making-shopping-much-more-difficult-for-disabled-and-elderly/717138/96 "2015-04-11T18:05:38Z")
> [@TBG](#): > > I’ve never seen anyone use a store provided scooter except fat middle aged women. I’m not a fat middle-aged woman, but I have a badly damaged achilles tendon. I have to wear a cast at home, but need to remove it to drive. I’m still at the point of using the shopping cart as a walker, but if the pain gets worse I’ll have to rely on a scooter. I suppose, if you’re around, I’ll have to go in drag, with extra padding. And what exactly is your point? ---
**Author:** ![aceplace57](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/aceplace57/32/3500_2.png) [@aceplace57](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aceplace57)\ **Post date:** [April 11, 2015, 8:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/grocery-stores-are-changing-and-its-making-shopping-much-more-difficult-for-disabled-and-elderly/717138/97 "2015-04-11T20:04:40Z")
> [@even\_sven](#): > > Have you ever online shopped? > > It’s awesome. You schedule the delivery window for when you are home, and they will bring the bags right in to your kitchen. $10 delivery fee, sometimes not even that. I understand it’s not the best fit for everyone, but the idea that it can’t work is just not true. It’s already working. I see the Peapod guy in my building every day. A delivery service to the kitchen would be nice. Coleman dairy in Little Rock used to have delivery trucks. They had quite a few items. Bread, eggs, cheese, milk, ice cream and I think even lunch meat. They were popular for at least thirty years. They stopped the service in the 1980’s. ---
**Author:** ![elfkin477](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/a9a28c/32.png) [@elfkin477](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elfkin477)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2015, 1:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/grocery-stores-are-changing-and-its-making-shopping-much-more-difficult-for-disabled-and-elderly/717138/98 "2015-04-12T01:51:36Z")
> [@Lorene89095](#): > > So tell me,oh wise one,how EXACTLY do you know what these women were suffering from? He can tell they’re fat and middle-aged by looking at them. Sure, they could have something else wrong with them too, but he didn’t suggest otherwise. ---
**Author:** ![Kenm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/bc79bd/32.png) [@Kenm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kenm)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2015, 6:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/grocery-stores-are-changing-and-its-making-shopping-much-more-difficult-for-disabled-and-elderly/717138/99 "2015-04-12T06:47:43Z")
> [@DinoR](#): > > I’ve never seen it on this side of the border either. The closest is a small section across across from the main group of aisles in part of the store (say on line with the registers that don’t extend the entire length of the store front.) Loblaw’s big-box [**Superstores**](https://www.google.ca/search?as_st=y&tbm=isch&as_q=superstore&as_epq=&as_oq=&as_eq=&imgar=&imgcolor=&imgtype=&cr=&as_sitesearch=&safe=images&as_filetype=&as_rights=&gws_rd=cr&ei=2hMqVcHNFob1yATE_YCgCw) have a cross-wise centre aisle in the supermarket section, at least those I’ve been in. The stores are about the size of Walmart’s, but I’d guesstimate about 70 or 75 per cent is dedicated to groceries, they being Loblaw’s. But no scooters or wheelchairs. ---
**Author:** ![GrumpyBunny](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/bc8723/32.png) [@GrumpyBunny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GrumpyBunny)\ **Post date:** [April 12, 2015, 11:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/grocery-stores-are-changing-and-its-making-shopping-much-more-difficult-for-disabled-and-elderly/717138/100 "2015-04-12T11:27:14Z")
> [@jsgoddess](#): > > Delivery is really nice, but it’s expensive. You can’t really “shop” to get better prices or use coupons. You’re just stuck with whatever they bring you. I’m able to shop among brands and among stores that deliver. So if the laundry soap I like is $4.49 at one place, and $6.29 at another, I’ll buy it from place number 1. I tend to wait until I need to re-stock things before I order, so when I order it’s a LOT of kitty litter or laundry soap or soda, and it comes from the cheapest place. Delivery services also accept coupons. I got $1.00 off my coffee for ages because each new package had a $1 coupon… [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/grocery-stores-are-changing-and-its-making-shopping-much-more-difficult-for-disabled-and-elderly/717138.md?page=4) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/grocery-stores-are-changing-and-its-making-shopping-much-more-difficult-for-disabled-and-elderly/717138.md?page=6)