Imagine yourself walking into Target at 5:30 Thursday evening. You have just completed a stressful but successful day at work. Your stomach is growling wildly and your legs are threatening to give in for the day, making collapsing into the shopping cart seem strangely appealing. Maybe you could pick up a pillow and blanket from the shelf first....
5:35, you snap back into focus and continue your trip down the center aisle toward the cleaning supplies. You scroll through a mental list of items to pick up: toilet paper, toothpaste, body soap, bananas, mac and cheese, coffee, and sponges. First stop, toilet paper. You are surrounded by brand messaging and advertising message compete for your diminishing attention. Do you splurge for the double quilted? The baby on the Angel Soft package looks very comfortable. What about the bargain Target brand? No, that looks more like tissue paper. Ultimately, you settle for the Cottonelle. Who can say no to a puppy?
Toilet paper, check.
In the next aisle, is the toothpaste. Wow! Is that a Justin Bieber toothbrush? Ooh, so many options. What is the difference between Glamour and 3D white? If I buy Tom's toothpaste will I save a child in Africa? Sensodine... my teeth are fairly sensitive these days. Do I have coffee stains? The abundance of options is overwhelming. This seemingly quick shopping trip has already lasted longer than planned. You grad the Glamorous White and head for the body soap.
For a third time, you are bombarded with options. Each product promises different sensations, smells, lifestyles and superior benefits. Now, some of you may have lower levels of shopping enthusiasm than I, and established brand preferences for toilet paper, toothpaste, and soap brands. My point is this: When did all of the products intended to make life more convenient end up making life more complicated. Rather than making shopping efficient and successful, it has become its own breed of stress monster.
In conclusion, you can find me in the toothpaste aisle, sleeping away shopping distress in the shopping cart.
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