Shopping Outside the Box

If you had to pick the two most mundane chores that you'd most like to eliminate from your to-do list, what would they be? How about (1) doing the laundry, and (2) grocery shopping? Grocery shopping? But don't we all love to browse the big box stores--dodging the traffic of other shoppers threatening head-on collision in the aisles or tailgating us in the checkout lines? Those other shoppers, especially the screaming toddler or dog-toting ones-- seem to view grocery shopping not as a simple errand, but rather a Disneyesque excursion or deeply personal meditative adventure requiring five minutes or more of bonding with every shelf or display case YOU need and could actually be done with in 5 seconds or less. Your excitement on finally seeing the light between you and the desired shelf/case is soon shattered as you find your items have been moved, replaced with other brands you don't like, discontinued or out of stock for the third consecutive week. (Sigh)--at least there are two other big boxes in town that might have the grocery items on your list.

Given this dismal shopping experience with big box grocery stores, it was refreshing to find an alternative venue was finally opening on West Main Street in downtown Abingdon. A coalition of several stores operating cohesively under one roof, the Abingdon Commons is a near seamless shopping experience. Elegant, bold signage that you can actually read, and where the items the signage describes actually are . . .clean, wide and accessible aisles that ensure zero collisions, imaginatively curated shelf displays, and welcoming, open spaces on all sides to give all kinds of customers plenty of quality time with the merchandise as well as the opportunity to mingle (or not) with each other in the spirit of both community and rugged individualism.

The Blue Hills Community Market, one of the anchor stores of the Commons gives as close to a perfect grocery shopping experience as you can ask for. The variety and quality of organic, natural, even gluten-free products in a locally owned independent operation would be impressive by itself. Add to that the friendly and professional customer service, as well as the option to grab a fresh coffee, ice cream or even a hot breakfast in a comfortable setting for sitting, with decent background music (at least what I heard); and you could easily turn a simple errand into a two-hour outing, and not feel guilty about it. I almost did, except I ran out of items on my list. The only somewhat less seamless part of the experience was the time I spent in the checkout line. There was only one POS on opening day, but the owner (Dirk Moore) kept the line moving (metaphorically speaking, at least) by personally and individually acknowledging and thanking each customer for visiting. That's something that rarely happens in the big box world--inside or out. We'll be back. The official opening is tomorrow Friday Dec 14, and I've heard that will come with more giveaways, product discounts and opportunities to make grocery shopping a truly enjoyable out-of-box experience. P.S. There will even be a second point of sale!