Choices

My grocery store has choices.

We live in a world of choices now. We Americans like choices. Choices are a part of our independence, our right of self-assertion, our exercise of control over our surroundings.

Burger King picked up on this assumed inalienable right decades ago with the "Have it your way" campaign. The jingle was "Hold the pickles. Hold the lettuce. Special orders don't upset us!"

Since that time, our choices have multiplied to an alarming level. Have you looked at the number of cereals in the breakfast aisle or the number of salad dressings a few rows over? Or even within a single brand -- have you seen how many different kinds of Coke beckon on the soft drink aisle?

It's choice-overload. How do you ever decide?

And now it has spread to the front door -- where you must decide what kind of cart you want.

You can choose the traditional grocery cart. It is large and can accommodate many items or very large or heavy items. Not long ago that was the only option. It was either that cart or do without -- carry your purchases in your arms.

Now, instead of the standard cart, you can have a handbasket if you want to get just a few items. Also, a while back, my store added kiddie carts so that the little ones could feel the thrill of driving a race car attached to the front of mom's grocery vehicle. Cute. And of course there is the motorized cart for folks with limited mobility. Thoughtful.

My favorite cart, however, is the newest model. It's a compact cart, a cute little thing that can turn on a dime. I love it. Just big enough for a few things -- a few hundred dollars worth (but better than the handbasket which gets too heavy fast; one gallon of milk and a carton of orange juice will cause the handles to cut into your palm!)

And I've noticed that these sporty little carts are very popular. The other day in the store a nice looking businessman zipped past me to get the last of the little carts for himself. In fact, several times lately there have been none available when I arrive -- they have all been scarfed up by shoppers who arrived earlier.

My concern now is that the store will start to charge for the joy of driving this popular new cart. Then I'll be faced with yet another choice!