My mom and I drove to Draegers to get my brother and his friends Pliny the Elder, a beer they really like, and I needed to get cookies for my APES class. Draegers is a store about a mile away from my house. They have everything you need, but it is heavily overpriced. Although we only went for two items, we left with a whole bag full of food. This is typical of a grocery store visit with my mom. We normally just go when we need a few items every so often, and end up buying more than we need.

When I first walk into the store, there is a plant and flower section. On the right side of this section are all the registers. In front of the registers is the hot food section. The hot food section has soups, quesadillas, grilled chicken, mashed potatoes, and so much more. On the left side of this hot food section is the sushi section. I can either take one of the premade sushi containers, or ask for them to make me something specific. On either side of the hot food and sushi sections are stairs going upstairs to the dining area and homegoods section. As I walk in, though, I go past the flower section and now I’m in the fresh produce section. The fresh produce section goes straight back and has all the aisles parallel to it. There are fruits, vegetables, and fresh premade snacks in this section. My favorite part of this section are the fridges at the end that have all kinds of flavors and brands of kombucha. When I pass the fresh produce section, I am at the meat market section. They have all kinds of proteins: fish, shrimp, beef, pork, chicken--anything uncooked. The meat section is on the left of me, and on the right side is the wine section. The dairy section lines the wall opposite of the produce, and all the isles are in between. The dairy section starts with eggs (I know this isn’t dairy, but they are there), and there is cheese, butter, sour cream, and all kinds of milk. When I walk through this section, I am now at the bakery and more of the artisanal cheeses are in this area. Going back to the isles, they are filled with everything that a normal grocery store has: cereals, spices, bread, snacks, frozen foods, foreign section, and anything else you can think of.

I once heard how supermarkets place sugar cereals closer to the bottom on the shelves in order to appeal to younger kids. Obviously, younger kids are shorter and they will come face to face with a Frosted Flakes box and want that one instead of the healthier options higher up that they can’t see as well. I think about this a lot because it seems silly now that companies would do this and think as an older kid, I won’t notice that I am being targeted too. Which is true, I don’t really notice the way I am being advertised products until I am told that I am. I would say I am drawn towards more aesthetically pleasing packaging and things that look healthy. For example, above the fridges that have kombucha in the produce section, there is a big sign in neat writing that has kombucha in all caps. The way it is written appeals to me, so I always find my way there. This is a level of “deception” that I think more people should know about. These companies know how to advertise to us and how to promote products in order to profit off of us. It is important when visiting stores, to try to know how we are being advertised in order to make smarter decisions. At the ends of each aisle there are snacks. So as I pass by each aisle, I am drawn to look at these snacks which include cookies, cake, chocolate, and popcorn. These are more on display than the fresh cut vegetables and fruits that are in an open fridge because the packaging of these deserts and maybe more unhealthy snacks look more appealing than the clear bins that the fresh cut produce is in. Everytime I walk by the section of the grocery store that has the chocolate, I always feel compelled to throw at least one thing into my cart. The same thing happens when I go through the chip section. My mom and I only went for beer and cookies, but we left with chocolate, popcorn, oatmilk, cheese, and crackers too.

Before looking deeper into what goes into going to the market, I always knew companies had specific advertising strategies, but never really noticed. In this trip, especially, I took what I knew about the cereal boxes appealing to young kids, and tried to notice patterns in what appealed to me. It is essentially the same thing they do for the little kids, they place certain foods in places they know we would be looking, and make the packaging appeal to their designated consumer. I learned from this experience that it takes self-control when grocery shopping and I learned how hard it is to actually do that.

My mother walks into Jimbos, our nearby grocery store, it has a small horse-shaped design with 10 isles in the middle. She is a frequent shopper at Jimbos, typically taking three trips a week. My mom has been granted the luxury of choosing a store based on cleanliness, proximity, and quality of the food, rather than being limited by price.

Walking into Jimbos has changed during the past couple of months for her. The aisles full of traffic jams are now decorated with hazard arrows for social distancing rules. Now my mom covers her hands with blue latex gloves and is given a heavily sanitized cart that holds a strong alcohol scent before entering the sterile store. As you walk the perimeter you notice the freshest items or perishables. The design of the store has four main sectors starting with the bakery, seafood/meat, dairy products, and wraps around to produce. The food is organized and placed in clean baskets or shelves either refrigerated or not. The aisles are sorted so that the high demand items are on eye-level, and new or seasonal items are placed on the front of shelves or in baskets on display. My mom always is drawn to the fruits and vegetables first. When I go with her its like eye candy, freshly cut yellow pineapple, red Fiji apples, and yellow bananas neatly arranged on sale.

Usually, on Sunday or Monday, my mom does meal preparation looking at menus for the week. This list is added to my family’s weekly staples fruits, vegetables, dairy, and bakery items. A list is very important to my mom--she is an organized person and the store she frequents reflects this characteristic as well. She is not persuaded to shop in a store based on promotions or advertising because she typically knows what she is looking for and is familiar with the market she attends weekly. If anything, she will be persuaded by other brands at our local farmers market or vegetable stands.

Every item is checked off the grocery list my mom had made and often items such as flourless cookies, a seasonal fruit, almond flour crackers, and, our recent favorite discovery, avocado ice cream are added. My siblings and I get put on unpacking duty. We strategize and it usually ends up being a quick process that rarely requires more than two people. First, we pick all the produce out of the bags and set them on our island counter. Then we split up the items. One section of the counter is designated for refrigerated items: chicken, ground beef, turkey, fruits and vegetables, juices, kinds of milk, cheeses, sauces, condiments, eggs, and usually our family’s favorite salsa and chip dips. Another part of the counter contains the pantry goods: loaves of bread, bars, crackers, cereals, granola, soups, pasta, baking ingredients, and cooking oils. Finally, the bananas, avocados, oranges, pears, and apples are placed in our fruit basket in the middle of our kitchen counter.

Most of the time when my mom’s grocery list ends up being extended is an attempt to improve the nutrition of our family, but we enjoy the surprises she tends to come home with. The avocado ice cream she recently found has even created competition with our all-time favorite mint chip Strauss brand from Whole Foods! My mom likes to have a positive footprint and her shopping experience displays this. She has always been knowledgeable about what types and brands of foods she is buying. She is not swayed by promotions but instead prioritizes the quality of food for her family.

Compared to my mom I frequently visit the grocery store for a few items at a time. When I am hungry it is unavoidable to stop for the to-go meals. Also if my sister and I decide to bake cookies and we need flour, vanilla extract, or more chocolate chips then we will quickly stop by our local store. I think the amount of food my mom comes home with from the grocery store, and what my family consumes is massive. She visits the grocery store at least three times a week and returns to the house usually with four reusable bags full of produce. Personally, I do recognize promotions and cheaper prices at my local Vons or Safeway stores. I have learned from my mom is that it is super important to try your best and purchase your perishable items like fruits, vegetables, dairy, or meats from high-quality stores and then purchase your packaged goods from a more affordable and convenient store. From recent shopping experiences, I have recognized the almost machine-like way of shopping. Being that Amazon recently purchased Whole Foods this store has been turned into a competitive business environment that is fully technologically programmed. Your neighbor in the packaged aisle is often an amazon shopper now! It is so weird to see a neighborhood and human interactive grocery store be overtaken by delivery service programs targeting the highest customer and profit levels. This has turned the shopping experience completely around for my family and me which is why we enjoy local farm stands, farmers markets, and small grocery stores.

When tasked to go to a market and analyze the experience more than I ever anticipated I would have to, I simply went to Safeway and had a quite uneventful experience as one normally does. I was simply getting our family’s standard groceries unaccompanied, a task I have done many times before and now have grown quite apathetic to. This normally includes meals for breakfasts, lunches, and dinners. The breakfasts and lunches are normally prepackaged food, such as cereals, instant oatmeal, or frozen chicken nuggets. However, the dinners are bought as individual ingredients. I also had to remember to specifically get eggs and milk as we always seem to be running out.

Before I departed for the store, I asked everyone around the house if they needed anything, and curated a mental list of what I would need to purchase. When I got to Safeway, I started by walking to the side with fresh produce, and then traversing my way across the store all the way to the bread section before arriving at the cashier, the usual route for all of my trips. I noticed the separation of the fresh produce, and how a specifically laid out organic section is placed along the far wall. A section closer to the center of the store contains the counterpart, filled with bulk and pre packaged produce. After a few selections, I started to walk down the aisles, reading all of the signs above my head which listed every possible kind of grocery, as well as other products such as soaps and kitchenware. The Safeway I go to attempts to not appear as a traditional supermarket with a very nice butchery and bakery, but still has the products at other super markets. I mentally checked if there is anything on the list, or anything I want in particular. I normally grab a few small things for myself, such as candy, granola bars, or a particular cereal. The pop up stands on the edges of the aisle tend to catch my attention, and is the cause of at least one of my impulse purchases, this time it was a shining box of Oreos. My trip also involved a few backtracks, as I remember something outside of the moment quite often. After filling my basket to my satisfaction, I head to the cashier before leaving the store.

The added analysis did not spark life into the trip, but was still somewhat interesting to think about. One of the major things I noticed was the placement of food, and specifically how foods considered healthy are often organized together, and foods considered unhealthy are organized in their own unit. As previously mentioned, the organic foods are organized together, but similarly the junk food is also organized together. The store owners want people to be able to see products that the store thinks are similar to the products the customer is buying. This causes people who are buying either category of food, to simply look a few feet to the left or right, and see another product they did not initially plan on buying, but now want. The other noticeable occurrence on my trip was how much the seemingly random popup stands catch my attention. They almost always do not contain the products of the aisles close to them. This inorganization definitely caught my attention, and most likely the attention of others, causing them as well as me to impulse buy something unnecessary. The last thing I took note of was the little shelves next to the register. They normally contain some candies or mints, and I tend to buy an item from there as well. Similar to the prior examples, these items are placed specifically where they are so people can add one last small thing to their cart before paying. The store has the goal in mind to make the customer buy more than they originally intended on.

It was a brisk MLK Holiday, and I decided to go to Whole Foods. We had run out of the essentials and needed to get to the store as soon as possible. I decided to go to Whole Foods considering I wanted to get a lot of fruits and vegetables, but also because I was trying to eat healthy this week. I like Whole Foods because it doesn't have a lot of the big brands but also doesn't have a lot of sugary food that would normally tempt me. Additionally, it doesn't have any sodas or super unhealthy snacks. My Mom usually goes to Safeway or Mollie Stones, but when she is looking to buy a lot of produce she occasionally goes to Whole Foods. I decided to go by myself since all my family was busy and it's about a ten minute drive there. I left my house around 3:45 and headed into the store around 4pm.

When I walked into Whole Foods, I immediately walked into the produce section. By having the produce in the front of the store, they are making a strong statement about how they are at the forefront of local farmers and what they provide to their consumers. This is a smaller Whole Foods that only has around 20 smaller isles with the produce and protein in the front and all the other items in the back. As soon as I walked in, there were tons of signs exclaiming “that all the produce is fresh and ultimately you are shopping local.” All the produce was arranged in these wooden bins, to mimic as if they had just come off the farm from the red truck you see in all the commercials.Next to the wooden bins, there were yellow signs that proclaimed “LOCAL” and “3/$3.” The bins are just below eye level as if you are picking the fruits from the garden. Additionally, over all the lettuce and main vegetables it says “responsibly grown” on a rugged wooden sign hanging near the bright lights.

In the grocery store, when buying products, I usually consider three main things. I am usually looking at the products to make sure they are healthy and local but I also consider the price of items. I am willing to spend more for better quality items but usually the products are all similar quality. Throughout the store, I was confronted with signs assuring me the products were "Fresh" and “you are supporting local farmers.” Those signs appeared everywhere in the grocery store and the slogans were reused on the employee’s shirts. All the shelves and boxes consistently looked very rugged to give the store a farm type of atmosphere, like I'm picking straight from the farm.

As I walked from the produce station, I began to smell the strong aroma of fresh fish as if I was at the ocean. As I walked up to the fish, I immediately spotted the plump scallops in the far right corner sitting there on the ice. I then arrived at the station to see the large variety of fish from salmon to shrimp, the unique colors of pink popping up in front of my face. I then decided to get the Teriyaki Salmon which I could immediately smell once I received and put in my cart above the produce. As I moved along from the fish section, I progressed to see the large variety of assorted meats. The shelf was massive extending at least 20 feet from kebabs to NY Strip steak. There was a strong smell of raw meat accompanied by a smell of garlic and radishes which was from the kebabs. I browsed the large selection of meat through the dirty glass and saw the juicy BBQ ribs resting on the platter, and bought a pound. As I continued down the wide isles, I browsed a large variety of snacks but none of them were the stereotypical brands such as Doritos. As I progressed to the checkout stand, my eyes glimpsed a large piece of baguette that was skinny but looked so artisan. I then proceeded to check out, while placing my items on the everlasting ramp and paid with my credit card into their high tech system.

Shopping can truly be a really peaceful and exciting experience. On the rare occasions I go shopping, I enjoy browsing through the fish and meat sections while I ponder what I will make with the abundant amount of food in my cart. Additionally, it is so much fun to watch others in the store and see what they are purchasing on that particular day. I think that shopping is a major component of the pleasures of eating but is plays a role in the end dish and the quality.

I routinely go to our local supermarket with my dad every few days to get ingredients for dinner.We were shopping for rice, bok choy, and tofu. We go to Draeger’s, about 5 minutes away from my house. Draegers is located on a corner of a busy street. It is a smaller supermarket in the city of Menlo Park.

There are two entrances on either side of the building. Located in the front of the store there are “grab and go” snacks. These are prepackaged meals such as sushi, sandwiches, and other items prepared by the kitchen. One side of the grocery store is occupied by flowers and bouquets. On the other side is their gourmet cheese section and their bakery. The bakery is usually full of cookies that are themed with the upcoming holidays or festive cakes ready to be taken home. If you follow the right wall past the bakery is the dairy products. Lots of milk and yogurt. Some of the dairy products are labeled “organic” and nearly every item is covered with pictures of happy cows on farms. In the middle of the store are the rows of other items. These rows consist of canned food, house cleaning supplies, cookies, chips, and more. If you walk through an aisle you will plummet into the produce section. This is where my dad and I find bok choy. I also grabbed some extra fruit such as grapes, apples and oranges for snacks throughout the week. In the back of the grocery store is the meat section. This is where we usually get our blocks of tofu to fry for later. Once we grab all the ingredients for dinner we head to the front, usually stopping at the cheese section and grabbing a fancy named cheese, usually one with gold lettering, to try. Then we exit the grocery store and go home.

I could not honestly say that we just grabbed out dinner ingredients and left. The cookies in the grocery store are usually facing the produce section. So, as you shop for vegetables and are feeling healthy, the cookies stare you down. Usually I grab a bag of orange chocolate Milanos because I feel healthy that I grabbed the broccoli for dinner. I believe that the grocery store does this on purpose to make me feel deserving of the cookies. Another part of the grocery store I noticed is that the organization of products will change every few months. Walking through the rows of chips, cans, and cookies sometimes feels like an endless void. While my dad and I were looking for the rice we had to walk through the maze of the rows. We went up and down each aisle eagerly searching for a bag of rice. Spoiler alert: it was not where we got rice the last time we visited the store. While searching for the rice I got distracted by the assortment of different types of iced coffee drinks I could get. The fridge was full of fancy mochas, frappuccinos, and brightly colored bottles with catchy titles; Wide Awake Dunkin Blend, NitroBoost, etc. Obviously I grabbed 4 cans of coffee. Moving products tricks the customer into spending more time in the aisles making them more likely to buy more food. Sometimes my dad will point at a random bottle of spice that has a shiny “new” label on it and ask me if we need it. The label tricks us into thinking that we need it just because it is brand new when in reality the packaging was probably just redone. When we leave for the cashier we usually stop in the cheese section and grab a new random cheese to try. I was going to pick up some cheese and realize that the cheese next to it looked exactly the same but 3 times the price. I believe that they do this on purpose so a person accidentally picks up the more expensive cheese. Initially we only planned to buy rice, bok choy and tofu but that did not happen. After not accidentally buying the 45 dollar cheese we left with much more than we planned for. We both agreed when we got into the car that we once again had been tricked into buying more items then we needed.

Since my local grocery store is smaller, it actually does carry meat and vegetables from small farms, which is usually what my family tries to buy. However the amount of small farming products is still drowned out by bigger brands. In food inc they mentioned how milk products and packaged goods are labeled with pictures of a happy farm. This leads the consumer to believe they are supporting a small farmer when in reality a huge company deliberately chose that label to separate themselves from the less appealing image of industrialized farming. Also, the organization of the supermarket is set up to psychologically trick you into spending more time inside the grocery store so you buy more items. They do this by changing the organization of the shelfs, deliberately making you walk through isles of cookies and chips to get to the produce and more. Although my grocery store is not a typical “safeway” it still functions the same way and accurately represents the patterns of industrialization.

In my town, Safeway is five minutes down the road from my house. My mom and I wait in the tiny parking lot until someone inevitably leaves, as we try to avoid underground parking garages. Right when we walk in, a Starbucks kiosk stands directly in front of us. Since neither me nor my mom like Starbucks at all, the smell of borderline stale coffee and cakes is easy to ignore. Having Starbucks shoved in my face right when I walked into the store momentarily distracted me. If I actually liked Starbucks (like most girls my age) I probably would have gone and spent $7.00 on a drink that tastes like plastic. Then immediately after that, I see candy, chips, cookies, popcorn, and more. I bet parents love having to reel their kids back in, or cave and put a pack of Oreos in their cart. A Safeway trip such as this one is a common occurrence for every member of our family. Sometimes it’s planned, and sometimes it’s panicked. We must walk across the entire store to reach the fresh produce, which is the one area that we need to shop in to make our dinner for tonight: kale salad and chicken teriyaki.

As we make our way past junk food aisles, then the frozen food sections, we reach produce. I am not sure why it is always my instinct to get the vegetables first. We look for the enormous, green “ORGANIC” sign against the back wall, adjacent to the regular vegetables. My mom grabs a bunch of dark green kale, a leafy green I’ve grown to love. As my mom grabs the rest of the veggies, free of responsibility at the store, I compare the organic food to the regular food. The organic avocados look more shriveled and unappetizing compared to the regular ones. That's weird. But the organic carrots are much more vibrant and fresh-looking compared to the regular carrots. The lemons are stacked in such a strange, awkward pyramid shape, making it nearly impossible to not knock it over. Navigating through all the islands of food is like a maze – zigzagging from the limes to the onions. We move toward the middle of the back of the store, where the meat/deli is. Organic boneless chicken thighs. I always wonder how they get the bones out. Walking past the seafood, the lifeless dead fish stares back at me from behind the glass. With all the ingredients we need, we take a shortcut to the self-checkout through the chip aisle, I salivate at the sight of the salt and vinegar chips, put them in the cart, and my mom does not object. Going through the checkout, I throw in a pack of mint gum. We drop off the basket, walk through the automatic doors, and pack our groceries into the car.

While shopping, one might notice that the candy and sugary drinks are mainly on the bottom shelves, and the dark chocolate sweets are on the top shelves. Moving on, I must walk past many aisles filled with other foods and miscellaneous treats to get to the vegetables, or whatever else I came to the store for. Organic foods are at the back of the store, right next to the regular foods. At what point should I ask myself what the one or two dollar difference is between organic and non organic foods? Organic is supposed to be healthier, and I have the means to buy organic foods, so that's what I do. Other people may not have the same options. My mission was interrupted again when random snacks like dried mango and vegetable crisps were right beneath my fingertips, hanging on a clip. I know that it will probably just sit in my pantry, so I resist. I don’t hesitate to grab a bag of chips when I walk past them, as I hadn’t had the craving until they were at my eye level. I check out with just one added item, and although it was unnecessary, this time it was just one.

I encountered numerous points of distraction during my trip and easily could have picked up many more things that I need. This includes more processed foods and more junk food. People who don’t have the extra money to spend on organic food might have to buy prepackaged foods, which are more processed and have less nutritional value. With the majority of the processed foods in the front of the store, the shoppers are more likely to grab items that weren’t on their original shopping list. Personally, I was able to maintain self-control, and both the foods on my list and the one item that wasn’t on my list increased my pleasure of eating. The placement of the different foods in the store definitely confirms patterns of industrialization that have been discussed thus far.

The yellow lights spelling out seven-eleven flashed before me. I walked into the entrance of the store gleefully. The store was filled with all of the sugary joys of American manufacturing. The flamin' hot Cheetos sat there unexpectedly like teddy bears on the shelf. The hot dogs danced on their silver stage, twirling around in circles. Heat lights illuminating them like spotlights. They wore large black char stains and were airbrushed with red coloring. To the back of the shop laid the infamous Slurpies. The bright colors illuminated off the flavor signs from across the store, grabbing the attention of every eye that wandered past. As I gazed upon the Slurpies, I suddenly recalled the sugar hitting my tongue. A smile spread across my face as I recalled the taste of the Slurpie. I was getting too distracted. I needed to focus on my objective. I came to some Cheetos and lottery tickets. I quickly grabbed the Cheetos off the shelf and began to sit in the check-out line.

To the left of me underneath the check-out counter sat places where various little candy bars were lined up like houses on a block. As a gazed upon the hundreds of candy bars that sat before me, the memory of the flavor of a Twix bar came rushing back like waves along the beach. Although I had come for some Cheetos and lottery tickets, the Twix bar was practically begging me to choose it.

“Mom, can I please get a Twix bar?” I begged her.

“Ask your dad” she responded to me unsurprisingly.

“Of course.” He replied to me joyously. My dad loved Twix bars. My mom did not like when my dad consumed too much sugar. He would love to tell my mom that he was buying it for me so that he could get his sugar fix for that day. It oftentimes resulted in him eating the majority of the Twix bar.

I quickly grabbed the Twix bar off the shelf below me. Each product had packaging that screamed for me to pick them. Oftentimes once a consumer is reminded that that product exists, like in a checkout line of seven-eleven, they will buy it. These products are strategically placed in the store, so you have to pass them to pay. Having to sit there and stare at these products while remembering their taste and sugar, entices the buyer to buy them. They want us to buy more junk food. It is not oranges that are encouraged in that check-out line. I think that if I were to see an orange in the check-out line, I would feel the same. I would remember the tang of orange and want that orange, but instead, the companies put candy there. These companies want us to buy more products, so they promote unhealthy food in their check-out lines, and that in turn contributes to unhealthy eating habits.

Leaving for the store, I grab my wallet, hand sanitizer, mask, phone, and car keys; all necessities for a trip to the supermarket in 2021. My mom had asked me to pick up a few essentials for the week ahead. I drove to the nearest Safeway, unwilling to drive any further than necessary. I was in a particular mood and decided to listen to my ironically named, country playlist, “Rural Areas Stress Me Out”.

Once I arrived at the supermarket I parked in the front, near the entrance. Immediately upon entering, my eyes were assaulted by the bright lights hanging from the ceiling, Most Safeways are set up in the same way. Fresh produce to the right, bakery to the left. The layout of the market is well imprinted in my mind, as I visit the store nearly every day to grab a quick snack while on the go. I had been given a list of groceries to return home with; apples, bananas, bread, and milk. The visit should have been short, given the length of the list; nevertheless, I spent nearly an hour shopping. First I head to the produce. I pick five red apples. The apples shine, neatly stacked together. I inspect the apples, looking for the perfect product. Finding my perfect honey coated apples, I placed them into the store provided plastic bag. Then, I move on to the bananas. Stacked a mile high, the tower of yellow is a steeple for any Safeway. I select a handful of bananas, greenish-yellow in color.

As I made my way down the aisles I nodded my head to the music that continues to play in my headphones. I moved through the people, each wearing a mask until I made it to the milk. The cartons of milk lined the walls, trapped behind a cold layer of glass. I selected a carton and checked the expiration date. When I found that the expiration date had yet to arrive, I put it in my basket. The basket was now weighed down with apples, bananas, and milk, and I struggled to carry it around the store. As I walk past each aisle, I wonder if I needed anything besides what was on the list. I wandered down the cereal aisle. The bright colors of the boxes caught my eye. It was like a beautiful mashup of different colors, fonts, and caricatures. I decided to get honey nut cheerios, a delicious choice that supposedly lowers cholesterol. The honey bee on the box welcomed me to take it with a familiar smile. I continued to the bakery where I grabbed my favorite, Dave's Bread loaf, and some ciabatta for my mom.

I decided to move on to the dry pasta, naturally assuming we needed more in the house. I searched for penne, my dad's favorite shape of pasta. I checked the selves on eye-level first. Unfortunately, no penne. I checked below me, no penne. Finally, I located a box on the top shelf. I stood on my tippy-toes and reached as far as my arm would allow. My determination was strong, yet I couldn't reach the box for the life of me. A man standing next to me noticed my struggle and reached for the box to give it to me. I thanked him and went on my way to the checkout.

I thought about the man and how kind he had been. With the frantic shopping habits of those in a pandemic, there was only one box left of penne. For me, that box felt like miles away. It truly was survival of the fittest. Those that can reach the highest selves could reach what the rest of us could not. In times like these, when toilet paper and apparently penne pasta are scarce, being the tallest in the market is a great advantage to have. I checked out of the store and walked back to my car.

On a recent trip to Whole Foods, my mom and I bought some everyday grocery needs like eggs, milk, bread, and an assortment of foods including tomato soup, gruyere cheese, turkey, steak, and potatoes in preparation for meals later in the week. This was a routine trip and I have been to Whole Foods too many times to count. However, prior to this trip I read an article about food insecurity in America and with the article freshly in my head, I was very keen to spot trends in Whole Foods. Some trends I noticed include a limitless supply of foods for new trendy health diets, like keto or vegan.

As I walked into the store, I saw aisles packed with “organic”, “farm-fresh”, “vegan”, “low calorie” foods all to appeal to those focused on getting the healthiest meal ever created. There was almost an entire aisle full of Kombucha too, there seemed to be infinite different kinds from lemon and lime flavored to pomegranate to carrot. I wasn’t even surprised to see it, I was actually more shocked there wasn’t an entire aisle of Boba tea or an entire section of juice cleanses right beside it. Next to it was the produce section full of (relatively) fresh fruits and vegetables that cost double what it would cost to get it at a local farmers market.

Whole Foods clearly focus on products that are more expensive and promoted as very healthy products for their consumers. However, this heavily limits their consumer base because many people can’t afford these high end products that really appeal to some people. Whole Foods rely on their customers desire to have the newest trendy diet or cleanse or something like that to keep people coming in the door. Without those high end health foods, Whole Foods is just a well air-conditioned Safeway with an absurdly expensive produce section. This distinguishing factor of appealing to those who enjoy these new food trends has done well for Whole Foods though so I give them credit for sticking to what they are good at.

On a positive note, Whole Foods has done a good job of following the plant-based meat trend which is not only apparently better for humans than a juicy, red-meat burger, but is also better for the environment and is less wasteful of natural resources in the creation of the meat. I would say that this plant-based meat trend is probably the most relevant food trend of the last few years and was probably a no brainer to start carrying Beyond Meat products in their stores.

In conclusion, Whole Foods is not trying to hide the fact that they are there for people who want to get the newest food trend and just buy everything else they need out of convenience at an absurdly high price that just rips off their customers.

While talking to my mom about how she normally shops for groceries, the thing that shocked me the most was the amount of places that we could pursue. Places like Safeway, Trader Joe’s, Whole Foods are all frequents for our family. However the main thing that I found interesting was the amount of food we eat from companies like Blue Apron and Gobble. When shopping on those websites for meals, I noticed all the things that I have eaten before, and have even helped prepare before. The way they are packaged and delivered to our door makes cooking much easier for my mom who is always rushing around. She loves their simplicity, and also how they are high quality foods.

When ordering from Blue Apron, the simplicity of the website is striking. It is so easy to find every meal you can order, and the detailed photos make them look like the highest quality food on the market. When clicking to the meals of the week, they show everything from time needed to cook, if they are vegetarian/vegan, and some meals even say they are “designed in collaboration with nutritionists with your holistic health in mind.” I can’t help but wonder what makes their meals really healthy for me. I certainly enjoy most of them, but are they really a healthier option than many of the restaurants that I dine at.

When browsing their “Menu for the Week”, I couldn’t help but notice all the dishes that I had eaten before. From the Sheet Pan Italian Pork, to the Cheesy Tomato Chicken. Every week the meal option changes, and my mom usually orders 3 meals for the week. The one that I most enjoy is the Chicken and Waffles, but that must have been a special occasion because its hasn’t been back on the menu in awhile. There are other meals that I eat much more frequently, and meals that I know how to prepare without even reading the directions because they have been so frequent in our household.

I have to say, if I was a working parent I would praise the work that Blue Apron does. The ease that they bring to preparing meals is one that combines efficiency, and also some of the enjoyable aspects of cooking. Putting aside the questions of how healthy is their food, I think that Blue Apron is helpful for my family, and many others.

With a majority of the Tinsley kids home, my dad and I had a pretty big dinner to shop for. Six placemats, six sets of silverware, and six cups were placed on the kitchen table hours before dinner. My dad and I drove just ten minutes down the road to Roberts Market. Roberts is a local grocery store located in Woodside and popular to those shopping for any foods, produce, meats or seafood you can imagine. Ever since I was little, Roberts has been the place to go grocery shopping, and especially for meaty dinners.

Going to the market is something special when shopping for a family of nine. Tinsley shopping depends on how many people are home. Out of the seven, four kids live out of the house, and I was gone for five months, so only two kids were home last semester. That made shopping much different than what it is when all seven are in the house. Over the last year, Covid-19 has drawn my siblings to come back and spend most of quarantine at home. That means that the parents were sent to the market more frequently because we all know how much teenagers eat.

There was a line winding around the market’s corner and into the parking lot when we arrived. It was a long wait, and felt like waiting for a Disneyland ride, but it went by pretty quickly while I talked to my dad about school and the upcoming US Women’s National soccer game. Once we got into the market, my dad went straight to the meat section, which is on the far back wall, while I went a couple aisles over to find salad. I walked down the row slowly, looking at all the different types of salad, but ended up grabbing two bags of our favorite pecan salad, then continued to shop in the next aisle. The vegetable section felt cold and looked colorful. I’d rather be in the snack aisle, but I’ll probably be there shortly. Hundreds of vegetables stared at me while I picked out the ones I like. I gathered up brussel sprouts, carrots, peas, and green beans. I pushed through my disgust and picked up broccoli and cauliflower as well. Once I got them in my bag, I met my dad back in the meat section where he was waiting for our short rib steak. On the way to the register, I snatched ghirardelli chocolate without telling my dad and got in line.

When thinking about buying food, especially recently, we like to support small, local businesses, such as Roberts. Covid has affected lots of companies, so we like to buy food from the local bagel shop or Italian restaurant, rather than chain businesses. When I go to the grocery store with either my mom or dad, I used to not think much of anything except buying the foods, paying, then leaving. However, after reading, listening to podcasts, and watching movies in our Food Writers class, I now go to the market with more things in mind. I think about how the food got to where it is now and what drives the demand of having that specific product on the shelves. Today I thought about where our short rib steak came from and how the cow was possibly treated before turning into a delicious piece of meat. I now reflect on the process of what goes on behind the scenes in the food industry, which doesn’t cross many people’s minds when going to the market.

Running low on some of the staple foods in the house such as fruits, vegetables, pasta, and different snacks such as chips, different types of fruit, pistachios, and granola; I decided to go to the grocery store. I drove about five minutes with my mom until we reached our local Whole Foods. As soon as I parked and began walking towards the store, I noticed the long line near the entrance. I put my mask on and proceeded to wait in line for about fifteen to twenty minutes before I could enter the store. As I sprayed the hand sanitizer on my hands and stepped into the store I noticed a slight temperature change and was greeted by blueberries, raspberries, strawberries, and blackberries. We were on our weekly shopping trip to stock up on most of what we would need for the week.

Just behind the strawberries, raspberries, and blueberries were the rest of the fruits and vegetables. All the shelves that held different fresh produce; including potatoes, onions, garlic, sweet potatoes, bananas, oranges, apples, lemons, and limes were about the height of my hip making them easy to grab. After picking up raspberries, strawberries, pineapple, lettuce, onions, garlic, asparagus, potatoes, and bell peppers, we pushed the cart past the all natural soap. On my right I see the herbal medicines and natural makeup. While the bright packaging on the items tempted me to walk down the aisles and possibly purchase something, my mom and I only came here for groceries. We continued to push the cart forward. We finally made it to the other side of the store where the pre-made sandwiches, pasta, pizza, soups, and salads are lined up in the refrigerated case located to the left. Turning left to go towards the very back right corner of the store I walked past all the different cinnamon rolls, donut holes, various assorted cookies, cupcakes, cakes, and tarts. As I was passing all the pastries, just reaching the back wall of all the different sliced breads, the glaze of the donut holes shimmered as the light reflected off of them, catching my attention again and I succumbed, placing them in my cart. After treating myself I proceeded to push the cart to the refrigerated section on the back wall where all the dairy products are located. I picked up some oat milk and kept pushing the cart past the cheese section and stopped once we reached the meat section which is at the back left corner. We picked up some meat for my dog and had finally made a full lap around the store.

Almost everything in the store was packaged. All the berries were in their own individual plastic carts. Vegetables that were not packaged like onions were expected to be put into a plastic bag by the people who wished to buy them. Most of the packaging in the store was plastic. The sliced breads were in plastic bags, some of the butter was in plastic containers, chips were in brightly colored plastic bags. Walking around and realizing how much packaging surrounded the food I consumed made me realize just how detached I am from the process. It also opened my eyes to how much waste going to the grocery store produces. While I have always heard to not use plastic bags and not use plastic water bottles, almost everything we consume is packaged in plastic. Even though Whole Foods is supposed to be more “all natural” and portrays the image of caring about the people and our environment, there was so much plastic in the store. If there is that much plastic in a store like Whole Foods, how much plastic is there in other stores? It’s something I never really thought about before, but now I want to focus and pay attention to that.

It was a Saturday morning. At around 10, my mom told me to head to our nearby market and buy some plantains to cook for breakfast. I grab some money and walk over to the store. After a quick 3 minute walk, I arrive at La Estrellita Market, a small Mexican food market. I walk in and greet the security guard on the side. I look straight and find the TV on, with either a sports game or the news on. I turn left and see the meat and dairy section of the store. Take a right and I can find the snacks, chips, chocolates, and other snacks. I may at times have to take a left just in case my mom wants some cheese or cream from the second dairy section of the store. Then, I go down some stairs to where I can find mango, celery, bananas, papaya, cabbage, radish, plantains, and more produce. Another TV can be found near where the spices and condiments are located, also with either sports or the news on.

I quickly head over to where the plantains are located. I FaceTime my mom so she can see which plantains to get, then place them in a bag, and weigh them. By the side, I can find many beverages, including soda, Gatorade, Arizonas’, Red Bull, aloe vera, and much more. By its side can be found cereals, religious candles, paper plates, utensils, cups to other assortment items. I occasionally look for any extra snack I can buy for myself; however, I could not find any this time. At the cashiers can be found alcohol, cigarettes, and other items of that sort with the Mexican map on top and images of Bay Area sports teams. After paying, I walk out of La Estrellita Market and within 3 minutes, I am back home.

It seems as if the store wants me to buy chips and snacks--they are one of the first things you see as you enter. The meat section is on the side of the store, the dairy section is small and a bit hidden, and the produce section is on the other side of the store, but on the other hand, is one of the larger sections of the store; the produce section could include more variety of fruits and vegetables. Plus, beer and other alcoholic beverages can also be very visible. Although the store is trying its best to give the best products possible to its customers, it could use some improvement, perhaps including more fruits,vegetables, and more healthy options for customers. Overall, it's a great place to buy something quick. Things are easy to find and the people there are very friendly.

“Please stay six feet apart” The greeter said to my Mom and I when we entered Draeger's on Monday morning. I had been conscripted for the weekly grocery run for our family. This trip would be the one that got us all the fruits, vegetables, and meat we needed for the upcoming week. Draegers a store that originated as a mom and pop shop, has become one in name only. While the overall aesthetic of the store has remained that of a neighborhood grocer, the products and prices of the store are clearly geared towards that of the upper middle class. The store seems to keep the aesthetic of a local grocer to give the nouveau riche clientele a sense of connection to their middle class past. The type of products sold inside were usually more expensive than the usual big chain grocery store and more akin to what could be found within a trader joes or a whole foods.

The store itself was divided into several distinct sections. The outer edge going around the entire store was where the building blocks of food were placed. Raw unadulterated meat, fruits, and vegetables dotted this section of the store. When walking directly left from the entrance, my mom and I first came across the fruits and vegetables section. Raw Fruits and vegetables were stacked high on the refrigerated shelves on the side of the store while islands where products such as assorted nuts and trail mix were kept alongside the salad bar. Moving towards the back end of the store, the deli is present.

After looking at the entire store I realized the store was tailored to a very specific wealthy customer. The prominence of fruits and vegetables cater to people who want to eat healthy. Also the marked up prices for the fruits and vegetables

Food needs to look mouth-watering. Food is something that is always accessible for me and I have never really run out of it. I am fortunate to be food privileged. I live in an area where I have four grocery stores within a 1-mile radius of my house. I also come from a financially stable home so running out of food has never been questioned. I often shop at the Safeway that is right down my street. My family usually goes to the grocery store once per day to get the supplies that we need for dinner. My father is usually the one who prepares and cooks dinner so he is in charge of the grocery list. Depending on what is for dinner we choose a specific market. Sometimes my mother and I are yearning for some home-cooked Japanese food. We are lucky to have access to an amazing Japanese market close by.

The Japanese market is an organized maze ensuring people travel on the same path. My favorite Japanese market is Mitsuwa. The second you walk in you are blocked from walking straight and pushed towards little Japanese sweets and traditional candy. Almost every time I pass this area it is filled with “tourists” and they always leave with a bunch of goodies in their shopping basket. If you can resist the Dagashi, one will be pushed towards the produce section. This area is wide and spacious and everything is at reaching level. They have the juiciest looking fruits and big refreshing vegetables that make you want to sit down and just eat. This type of marketing is continued throughout the whole market--putting the most appetizing food in front and reachable.

As a kid, I would tear through the aisles grabbing as many unnecessary things as I could. I just look at all of the products and get that urge that I need it. That urge is what the producers and sellers want to evoke in their businesses. Most times these marketing strategies work well, creating an environment where people want to buy more but also an environment they will also want to come back to. I think that marketing is not helpful for those who are not as privileged as me because when they enter stores like Mitsuwa they are forced to contain that urge making it not as fun and exciting. It not only brings in buyers but also pushes people unable to afford it away and towards cheaper less healthy options. I think those food products should not be commercialized or marketed to hit a specific consumer market. Not everyone in that area will be able to use it. If an area is targeting a richer socio-economic class will ignore the lower class and create a further divide within a basic human right. Food needs to not only be irresistible but also affordable and accessible.

Every week, I plan and shop for my family. I shop for my family because we used to order in 3-5 times a week and I was sick of it, so I made a deal with my mom to take over the shopping and planning. This resulted in us cooking in a lot more, and allows for me to control what we have for dinner, which I like. I try to please everyone, but if they aren’t shopping or cooking, then they don’t get a huge say. This has given me the opportunity to have my family eat much healthier and given me the flexibility to eat vegetarian. On Thursday, I plan the dinners for the following week, and place the order for Sunday through Good Eggs. Then, on Friday and Saturday I usually add a few more things when we realize we are getting low on like some fresh fruit. We do a Good Eggs delivery on Sunday and then we typically Instacart or shop in person for a few items on Wednesday or Thursday. Sometimes we run out of milk, need something for a recipe that we forgot, or just want the fun activity of going into Trader Joe’s. This week’s shopping was exactly the same as it has been for a while. On Thursday, when I open Good Eggs I see Meal Kits first on the opening page of vertically divided sections. Each divided section has a label along with an example image of what's in that section of the market. I typically click on the Meal Kits first to see if any new meals have been added. They range from chicken teriyaki with rice to vietnamese pho, and even homemade pizza kits. The kits include a recipe card and most of the major ingredients necessary for cooking. For me, they are great for trying new things and being more creative with what we eat. Then, I head to the “Main Course” section that is still within the Meal Kits tab. I scroll through to get 2-3 white meat meals, 1 pork or beef for my brother, and 1 vegetarian meal. The organization of Good Eggs makes finding dinners simple. It divides the dinners into sections, so there is a soups section, poultry, pork, pasta, and a few more. This week we had chicken and squash mole enchiladas, a paneer/garbanzo bean curry dish, achiote chicken tacos, and turkey meatballs with polenta. Since I am avoiding meat right now, I made myself vegetarian substitutes or additions to most of these meals. I typically click on a few of our favorites and also select on one that I haven’t had to see if my family would eat it. I clicked on a three bean chili that looked fresh and rich, but then remembered my brother won’t eat beans so clicked the floating “X” in the top left corner. We have a good number of allergies in my family so sometimes we can be pretty limited, but we typically know what to sub out. For example, the pulled bbq chicken sandwiches come with brioche buns, so we just add an order of gluten free buns on the side for my dad and brother.

After figuring out dinners for the following week and checking that they can be delivered on Sunday, I go to the produce section. I get some bananas, apples, berries, and grapefruits typically. My brother loves to have pomegranates with his lunch so I try to get a few if they are in season. I usually don’t buy too much in this section because all the Meal Kits come with tons of veggies (usually extra), and we have sweetgreen salads almost every day for lunch so we get a good bit of nutrients from those. After the produce and floral section, I go down to the next tab, the dairy section, and get 5 gallons of Whole Milk for my brother, some alternative milk for my coffee, 2 dozen eggs, and any yogurt or cheese we need. Following the diary section, I go get a few deli meats for my brother in the “Meat & Fish” tab. Later, I click on the snack section. We don’t eat tons of snacks but we like to keep a few of our favorites in the house. Some crunchy air popped popcorn, corn tortilla chips, and roasted chickpeas are some of the ones we get from Good Eggs. The bakery section, that doesn’t have tons of gluten free food, is what I click on last. I will usually get a loaf of bread every 2 weeks for when my mom and I eat bread, but it's not too often. After picking out all our food for the week I go to my basket and click the top of the page to select the day and time I want it delivered. A few days later I received a well package, still cold food delivered to my doorstep.

Good Eggs has branded themselves as being a wholesome, organic, small farm, and healthy food source. While this is accurate in some ways, there are a lot of assumptions made about their products because of their branding. People assume everything they buy is local and better for you. I do believe that Good Eggs has a lot more local options than a Whole Foods or a Safeway, but that doesn’t mean everything is local. They still carry huge brands like Clover Sonoma Milk/Dairy Products, Ripple Pea Milk, Straus Family Creamery, Mary’s Free Range Chicken, and Annie’s HomeGrown. None of these are inherently bad, but what is bad is when the consumer makes broad assumptions about their food because of what the brand says they are.

Along with the branding of healthy, local food, Good Eggs uses well crafted, simple, and yummy looking images to display and sell their products. The Meal Kits all look restaurant quality, and even things like the “Party Wings Family Pack'' of Mary’s Chicken wings is displayed on a marble counter with perfectly plated sauce and herbs. The Acme Bread baguette in the bread section is crumpled and torn to make it look crunchy and tender. The even white background is pleasing to the eye and especially convincing when they are trying to sell “clean” eating. The clean looking, clear or white packaging is easy to store also gives the allusion of homemade and simple. When delivered, it arrives in their sturdy Good Eggs brand boxes with dividers for the frozen foods. This is both incredibly convenient and also what the consumer wants to buy. Their app and packaging both are visual representations of the high end product the consumer is expecting.

Good Eggs makes the most profit from their own kitchen brand and they place those as the first thing the consumer sees when opening a new section. They brand their food as easy and simple to cook, so people are willing to pay a good bit for convenience. The Meal Kits explicitly say the price, servings, and the amount of time it takes. They give a juicy description of the meal and follow with short directions on how to cook it. I am guilty of paying for the convenience of Good Eggs as well. I sometimes buy their cooked quinoa, which is $5 for 14 oz instead of $8 for 16 oz of dry quinoa that I would need to cook myself. Convenience is incredibly enticing and people, like myself, are willing to pay for it.

As consumers we like to believe we are making conscious, smart choices but the psychology of how a store is set up, virtual or in person, is incredibly convincing in what we decide to buy. Everything from the methods of organization, to the calming marble style background of the app are selling the idea of high end and good quality food. I do think Good Eggs helps local businesses and farmers more than the huge supermarkets I could go to, but I need to remember that I should look into what I am buying and not assume it is healthy or sustainable because it is on Good Eggs.