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Oct 22, 2023

Do You Still Buy Supermarket Magazines?

Now that we have to social distance while waiting six feet apart at the

Now that we have to social distance while waiting six feet apart at the supermarket, we are more likely than ever to notice racks and racks of what merchandisers term "Point of purchase" items. They are your last chance to buy something before the clerk rings you up.

My eyes are usually caught by sweet treats like Tic Tacs and packs of snacks I can enjoy in the car while taking the groceries home. Batteries sometimes catch my eye. Who doesn't need batteries?

But no one could check out without seeing this display:

Since you have a few minutes to kill and you're standing behind and in front of people you don't know, all these magazines cry out, "See me, pick me, look through me!" I've been known to grab a People or US but there is never enough time to read the whole article before your turn comes at check out. That's where they get you--you have to buy the whole thing to learn why Johnny cheated with Angie. I suppose you could go back to the end of the line and work your way back to the rack for a little extra time.

Notice how the tell-all celebrity mags are at the top of the rack at arm level. The ones I really want to read are almost laying on the floor. In the above photo I wanted to read the National Geographic edition of EVEREST or the Life edition of JAWS but I was afraid if I bent all the way down that far, I might not be able to get up or get back down to return my choice. Maybe that's another way they get you to buy the darn things.

It looks like someone got to this one before I did. They read it for a minute or two and crammed it back in the rack. What happens to issues that are damaged like this? Nobody wants to pay full price to find out why Clooney is leaving Amal.

By the way--looks like George is living somewhere else and Amal has custody of the kids.

That's as far as I got.