The Soviet Woolworths

When it comes to supermarkets and grocery stores, I consider myself pretty spoiled for choice. Within just a 3km radius of my house, there are five major supermarkets, and two fresh market stores. At one shopping centre, there is both a  Woolworths and its main competitor Coles. However, I avoid it like the plague because of its terrible parking. Right next door, there is an independent supermarket that I avoid for the same reason. A two-minute drive in one direction takes me to another supermarket, an IGA, which also has a good fresh market store in the same shopping centre. That's the supermarket I should go to. But, for the last ten years, I've gone to a shopping centre a two minute drive in the other direction, that has a Woolworths and a fresh market store, which is not as good as the other one.

A Muscovite spoiled for choice
in his local supermarket
I mentioned in one of my posts that I've always thought that Woolworths, and especially my local one, is akin to a Communist Soviet-era supermarket. They have a small variety of products and an even smaller variety of brands for each product from which to choose. Over the last ten years, I've noticed that Woolworths consistently no longer stocks some of my favourite brands and products. Sometimes I feel that they take the information on what I buy when I go through the checkout and deliberately stop stocking that item just to annoy me. And it works.
'Hello! Is there a fully-stocked
supermarket anywhere for
my comrade and I?!'

What really annoys me is that they stop stocking some brands of a product, only to infiltrate the shelves with their own Select brand - which I refuse to buy. If Woolworths is like a Soviet-era supermarket, then the Select brand is like the State-sanctioned products you imagine Soviets or people in East Berlin being forced to buy. We are an unashamedly capitalist society, so why not have the choice that goes with it? I guess that same principle is what led Woolworths to develop the Select brand in the first place - more profit to them.

You're probably reading this and thinking why don't I just go to another supermarket? And you're right - I should. But there's something comforting and familiar about going to a supermarket you know so well that you know exactly which aisle and where in the aisle to find something you're looking for. But really, it's not that bad. It's not really that often that I can't find something in my local supermarket. These days, if I can't find something, then it's usually a job for the gourmet supermarkets, and I'm not far from quite a few of those, either. This is just a vent - but I really do wish that Woolworths would stock more of my favourite brands.