Shopping at the Piggly Wiggly is a lovely experience, not a chore at all. The woman in the meat department does not find it at all strange to custom cut beef and pork chops for a vegetarian who knows nothing about meat. The assistant manager knows where everything is; and if they don't have something you want, all you have to do is ask and they will order and stock it for you. The aisles are wide and there are products that you don't think you would find in a country grocery store in the South -- guacamole, Italian wine, smoked paprika, adobo seasoning, polenta. The very best thing, though, is the check out. There is always someone to bag the groceries. The baggers sort your purchases in logical groups, all the cleaning stuff in one sack, the cold food together, the veggies in their own bag. Putting the groceries away at home is simple because of that. But, best of all, someone ALWAYS takes your bags to your car and loads them for you. They do not ask; it is taken for granted that this is part of what you get with your groceries.

Next winter, when I am struggling to push a shopping cart through a snow bank and the wind is cold and it is sleeting, I will wish for the good folks at the Piggly Wiggly!