Can we talk about how much the grocery store changed in the last 5 years?

I walk into the same Kroger I've been going to for a decade, and it's like a different planet now. Five years ago, there were maybe two aisles of organic stuff and one tiny section for gluten-free. Now half the store is specialty diets and plant-based meat alternatives. They even have a whole wall of kombucha and cold-pressed juices that didn't exist back then. I think it's because more people started caring about what they eat after the pandemic hit in 2020. But honestly, it makes me wonder if this is all just a fad or if shopping for food is permanently different now. Does anyone else feel like your standard grocery run takes twice as long because you have to navigate all these new sections?

2 comments

2 Comments

faith_perez10d ago

Right? I spent 10 minutes yesterday trying to find a normal box of mac and cheese. Now there's like 47 different kinds of gluten free, keto-friendly, high-protein versions all shoved in the same spot. And don't get me started on the kombucha wall. Five years ago that was just fermented tea nobody touched. Now it's bigger than the soda aisle. My grocery run feels like a scavenger hunt.

the_robin10d ago

Add that half the "healthy" stuff is just regular food with a fancy label and twice the price tag. Makes you wonder who's actually eating all this stuff or if it just sits there looking medicinal.