Oink

We found ourselves in a different part of town the other day and needed to grab one thing for dinner, so we stopped at our local only-in-the-south grocery store, Piggly Wiggly. The kids think that name is hilarious (they're right) and especially like the happy pig on the sign outside. We ventured in and I felt like I'd stepped back in time. The store has decidedly not been modernized in its layout or structure - think big glass windows across the front, a row of registers immediately inside the door, an elevated customer service cage on the far left where the manager can sit to supervise the checkers. We headed for the bread aisle and I discovered that no detail of this retro store had been overlooked, including typed signs hung in front of sale items. It would have been better if they'd been hand-lettered, but the piece of printer paper hanging in front of the sale Goldfish crackers made me smile. The kids had a great time hopping over the different colored floor tiles, just as I remember doing in the old Dillons in Lawrence. Crazy.

So we grabbed our rolls and were heading for the checkout when the kids spotted Mr. Piggly Wiggly himself. Natalie immediately started talking to him, Wyatt laughed at her but sure didn't walk away. Thinking that we might not be back in the 1982 Piggly Wiggly anytime soon, I thought we should have some evidence of our visit. Say oink!

I will admit, I was a little disappointed to see that the checkouts were modernized with standard scanners and card swipers, but my heart lifted a little again on our way out when my kids couldn't take their eyes (or hands) off the old-school vending machines. Who knew you could still get one of those little plastic, round-bottomed, lidded containers with some sort of treasure inside for only a quarter? Also available: bouncy balls and plastic rings. Old-school, I tell you! Wyatt & Natalie couldn't quite figure out why I thought it was all picture-worthy; someday they'll realize I'm just really, really easily amsued.