One particular grocery store, unfortunately the one closest to our house, has become a source of great perplexity. It’s a basic store, not one of those behemoth buy-your-food-and-the-toilet-too places. But finding any particular item is nearly impossible. So my husband and I are competing to see which item is shelved in the weirdest place.

His task: Find fresh apple cider, the one key item I forgot when shopping for ingredients for a new recipe.

Where would you look for fresh apple cider?

Refrigerated beverages, right? Maybe by the orange and grapefruit juices?

Wrong.

Ok, maybe near the coffee and bottled juices (which just so happens to be on the opposite side of the store from the refrigerated juices)? Nope, that’s just bottled cider, not fresh.

After crossing the store twice each way, my husband finally asked an employee. They informed him that the fresh cider is in the produce section. By the apples.

By that logic, shouldn’t the wine and grape juice be by the grapes? The orange juice with the oranges? The spaghetti sauce and ketchup next to the tomatoes?

My task: Find graham crackers for “gingerbread” houses. With two incredibly cranky kids in tow, I might add.

I walked up and down the cracker aisle, past Saltines, Wheat Thins, Cheezits, Ritz, and the fancy crackers you find at receptions. I must have looked at each box twice, convinced I was staring right at it.

I wandered back and forth through the store, kids wailing, feeling pretty useless, and unable to even find an employee who could point me in the right direction. Finally I gave up and headed for the checkout. While waiting in line, I spotted an employee, at last.

“I’ve been all over the cracker aisle and I cannot find the graham crackers. Do you carry them?”

She informed me that graham crackers were across from the milk, with the cookies. Not with the crackers.

So, what do you think? Which of us found the weirdest-shelved item?

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