Stop & Shop

An ex-Stop & Shop barely remains on Truman Parkway. Last week, it looked like they'd fill the lot behind the Jersey barriers with construction equipment and never get to tearing down the not-so-supermarket, liquor store, bank and pharmacy.

Two workdays later, there's not much left. An empty brick shell may be gone this week. We're figuring to see the big-assed version of grocery and drugstore within six months. Walgreen's is now a trailer pharmacy.

When Americans get into deconstruction, they get serious.

While Stop & Shop workers were busy ratifying a new contract this weekend, workers at Shaw's produce warehouse in Methuen were going out on strike, Channel 4 reports. That could mean you'll see only wilted lettuce at your local Shaw's and Star Market - assuming you cross the picket lines the workers could be putting up.

Like, Oh. My. God! It's been a month since our last snow storm! Howsoever shall we get ready? Have no fear, consumers, Stop & Shop is here to help, with a handy checklist it just blasted out to its scan-card customers, which urges you to stock up NOW on essentials such as hard candy, lollipops and at least seven gallons of bottled water PER PERSON. Oh, and pepper, because remember all those poor people in Baltimore bereft of pepper last week?

Wait, something's missing from their list. Where's the bread, eggs and milk? How can you have a storm without them? Also missing: Toilet paper. Who wrote this thing?

We took a break from our usual Shaw's/Roche Bros. shopping routine today and went down to the Super-Mega-Humongo Stop & Shop in Dedham to take advantage of the 5% one-time discount you get when you sign your life away to Stop & Shop so they can data-mine your purchases to hell and back and bombard you with endless promotions (i.e., you register your new 'n' improved see-through Stop & Shop card).

They have so much room at this Colossus of a store that the deli department was able to devote an entire display case to a Thanksgiving diorama featuring two Pilgrim dolls giving thanks for nature's bounty, in the form of cold cuts, cheeses, olives and pumpkins. Don't worry, a few aisles away, they had a complete selection of Halloween candy.

Not the best cell-phone photo I've ever taken, but you get the idea: