How do they stay in business?

I went to Jewel tonight.  It used to be my go-to store for just about all our groceries, but now . . . not so much.

When I pulled into the parking lot, there weren't very many cars.  The last few times I've been to Jewel, that has been the case.  In the past, the parking lot would have been fairly full and the store would have been busy.  This evening I was able to park in the second spot from the door and the store wasn't even close to crowded.

I think I might know part of the reason that it seems like business has fallen off at Jewel.  Their prices are so darn high!

As I was strolling up and down the aisles, I couldn't help but notice that almost all of the prices were higher than what I pay at Target, Valli's, and Meijer -- way higher.  I've known for quite some time that Dominick's is overpriced, but it was sad to see that Jewel has gone down that path as well.

The Jewel that's closest to my home is just down the street from a Costco and not all that far from Meijer and a SuperTarget.  I imagine that a lot of shoppers are buying the bulk of their groceries and other supplies at those stores instead of at Jewel.  Sad day.

When I first moved to Chicago, I always shopped at Jewel because it was just like Eisner's, a grocery store chain I grew up with.  I was a newlywed and I really missed my mom and dad and my hometown.  Walking into Jewel, I could almost imagine that I was still in central Illinois and then I didn't feel quite so sad.

Now I shop at Jewel if there's a really good sale or if we need toilet paper.  I really like a brand of toilet paper that they carry and I can't find it anywhere else.  I used to buy paper plates there too, but we've decided that we can live without paper plates. 

G and I have put two kids through college, married off one, and are still working on college for the third kid.  We need to be careful with every penny we spend and that means not paying $3.49 for a half pound of cheese from the deli when I can get a pound of cheese for $3.99 somewhere else.

There will always be a special place in my heart for Jewel, especially for how it was a familiar face that helped me adjust to life in a time of transition.  I wish I could afford to still shop there more often, but a sense of loyalty based on sentimental memories just can't justify the extra cost.

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