Options For Everyone
Jane and her daughter, Jessica.
There was a time when I knew the exhausting pains of hunger. Worse, I feared for my young daughter, Jessica. I was scared and embarrassed about not being able to afford nutritious food for her. At her first-grade conference, the teacher remarked that Jessica was a very good eater. I nearly stopped breathing, worried that they knew there was never enough to eat at home and they might take her away from me.
An old Town & Country food store was located not far from our house. We’d walk there, often with only a pocket of change, and get a box of macaroni and cheese. Not adding milk or butter made it more affordable. On a good day, I’d buy hot dogs, cut them up, and mix them in; on a perfect day, a package of tuna.
Thankfully, I’m in a better situation now. I have more choices. I’ve become accustomed to shopping at the Viroqua Food Co-op, Quillin’s, and Walmart. But with the price of food going up and Quillin’s closing down, I’m happy that Viroqua will soon have another option.
Aldi is a discount grocery chain founded in Germany with the mission of delivering high-quality food at low prices. The company also owns the American grocery chain Trader Joe’s. I’d never shopped at Aldi when I first heard all the hype about them coming to our area, but several friends praised it for its good prices and top-notch brand names.
They also mentioned Aldi’s cart system. Shoppers pay a quarter to use a shopping cart, and when they return the cart they get their quarter back. If you can catch someone unloading their groceries into their car, you can give them the quarter and take the cart, saving them the trip back into the store. Sweet, I thought.
Curious to learn more, Dane and I made a trip to the Aldi in Onalaska. Just as we pulled into the parking lot it started raining. I hopped out, spied a person shoving their groceries into their back seat, and practically skipped over, holding my quarter out to them.
“Thank you,” they said, handing me the cart, and jumped into their car so as not to get any wetter. Dane nodded his head in appreciation. “What fun!” I said.
Inside the store, we went up one row and down the next. I was out in front, putting pet food staples into my cart, while Dane lagged, comparing prices on things he uses regularly. When he caught up to me I asked him what he thought. “Some great deals, especially on salmon,” he said. It’s our favorite fish, but not something either of us can afford regularly.
After our positive experience there, I was triggered by a post about Aldi on the Viroqua Area Folks Facebook page. The post warned readers to keep in mind, when choosing where to spend their money, that Aldi is a multibillion-dollar corporation that doesn’t support local farmers.
The comment made me think of my friend Pat, who hated Walmart and was vocal about it. I shopped there often, grateful that after payday, I could come home with bags full of groceries. I was afraid to confess this to Pat, but one day I did. She understood. She said, “Jane, go ahead and get your groceries there, and one day you may be able to make a different choice.”
I haven't been able to forget my experience with hunger. I doubt anyone who has experienced it can. And sadly, people in our area today know what hunger feels like. More than 16 percent of Vernon County residents live at the poverty level. So being able to choose where to shop is a privilege not everyone has. Some people like to say, “I’ll never eat anything but organic.” But if they were truly hungry, certainly they would.
To be a community in the true sense, we must see our neighbors and appreciate their situation. I believe in shopping locally and supporting farmers. But it’s also important to understand, without judgment, that for many, it’s not about “voting with their dollars.” It's about survival.
I say let's be thankful for being given another option. Let’s also celebrate the fact that we have a wonderful Saturday farmers market where many vendors accept EBT and WIC vouchers.
Watch for me in the parking lot when the new Aldi opens, and I’ll trade you my cart for a quarter.