The Slice
Cell phones have changed the family dynamics of grocery runs.
Back in the old days, a person had to rely on a list and his or her judgment. But now, for those who do not live alone, any store-aisle uncertainty can be addressed with a quick call home.
“They have 16 kinds of baby powder. Did you want the aloe corn starch or the jasmine euphoria?”
Nothing wrong with that, I suppose.
Still, back when supermarket shoppers had to be self-reliant, there was always the prospect of arriving home and being praised for initiative and discernment.
Those days are pretty much gone.
Now someone contemplating a bold departure from the list can be made timid by anticipating a very 2008 question.
“Why didn’t you call?”
Paul Turner