Sticking it to the Stickman

The countdown is very literally on, in Petone. On Tuesday the new Countdown supermarket opens. Today I was obliged to shop still at Pak 'n Save. I spent more time in the car park than I did inside the store. For some reason, Pak 'n Save have decided this winter would be the perfect time to close half their carpark for 'improvements'. I believe they are creating a huge carport structure to provide quasi undercover car parking. It won't be like the underground parking at their Lower Hutt branch, which I have to say I do like. Petone's version will protect only from rain, but not from wind. Since it's rare for it to be actually raining when I supermarket, the advantage is minimal.

Chaos in the car park.

Everything they do, they do to save me money!

Meanwhile, almost directly across the road the competitor looks very ready. The car park is open air, and looking very pristine.

But it isn't the battle of the car parks that will have me changing to Countdown. There are two far more compelling factors. Countdown offer free farmed pork and organic, free-range chicken. I'm not interested in saving at the expense of animal welfare. Currently I have to buy these in Lower Hutt on my way home from work. The other reason is the whole trolley situation. Let's face it - supermarket trolleys are dodgy at best. You have no idea who last touched them, or what was last in them - grubby, nose-picking toddlers, mud splattered ten year olds who treat them as a fairground ride, you name it. On entering the supermarket the trick is to pick the trolley that looks least likely to have been recently retrieved from the local creek. The problem with Pak 'n Save is that once at the checkout your groceries are transferred into any random trolley. 

At Countdown some pristine new trolleys are already enticingly on display. Virgin, unsullied and once selected will be mine for the whole visit. It all makes one almost look forward to next weekend's shopping.