So, I was on a mission the other day. You know how it is, you get a craving for a specific drink, not just any old thing from the mega-mart, but something a bit particular. In my case, it was this craft soda I had a while back. Good stuff. And I figured, how hard could it be to find some more “consumers beverage near me,” right? Ha.
First off, I did the rounds. Hit the big supermarkets. Walked up and down those endless aisles. They’ve got a million kinds of colas, a thousand fruity things, but the one I wanted? Nowhere. It’s like they only stock what sells by the truckload, and anything else is just too much trouble. Wasted a good hour, that did.
Alright, plan B. Got out my phone, started searching. Typed in the brand, added “near me.” And what a mess that was. Some websites, probably haven’t been updated since the dinosaurs roamed, telling me it’s “available” at places that either don’t exist anymore or are clear across the state. Then there are those aggregator sites, just a jumble of listings, half of them leading to “out of stock” pages. It’s like the wild west of information out there, everyone shouting, nobody accurate.
I even tried calling a couple of liquor stores and specialty food shops that popped up. You know the drill. “Uh, lemme check…” followed by five minutes of silence, then, “Nope, don’t see it.” Or my personal favorite: “We used to carry that.” Real helpful, buddy. Thanks for the history lesson. At this point, I was getting properly annoyed. It shouldn’t be a detective mission to buy a drink!
I was about to throw in the towel, honestly. Thinking maybe I’d just have to forget about it, settle for tap water. Then, I remembered this little place. A tiny, independent convenience store, sort of tucked away on a side street. The kind of shop you drive past a hundred times and never really notice. I hadn’t been in there for ages.
Figured, what the heck, it’s my last shot. So, I drove over there. Walked in, the bell on the door jingled. And there it was! On a dusty bottom shelf, almost hidden behind a stack of something else. Like it was waiting just for me. Felt like finding buried treasure, I tell ya. Grabbed half a dozen bottles right then and there. Success!
But it got me thinking, why is it such a struggle? It’s just a beverage. It’s like the whole system, from the people who make it to the shops that sell it, isn’t really connected properly. Or maybe nobody cares enough to keep track of the smaller stuff. You go looking for something specific, and it’s like navigating a maze designed by someone who’s actively trying to confuse you. Makes you wonder how many other good things are out there, just impossible to find unless you stumble on them by pure luck. It’s a bit of a shambles, if you ask me.
