Educate a Grocer

The project:
Teach a grocery store dairy employee about the products he sells.

Time:
10 minutes

Why bother?
Everyone should know what they're selling.

When I approached the wall of dairy products at our local market, the stocker was busily filling and facing the shelves. He stopped to ask if I needed help finding anything.

"Do you have any real yogurt," I asked.

He looked at the wall of products, most of them appearing to be yogurt, in front of me. He didn't need to SAY anything.

"Yes," I said. "I know those are supposed to be yogurt, but do you know what's in them? Do you know how yogurt is made?"

So, in a matter of seconds I explained the yogurt making process. Then he picked up one of the containers.

"Then what's all this stuff," he asked.

"That's filler and flavoring and I'm not sure what else."

He picked up another; examined its contents. Then another. As I explained that his store USED to sell yogurt, and I've been waiting for years for it to include at least ONE true yogurt product.

He looked around the shelves.

"I guess we don't have it."

Worth it?
Yes.
But still...I'd sure like it if my neighborhood grocery store carried YOGURT - milk, cultures, and maybe some real sugar to soften the blow to the palate - nothing more.

Photo courtesy D. Keddy under Creative Commons license.