Subversive Magazines, Aisle 3

by Pa Rock

Citizen Shopper

My little town has four grocery stores, but only two sell greeting cards.  One of those is the most expensive grocery store in town, and the other is Walmart, a place where I choose not to shop.  So the other day when I needed milk, bread, and a card for a special occasion, I found myself in  the aforesaid most expensive grocery store in town standing in front of a display of greeting cards - which was right next to display of magazines. I'm a sucker for books and magazines, so I quickly found myself pivoted to that section.  

The first thing that caught my eye among the magazines was a glossy publication about Vikings.  Years ago I had the good fortune to visit Birka, a small island in the Stockholm Archipelago that was once home to a large Viking colony, and I have been interested in the Vikings and Norse mythology since the time of that visit to Birka.  So I picked the magazine up and prepared to give it a quick scan, but as I lifted it from the rack I discovered that it had apparently been used to hide the store's single remaining issue of another magazine - The Time Magazine" August 26th issue with Kamala Harris on the cover.  (Just $8.99 plus tax!)

That set me off on a tangent to see what other election-related materials were in the store's literature department - either in plain sight or hidden.   I discovered one stack of glossy souvenir election magazines with Donald Trump on the cover, and a stack of Kamala's, too!  (Both of those were a steal at $14.99 plus tax!)

Being a fool with plastic in his pocket, I bought the last copy of the Kamala issue of Time and one of the Kamala souvenir magazines ($26.00, tax included!)   I wanted to be able to peruse the publications in the privacy of my own home rather than having the town watch me as I skimmed them free in the grocery store.  I am handling the magazines with extreme care so that I can repurpose them as Christmas gifts to my granddaughters!  They will make nice souvenirs of the inauguration of our nation's first female President.

The most memorable part of the transaction at the grocery store was the priceless look of disgust that I got from the older gentleman who rang up my purchase.  Now I am undoubtedly on a list somewhere!

Oh, and I decided against buying the magazine about the Vikings, so I put it back on the shelf - directly in front of the Trump souvenir magazines! We all can play that game!