A pound of butter was just $1

If you’re a Michigan native and a little homesick for the state of sandy beaches and bad roads, all you need for some comfort and familiarity is attend the grand opening of your town’s new Meijer store.

As I walked through the extra-wide aisles, nodding my head to items like Bell’s Oberon and those tortilla chips I like, in that universal, “Hey, I know you” gesture, like when you see that girl from the gym who always gets there the same time you do and you don't know her enough to say hi so you kind of just smile and nod. Anyway, the whole experience was kind of like that, with Mac and Cheese on sale for a quarter a box.

I was nearly giggling. The store, at 9 p.m. mind you, was packed, packed, packed. People in Bloomington know how to make a newcomer feel at home. The number of people crowding the meat counter, hollering out the number of steaks they wanted, was laughable and a tiny bit frightening. I wanted to join them, but I didn’t even know how much the steaks cost. Frankly, I didn’t care. I just wanted to be a part of this dizzying shopfest.

I did save $15 on a pork loin and $10 on a bottle of chardonnay. But I feel regret I didn’t buy a case, like that couple stacking them into their blue squeak-free, shopping carts.

Mob mentality. It’s infectious.