Go Alice Go

Most people are aware that grocery pick-up and delivery exists, but many people have never tried it. I’ve seen complaints online about how this is the death of face-to-face interaction or how this will result in people losing their jobs but I’m going to address both of those things.

First, either option (delivery or pick-up) requires face-to-face interaction, either with someone who comes to your door (delivery) or with the person who brings your order out to load into your vehicle (pick-up).  I’ve never used the delivery option for two reasons, those being that there is a fee involved and one of my dogs gets very agitated and upset when strangers come to the door, and I don’t wish to put him in situations that make him anxious any more than is necessary.  I do, however, use the pick-up option once a week and have very pleasant interactions with the store employees who help me load the groceries into my vehicle. They will load them without your help but when I’m physically able to assist I prefer to do so.

I am someone who would rather do one large shop for the week and then only make a trip to the store for 1 or 2 items during the week if we’ve run out of something, because grocery shopping is a task that is physically difficult for me much of the time. When you are physically able you probably don’t think about the amount of standing, walking, twisting, bending, reaching, lifting, etc. involved in grocery shopping but if you have chronic inflammation and pain you notice every movement involved in the process.

Every week I place one large order and reserve a time slot to pick it up. I pull into a designated spot during that time window, follow the directions on the sign in the spot (as you can see from the above picture I call the number and give the person who answers my name), and someone brings out my groceries within a few minutes. The cost of the groceries is added to my credit card via the online account I have created with Save-On Foods. Just like with the in-store shopping experience, you still earn points and you can redeem your points in the online checkout or save them.

I tend to be chatty with the people who bring the groceries to my vehicle so I asked one of the young women what the experience was like from her perspective. She told me she loves it because her job is to go around the store and shop for other people much of the day, and that she enjoys that even more than some of the other parts of her job. If the service did not exist, she’d be doing those “other parts of her job” all the time. This is a win-win service, as far as I’m concerned. Someone has to shop for you and the items still have to be scanned through the till so no one is losing their job over this service.

A couple of additional things that may be of interest are as follows:

• When I’ve told friends that I use this service, one of the most common responses I get is something along the lines of “I would be concerned about my produce. I want to pick the best!” and I have to tell you that I’ve been really happy with the produce that has been selected for us, to the point that there isn’t anything I would change. I’m not getting bruised apples, or mushy grapes, or anything like that.
• If you like something a specific way (for example, we prefer our bananas on the green side) every single cart item in the online checkout has a space for you to leave a note for the person who will be shopping for you. So far, every note I’ve left has been honoured.
• You can check a box to indicate where you wish to allow substitutions. I always check the box to allow it, but if there is a specific item that I would only want substituted for another specific item then I can make an individual note on that item. Also, substitutions have always worked out in my favour. By that I mean, sometimes I’ll buy a Western Family item because it is cheaper or I’ll buy an item on sale, but they might have run out of that item. Each time, they’ve replaced it with a nearly identical item from another brand that is more expensive or not on sale, but they’ll do a price adjust so that I get it at the price of the item that was no longer in stock. For example, this week my order included some Western Family pretzels that were on sale, but they had run out so they gave me name brand pretzels at the same price.
• The amount charged to your credit card will reflect the prices of the items on the day that you pick them up, rather than on the day that you place the order. Keep that in mind, since it means items you thought you were getting at the sale price might have gone up on the day you pick them up. I’m not sure if the week runs that same at all stores but at my usual location the prices run from Friday to Thursday. So, if I place my online order on Thursday and apples are on sale that day but I pick up my order the next day, on Friday, then I’m going to be charged the regular price rather than the sale price. For that reason, I just never schedule my grocery pick-ups on Friday.

From what I can tell when I do go into the stores, there is no discernible difference in the number of customers in the store but having this option available means so much to people who use it, whether just occasionally due to convenience or because mobility makes shopping a nearly unbearable chore. No one is suggesting that everyone should or must shop this way, but having choices means that more people can have their needs met and I see that as a very good thing.

About 4 months ago, Torrid came to Kelowna and you can find them at Orchard Park Mall near the food court, across from Bath & Body Works! The mall is made to be accessible for people with a variety of mobility needs and for further details please read my post about Extreme Pita, located in the same mall.

Before Torrid arrived in Kelowna, I had previously shopped at Torrid while on vacation in Las Vegas in 2016 and through their online store. Unfortunately, the Canadian dollar is not particularly strong against the US dollar right now and ordering online means incurring the additional cost of shipping and duty, not to mention the hassles that come with returning clothes if they don’t fit you properly. So, I am thrilled to have a local store!

I LOVE Torrid because they seem to understand that fat women* want to have choices about styles, fabrics, patterns (or solids), and that carrying a variety of cuts means that fat women of all shapes can find something that fits them in a flattering and comfortable way (that’s right, I just used flattering AND comfortable to describe the same clothing)!

*I want to add two things here. Some people may choose to use a different word or words to describe their size or their body and it is certainly the right of all people to self-identify. I mean no offense when I use the word “fat” but, rather, I don’t feel the need to attach any negative connotations to it, either. It’s simply a descriptor like when I say that I have curly hair. Also, when it comes to using the term “woman/women” in regards to the clothing sold at Torrid, that is how they describe their clothing on their website and their clothes tend to be cut in ways that make room for large breasts, round hips, etc. That said, no matter what your sex or your gender identity, if you want to shop at Torrid then I hope you have so much fun doing just that and that you rock your new clothes!

This post isn’t about the clothes, specifically, though I will tell you that all of the clothes I have purchased from Torrid over the years have lasted extremely well.  To this day they are my favourite pieces in my wardrobe and I own a lot of clothes. The colours remain vibrant, the materials have held up, and nothing has shrunk or stretched out (note: I throw everything in the washer and dryer–I don’t buy clothes that require special treatment).

What I want to say about Torrid is that their change rooms make me so happy! They are magical, idyllic bubbles where, upon entry, I feel as though the world is adequately adapted to my size and needs.

I need to apologize for whatever I managed to muck up while taking the above picture. I assure you, the walls are not curved like you’ve just stumbled into the Mad Hatter’s tea party or a trippy fun house.

But do you see that? It’s a lovely, wide, sturdy, cushioned place to sit and there is one in every change room. Despite my warped picture that is not doing justice to the space, I assure you that the changing rooms are wider than most. There is no feeling of confinement or being cramped. There is, instead, the feeling that this space was made with you in mind and that your patronage is appreciated.

Now look up, way up! Every room has its own fan blowing deliciously cool air. One of the things I hate about trying on clothes is that I’m often left feeling hot and sweaty, especially when I’m having upper body mobility problems, which is frequent enough for me. It makes me physically uncomfortable and also a little embarrassed to emerge from the change rooms looking like a literal hot mess.

In addition to those lovely touches there is a big comfy couch in the change room hallway where friends can sit while they are waiting, or where you can just take a little break if you need to sit down. There is also a bench seat in the main part of the store that can be used while trying on shoes or waiting for others who are shopping. I take notice when stores offer a place to sit since I sometimes find myself in need of exactly that with little warning.

Additionally, I always find the staff to be friendly, helpful (providing information about sales, offering to bring different sizes to the changing rooms, etc.), and often modelling Torrid’s clothing on their own bodies. That said, they don’t hover and they’re not pushy, and I appreciate being allowed the time and space to do things at my own pace.

Having said that, I need to say one more thing before I wrap up this post. I am a  white woman and I recognize that being so affords me the privilege of rarely being followed, watched, or hovered over in stores by the staff or security (Torrid does not have its own dedicated security people but the mall itself does). I can’t say with 100% certainty that others wouldn’t be watched, simply because I can only share my own experience with you. I would like to think that the women I’ve encountered working in the store wouldn’t profile by race, age, or anything else, but I realize that the world is not an ideal place. I hope we get there.

Peace, love, and happy clothes wearing to you all! <3

I have never eaten at an Extreme Pita before now but based on this experience I would eat there again, with one or possibly two alterations to my meal.

Here are some things of note:

• Orchard Park Mall is designed to be accessible for people with a variety of mobility needs. If you enter through the apple entrance (each entrance is named after a fruit, the apple entrance faces Harvey Ave.), you can borrow a motorized mobility scooter. I haven’t utilized this service yet but will definitely do so when I need to.
• The mall is all one level, except for one small section that offers the option of a short staircase or a wide ramp. Elevators and escalators are not necessary in this mall.
• The food court, where Extreme Pita is located, offers a variety of seating. There are padded bench seats with tables that can be moved out from the benches if you are a larger person and require more room, there are sturdy metal chairs without arms (no pinched hips!) that can be moved as needed to make room for wheelchairs, walkers, and larger people, and there are some taller chairs at counters for those who prefer that.
• It can get a little crowded sometimes, and that makes it more difficult to navigate between chairs and around people when it is particularly busy, but even at those times I’ve always been able to find an adequate place to sit.
• The bathrooms are wheelchair accessible.
• There is a lot of parking at the mall but it can sometimes be difficult to get a space close to an entrance if you don’t have a disability tag/sticker for  your vehicle (I do not have one at this time, but that might be something I ask to have, based on need, in the future).

For lunch, I ordered the “regular” (it’s the smaller of the two available sizes) Sriracha Balsamic Chicken Salad with a small “Strawberries on the Peach” Smoothie and water. The smoothie was a blend of strawberries, peaches, and apple and cranberry juice. It was sweet, and light, and refreshing. The Salad was “Spring Mix Greens”, chicken breast, avocado, tomatoes, mushrooms, bacon, red onion, and that was drizzled with a lemon balsamic dressing and sriracha sauce.

This is something you will almost never hear me say but I think I might have prefered this salad without the bacon. Also, while it’s not apparent in this picture, at least 75% of the “Spring Mix Greens” is raw kale and I admit I’m not a big fan of raw kale. I enjoy roasted kale, grilled kale, and sauteed kale but in its raw state I find it overly fibrous and not especially enjoyable. So, I picked around most of the kale.

Still, I would order this again and ask them to go easy on the kale and maybe just skip the bacon, depending on my mood that day. The amount of sriracha they gave was perfect for me in that it gave it a little kick but wasn’t over powering. The lemon balsamic dressing was really zingy and I loved it!

Originally, I had planned to have brunch with my husband at The Train Station Pub but I hadn’t made reservations and the place was packed. I definitely want to review that place so I’ll make reservations and go again in the near future. Being that it was already nearly 1pm, we decided to move on and go somewhere nearby with easy parking, and that is how we ended up at Boston Pizza.

I’d never been to this specific  BP location before so here are some things of note:

• Parking is sufficient as it has its own dedicated parking lot and we were able to park fairly near to the entrance.
• There are no stairs to deal with.
• There are three washrooms. One is indicated for men, one for women, and one is specifically designated for those who require wheelchair accessibility. I used the one indicated for women and it had three *regular* sized stalls and one large one that would also accommodate a wheelchair. I used one of the *regular* stalls and it was perfectly adequate.
• The host attempted to seat us in a booth, in the restaurant section,  but I found it uncomfortable so we switched to a table-and-chairs set up. The chairs did not have arms so there was no hip-pinching going on. The host made no issue of this at all and gladly let us select another table.
• In the lounge area (as opposed to the restaurant area where we chose to sit), the chairs are those extra tall chairs that can be difficult for some people, depending on mobility or other needs.
• We were seated immediately but, if you did find yourself having to wait and need to sit down, there are padded benches located near the entrance.
• The service was adequate but not especially friendly. The server didn’t smile much and seemed to avoid making eye contact. She did, however, check in with us after our first few bites to ask how our food was and came back again later to refill our waters. When we were ready to go she was quick with the bill and brought a debit/credit machine to our table so that we could pay right there.
• If you happen to be a sports fan (I’m not, but to each their own!) you can watch on one of the few big screen TVs placed strategically around the place.

To start, I ordered a Spicy Caesar, which had the addition of horseradish and spicy pickled beans.

Note: it did have seasoning around the rim but I ran the lime around the edge in order to stir that salty goodness into my drink. I’m not someone who usually takes pictures of my food so I need to get into the habit of not adjusting my food and drinks before I photograph them.

The Caesar was just okay. I expected the heat to come from the addition of the horseradish, which tends to have a nice flavour, but it was more of a one-note black pepper spice. It was the kind of heat that kept hitting the back of my throat in a certain spot and making me want to cough. Should I visit a BP again in the future and decide to have a Caesar I will stick with the regular version.

I should also add that it was a toss up between a Caesar and a special that BP has right now…Unicorn Lemonade! They add  a magical kind of lemon verbena tea to lemonade and it changes colours to make a pretty purple-swirled concoction. I admit I wish I’d ordered that instead, given that my Caesar wasn’t especially great.

I don’t frequent Boston Pizza all that often but the only other time I’ve been there in the last 3 or so years I had an individual Spicy Perogy Pizza and I quite enjoyed that so I decided to order it again.

It was also okay, but it was not as good as the one I had at a different location.  It’s hard  for me to pinpoint the difference exactly except to say that I think it might have been sitting under the heat lamp for a little while, maybe while they were waiting for my husband’s meal to finish cooking. The pizza crust didn’t seem as fresh and soft as I remembered it being the last time I had it. Instead, it seemed a little chewy and the green onions were a bit dry.

Chain restaurants are not usually my first choice but they serve a purpose in that they are often convenient. That said, given that I had a better experience at a different Kelowna BP location, if I was craving some BP I probably wouldn’t return to this location.  In terms of accessibility for people with mobility and/or size issues, though, this BP can certainly accommodate a variety of needs.