There are things that unite us all as Sullivan County residents. 

Power outages. Skyrocketing NYSEG bills. That particular sinking feeling that develops in your stomach when you’re driving down Route 17B and you realize it’s a Bethel Woods concert night. 

And now, apparently, the reorganization of a particular retail establishment. 

You probably know the one I’m talking about. Its name rhymes with Shrop Bright. 

I don't know who decided the flour needed to move, but I have my theories. 

Take some rising grocery prices, add in sluggish consumer spending and a dash of “summer’s coming,” and you’ve got the perfect recipe for a marketing team’s grand idea. 

I should know. I work in marketing. 

I love what I do. 

But on a Saturday morning when I just want to get in, get the bread and milk and get out, I hate people like me. 

Over the past few weekends, I’ve learned I’m not alone. 

Total strangers have become partners in a real life scavenger hunt these past few weeks, exchanging tips in the aisles. 

“Seltzer?” you’ll say to the befuddled woman standing beside you in the soda aisle, “Oh yeah, they moved it to that spot where they used to keep the holiday candy.”

Together, you’ll agree that keeping the carbonated beverages in one space made sense, and this new move just … does not. 

In return, she’ll offer up a hot tip that sets you off on a path toward the garlic powder. 

You’ll part as old friends, brought together by the shared indignity of not being able to find a 3 oz. plastic jar in 15,000 square feet of chaos. 

Your next trip to the grocery store may not be the quick “in and out in no time” errand you planned for. It may take you half an hour to find the salt. 

But you’ll meet half the county looking for it, and honestly, there are worse ways to spend a Saturday morning.