"Customer needs help..." Serious help...

I trekked to Trader Joe's last night. Full of anticipation, I floated into the store, ignoring the fresh gnocchi, the croissants and the brie. Per the advice of a blog reader, I was there on a mission: Operation Honey Crisp.

Still floating, I walked up, down and around the produce section. Gala. Golden Delicious. Ambrosia. "Where are the Honey Crisp?!" I silently screamed. I homed in on a young woman stocking the cereal shelves. "Pardon me. Can you tell me if you (gulp) have any Honey Crisp apples?" Bubbly and aiming to please, she went to the back to check. My heart sank when she walked back through those doors with empty hands. "The lady back there said we're out... But she said the Ambrosias are just as good!" Now I have a bag full of non-Honey Crisps sitting on my kitchen counter, and I'm sad to report that they're not even half as good, let alone "just as good."

On my way home, I realized that, stunned by the disappointment, I had forgotten some of the other stuff I wanted to buy at Trader Joe's. So I stopped at the Super Walmart near Cincinnati Mills. While there, I decided to check to see if they had the apples for which my palate yearned.

And there it was. The sign I had been waiting to see: "Honey Crisp"!

A slight smile spread across my face as I let out an audible sigh of relief, grabbed a bag and started to search for the good ones. But, to my dismay, I soon realized it was a cruel joke. I didn't see any of my beloved pommes. Desperate, I asked the Walmart greeter to page someone to help me. No one ever showed up. So there I stood with the greeter, a sweet little old man, sorting through Galas and Pink Ladies for about 15 minutes. We found one Honey Crisp in the bunch, and it was rotten.

So which one of you foodies is hoarding 'em?

Nicci