An article in the Globe and Mail newspaper caught our attention last week. It was titled “Buying time: Slow grocery checkouts boost connection in a hurried world.” The article described the introduction of a “slow lane” checkout in a grocery store in Red Deer, Alberta. The goal was to give older, lonely or anxious people an opportunity to connect with another person in a meaningful way while engaging in one of the most basic activities of everyday life.
This innovation, which seems counterintuitive in the era of self-checkouts, was first introduced in a Dutch supermarket in 2019. Since then, similar initiatives have sprouted in Edmonton, Alberta and in some cities in Britain and Japan. The article concluded: “Hopefully, we can make people feel good and maybe the community will get a little bit better because people are happier.”
The article made us smile, given that we had chosen Slow Lane Musings as a title for this blog. Our blog was launched in December 2022, and we thought it may be timely, if you would indulge us, to share a few thoughts about our experience with it as the year comes to a close.
Continue reading “Looking back on a year of blogging”