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McDonalization


McDonalization or the principles of the fast food corporation known as McDonalds is something that Americans now know as a way of life. There are many different parts of everyday life that have become an expectation that is very different from 50 years ago. Americans have become very business orientated and in turn become complacent with the idea that traveling, shopping, and even eating need to be done as fast as possible. Typical everyday activities have been changed from the ways of our grandfathers. The relationship between store clerk, waitress, and friend has been almost wiped out. Now Americans look to computers to take over the jobs that they have deemed unnecessary in order to make life seem easier and quicker.
The institution that I chose to visit and study was the supermarket Pick N’ Save. I had to do some grocery shopping and in turn realized that it is a prime example of how the United States has become very McDonalized. I shopped around the store with my mother and talked about the ways that grocery stores have changed since she was a kid. She explained that everything about shopping has changed, making it very impersonal. We walked through the store realized that everything is very computerized. There are barcodes on every item and very little price listings. When we needed to check the price of an item we could simply walk to the end of the aisle and use the scanner that is placed there to scan your own items for pricing.
The way that products are packaged is also very different. There are now “to go” meals prepackaged for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Not to mention that everything is now premeasured and prepackaged. The deli is almost never used by customers because of the many options of salads and meats that are placed in the cold or frozen food sections. Everything has become about convenience and less about what is healthy.
The last aspect of the grocery store...