AFP, published Tuesday 25 October 2022 at 07:47
Here you can put pumpkin, plantains and frozen meat in the cart without paying a penny or for a nominal fee.
In Atlanta, an alternative supermarket has set itself the task of helping the “new poor population” in the face of record inflation.
“Have you been to the supermarket lately?” Theresa McGhee exclaims as she fills a bag of potatoes, cereal bars, and tubs of ice cream at The Grocery Spot’s membership store. “Take a few things and it immediately costs you $ 100,” this mother complains.
With its inflation of 12%, Atlanta, a large metropolis in the southern United States, is one of the cities in the country where prices have risen the most this year.
This in turn blew up the presence of the Grocery Spot, installed for almost two years in Grove Park, one of the poorest neighborhoods in the Georgia capital.
– “Avarice” –
In this district, where 97% of the population is black, rising prices fuel a distrust of the American political class, which could cost Joe Biden’s party dearly in the November 8 mid-term elections. .
The Democrats had largely bet on the African American vote to win this already hotly contested state in 2020.
Slugga, 39, has already decided: he will not vote in three weeks.
“I don’t see the point,” says the African American, a volunteer at the Grocery Spot. For this Grove Park native, politics is more than a series of partisan bickering. “Who will really help us?” he asks, his hands in his pockets.
Referring to rising prices, health professional Theresa McGhee blames “greed”: that of “elected officials,” that of “big deals,” she lists on the shelves of this small, colorful, neon-lit yellow shop.
“You would be surprised to see the number of people who have worked all their lives and who cannot make ends meet,” whispers a woman in a long black waistcoat, preferring to keep her name silent.
“They give you enough money to remind you how fucked up you are,” agrees one volunteer, putting the boxes away.
– “Anti-government” –
The association also pays the cost of inflation: The Grocery Spot spends more than $ 400 a week on diesel to traverse Georgia in search of unsold merchandise, which it redistributes in its store.
Every day, nearly 500 people walk through the supermarket doors, sold out every night.
“There is a new population of poor people, which no one cares for,” warns the founder of the association, Matt Jones.
“Teachers, Uber drivers, supermarket employees …”, lists the former soldier, who readily defines himself as “anti-government”.
“The fact that the state comes to offer us subsidies, when we are only doing their job, is nonsense,” he complains.
At the Grocery Spot, a culture of backing down prevails: at the checkout, customers are invited to make a donation to the point of sale, without any obligation.
With each donation, a saleswoman loudly shakes a bell, which rings throughout the store. The association is also very active on social networks, through which it raises funds.
“We always wanted to be our superheroes,” says Slugga, leaning on the graffiti-covered truck that the association uses to collect its fresh produce.
“Today I feel like a Robin Hood, telling myself that all these people have eaten,” he smiles.
