Michigan mom calls for healthy checkouts at Meijer grocery stores

Jane Kramer loves shopping at Meijer. She loves the store'sproducts andits workers, just not its "super toxic tunnels of manipulation."

The Michigan mom wants the big box storesto change their aisles of temptation thejunk food, tabloids and magazines that crowd customers as they wait in the checkout line.

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Kramer believes the magazines promote unattainable standards of beauty and body image and the tabloids make fun of people's weight and appearance. Throw easy access to junk food into the mix and she said the checkout can have customers paying in more way than one.

"It's damaging to everybody, so it's not just kids. It's everybody's mental and physical health," Kramer said.

Kramer moved to Bath Township, Mich., near East Lansing, 11 years ago and has shopped at a nearby Meijerstore ever since.

She said she chooses to shop at that location because of how the employees treat her and her family. The checkouts weren't a problem for her before adopting a five-year-old child, but now her son makesher look at the checkout through a different lens.

"What was an issue, was the reading materials, because after he learned to read the first thing he asked me about was an article about cocaine," said Kramer. "I think he was about six or seven."

In 2005, she contacted Meijer customer service about her healthy checkout aisle plan, but didn't get much feedback.

Then Kramer got cancer and focused on her health. This past September she tried to talk to Meijer again, but only got as far as customer service. She decided to start an online petition that has already gained more than 600 signatures.

Carrots instead of candy

Kramer said she has not heard back from the grocery store about her petition.

In a statement sent to CBC News Wednesday morning,Meijerspokesman,FrankGuglielmi, said the stores tailor their checkout options to themillions of customers that walk through them each week.

"Our goal is to ensure our offerings appeal to the needs of a very broad and diverse customer base," he said. "We are proud of the healthy choices we offer throughout our stores as well as the fact that our customers can count on us for all of their shopping needs, whatever their buying preference."

Kramer said shopping at Meijer is a pleasant experience until she gets to the checkout. Then it suddenly becomes a negative environment. But she believes that offering healthier options could actually make formore tempting impulse buys for customers waiting in line.

She suggestsbags of carrots or a banana be available for purchase instead of candy and chocolate bars at checkouts. Wheremagazines and tabloids now fill the shelves, Kramer said she'd like to see children's books or educational magazines.

"I would happily spend an extra $10 to $15 at checkout, because right now I'm not buying anything," Kramer said. "It's kind of funny that I"m actually asking Meijer to help me spend more at checkout."

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