Friday, 14 Mar, I took my folder of phrases printed on bright green paper, double-sided tape, and a digital camera to my local grocery store on my lunch hour. The timing of this project pretty much guaranteed that many people would see it.
My goal was to post the phrases and sayings in random places around the store without being asked to leave. This goal was achieved in less than 30 minutes.
I first stopped in the frozen food aisle. I placed 36 'this is beautiful' phrases on every third glass door right at eye level. I loved the look of the repetitive 'beautiful' phrase on the doors.
Because the pieces of paper were so small, it was difficult to see them from the ends of the aisle - my pictures had to be pretty close up.
I placed an 'I made this' on an Organically Grown sign in the produce section. What I have yet to decide is if I am claiming to have made the organic produce, or the sign. While here, a worker asked me if I needed help; I declined.
It seemed more than fitting to tape the 'Do not think about shaving your arms' phrase in the aisle with the shaving products.
I only hope to dissuade some person who might actually believe that shaving their arms might be sexy and the right thing to do.
The 'This way up' sign got attached to a supporting beam in the butcher's section.
This is the sign I am least happy with - its placement wasn't as fitting as the rest, but it is satisfactory.
While I was hanging out in the meat section, the same worker asked me if I needed help.
The 'this is wet' sign on gallons of water made me giggle for 10 minutes straight.
I hope it makes someone else giggle as well.
The aisles and aisles of greeting cards have always made me nauseous. It takes very little effort and thought into getting a card for a 'loved' one and receiving one feels very impersonal.
Sometimes pre-printed, mass-marketed words are not enough.
The 'handsome words do not butter cabbage' sign went perfectly here.
I placed a 'CONFIDENTIAL' sign in the baking aisle. The entire aisle looked freshly stocked but for this one bare spot on the shelf.
Conspiracy? Perhaps.
The 'Please do not feed the horses' sign I placed in the bread aisle, again at eye-level.
I would love to get people's reactions to each of these signs - the workers, the customers, the children.
The floral department was the perfect place for my 'I have problems remembering your name' sign.
I placed it just under the buckets holding the fresh-cut (or not-so-fresh; this is Alaska, after all) flowers.
Anyone who comes to get cheap flowers for their sweetie will see this sign.
The 'love me' sign got put right in front of the hair dye.
Again, the same worker asked me if I needed help finding something.
My saying, 'what a lovely, lovely girl,' got taped to a jumbo bag of dog food.
I placed the last phrase in front of the condom section.
Again, I was asked if I needed help by the same guy. If only I could get this much help when I need it.
I couldn't tell if the store worker that kept popping up was hitting on me, had seen the signs and was a bit upset, or if he was confused as to why I was spending so long in the store and not buying anything.
But I wasn't asked to leave, and I was able to place all of the signs in a half hour.
It was fun. I should do this more often.