Alien green beans

John Kelly’s newest column in The Washington Post talks about (the Maryland) Giant’s new logo. Here, he’s talking about our Giant’s store brands infiltrating their Giants. Spock with a beard, indeed.

You know how sometimes you go into Giant and there among the familiar store-brand items on the shelf is an interloper? The label on the can of green beans says “Giant” but it’s in an unfamiliar sans serif typeface. This is from the other Giant, you realize, a different sibling in the corporate family.

In that moment — holding that can of green beans — I’m reminded that there are shoppers for whom my Giant would be the alien, shoppers who turn left for the dairy section instead of right. It’s like that episode of “Star Trek” where Kirk and Co. end up in an alternate universe where Spock has a beard.

Oh, what stories you could tell, alien green beans!