The Difference Between Fat Free & Skim Milk
Monday, July 10th, 2006I’d stopped at the local store to pick up a gallon of milk. Of course the milk is located at the very back of the store. On the way through the store, I gave into the lure of the marketing experts and grabbed a pack of boneless chicken breasts during my dash to the milk section.
As I rounded the corner at the milk section, I noticed there was a totally bare shelf. Below the bare shelf there was whole milk, 2% milk, and 1% milk. We drink fat-free milk exclusively, so I gazed at all of the milks trying to decide if we could do without milk or if I’d have ditch the chicken to run another 20 miles into town.
My decision making process was interrupted by a store clerk who was pushing out a hand cart filled with boxes. As I glanced up to see the cart barrelling toward me, I saw a top box clearly stamped with the words, Skim Milk. Yippee Skippee! Dilemma solved.
If I’d wanted to be rude, I’d have just jumped onto the cart, grabbed the box and ripped it open myself. But I like to try to be polite and allow a person to rise to their better nature. So I’d asked him, “Do you have any fat free milk?”
The clerk looked at the bare shelf a moment and replied, “Sorry, No.”
I paused, startled. Then I asked carefully, “Oh, ok. Then do you have skim milk?”
The clerk then looked toward his cart full of cases and seemingly surprised, exclaimed, “Oh sure! We have skim milk. Here, let me get one out for you.”
The gallon of milk he pulled out out of the skim milk box had big bold letters that read Fat Free. He briefly frowned at the label. I quickly reached for the milk, smiled and said thank you.
Apparently, for some people, there is a difference between Fat Free and Skim milk. But I was satisfied.
