I’ve never been one for the artificiality of match making. Call me boring, but the traditional cliché of boy meets girl, boy gets girl drunk, boy tries to remove girl’s knickers has always been much more preferable in my eyes.
There used to be an old saying in Granny’s time: “You won’t meet anyone if you don’t go out.” This is now not true. Just as you can now purchase a pair of skinny jeans without even leaving your room, you can also bag yourself a boyfriend. Oh, the romance. The unpredictable nature of love!
It seems that dating is the new in thing to sell. It has become a market, for which they are many willing consumers. There is a site for Star Trek fans wanting to find their own Dr Spock, a site especially for geeks and even one for singles with STDs. I can’t imagine what their first dates would consist of, apart from bonding over their mutual love of GUM clinics.
My favourite of them all, however, is new site ASDA dating. Admittedly, there is something slightly un-nerving about it. What next? Primark making wedding dresses? But, according to ASDA, the local supermarket has over taken pubs and the internet as the nation’s number one spot to find love. The childish part of me is enchanted by this new way of finding a man.
The scenarios in my head are endless. Bumping trolleys casually, bonding over baked beans, exclaiming: “Is that a parsnip in your trouser pocket or are you just pleased to see me?” Should we all give up Sugarhouse on a Saturday night and start making our way to Sainsbury’s? And what does one wear when on-the-pull in a supermarket? Perhaps jeans are too casual, but heels are too prostitute. Once you’ve found a fresh catch at the fish counter, how do you ask for his number without seeming like an absolute stalker?
The ASDA dating site seems to make everything easier here. By signing-up to their site, you are able to “shop for your dream date” by comparing your shopping habits with another sad lonely bastard. What’s in your basket? They ask. Weight watchers lasagne for one, a tinned English breakfast and a bottle of gin? Congratulations! We have found a match for you! We hope you’ll be very happy together.
Whilst I’m cynical that a relationship could be based upon what you put in your trolley, I think the idea is pretty nifty. Ordering groceries to be delivered and have a bit of a flirt at the same time? Sounds like a pretty inventive way of avoiding the dissertation. I’m not about to get married on the basis of my partner sharing my love of cheese (although it is always a bonus), but a little bit of fun amongst the virtual supermarket aisles can’t be a bad thing. Of course, if it doesn’t work out, you can always try Tesco’s.
