There is something to be said about being in a supermarket lineup. There isn’t any other lineup that puts those gossipy Hollywood magazines and tabloids in your path, ready to grab your attention. It use to be candy bars and chips that threw themselves into your cart as you sailed past, but because of health reasons, such temptations were replaced by healthy energy bars and fruity glucose drinks and of course, those scandalous magazines and tabloids.

The latest headlines are conflicting stories and accusations between Brad and Angelina. Hey, anything to do with Brangelina and their brood of six, is always eye-catching news unless there are cute photos of the Royal children, Georgie and Charlotte. Anyway, there we were, captive readers of the ongoing verbal battles and accusations between Brad and Angie. Just reading the headlines made me itch to reach out to read the story. It was obvious the lady in front of me felt the same. We looked at each other and laughed.

“I don’t buy these magazines or tabloids, but I must admit, I do sneak a quick read while I’m in the lineup,” she explained.

“Hey, this is the only time I get hooked into reading beyond the headlines,: I replied. “And, I don’t even feel guilty about not buying this because I  already fell for the pregnancy stories about Jennifer Aniston. If any of those stories were true, the extremely long pregnancy in the animal kingdom, would have produced two baby elephants by now!”

The lady behind me laughed and reached over to grab the tabloid so we could all read it and comment. There really wasn’t much meat in the stories themselves, just a racy headline that would grab your eye-balls and impel you to toss it into your cart. But she resisted and placed it neatly back on the rack.

I have a sneaky suspicion that these magazines and tabloids are placed there for women. Somehow, Marketing has figured out that women are most likely to read and buy. After all, have you ever seen a display of “Mechanics” or “Auto News” placed conveniently by the Cashier for men?  Nada.  And besides,  I bet at least 5% of smart women sneak a quick peek at the stories behind the headlines and after reading, gently put the tabloid back as we move through the cashier lineup. However, it did make standing in line bearable with entertainment at your fingertips.