Tuesday, March 07, 2006


Here's what I want to know: why do I always have more groceries than anyone else in the store?

I really don't think we EAT more than the average family, alhough I suppose that is something we would have to consider. But each week I drag the kids through the supermarket loading the cart up with only what I think we will need for the week. Many times I underestimate or forget items.

There are only two checkout lanes open at the time we go - usually in the morning, at around 9 or 10 am. One is the express lane. The checker for the express lane doubles as the bagger for the other lane. This is bad news for me, because as I unload my 437 items onto the conveyor belt, there will be 27 oher people who want to pay for their items, and they will ALL have under 13 items. ALL OF THEM. There will be one poor soul stuck behind me and my screaming kids with 20 items, sweating because I am taking so long. But the other people, the 27 people with under 13 items, these people will need to be checked out. So my bagger WILL LEAVE to check them out, further slowing down the process of getting me and my crying kids out the door and home.

How much is normal? I mean, do these other people go to the store every day? Is that why they have so few items? Does no one go only once a week? Do they have stores of frozen foods they use and go to the gorcery only for fresh items and soda? WHAT IS UP? Where are all the other BIG grocery shoppers?

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

Obviously all those other shoppers that are there while you are there are SINGLE lonely displaced NY'ers & other big city dwellers who are used to shopping every single day because they all have refrigerators that are the size of shoeboxes & no storage space to buildup stores of food canned, dried, frozen or otherwise. (Now, try reading that in one single breath!!!!!! Ha ha ha ha ha!!!!)

Debs said...

I prefer it when you can go for a big shop (although I love going supermarket shopiing, and would go on any excuse) because that way you know it's going to look like you eat a balanced diet. When you've run out of things like printer paper, chocolate, magazines, oil and milk it must look really strange to the cashiers. I always think they're gonna be thinking "what does this woman eat?!!". When you need lots of stuff you get all that, but also things like fruit and veg which make you seem so much more normal and healthy.

Not sure if that made sense, but might post more on my blog one day - your post has given me the gem of an idea!

LARISSA said...

If you feel like a sore thumb at the store because you have so much more stuff than everybody else, i suggest you shop at Costco. There, everything is big, so people only look at you weird if you head to the cashier with only one item. Even if that one item is a big screen TV.