We all have to grocery shop… or at least hit the occasional grocery store even if all we do is buy food to reheat. Unless you are one of the lucky ones who has a person to shop for you, this is a fact of life. Personally I find it one of the more irritating facts of life.
Once a week I make a “trip” to the closest Whole Foods to buy meat. Yes, you read that right, I go to WF to buy meat. Mostly it’s the chicken that I like the best, but since I’m there, I buy the rest of the meat I’ll be eating for the week. The chicken is the only kind I’ve found that doesn’t leave me feeling queasy about an hour after a meal. I have no idea what is in the chicken sold at regular grocery stores, but I can’t eat it on a regular basis.
Since the closest WF is 20 miles away, it has become a Sunday morning trip. I try very hard to get to the store before the churches turn their captives lose on the world. Sometimes I’m successful, most times I’m not (I’m so not a morning person and this is one time it becomes a problem). I have tried to shop on other days of the week, but it never seems to take. Thus, Sunday morning has become the standard and I can’t seem to shake it.
Once I get to the store I have things fairly well mapped out in my head. I know the store, I know what I need and I have a plan to get in and out as quickly as possible. Unfortunately, I have to also be in the store with a whole bunch of people who feel they are the only beings in existence. It’s very annoying.
Currently this WF has plants out front for sale. They take up half the sidewalk so there is just room enough for one person with a cart to get through. If they stop, everyone else either has to stop or has to walk around this area in the street. This weekend featured a guy who was apparently waiting for his wife. He was an older guy and was pushing an empty cart – looked like he picked it up in the lot and was heading to the store when he just stopped, stepped away from the cart and stared into space (or out into the parking lot – take your pick). This meant I had to backtrack and walk around him out in the street. He was completely oblivious.
Of course going into the store after picking up my basket (I always use a hand basket since I can’t stand being stuck with a cart) I do manage to get stuck behind people who want to stop directly inside the door and stare at whatever display the store has decided to use to festoon the entry way. (I know Dogette blogged about this phenomena not too long ago, but can’t remember when) Therefore you either have to run them over or wait for them.
We won’t even talk about the people in the produce section. It makes me want to scream…
Usually once I get to the check out line, I’m good because I know it will be over shortly. But this week I ended up behind 2 women who were moving so slowly I wanted to either shake them to wake them up or place them out of the way and tell them that they would make great statues for people to stare at while awaiting check out. I have one question…
How is it that people can move that slowly? Really. I don’t get it. They were moving at about 1/10th normal speed. How does one even get through the day? I figured if they lived a mile from the store, it’s likely they started out heading in that direction at about 5am since I ended up stuck behind them at about noon. I was afraid my meat would go bad waiting for them to get done and get the hell out of my way. I almost asked the bagger to go get me some ice to put on my meat while I waited for them to move out.
Eventually they got done and it was my turn. I got my groceries checked out, had them bagged, paid via credit card, signed the slip, and STILL got stuck behind them in the outgoing doorway!!!!
Yes, I know it’s essential to buy food, but I hate grocery shopping.
Nibbles at the Table