Why I Hate Shopping

[krikketgirl]

I try not to be a cranky person, but grocery shopping seems determined to undermine this goal. For one thing, how hard could it possibly be to label all the divisions in the frozen food aisle instead of only some? It's a pain in the neck to have to cruise the entire length of two frozen food aisles, trying to guess whether frozen fruit is more likely to be near ice cream, desserts, fruit juice, or vegetables--and, of course, it varies from store to store, to keep things lively.

For another, I'm sure I can't be the only shopper who would appreciate it if stores would just leave the bread display alone. My local supermarket seems to have a personal vendetta against my bread-buying habits; barely a week goes by without my preferred brand and type of bread being moved from one place to another. I'm sure that, one of these weeks, they'll run out of places to hide it in the bread area and will move it to the freezer area, where it will be unmarked. Probably nowhere near the frozen fruit.

And as a last feeble protest, let me just make this comment: Kroger, I try to be patient with you when there is no bagger at the end of whichever checkout lane I brave. I know, employees are not always reliable, and there are more of us than there are of them, and so I make do. Today, my heart was overjoyed when I spied not one, but two baggers at my checkout lane. And I have to admit that my groceries were bagged with the speed of summer lightning.

However, I would like to point out that--thanks to an ongoing conversation between the two baggers about the car of one and whether or not it should be using as much gasoline as it is using--my carefully-sorted groceries (frozen foods, then canned/boxed items, then fresh items and bread) were hopelessly chucked about in the bags (bread and cheese, bread and ice cream, ice cream and tomatoes, shaving gel and--be quiet--MORE ice cream, et cetera). In addition, as the cashier handed me my change and receipt, I was left juggling my purse, keys, gloves, and receipt, as well as being hemmed into the lane by my (now-empty) shopping cart.

While the cheery, "Have a nice day, Ma'am!" was a nice gesture, it would have landed better on my ears had someone used a thought or two and moved the empty cart and made any effort at all to swing my new, full-of-groceries cart into a position where I could have wheeled it out the door. Instead, I was left to precariously balance purse, keys, and whatnot atop the cart, trying not to smash the bread, so that I would have two hands available to grab the cart, back it up without hitting the bagger, and navigate it through the doors.

I just feel that shopping would be much rosier if every single trip didn't leave me clutching my list and debating whether I really need food at all this week or if this wouldn't be an ideal time to try the olive-oil-and-flour diet.

Comments

[lorelei-n.livejournal.com]

Oh I know what you mean about them shifting product all of the time. I like to go to where I know things are and actually find them.

As for the freezer section, they don't mark it because they want you to have to walk it.

Baggers... they aren't what they used to be. I had wet ice cream in with cardboard boxed items one time. Excuse me?

[curiouswombat.livejournal.com]

my carefully-sorted groceries (frozen foods, then canned/boxed items, then fresh items and bread) were hopelessly chucked about in the bags

We rarely have packers at the supermarket - when we do I ask them to swap places and unpack for me as I pack for myself! I take two or three reusable bags and an insulated one for frozens - and there is a proper order for things...

[bluiidmommy.livejournal.com]

Ha, I feel ya on the shopping!

[butterbobbin.livejournal.com]

This is why I prefer shopping at grocery stores where I get to do the bagging myself. Luckily, both the ones we frequent most often operate this way.

[mahjong-kid.livejournal.com]

I, for one, absolutely adore the idea of do-it-yourself check-outs. And whenever the attendants are particularly bored and offer to bag my groceries, I very sweetly jump in with "Oh, I brought my own bags!" I prefer to pack my own groceries because I'm picky that way ;).

Personally, I hate it when the stores are out of items they have advertised for the week as being on sale. It's a pain in the butt to go with a list, only to have to modify it to accommodate the fact that you can't find the particular items you were hoping to find. And even though this is more likely to be the case (that is, their being out of some item) in the middle of the night, I bask in the emptiness of the grocery store at three o'clock in the morning. If only all stores were open 24-hours...

[ksera05.livejournal.com]

For another, I'm sure I can't be the only shopper who would appreciate it if stores would just leave the bread display alone. My local supermarket seems to have a personal vendetta against my bread-buying habits; barely a week goes by without my preferred brand and type of bread being moved from one place to another. I'm sure that, one of these weeks, they'll run out of places to hide it in the bread area and will move it to the freezer area, where it will be unmarked. Probably nowhere near the frozen fruit.

Oh my goodness, YES! LOL My second most irritating thing is when they rearrange the chips section on me. Today I finally found our favorite brand of tortilla chips, which I have been looking for forever...in the freezer section beside the pizza. Like, not in the freezers but on some filler shelves between the freezers and the endcap. Ironically, I didn't even want to buy any this trip, although I did make sure to remember where I found them for the future. Haha.

So yeah, bread in the freezer section might not be too far behind. Sigh.

[bojojoti.livejournal.com]

My son says switching locations of foodstuffs is a planned tactic to increase the shopper's time in the store. More money is made for very minute a store can keep someone searching for the elusive Nutella. We were shopping the other night, and the entire Wal-Mart had been re-arranged. I left without buying some things I needed, because it wasn't worth the scavenger hunt.

[mewsing.livejournal.com]

Baggers! I miss those. You bag your own stuff here and I've gotten pretty good at it; you gotta be quick!