I am not ashamed to admit I still grocery shop in the traditional way at a local store.
Most of the time, I find myself waiting in the ONE line that is open for those of us who do not wish to check ourselves out.
Sometimes it’s at least a 10-minute wait until it is my turn, so I attempt to amuse myself rather than get frustrated because normally, I’m on some kind of tight timeframe.
First, I scan the covers of the magazines to see if there is an article that would surely make my life better—something about weight loss, improving the look of fine lines or how to save money.
Usually, when I see the “10 Ways to Save at the Grocery Store” articles, I quickly decide the best way is to not purchase the magazine, thus saving myself $12.99 right there.
Next, I scan the impulse buys in the racks to see if I need a chocolate fix, mints or gum, or travel deodorant or Wet Ones.
Usually, I pick up a travel size Wet Ones for $1.99 because I have a habit of spilling my morning coffee somewhere in the car, plus three days a week, I travel with a 3-year-old, so the wipes are used almost daily.
But back to the line.
If I still haven’t made it to the hot spot at the register, I turn my attention to the most entertaining portion of grocery shopping: I look at what other shoppers have in their carts.
As they haul out their cartload onto the conveyor, I quickly study what they’ve got—and judge them accordingly.
Technically, I’m not judging them for their purchases, rather I am profiling them.
Don’t hate me. You’ve done it too! (And if you haven’t, you should! It can be quite satisfying!)
Take today, for example. As I watched the guy behind me in line, I noticed he had a couple bags of frozen “family size” meals, snack foods, soda and cereal.
Bachelor food, for sure! I looked for a ring on his finger. There was none.
Clearly, his family sized meals would cover both dinner and lunch the next day.
Convinced that I was 1 for 1, I moved on to the aisle next to me where a woman was unloading her cart onto the self-serve conveyor: toilet paper, juice boxes, family pack of chicken, a variety of canned goods and a large container of coffee.
My money is on a working mom with little ones who is probably stopping at the store on her way to pick up a kid from practice. (I saw her later in the parking lot and, sure enough, she had a soccer ball magnet on her minivan, so I am gonna call 2 for 2.)
I paused to look at my own items as they were being added to the bags: fresh vegetables and fruit, granola, organic chicken, but also Swanson Hungry-Man TV dinners and a bakery item.
If I were profiling myself, I’d say either married woman who eats healthy, but has a husband who doesn’t, or woman who wants a healthy diet, but is currently having some kind of drama and needs comfort food.
Full discolosure: I’m a working nana who had to take the dog to the groomer, clean the house, do laundry, get groceries and … well, isn’t that enough?!
Turns out I nailed that profile no matter which way it goes! 3 for 3!
It felt good to claim a small perceived victory on a Monday! I’ll take that as a great start to the week!
So now, as I reflect on my shopping trip, my TV dinner is in the oven and I’m mixing up snack size bags of granola for my work snack tomorrow.
I’m looking forward to watching Wheel of Fortune and Jeopardy as I eat my fried chicken, mashed potatoes, corn and brownie just like I did as a teen at gram’s house!
A great end to a stressful day!
