Time to go Grocery Shopping Kids!

[ICTJOCK]

Yeah,  so its kind of a disconnected thread considering the emphasis of the site,  but what the hell....

So I'm ready to do my weekly grocery shopping here in Kansas and I ask you to go along.    So are you a shopper who buys all their groceries at once for a 2 or 3 weeks  or do you go every couple of days for just a few things that you want immediately?     Do you plan in advance as far as what you are buying or are you an impulsive buyer?

So we walk in and you immediately realize I know the store and basically follow the same pattern each time I go in.   I know what I'm getting in advance (plus or minus a item or two).    What about you?     Are you most concerned about price of each item  (and compare with the generic brnads?     Quality of each item and price isn't an issue.  or are you a 3)  You don't care and just want to get in and out quickly?     Are you a mix and why does it work for you as a shopper.

I'm very aware of how much I'm spending and I always look at what's offered,  but I won't sacrifice quality just to save a few cents or a buck or two.    I usually know my bill within a few dollars before I go through the check register.       Finally,  do you like grocery shopping and do you do the self checkout?

So we're done,  you passed!   I had a great time shopping with you,   now you owe me lunch,  since I drove....haha.

[craigville beach]

i always have a list going of what I need, saves going back for items i forgot to get.  

[Bargara Leatherboy]

Always have a list, when we were working I would go to the store and do all the shopping, my husband would give me the list.  Plus I knew what we liked to eat, and would buy specials when they were available.

Now that we are retired we normally shop together - again with a list and as our preferred shop is 15 km away we tend to go once a week or once a fortnight.  We have a large walk in butlers pantry and a fridge freezer with a seperate chest freezer so we do store a lot.  Husband makes his own bread so we dont need to keep going to the store.

Our local shopping centre has a dreadful carpark so we avoid that but if we do need a couple of things we will go in there.

Shopping is a skill 

 

 

[dbar123]

I live in a city and avoid driving at all costs so I only buy food for a few days at a time.

For stupid staples like TP and paper towels I bite the bullet and head to the burbs for Costco

[ICTJOCK]

1 minute ago, dbar123 said:

I live in a city and avoid driving at all costs so I only buy food for a few days at a time.

For stupid staples like TP and paper towels I bite the bullet and head to the burbs for Costco

Always appreciate going into Costco!

[+ nycman]

I buy food for 2-3 days at a time (at most).

If I’m having company, I shop the day of the dinner. 

Bulk non-perishable items, I go to Costco.
Although given the time and gas it takes to get there and back, I’m not really sure I’m saving that much money.

[+ The Big Guy]

I really dislike shopping so get in and out quickly.  I always use self checkout but do get annoyed that I have to have someone approve the alcohol purchases of a 65 year old.  🤷

[ICTJOCK]

3 minutes ago, The Big Guy said:

I really dislike shopping so get in and out quickly.  I always use self checkout but do get annoyed that I have to have someone approve the alcohol purchases of a 65 year old.  🤷

So what do you dislike shopping (if I can ask?)     And I can imagine,  it would be seem pretty odd to have to provide identification at your age for alcohol.

[+ The Big Guy]

6 minutes ago, ICTJOCK said:

So what do you dislike shopping (if I can ask?)     And I can imagine,  it would be seem pretty odd to have to provide identification at your age for alcohol.

I live in a large city and it’s just a hassle to park and deal with the crowds.  I get around it sometimes by going early in the morning. 

[+ azdr0710]

I sometimes can get an entire free lunch if I shrewdly visit the various food ladies at Costco 

[+ nycman]

39 minutes ago, azdr0710 said:

I sometimes can get an entire free lunch if I shrewdly visit the various food ladies at Costco 

We have different definitions of the word "lunch"

grin

[RadioRob]

For the last year, I have been using Walmart+.  Groceries are delivered and even put into the fridge. (They are given a door code for my house that works only during delivery window times so I don’t even need to be home.)

[ICTJOCK]

On 9/4/2023 at 12:16 PM, azdr0710 said:

I sometimes can get an entire free lunch if I shrewdly visit the various food ladies at Costco 

I usually don't pay much attention to them, except to say hello.  I'll have to check the food out more closely!

 

[+ tassojunior]

I've always wondered how the weekly-shopper species handles things like avocados, bananas, etc. Do you only eat them a couple days a week?

Growing up my mom worked evenings and nights and my dad was an academic but a European and a penny-pincher (as they are) so I'd get stuffed in the station wagon as he'd go Winn-Dixie to A&P to Kroger and even to Piggly Wiggly on sale circular appearance day to get their loss leaders. Fortunately for my childhood there were no Costco's or WalMarts then. The station wagon would be packed so there was only room for me or the dog, not both, and the dog was more trustworthy at home than I was obviously. Also fortunately my dad was an excellent cook (Europeans are) as my mother was a horrible cook.

Living steps from a Trader Joe's for many years now I'm used to going in almost daily for fresh produce. I don't miss the sales circulars, coupons or helping unload the station wagon at all.

Edited September 10, 2023 by tassojunior

[+ bashful]

I sometimes make a list, other times, I just go if I don't have a taste for anything I see in the house,  Check the circulars on Wednesday, and try to remember who has what I like, and pick up other things I will eventually use.  My freezer and pantry are full, but fridge gets looking pretty bare at times.

[TruthBTold]

Unfortunately for me (much better for the world) a medical condition does not allow me to drive, so I just use a few websites (Mariano's, Whole Foods, Amazon, Panera).  However, for the few products that I want to actually inspect before purchasing (such as meats, fruits, and vegetables) I simply walk or take public transportation to one of the same stores.  I know it is incredibly lazy of me but it means no car payments and no car insurance.

[mike carey]

10 hours ago, bashful said:

I sometimes make a list, other times, I just go if I don't have a taste for anything I see in the house,  Check the circulars on Wednesday, and try to remember who has what I like, and pick up other things I will eventually use.  My freezer and pantry are full, but fridge gets looking pretty bare at times.

I shop every time I need milk, bread or fresh fruit and vegetables and generally only buy what I am comfortable carrying in one carry-bag. I have a list that I keep by my computer where I note things I am interested in that are on special or are earning bonus points each week at the two major supermarket chains (one a five minute walk away and the other a five minute drive or bus trip). I'll buy those items if I need them imminently or if I want to add them to my pantry or freezer. I then write a specific list for each trip to the shops.

The bonus points covert to cash, or that cash value can go to airline points at 1c/point, so they can be worthwhile although some items will earn say $1 in points and then be on special for $2 off a week or so later, so the points may be poor value. The supermarkets also periodically offer 'spend x over say three days or a week for y bonus points'. If they are worth it and I have things I can justify buying, then I'll time my shopping trips to earn the points. I have a separate list on my fridge of things I need to stock up on or make a bulk purchase of, and I use that if I don't have enough immediate needs for the x dollars I need to spend for the points.

[+ Charlie]

I shop twice per week on my way home from my morning tennis match, because the Von's supermarket near my tennis club (which is 8 miles from my home) has its own gas station, and if you have a Von's/Safeway account, your purchases get you a discount on gas (sometimes as much as 60cents/gallon), which I can do when I leave the store. I do all the food shopping for my household, and since we are pretty regular in what we eat--and we almost never eat out anymore--I buy pretty much the same staples every time. I don't pay much attention to price--I buy what I want, and the bill at check-out doesn't vary much from one shopping to the next. If I am bored and want to get something different, I may stop first at the Trader Joe's near the Von's to pick up a couple of special items. If I discover between shoppings that there is something else I forgot or need, I go to the supermarkets (Albertson's or Stater Brothers) closest to my house (1/2 mile) to buy it.

I bring my own shopping bags/containers, and do most of the bagging myself, but I don't do the self-checkout. There was an interesting article in a local paper recently about the fact that older people (that's me!) prefer personal interaction with the checkers to the impersonal checkout machines.