I went to the grocery store yesterday and indulged in one of my favorite past times: snooping into complete strangers' lives by analyzing their grocery choices. Do you do this, or is it just me? Would you like some examples?
1) The guy buying 10 Hungry Man frozen dinners, five cans of chili, beer, and salami--this haul just screams "bachelor. "
2) The woman with the super-size package of Pampers, the variety pack of small Frito-Lay chip bags, and five bags of Goldfish crackers--how happy is she that she didn't have to drag her kids with her to the store today?
3) The elderly woman with two individual rolls of toilet paper, the smallest container of milk available, and 20 cans of cat food--a widow living with far too many cats, perhaps?
4) Anyone with a cart full of soda, chips, and hot dog buns--PARTY!
I always wonder what people think when they see my choices*. But then it occurs to me that most people probably don't make snap judgments about complete strangers based on the items in their grocery carts. But I do. So tell me, so that I may judge you: What do you buy at the grocery store?
* You want to know what I bought so you can judge ME, don't you? Okay, that's only fair: Organic whole milk, broccoli, seltzer, plain low-fat yogurt, 4% milk fat cottage cheese, Triscuits, beer, multi-grain pasta, carrots, dried lentils, corn tortillas, whole wheat tortillas, and reduced-fat Ruffles. And some chicken salad from the deli, because I was STARVING and needed to eat something IMMEDIATELY. The end.
This post made me laugh. I thought I was the only one that sneaked a peak at other peoples grocery carts. I do the same thing, guess at their lives by the contents of the cart. Which is really funny because if people are looking at what I buy they would think I were a vegetarian because I never buy meat in the grocery stores. Instead I buy direct from the local farmers and have it custom butchered. This past year I've also joined a local CSA so now I rarely buy veggies either. I look like I live off condiments and cheese when I shop. Looks can be deceiving.
ReplyDeleteSheila Z
I do the same thing!!! People must think I have multiple personalities based on the content of my cart. It's a mix of organic dairy and vegetables along with bacon and big bags of sugary cereal.
ReplyDeleteI do that too.
ReplyDeleteI was once at the cash and had a bottle of gin and a bar of milk chocolate. They guy behind me had a bottle of scotch and a bar of plain chocolate. He said it was a match made in heaven. He didn't ask for my phone number though!
I always get the convenient plastic containers of cleaned/cut berries, fruit, and vegetables, and off-brand bread, sugar, etc...I use the leftover containers as seed planters and I LOVE the convenience of fresh fruit that I can eat right out of the fridge, no prep necessary.
ReplyDeleteMy grocery cart probably says I'm relatively health conscious, pressed for time, and a selective spendthrift.
Oh yeah, and I TOTALLY look in other people's buggies. It's an analytical compulsion.
I TOTALLY DO THIS!! I AM THE BITCH IN LINE SIZING UP YOUR CART!! My groceries sound pretty much like yours, but I always get totally excited when I get behind someone buying a bag of tangerines, charcoal, and 8 boxes of frozen sausage patties. GLORIOUS.
ReplyDeleteI split my grocery shopping between the regular store and BJs. A regular shopping trip will include such items as Stoneyfield Farms non-fat plain yogurt, bananas, cucumbers, zucchini, frozen broccoli and corn, grapes, lettuce, skim milk, natural crunchy peanut butter, and cereal (Honey Bunches with almonds and Kashi Go Lean Crunch). Sounds exciting, doesn't it?
ReplyDeleteI used to work as a cashier at a grocery store. Trust me, I judged!
ReplyDeleteOh yes, I do this all the time! It's much more fun than reading about how fat Jessica Simpson has become or how depressed Jennifer Aniston is.
ReplyDeleteI do wonder what people think about my stuff...the checkers are always stumped, saying, "Um, what is this?". Yeah most people in these parts aren't buying jicama, poblano peppers, kefir, or shallots.
Worst checkout I ever had to do: bottle of Southern Comfort, half-gallon of chocolate-chip cookie dough ice cream, bottle of Excedrin, and a pack of Tampax. When I was done, the checker said, "Have a nice ... oh, sorry."
ReplyDeleteWhy yes, I am the best husband in the world.
What I hate is when the cashier looks at something I'm buying and says "what is THIS?" like I'm some sort of freak.
ReplyDeleteAnd Drew, you ROCK!
Ah, so you're the nosey ones who keep looking in my cart! I don't do it, and it really bugs me when people do. What's worse, though, is having someone follow me through the store and grab the same things I do. Even when I backtrack because I missed seeing something the first time I went down the aisle. Creepy!
ReplyDeleteI've started ordering food online because of you folks!
--Mossytoes
Mossytoes: People follow you in the store? That's just . . . weird. Really weird. I have never, ever experienced that. Are they creepy people? Like, obviously strange in the head? I don't get that. Why would you copy someone's grocery shopping?
ReplyDeleteI totally am one of those people, bit I dont' think I am creepy about it.....
ReplyDeleteDrew, that is the funniest thing I have read in a long time.
Hi,I have to go to the super market this morning,guess what Im going to do,yep,be a nosy shopper!sounds like fun :0)
ReplyDeleteI always do this while I'm standing in line. Anywhere. Grocery store, department store, hardware store. Anywhere I'm forced to stand in a line at the cashier, I take the chance to judge everyone around me and try to guess what they're up to.
ReplyDeleteSometimes you get a gem like an underage kid trying to buy beer or a chick hiding a flea bomb kit under her chip bag.
Oh this is a game the husband and I always play!
ReplyDeleteLike the time we saw a woman at Sam's Club buying the huge package of toilet paper, a bag of apples and a magazine.
It just looked like someone had constipation problems and was trying a more natural way (apples) to help "move things along" and the magazine was for the bathroom reading. Good thing she wasn't buying a novel!
lol
We also play the game of "things you just can't buy at the same time."
Goldfish (or any small animal) and a blender.
Hair dye, condoms and junk food. (us)
Orange juice and bleach.
"Things you can't buy at the same time" works best in the 12 items or less lines.
I play this game as well except my purpose is usually to find out on what wonderful products I am missing out on. This especially happens at Trader Joes, where I am always checking out other peoples carts....I have made some great discoveries of products they carry! I also love doing this at Costco, (why on earth is that person buying 10 boxes of ziploc bags, who would possibly need to buy pregnancy tests in bulk?) it really is fascinating!
ReplyDeleteBefore I say anything else, Drew, you are a true hero. My husband would actually disembowel himself before buying lady-products.
ReplyDeleteWith that said...
I am sooo guilty of judging people by the contents of their carts. I was at Whole Foods the other day and I saw a man in his seventies buying detergent, juice, and 14 cans of sardines. Wtf?
However, I spent the last week in Florida with my pregnant sister and we wanted to reenact our younger days with a chick-flick junk-food binge. We had that white cheddar popcorn, Hot Tamales, Sweet Tarts, Jolly Rancher Gummies, Salt Water Taffy, Lemonheads, Sour Gummy Worms, Whoppers...and a bottle of pre-natal vitamins.
We got some very strange looks.
It has never dawned on me to look in anyone else's cart. When I'm in the grocery store I'm usually thinking of the 50 million other things I need to be doing and how I want to get out of there N-O-W!
ReplyDeleteThat said, what do I buy? I let my h do the grocery shopping. That way he can snag whatever junk food is calling him and I don't have to set foot inside a grocery store.
Yep, me too. It used to make me laugh when my mil would give me a list and I'd get her groceries. My cart would be full of things like what you had in yours (for us), plus all this processed crap for her. I loved the idea of putting fellow cart-peekers into a tailspin.
ReplyDeleteNow we just make her eat like us and it's distinctly less thrilling.
Uh, you know what sucks? I live with my boyfriend, but I have the exact same cart as The Bachelor. :(
ReplyDeletewhat would you think of me... all sorts of protein, milk, eggs, ect... but no veggies or fruit.
ReplyDeleteyou'd think bad mom until you followed me to the produce stand and saw me buy all my fruits and veggies there.