RK over at Just RK had an idea for a kind of meme on random questions. She invited others to play along. Not one to pass up the opportunity for a good rant, I had to join in. If you want to play along, go to RK’s site for the rules! After reading RK’s response I realize my little idiosyncrasies may pale in comparison. However, I have plenty to add.
When I go to the grocery store I sometimes have a list of “must haves” but usually just shop by what I know I’m low on. Yeah, yeah, I know this is not the best way to shop, but it’s how I do it and I’m not going to change. I don’t put much thought into how I put items in the cart except to try to keep things from being squished or chicken blood getting on the produce. By the end of the trip my cart is often overflowing and I have to just start tossing stuff in where I can find a spot.
The conveyor belt is where I try to organize things. I put all the meat up first so they will bag it separate; then the canned and boxed goods; frozen next; and finally produce. Note the produce is at the other end of the spectrum from the meat! I do NOT want my grapes in with my chicken. That is just disgusting. I realize the sacker is only 12 (ok, maybe 14 but he looks 12) but shouldn’t he at least received some training on food safety?
My husband’s first job was at a grocery store. They had contests to see who could bag groceries the best and he often won. It seems to me that the art of bagging groceries has gone by the wayside with paper bags. Kids today don’t know the first thing about bagging groceries. I appreciate that the plastic bag is harder to organize than the paper bag, but there are still a few rules that should be followed: (1) don’t over pack. Why is it that every single can I buy has to go into one bag? I have to carry that stupid bag into my house and it weighs more than all my children combined; (2) keep the produce and meat separate; (3) hotdogs, lunchmeat, etc. although meat products do not go in with the raw meat; and (4) it would be nice if they could keep the frozen/refrigerated items together.
Once my groceries are bagged, the bagger starts throwing it all back into my cart, bruising my apples and squishing my bread! There is a bottom rack on the cart, how about we put the 12-pack of coke down there instead of on top of my chips?
Every time I take my groceries to the car I start rebagging and muttering “idiots” under my breath. I come home and think about calling the manager and asking what type of training these kids are getting. Sometimes, however, it’s the manager himself that has bagged my groceries. Is it just me? Am I asking too much to have undamaged groceries when I get home? I highly doubt it.
When I go to the grocery store I sometimes have a list of “must haves” but usually just shop by what I know I’m low on. Yeah, yeah, I know this is not the best way to shop, but it’s how I do it and I’m not going to change. I don’t put much thought into how I put items in the cart except to try to keep things from being squished or chicken blood getting on the produce. By the end of the trip my cart is often overflowing and I have to just start tossing stuff in where I can find a spot.
The conveyor belt is where I try to organize things. I put all the meat up first so they will bag it separate; then the canned and boxed goods; frozen next; and finally produce. Note the produce is at the other end of the spectrum from the meat! I do NOT want my grapes in with my chicken. That is just disgusting. I realize the sacker is only 12 (ok, maybe 14 but he looks 12) but shouldn’t he at least received some training on food safety?
My husband’s first job was at a grocery store. They had contests to see who could bag groceries the best and he often won. It seems to me that the art of bagging groceries has gone by the wayside with paper bags. Kids today don’t know the first thing about bagging groceries. I appreciate that the plastic bag is harder to organize than the paper bag, but there are still a few rules that should be followed: (1) don’t over pack. Why is it that every single can I buy has to go into one bag? I have to carry that stupid bag into my house and it weighs more than all my children combined; (2) keep the produce and meat separate; (3) hotdogs, lunchmeat, etc. although meat products do not go in with the raw meat; and (4) it would be nice if they could keep the frozen/refrigerated items together.
Once my groceries are bagged, the bagger starts throwing it all back into my cart, bruising my apples and squishing my bread! There is a bottom rack on the cart, how about we put the 12-pack of coke down there instead of on top of my chips?
Every time I take my groceries to the car I start rebagging and muttering “idiots” under my breath. I come home and think about calling the manager and asking what type of training these kids are getting. Sometimes, however, it’s the manager himself that has bagged my groceries. Is it just me? Am I asking too much to have undamaged groceries when I get home? I highly doubt it.
10 comments:
I think it's SO not too much to ask for them not to put your Coke on top of your chips. Basic common sense is lacking these days, not just in this area.
I'm sure when there's more than just 1 1/2 people eating in our family of 3 we'll have an overflowing cart too. We're just not there yet. :o)
I love it.
The lack of common sense and common courtesy is everywhere. It all goes down hill too, huh Deb?
The sad irony of course is that if those wayward youth (well, at least they HAVE jobs!) were packing their OWN groceries, dontcha know they would be more mindful. :(
I actually have the opposite problem. If I buy 30 items, I get about 30 bags! Drives me crazy. When I get to the car, I start dumping bags into other bags. I do agree about the hot dogs and bologna, though. They always put mine in with the raw meat, too!
I usually pretty lucky at our store. But I also help them. I organize a bit (like you do) and I always keep the bread/chips/delicate items at the end so they stay on top. Smashed bread just irks me to no end!
One problem you have, that I have the opposite is the amount of items in a bag. At my store they often put one or two items in each bag. I do NOT need more plastic bags to carry or recycle. I usually repack as they are packing.
You know, I make myself crazy organizing things as I send them down the belt. If three things go on a shelf together when I get home, I send them together so that they can get bagged together. It NEVER works. Instead, I end up with each thing in a separate bag or mixed with stuff I didn't send down for ten minutes. WTH?
Maria and Irene - I have that problem sometimes too, but normally it's the overstuffing. Either way, it's a pain.
Burghbaby - That happens to me too. It's like the sacker just tries to mess with my head or something. Don't they know we have a system?
So Funny. I do the same. I try and group things together that should be in the same bag only to find out when I get home that soup cans are mixed with yogurt. It may not sound that bad until one of those cans splits the plastic yogurt container. Yuck. And what's up with squishing the bread? Shouldn't it be treated like the eggs?
BTW I just tagged you for a meme, but it's similar to this one so you can forget about it or put it off for a while, I understand.
The one thing I love about shopping at Wegmans, which is a FABULOUS market, btw, is that all the clerks are highly-trained. No pimply-faced teenagers working there, and if there are, they are all extremely polite and good at their jobs.
Wegmans doesn't usually have separate cashiers and baggers - the job is done by the same person. I always bring my cloth bags, which makes the job a bit more time-consuming that throwing everything in plastic bags, and I actually had a cashier walk me through his bagging process. I was so completely impressed with how efficient and organized he was. It was wonderful!!
Sometimes I stop at our market around the corner, and the experience is just awful. Wegmans was voted one of the top companies to work for, and it definitely shows.
I can't believe I'm seeing this on a blog!
(I try not to mutter. I try to offer it up.)
My favorites...
When they put all the yogurts in one bag. Except one. They save one yogurt to hide in one bag with all dry goods. I find it at midnight when I'm finishing putting away everything that didn't go in the fridge or freezer 8 hours ago.
When they put 10 boxed items in one plastic bag. First of all, you can't reach both handles with one hand anymore. And second, the bag always splits open and everything falls out.
So to avoid this peeve, I request paper for the 'big boxes' (and I group them together.) If I asked for paper, why are you now putting the paper bag into plastic?!
And finally, ONLY PUT A KNOT IN MY BAG IF YOU PLAN ON COMING OVER TO MY HOUSE AND SPENDING 5 MINUTES UNTYING IT FOR ME. I, too, have the overflowing cart. With 67 bags of groceries, the bags are so wedged in and stacked I'm going to need an excavator when I get home to empty the trunk, what do you think is going to tip over and spill?
But other than that, I'm really pretty easy going:)
Thank you - and have a nice day.
Karla -
Too funny! I hate it when they knot the little produce bags. I don't use the little twisty ties and I don't knot the bag on purpose. I'm quite capable of knotting it, I just don't want it done. Then I get home and have to spend 15 minutes undoing the stupid knot so I can put my groceries away!
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