Grocery Store Etiquette 101

There's no such thing as a quick trip to Walmart. There's nothing quick about Walmart. Either you spend hours roaming around looking at/purchasing things you don't really need or you spend all your time dodging carts and people or you spend your time flipping through a magazine or ten while waiting in line.

This is precisely why I try to avoid Walmart at all cost. The other night, I was desperate and didn't feel like driving too far for the french bread I desperately needed. I packed Mousse into the back seat and went to Walmart. I knew it was a bad sign when I couldn't find any parking spaces! So, I said..."to heck with this!"

I opted for Target instead. Yes, I'm the same person who wrote that Target was for yuppies a few years ago. That blog cause a bit of an uproar. Now, I know that Target is for those who can't tolerate Walmart...yuppies or not.

Sadly, my trip to Target wasn't a quick one either. As I stood in line for 30 minutes, I pondered on grocery store etiquette:

1. Do not park your cart in the center of an aisle as you try to decide which kinda of spaghetti sauce you should buy. There are people who actually need to move down the aisle, so scoot it over.

2. If you're checking out and you know that you have 5 people waiting behind you...and there's only two checkers open. Don't argue about a 20 cent coupon. Let it go. Is it really necessary to dig through your cart full of bagged food to dig out the product to prove it to the cashier?? All for 20 cents?!?

3. There's a new invention called the debit card. Try it. It's a lot easier and quicker to use than a check book. Oh, and if you're totally against debit cards...pre-write your check, so the only thing you have to do is write the amount and sign. (I can't count how many times I've been behind someone who is writing a check and asks..."what's the date? Where am I? How much was it again?-get a clue and a debit card, lady!)

4. Control your children. I know it's easy for me to say since I don't have one. But come on...Is it that hard to keep your kids from darting out from underneath the cart or running around the store? They will get run over by a shopping cart intentionally...err, i mean unintentionally.

5. Hang up the cell phone and shop. As you stand in front of the spaghettios having a conversation while you try to figure out if you want the ones with meatballs or without...not only are you holding up traffic...but you're blocking the spaghettios! Move it...or lose it.