The grocery store

I HATE going to the grocery store lately. I'm not sure what it is that bothers me. Maybe I don't like shopping with a two year old. Or maybe it's because I have been trying to use coupons recently and I find that very stressful for some reason. But I think one of the biggest reasons I don't like grocery shopping is because of the other shoppers.


Now before I write this blog entry I will confess that I'm not perfect. I am usually that weird mom that walks around Harris Teeter chatting away to my toddler and fake smiling at everyone. I try to engage my son by letting him "help" put things in the cart and on the checkout lane. Occasionally if I only have a few things to buy, he gets his own little cart (or 'buggy' if you're southern). I think it's adorable but I'm sure people (especially people without kids) find it a little annoying. OK, the little shopping cart stunt actually is pretty cute and I've caught many shoppers smiling down at him, but you get my point.


In any case, I've recently started using Harris Teeter Express Lane To Go. For those of you that aren't familiar with this service, for the small fee of $4.95 you can do your grocery online. At your pre-selected pickup time, you drive to the store, press a button, and they bring your groceries right out to your car! To me, it's totally worth it! Especially since there are often promotions/coupons they offer in which you can get this service for free. When I heard about this, I was thrilled. WAHOO!! No more shopping with my two year and no more having to pack my bag of toys and 'tricks' to keep him from screaming in the store. Never again will I have to zoom past the toys and junk strategically placed around the store to set toddlers and preschoolers into tantrums (so frazzled and exhausted moms will give in and buy junk to shut up their kids). NO more being the weird mom! Well...not so sure about that last one....ha.


I love this service and I have been using it for a few months now. The only downside is that I've become spoiled. I realized this yesterday afternoon. My sister came to town for the weekend. She is an awesome cook and offered to make us brunch on New Year's Day. Hubby offered to watch our son 'A' so that we could go the grocery store and pick up ingredients. I figured it wouldn't be so bad if we didn't have A with us. The only thing is, I forgot about the OTHER thing I hate about grocery shopping; the other shoppers!!!!!


It started with the annoying people standing by the meat. I patiently waited for my chance to pick up a package of chicken breasts while two or three women stood right in front of the meat shelves for what felt like 10 minutes. I swear, they acted like it was a life or death decision. I know one woman saw me quietly standing behind her waiting for my turn. She didn't even have the courtesy to move her cart out of the way so I could get in. UGH! Then, further down the aisle, I was grabbing something off a shelf only to look up and see an old woman with a mean look on her face staring right at me. I guess I was in her way because as soon as I moved, she zoomed past. Did she ever hear of using the words, 'excuse me'? 


Perhaps the worst offender was the woman with two kids in the dairy aisle. She really pissed me off. First of all, her kids were wild. These were not toddlers, they looked to be about 5 and 8. She had no control over them. Now, keep in mind, I am a mom so I do have sympathy for other moms in the grocery store. But this was just ridiculous. They were all over the place, which was annoying. The more annoying thing was her. She was screaming at them and of course they were ignoring her. I could hear her all the way down the aisle. Then she turned to the man stocking the milk shelves and started loudly complaining about her kids! I'm not sure if she knew this man or not. All I heard was her saying things like, "this is why I don't grocery shop" and "I haven't used coupons in forever" (as she nodded at her wild children). They continued to run around like maniacs. As my sis and I turned into the next aisle, we heard her loudly exclaim, "Just SHOOT me!". 


Okay. Deep breaths. Remember, I'm by no means a perfect mother. BUT when did it become cool to act like you hate being a mom? Of 
course, I hang around with other moms and we swap stories and occasionally complain. Deep down though, we love our children and we love being moms. This woman was loudly bashing her kids in a public grocery store to complete strangers. No wonder they acted like cavemen. 


As my sister and I left the store, I couldn't help but roll my eyes and mutter, "perhaps someone should inform her about Express Lane To Go....." Lord knows, that's how I'll be shopping next week!