Grocery Store Chaos

First let me say, I hate grocery shopping, it's not just that I dislike it, I hate it and always have. My mom always told me not to use the word 'hate' but I can't help it in this case. No matter what store you shop in you have to 1. pick up item, 2. place item in cart, 3. place item on belt for cashier to scan and place in bag, 4. place bag in cart, 5. place bags in car and drive home, 6. haul everything into house, 7. put all the items away. For someone that hates this process, these steps seem to drag on and on. Yes, I understand that no matter what you shop for even if it's clothes it's the same type of process, but that's not so dreadful.

I also generally grocery shop with two little kids at one of the busiest stores in the area, and yes as much as I dislike Walmart, it's where we usually shop. I'm sure everyone has seen an email or a link that has pictures of the crazily dressed Walmart shoppers and laughed along with me. For the record, I don't dress like that! While I may prefer shopping at our local Giant Eagle, I refuse to pay 15%-20% more for groceries. Plus I like the one-stop shopping. I have two little kids that don't want to go into several stores so mom can get the best deal here and there.

My husband now and then goes with us depending on his schedule which makes it a little easier but also more difficult because he along with our son loves the cookie aisle and freezer section. I seem to find all sorts of things when we place the items on the belt to check out. He on the other hand, likes to grocery shop. Wondering why he doesn't do the grocery shopping by himself? Well that's easy! The one time we tried this, he brought home things from his favorite sections - we had three different kinds of cookies, chips, and tons of freezer stuff. I was in shock putting everything away and asked if he purchased any 'real food?!' I'll never forget the proud reply, "well I did get you an onion." That's the last time he went major grocery shopping. (Years ago.)

*Quick note - major grocery shopping means a lot of groceries, not just running in to get milk, diapers, or just a few items.

I try to use coupons but it's hard to find really great ones and it's even more difficult to shop smart and price conscious when shopping with a baby that's trying to eat the coupons, the list, or whatever she can get her hands on and with a 5-year-old holding up cookies, juice, cake, icing, and yelling, "hey mom look at this, can we get it?" The food companies know how to make the packaging pop at a kids eye level. I recommend never letting kids or husbands go shopping on an empty stomach because this just adds to the craziness. My son gets so excited with his dad in the freezer section that he screams and laughs because he can talk his dad into just about everything that mom doesn't normally get and this is on a full stomach. Can you imagine an empty stomach?

Normally, I try to go in the morning on a weekend when the shelves are stocked and things aren't so hectic but this past weekend, well I didn't time it right. We had things to do in the morning and it was just after lunch that the baby and I ventured out to shop. (My husband and son decided to sit this one out.) I knew before I left that it was going to be a mess but I didn't have a choice, we unfortunately needed groceries. On the way there, I decided that I'd make the best of it. I'd smile no matter what and not get upset. Mental preparation for grocery shopping. Ha!

Anyway, we were just beginning the process and I hear a woman screaming at another, "I'm not making a scene, but if you want me too, I WILL MAKE A SCENE!" I shook my head and kept moving. Down another aisle and a mother snapped at her teenage daughter to watch what she was doing before she hit someone. The store was beyond busy. The daughter pushed the cart away and yelled that her mother can just do it herself. A couple more aisles and a husband and wife were fighting over who knows what but yanking the cart back and forth. I smiled and shook my head at all of it because I knew I should have went first thing in the morning.

My little girl was fantastic on this trip, sometimes I don't get as lucky but she was a happy little girl, maybe it had something to do with her momma laughing at all the craziness. The only things she wanted to do was frantically try to take my shopping list out of my hand, pull at my shirt, pull at my hair, dig in my purse, throw the water bottle out of the cart seven different times, and push buttons on my keys.

We left the store without being yelled at, without getting hit by another cart, and without getting the horrible looks if she was crying. Upon arriving home, my husband and son met me downstairs to bring in all the groceries which was incredibly sweet. On the last trip up the steps, my husband said I didn't get much. I laughed because I considered it a success that I got out of the store with something. I even got an onion!