Going to the grocery store can be a hassle, an adventure, or a waste of time depending on where you go. I'm in NYC and grocery shopping here gives me so much anxiety. The aisles are narrow, there's long lines for the cash register, and most of the items I want are out of stock (looking at you overpriced, understocked D’Agostino’s). I used to love going to Publix with my mom when I was younger, but now I dread it. It's just a hassle. So I'm going to take you on a little journey that proves why it sucks to go to the grocery store.
1. Getting There
It's not always easy getting to the grocery store. You might not have a car, the bus is unreliable, and asking your friends with cars to take you gets old. Walking is an option if you're lucky enough to live close to a grocery store. But it still takes time out of your day to get there. If only teleportation were a real thing.
2. Parking Lot Struggles
This one's for all you drivers. You got to the grocery store (pat on the back), but the parking lot is a mess. People are cutting you off, sneaking into a spot that you were waiting for, and you just can't deal. You settle for the spot that's farthest away from the store and take a nice long walk to the entrance, giving a salty look to the lady who took your spot.
3. Bumper Carts
Ugh, all of the baskets are taken and you're getting too much stuff to be able to carry it. Time grab a cart. Of course, a wheel is broken and it rolls awkwardly. As you're struggling to push the cart down the aisle, people are in your way, carts are left unattended, and most of the time you're just lifting the cart to make turns or get past people. The struggle is real and you make a mental note to bring your own reusable bag next time.
4. Out of Stock Shelves
Now that you have this big cart, you might as well stock up. You go through the produce section looking for spinach. All out. Romaine it is. The tomatoes don't look good, guess you won't be putting that in your salads this week. Then you make your way to the dairy section and they're out of your favorite yogurt flavor. Oh, and they're out of your brand of peanut butter. This is getting annoying.
5. Running into Someone You're Avoiding
As you're struggling to navigate the aisles and find what you need, you see someone from your English class. You don't really know how you feel about them and you aren't sure if you should say hi. So you pretend to be really invested in the nutrition facts of the chickpeas in your hand. You look up for one second and now they're right next to you. Shit, what's their name again? You exchange an awkward hello and move on. But now you see them in every aisle and you just want to get out of there.
6. Long Lines
Congrats, you made it to check-out. You have to be smart about choosing a line. So you get on your tip-toes and crane your neck to scan them all. You still can't really tell which is the shortest and you get behind an old lady with a basket. She slowly lays all of her items on the conveyor belt as you rush to squeeze yours in at the end.
She intensely watches the pricing on the screen and halts the cashier because the prunes he rung up didn't show that they're on sale. So he calls the manager over and they discuss whether the prunes are on sale, and eventually someone has to run back and take a look. Meanwhile, you're waiting with an annoyed smile on your face thinking about all of the stuff you need to do when you get home. At least you didn't get stuck behind an extreme couponer.
7. The Final Countdown
You finally got through the line (the old lady's prune juice wasn't on sale btw) and you watch the money fly out of your bank account as the cashier rings up your total. As much as you wanted to avoid small talk with the cashier, it happened and now you just want to GTFO of the grocery store. It feels like you've been in there forever. You have three paper bags, stuffed to maximum capacity. If you drove a car, lucky you. Only a few steps to the end of the parking lot. If you walked, prepare yourself for a 10 block farmer's walk. This is going to be a test of physical and mental strength. You can do it.
The whole situation of going to the grocery store is more of a hassle than you want it to be. Life would be so much easier if you could just get it all delivered to you. Lucky for you, Spoon University partnered with Chef'd to bring you meal kits and ingredients for easy recipes and healthy snacks. Starting in January, Spoon will be shipping meal kits to students who want to start cooking but don't have the time for weekly trips to the grocery store. Total game changer, and a smart way to avoid the struggle of going to the grocery store.