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I do my grocery shopping regularly, about once every two weeks. Usually I would go on a weekday (to avoid weekend shoppers): I’d compose a list the night before, finalise my budget, clip coupons from the Sunday paper, print online coupons and promo codes and bring them with me as I make my way the next day to the grocery store. (Store locations usually match online offers anyway.) But it’s not as wee and happy and effortless as it sounds. I have been doing this for several years now, and from my experiences at the shops I have come up with a list of grocery shopping pet peeves. Long queues: Nobody wants to wait hours just falling in line at the cashier! Especially if you aren’t carrying that many items in the first place, and had wanted to just come and go. Some insensitive customers, however, take too long on transactions: putting an item back in the shelf, forgetting an onion, using coupons for every item, harrassing the lady at the cash register, or counting change at an unbelievably leisurely pace. That’s why if a store has an express check out counter – for those with baskets only, and not carts – then that’s where I would fall in line. Pricing mistakes: I always check the price of a grocery item before hauling them into my cart or basket. Of course, whenever possible, I always go for discounted ones, for stuff that’s on sale. There have been times, however, when a grocery store would have put up the wrong price. Maybe the promo has expired; maybe the inventory staff are to be blamed. Nonetheless, like when sale items don’t ring up as they should, these pricing mistakes annoy me because they ruin my budget. And it’s very confusing to someone who is as bad enough a mathematician as I am. Luckily, this doesn’t happen often. Kids: Oh, of course I adore my own children. But I have never – and will never – bring them with me to the grocery. It’s annoying when you’re trying to shop and there are these little boys and girls playing with the wheeled carts, or throwing tantrums because they weren’t bought Skittles. Sometimes, small as they are, they are the ones who block the aisles and prevent you from reaching that can of mushroom soup. Couponing limits: I try to be as frugal as possible when grocery shopping. Thus, I collect coupons from the papers and from the Internet before scheduling a trip to the grocery store. More than once, however, I had been told that I can only use one coupon per purchase. If I was buying four cartons of orange juice and had four “one dollar off” coupons for those, would I be able to redeem it for each carton? Apparently not. Well, not always. Sometimes one’s interpretation of a promo would differ from the interpretation of the store cashier. Because of these pet peeves, I am now considering shopping online for my groceries. Who knows? With coupons and promo codes available all over the Internet, I just may lessen my twice-a-month trips to Wal-Mart. And I won’t have to worry about my grocery gripes.
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