Supermarket Observations

Yesterday, our dog park group bagged groceries for tips and collected other donations for the park we want to see built in Marathon. I sat at the table for at least half of the time outside greeting people and answering questions. This gave me ample opportunity to form some impressions. My data is totally unscientific, of course, and could be prone to generalization. I'll factor in that it was a holiday weekend and that might also impact the observations, but what the heck. It's my blog and I can generalize if I want to.

Families on vacation who are staying in a home or vacation condo as opposed to a couple of hotel rooms, apparently consider grocery shopping a group activity. I wonder if the father and kids ever go with Mom back home.

If two families are traveling together, the above does not apply. The women know that they can more efficiently gather what they need if they go as a team. They will hit all of the major food groups, including several bottles of wine, and still remember to buy three different varieties of chips. I bagged for two such women yesterday. They filled three carts and the bill was almost $1000.00.

Local men who are out doing errands with their ladies would rather drop her off at the supermarket door and sit outside in a hot car or with the a/c running than go into Publix for a full morning's shopping. If alone, they will run in for beer and a sandwich.

Men who came into the Keys for a fishing weekend without their wives, hunt (i.e. shop) in a pack. They come out with steaks, chips, corn on the cob, already-fried chicken, brats, and beer. That's their version of fitting the nutrition pyramid.

Local women are more likely to come in with reusable shopping bags. I think I saw one man carry them into the store. Perhaps he was the single man who preplanned his trip and needed something other than beer and a sandwich.

Someone should start a supermarket shopping service for single dads, particularly those with young daughters. A professional shopper would say no and make it stick when the kids are crying for balloons, candy, cheap toys, and thirteen varieties of cookies.

The rare man who appears to enjoy the shopping experience is more likely to balance the red meat in his cart with fresh vegetables and fruit.

Some men are on overload with the whole hunter/provider thing. Two men came in with their wives to stock up for the family barbeque. Among massive amounts of other things, they also bought two big packages of the freshly fried chicken. The swipe had not cooled from their debit card before they dove into the packages. They'd also bought a package of paper napkins and thoughtfully opened that up, too. The men then served the rest of their family members with pieces of chicken, all while still in line. (It was a big order that took time to bag.)