One Morning at the Grocery Store

It’s Saturday and I’m going to Superstore! Grocery shopping may be just one simple routine for anybody but not for a work-at-home mom like me. It is actually one of the highlights of my week. This is my chance to get out of the house and be around people other than my husband and kids after being cooped up in the house for the whole week.

“Good Morning,” greets the hostess standing by the entrance door. I smile and say, “Good Morning,” as I push through the automatic doors the shopping cart that reaches up to my chest.

I pause and look at my shopping list, which I prepared before I left the house. My list helps me remember to buy the things that I need and helps me avoid several trips to the store. This also helps me refrain from impulse buying.

I quickly look for an empty space on the bottom shelf and I place my right foot there. I hold on to a shelf with my left hand and I try to reach the Clean and Clear Astringent with the fingertips of my right hand. I can barely reach it. The bottle tips a little towards me and I immediately grab it.

You see, if my 15-year old son, Reggie, is with me, he could have easily reached that. This is the first time in weeks that the kids are not with me. Reggie’s not feeling well, Ryland, who’s seven, has the sniffles, and Ryan, 11, will not come if nobody’s coming. It’s fun to bring the kids once in a while, but sometimes I can’t say “No” to “Mommy, can we buy this,” or “Mommy, I want that.” Then we end up buying more groceries than we need. I tend to stay on my budget when I am shopping alone.

I pick up Reggie’s inhaler at the Pharmacy counter. I head to the magazine aisle and pick up a copy of the Free Press. I buy the newspaper only on Saturdays when they have the TV guide and comics. I get my daily dose of news on TV anyway.

I go to the detergent section. I take the No Name brands of laundry, dish and floor detergents. They are a lot cheaper than the other more known brands. I think they clean as well as the other brands.

I grab the other items on my list. As I navigate my way towards the meat section, I think about writing my grocery tips in my weblog. Then PLOP! My big bum is suddenly sitting on the wet floor. “Are you okay?” asks the sweet lady extending her arm to me. I take her arm and I get up. “I’m alright,” I say with a grimace. That hurts a little. I look around to see if anybody has seen me fall. I think only a few have. That is pretty embarrassing. And only now do I notice the yellow cone that says “Caution Attention Wet Floor Plancher Mouille.”

I proceed to the snack aisle only to check if the soda pops (softdrinks) are on sale. The two-liter bottles are sometimes sold at 99 cents and then I get a few. Otherwise, I try not to buy them. No drinks in the house means that we won’t be drinking them. These drinks are so high in sugar content. Instead, I buy several little packets of Kool-aid for the kids who will not drink just plain water. I also try to avoid buying bags of chips. Well, I said I try. These are high in oil. I buy lots of fruits. They are better, more nutritious snacks than chips. They are good desserts, too.

12 Comments on “One Morning At The Grocery Store”

Ka Uro said on October 28th, 2005 at 7:41 am

i find it amusing how you describe grocery shopping as a highlight of the week. i think men are really different. me, i hate buying groceries. i waste too much time just locating the right aisle for the items i want to buy. then i get frustrated easily so i leave the grocery shopping to my wife. a highlight for me will be going inside a hardware store. it’s like a toy shop to me.

Irene said on October 28th, 2005 at 12:05 pm

Men and women are really different. Ang mister ko ay bihirang-bihira ding sumamang mag-grocery. Ang hilig niyang puntahan ay electronics store. Laging nakaabang sa mga bagong labas na speakers.

sassymoon said on October 28th, 2005 at 3:05 pm

totoo nga, mas solo/ mas konti kayong nag-g-grocery, less gastos din at mas madaling magstick sa listahan. my sis and i prefer to shop na kaming dalawa lang, rather than isama ang bunsong kapatid namin (na mahilig mageksperimento sa pagluluto kaya kung anu-anong mamahaling sauce, oil, spices, at ingredients ang ipinabibili).

Sidney said on October 29th, 2005 at 8:23 pm

You are really wise and street smart. You know all the tricks of those grocery stores. I could use some of your discipline!

On the other hand, don’t forget that you live only once and that you deserve some more pleasures in life.

Just get out of the house, go to the movie, go for a coffee and watch people passing by, throw your shopping list away and do some impulse buying, surprise yourself and your family.

Don’t take it badly. I am an old man and with each year that pass by I realize that we should taste life as much as possible!

duke said on October 29th, 2005 at 9:22 pm

Grocery shopping is very therapeutic for me. Like you, I love doing it. I like going to the big ones like Carrefour over here and Migros.I go from one item to another comparing prices and figuring out which in the end will come out as the “best buy”.

The first time I went to the grocery with my husband we ended up with a fight. I like going from aisle to aisle, left to right, back and then front area. My husband goes for the aisle where he can get the item he needs and then jumps from one aisle to another. It drove me crazy that I walked out of the grocery store.

Now, my husband knows better. He never goes grocery shopping with me!

Irene said on October 30th, 2005 at 10:58 am

Sassymoon, pareho pala ng kapatid mo ang husband ko na mas mahilig magluto sa akin kaya kung anu-ano rin ang dinadampot na wala naman sa listahan.

Irene said on October 30th, 2005 at 11:08 am

Thanks for the advise, Sidney. I guess I should listen to an experienced guy like you. It may sound that I never go out. But I do every once in a while. It’s just that I have always been a homebody. And I enjoy staying at home. But I do go out with family and friends. I’ve celebrated a milestone a few months ago (the big ?-0) and I realized what you said. I’m not getting younger and I do intend to taste more of the pleasures of life.

Irene said on October 30th, 2005 at 11:12 am

Ay naku, Duke, sinabi mo. Ganyan din kaming mag-asawa. Kaya hindi ko na rin isinasamang mag-grocery. Sabi nga ni Ka Uro, men are different from us. Iba ang style nila ng pamimili.

nikki said on November 2nd, 2005 at 4:45 pm

Bonding time namin ng parents ko ang grocery shopping every week. Gaya mo, my mom also has a list of the things we need to buy except for the merienda foods w/c is where I come in. I know we end up buying more than what is on my mom’s list but my dad doesn’t mind because we have fun doing it.

Irene said on November 3rd, 2005 at 1:33 pm

I hope that my kids can also see that our shopping is also bonding time. Lalo na kapag isa lang ang kasama ko sa kanila. Yun bang one-on-one time namin with each other.

Patrice said on November 5th, 2005 at 9:07 pm

Haha, Irene. Grocery shopping is one of my favorite things because it is an activity that both my husband enjoy. I never go without him Pag clothes shopping lang he gets bored. Men!

Irene said on November 7th, 2005 at 1:00 pm

That’s really interesting, Patrice. Some people don’t like grocery shopping with their husbands while others, like you, do.

"One Morning at the Grocery Store" was originally published on October 26, 2005 at

More comments here.

In my list, I try to sort the items that I will find in the same aisle. I list all dry products together, meat products on one column, fruits and vegetables in another. This saves me time at the grocery store.

My first stop today is the Pharmacy section, which is right next to the entrance. I take shampoos, soaps, and other toiletries. I spot the Clean and Clear Astringent, which I am almost out of. Just my luck, there is only one left and it is on the topmost shelf. There is a Neutrogena Clear Pore Oil Controlling Astrigent on a lower shelf and I am tempted to buy it but it costs (Cdn)$7.27. Clean and Clear is only (Cdn)$5.37. I know that these stores put the more expensive brands on the lower shelves. I may be short but I am smart enough to look on the top shelves for better bargains.

Next stop is the Bulk Section. This is where I get macaroni, ground pepper, mung beans (munggo), candies for the kids and moi, just to name a few. Buying in bulk saves me a few cents and I think I’m helping the environment as well with less packaging.

I have everything on my list and I am now heading to the cash register line. I read the magazine headlines while waiting for my turn. “Vanity Fair – Jen Finally Talks.” Miss Aniston looks gorgeous in her white top on the cover. These glossy magazines look tempting. But I just ignore them. I saw Jen on Oprah just the other week.

“Do you need any bags, ma’am?” asks the young lady on the till.

“No,” I say and I show her my reusable grocery bags. I give her my coupons and I start bagging my purchases.

“Do you want me to check your points?” she asks.

“Yes, please,” I reply. She is talking about the President’s Choice points program which allows me to earn 10 PC points for every dollar of purchase on my PC card. Every time I earn 20,000 points, I can redeem them towards $20.00 free groceries.

“You have $20.00. Do you want to use it?” she asks again.

“Yes, please,” is my immediate reply.

I put the last bag on top of the other bags in my shopping cart and I head towards the exit door. I see that familiar yellow cone and I avoid the wet floor this time.