The horror of grocery shopping

[Tobiasly]

Originally posted by xoxoxoBruce
OK but don't let her put the roll on the wrong way. You have to take a stand sometime.

Yes, I did put my foot down on that one. She put it on wrong once or twice, and then I called her into the bathroom and explained to her the logic of having it come off the top.

She actually had the first valid, logical explanation for putting it on upside-down that I'd ever heard. She said they did that at her house growing up so the cats didn't unravel the whole roll when they would bat at it. But since that isn't an issue with us, she gave in.

[Tobiasly]

Originally posted by Uryoces
I went camping with my dad and my uncle near Mt. St. Helens last year, and my uncle tossed me a pack of baby wipes. They worked great! I felt pretty darn clean.

I'm well aware of the benefits of baby wipes! They are an essential item to have when you're gonna be in the middle of some barren desert wasteland with no running water, and baths/showers are few and far between. I recommend the antibacterial kind for that extra-fresh feeling.

[xoxoxoBruce]

Boy, did this thread go down the toilet.

[BrianR]

Is much the same as everyone else's.

I make lists of what I need, and buy it. I use coupons when available and I remember them, I check circulars for the best prices on whatever it is I need and plan my shopping trip accordingly.

I tend to do most of my shopping at the commissary, and only buy those things that they don't carry at the local grocery stores. Like Rosati's Water Ice. The only problem I have with that is the surcharge they put on it. Five percent around here. Six in Penna. Conveniently the same as the local sales tax (which I do not pay) and since the surcharge is on the total, I pay the equivalent of the sales tax on EVERYTHING. That and the baggers blatantly want tips. It's the opnly pay they get so I don't mind five or six bucks to bag and truck my groceries to the car. I just hate that surcharge. That and the lines on payday. I see a line halfway across the store those days.

So count your blessings with the four people in a line.

Oh, the commissary doesn't do much in the way of store-brand items so I tend to buy name brands. I only buy store brands if I *have* to use a "regular" grocery store. I also buy certain things at BJs. Things like potty paper and trash bags and soda. And Ellio's frozen pizza.

Now that I think of it, grocery day is a half-day event.

Brian

[Undertoad]

With e-commerce, I am not used to having to go retrieve the things I want. Normally I select them from the screen and give them some bit of information and a few days later the things are on my front step. I just look out the front door and there they are.

I'm willing to haul ass down to the local distribution center to get stuff that goes bad, like bread and meat and milk. But they're gonna have to figure out how to get peanut butter to my front step.

[Whit]

By BrianR:
I make lists of what I need, and buy it. I use coupons when available and I remember them, I check circulars for the best prices

      Huh, with a name like BrainR I thought you were a dude!

     Tobiasly, certainly you aren't suggesting putting the toilet paper in the incorrect 'overhand' position? Properly it should come out the bottom it's much easier to rip off that way.

[xoxoxoBruce]

Properly it should come out the bottom

88% of the population says you're wrong.:p

[elSicomoro]

I personally thought Genuardi's got better after Safeway took over, though I know a lot of folks were unhappy with it. I always liked shopping at Safeway in DC, and I used to like the looks I got when I used my Safeway Club card at Genuardi's. Of course, that's gone now...got stolen with my wallet.

There's one near me in Bensalem, and I go there on occasion (though I've been frequenting them more in the past few weeks). I like the layout of the store, though they could use a bit more variety.

I live 3 blocks from an Acme, so it's convenient. It's a small one though, and I've never met such unfriendly assholes. At first, I thought it was because Rho and I were a mixed couple, but then I started going in there by myself and discovered that they're just like that with everybody. Okay, that's not completely true. They're very friendly with ugly people with accents that scream "I'm from Northeast Philadelphia!!!"

There's a Super Fresh up at Franklin Mills, and I shop there on occasion. It's huge though, so to run in and out is a pain. But they have self checkouts, which I love. Saves me attitude.

You forgot Pathmark, Jeff. Rho and I were going there frequently for a while, but quit going. For some reason, that Dateline special on their meat tactics scared us away--even though they also featured Super Fresh/A&P, Albertson's (Acme), and Safeway in that episode...and they were almost as bad. Plus, Pathmark is ghetto fabulous by nature. Though I like their selection.

I live near a Shop-Rite and a Giant...and I think there's a Super G by me too (DC/Baltimore folks: What we call Giant up here, though Giant of MD and Giant of PA are owned by the same company now.). I've only been to each of them maybe a handful of times.

And you can't forget Aldi. Jesus Christ, when things were tough back home, my mom would shop there. They actually have some great bargains, if you can stand dealing with the thugs that generally shop there. Although, I haven't been to one in some time...definitely not since I moved to Philadelphia. One time, we were doing some shopping for a dorm function at SEMO. And the woman we were dealing with was the ultimate cunt. In being such a bitch, she forgot to scan the hot dogs on the bottom of the cart...$20-30 worth. Don't ask, don't tell.

(To the Office of Residence Life: You're welcome.)

As far as grocery shopping itself, Rho and I have not done a standard week's worth of grocery shopping in over a year. Not sure why, but we generally only pick up enough stuff for 2-4 days. We don't spend any more than we would in a week, but for some reason, I never feel a real desire to pick up that much stuff.

Maybe part of it is because I wind up having to do all the carrying. Rho can't lift anything heavy anymore, so if I buy it, I'm the one that has to carry it up to the third floor.

I don't necessarily dislike shopping...sometimes, I quite enjoy it. I think I just get irritated by asinine employees, bratty kids and their stupid parents, and dumbass people that just gawk. Goddamnit, get the fuck out of my way.

And to think, for a time, when I lived in DC, I would do all our laundry at the laundromat, then go do 2 weeks of grocery shopping, all on a Friday night.

As far as TP, I go with Northern. It's on sale quite a bit, and Charmin leaves fuzz. When I was in college, I stocked up on Soft n' Gentle. $1 for 4 rolls, and it lived up to its name.

[Tobiasly]

Originally posted by Whit
Tobiasly, certainly you aren't suggesting putting the toilet paper in the incorrect 'overhand' position? Properly it should come out the bottom it's much easier to rip off that way.

Easier to rip off?! What is your TP made of, reinforced titanium? You yank it, and it rips. When you feed it through on the bottom, you have to fish around for the end since you can't see it. When it comes over the top, it's just right there.

If the toilet paper roll were six feet up on the wall, so as to be above me while I'm sitting on the throne, then I'd agree it should come from the bottom. That just makes sense, man.

[Bitmap]

Dude Pepod by Giant is a god Send.. Give them your grocery list they bring you every thing you need(you can request non store brand) and if the distribution center doesn't have what you want then they replace it with something about the same. all you have to do is pay out the nose.

[SteveDallas]

Originally posted by Undertoad
With e-commerce, I am not used to having to go retrieve the things I want. Normally I select them from the screen and give them some bit of information and a few days later the things are on my front step. I just look out the front door and there they are.

I'm willing to haul ass down to the local distribution center to get stuff that goes bad, like bread and meat and milk. But they're gonna have to figure out how to get peanut butter to my front step.

So where do you get your groceries??

I'm not sure if I'm willing to pay for delivery to my door. But I'd damn well pay to make my selections on a web site and have it all bagged up ready for me to take home when I get to the store. I'd probably give Peapod a try if they were doing their thing here.

[Bitmap]

the Hairry Teet is my favorite place

[Whit]

From Bruce:
88% of the population says you're wrong.

      I find this somewhat disconcerting, I thought the idiot percentage was higher than that. Not saying that improper instalment of TP makes a person an idiot per se, just that the percetage of people that seem to be idiots would be a bit higher...

From Tobiasly:
Easier to rip off?! What is your TP made of, reinforced titanium?

     Hey, I'm poor, so what if I use John Wayne style TP?

[vsp]

Originally posted by sycamore
You forgot Pathmark, Jeff.

I haven't seen a Pathmark in several years. The last one I knew of (Wilmington, just over the Delaware border) got knocked down to make room for a Barnes & Noble/Best Buy complex. (They also took out the only "artsy" movie theater that didn't have the word 'Ritz' in its name, the bastards -- swapping it for Best Buy, the Black Hole of Customer Service was not a fair trade.)

[That Guy]

Originally posted by warch
I have not lived in Austin, TX since 1997 and I still miss Central Market. A beautiful grocery store concept of the HEB mega chain, it was designed to take on the homegrown Whole Foods juggernaut. And they rock. It is like a playground for grownups, oh yeah, and you can pick up your French Roast beans and a carton of milk. Great produce, organic and conventional, meat, fish, cheese, (yet the regular store stuff you need like Charmin). Samples out the yingyang. Fresh breads, great fresh tortillas, sushi, flowers, a massive good hot food take out area, a cafe with a zillion food choices that are family friendly, Beer, wine, live bands- an occasional jazz combo playing in a loft area inside while you browse, a rock/folk/blues/country band outside on the shady patio, cooking classes.....I imagine it has only continued to thrive and spawn new stores.
Sigh. I love Central Market.

I guess you missed out on seeing the new one down south in the Westgate shopping center. I think Austin is the only city with 2 stores now. yipee! I'm there at least once a week without any complaints. I have a friend that has dubbed it "Gucci-B."