Supermarket Sweep

I love grocery shopping. I love it so much that I contemplated listing it as an "interest" on my resume during interviewing last year. (I didn't, but that was because I didn't want to seem like too much of a freak.)

We took a trip to Dominick's tonight to pick up some basics: pizza for dinner (it's not delivery, it's DiGiorno's), sandwich stuff and potato salad for me for lunch, canned soup on sale, salad veggies, and some yogurt for breakfast. Other than items fitting into those categories, the only items I purchased that weren't on sale were a small container of garlic hummus and a bottle of Miracle Whip (Light). Not bad. I saved 17% by buying sale items.

Despite going to the grocery store with a list, I always shop in a particular manner. Namely, up and down each aisle. I usually skip the health & beauty aids aisles (isn't that what Walgreens is for?), and pass by certain sections with barely a glance (e.g. soda, potato chips, pickles, olives, butter, ice cream, meat, cereal). Today, I skipped the drinks and baking aisles altogether. But other than that? Every aisle.

Why? I like to scan for sales. Sure, I read the ad. That's where my list came from. But there are always things on sale that I didn't see in the ad - and you can always use a good deal like 25% off Fig Newtons.

Why else? Because finding new merchandise is fun! There were weeks last year when I went to the grocery store so often that I would recognize new marinade products, or different snack food flavors. It's exciting to me.

I don't know why I find supermarket merchandise so exciting, but I do! That's part of the reason why I love shows like "Supermarket Sweep" and certain games on "The Price is Right." It all deals with food brands, different types of food, grocery store set-ups... it's very interesting. There's nothing more comforting than seeing fully stocked grocery store shelves (sort of like those Target one-color product ads). It's no wonder why my place to retreat to when I'm stressed out is the grocery store (and no, it doesn't necessarily make me buy more, I just feel comforted being in such a land of plenty).

What's your supermarket shopping style? (I sound like an Emode [sorry, Tickle] quiz question.) Do you go up and down every aisle? Do you go shopping with a general idea of the food groups you want to buy, and search only those aisles? Or do you go with a particular list of the items you need to buy and hunt down where those are, picking brands later based on price and availability? Or, the farthest from my method unless I'm in a huge rush, do you go in knowing exactly what products you want to buy, and buy only those without looking at anything else?

How many grocery store chains do you shop at? I've been trying to count the number of different grocery store chains I have frequented over time. I try to get a frequent buyer card at all of them, but either not all of them have them or they mail it to you and I wouldn't be going back or I didn't have time to sign up for one. I think this is a pretty comprehensive list of the stores I've been to [aside: these websites are SO different - some are really pretty and some just look put together; and yes, I have many of them bookmarked - they have recipes!]: Pathmark, Shoprite, Stop & Shop, Shaw's, Waldbaums, A&P, King Kullen, Wegman's, Whole Foods, Trader Joe's, Dominicks, Jewel-Osco, Cub Foods, Giant Eagle, Winn-Dixie, Food Lion, Gristedes, Meijer, Roche Bros, Stew Leonard's (also possibly Bi-Lo and Kroger? I can't remember). Other than Albertson's and Safeway (which are basically the parents of Jewel and Dominicks), Vons (which I guess is also part of the chain since it's the same website content?), Piggly Wiggly and Ralph's, where else do I need to go? Where have you been that I haven't listed? :)