Comments on: Store Check-Out Requires Discipline

By: Christopher Gabriel

Christopher Gabriel — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 17:58:38 +0000

Of the many points you made, all of which resonate for me, the one that stands out the most: Efficient shopping. Being efficient… and being thorough. It is not an exercise in aimless wandering, going aisle-to-aisle thinking we might need any number of items we’ve never considered buying before. This happens when… The Daughters Who Already Live to Shop… are with me. Where do they learn this stuff? I honestly believe the doctor puts in a shopping microchip the second the dad loses focus… which begs the question is a dad ever focused when out with his daughters?

By: Adam Shake

Adam Shake — Wed, 03 Mar 2010 12:23:23 +0000

What’s really disarming is when they pop up where you don’t expect them too. Like at Pets-mart. Would you like to donate a dollar toward the U.S. Humane Society? Visions of puppies in dirty and crowded cages, mean and swaggering men walking around breeding mills like some evil guy in a bad Stephen King movie, fill my head.

“Uh, not today…” I utter under my breath. I’ll just go home and give my own pound puppy an extra treat.

By: Bruce

Bruce — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 20:58:44 +0000

Christopher, I empathize. I love to go to the store alone and let it wash over me as I kill time and make selections. I also agree to a certain point with Andy. I prefer to shop without Beloved Spouse. There are various reasons.

First, I can take a list prepared by B. Spouse and be in and out in very short order, acquiring every single item on the list. (If we go together, there is quite a bit more “shopping” which occurs, much to my impatient chagrin.) Second, I don’t have to wonder if I’ve picked the correct item among exact duplicates. B. Spouse insists that whatever item is facing me on the shelf is never the right one. (It must be at least the third one in the row, or the third one down in the stack.) -doesn’t matter if it’s fresh food or canned, the one in front/on top is never good enough to go into the cart.

Third, when alone I’m allowed to stop at the magazine section for awhile if I like, checking out the latest fantasy baseball publication, while my milk gets warm in the cart.

Checkout is a breeze. A stupid smile and a nod is really all you need. “Not today.” is my typical response for appeals for extras.

P.S. Don’t forget “Slings and Arrows.”

By: Carrie

Carrie — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 02:31:52 +0000

Christopher I am so fortunate that my husband does most of the shopping. I do not like going into the larger stores but love going into the little markets and mom & pop stores as you will always find some gem you did not expect.

As for the Profit Enforcers I politely tell them no thank you. I have no problem saying no. It comes from being a mom

By: Norma

Norma — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 00:50:06 +0000

Those Profit Enforcers not only scan the groceries but at times perform the MORALITY SCAN. In your cart are items without bar codes…is it the 1.99 per # Pablano or the 1.29 jalepano, is it the .79 ciabatta roll or the .49 portugese roll? But the question is, why is the checker asking you what these items are: is it to check your honesty or do they really not know and and now should you take advantage of that and pocket .20? What a dilemna!! Or they ask, do you know how much this item is? You could confidently say, .99 when you know it’s twice that, you could roll the dice and let the Profit Enforcers guess – what to do. Honesty prevails with me but then I also feel assured I won’t choke on that ciabatta roll!

By: Jennifer

Jennifer — Sun, 28 Feb 2010 04:27:11 +0000

Line’s gettin’ pretty long….

By: Christopher Gabriel

Christopher Gabriel — Sun, 28 Feb 2010 03:05:10 +0000

They can get in line behind the Canadians and whale lovers.

By: Christopher Gabriel

Christopher Gabriel — Sun, 28 Feb 2010 02:54:09 +0000

Andy – you go right ahead. You certainly don’t need my permission.

By: Jennifer

Jennifer — Sun, 28 Feb 2010 02:35:19 +0000

As a former “Profit Enforcer”, I’d like to warn you that TPTB will not be happy that you’ve outed them.

By: Andy Heller

Andy Heller — Sun, 28 Feb 2010 02:21:46 +0000

Christopher, do you mind if I print this out and give it to my mother? She would like this!

I dont mind shopping at all and enjoy going to the mall’s, so your not the only one. The only thing I believe, is that husbands and wives should not go shopping together. You will stay married longer If one of us goes grocery shopping, we go alone. There is less arguing that is for sure. When I go shopping for my own stuff, I can spend hours browsing like in a book store and my wife does not like that, so its best I go alone.

The check outs….if you want to have fun with those check out people, do the following. When it comes time to pay, ask them “Do you take federal reserve notes?” They have no idea as to what your talking about. I said that to one checkout gal here at Wal-Mart and I bet she spent a good 5-8 minutes trying to find out from supervisors if Wal-Mart accept federal reserve notes! When the supervisor came down, she asked him “Do we accept federal reserve notes?” His reply was “No, we dont.” I’ll tell you what, you want to see some good reactions, watch their faces when you tell them what a federal reserve note is-CASH!