I went grocery shopping today. I've been eating healthy recently and so to do that means buying more fresh food.
Anyway, a little bit about where I live. I live within 15 minutes walk of Superstore. It's literally down the road. I'm on 1st avenue, it's on 10th.
Superstore is surrounded by a massive surface parking lot filled with minivans and aggresive soccer mom drivers. Actually they're more likely pianist mums, as superstore works hard to cater to minorities. After all, those from different countries usually don't buy brand if it's more expensive as they haven't got the natural prejudice to know that kraft is obviously the superior macaroni.
I tell you the things these people do to find a good parking spot are crazy.
They'll drive around for 10 minutes following people to their waiting cars and leaving their turn signal on for 10 minutes waitng for them to vacate the parking lot. Meanwhile the ones who parked on the spacious far side of the lot are in the store and have a grocery cart half full and are contemplating where the shortest line up is.
I hate superstore.
Actually I make it a point to rarely if ever shop there. Why would I shop in a packed store with half rotten produce (it's seriously gross, sometimes) and 10 trillion aisles spead out so that all the things you need are on opposite sides of the store. And try finding someone to help you. Impossible. Utterly impossible. And when you do ask them they say aisle 40 or 42, somewhere around there. They never take you there because chances are it will take 15 minutes to get there from the part of the store you're in. Add to that, they're gettin paid minimum age. There's a reason they give some employees rollerblades.
In addition, to save big you need to buy mutiplies of 352 to save 10 cents per can. Why do I need four loaves of bread?
Superstore is not designed with single people in mind. In addition to this, it closes at 10pm. I can't understand why a store which has 20 minute lineups at 9:45 doesn't open until midnight. There are NEVER short lineups at superstore. Never.
However, Save-on foods or safeway... Now we're talking shopping in style. A bit further away but that time is recouped in that you don't need to park 3km away.
For me there's a relaxing calm shopping after 10pm. Until closing (midnight) few are in the store, you can slowly peruse the aisles for what you need and casually make your way to the cashier.
You can put it all in your basket and away you go. A short conversation later and a short walk across a small parking lot and you're on your way home.
Ahh... Shopping bliss
Any gripes, disagreements and the like? Feel free to prove me wrong. But you won't change my mind. Well, probably not, anyway.
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8 comments:
There is one problem about shopping after 10 (which I usually do, too, because if I go after work it's just crazy, filled with angry people who NEED to buy something to EAT). Know what it is? The bakery is closed. I like fresh buns for my lunch, but to get fresh buns in singles, I have to go before 9, because after that, they clear out the buns bins and put them in packs of six as day-olds. And I can only buy one bun at a time, for the next day, because I haven't yet figured out how to keep a bun nice and fresh for 2 days. So this causes problems, and I end up eating Chef Boyardee for lunch instead of the yummy sandwhich I want.
That's true... and if you want the ultimate in freshness you go to the bakery on the way to work... to get the hot just made ones.
Of course, this would require you to make your lunch AT work... complete with condiments. Maybe someone will invent the ready-made atkins sandwich. just add buns.
I agree with the buns bit. Post 10 shopping does suck. Superstore is OK, though, since I know where everything is (I worked there). Having said that, don't call me for directions.
Also, wicked idea... pick up ANY Superstore telephone in the aisle, hit 81, that activates the intercom. I'm not responsible for Gary swearing in Japanese at everyone (and don't tell me that they don't swear in Japanese).
Whatever Kimmy!!!
How can you possibly say shopping at superstore is okay. Even if you know where everything is (And they change it on purpose, too) you still have to traverse the whole MASSIVE store to get to each place.
And you have to buy 10 of anything to save.
Superstore is designed for large families and people who don't care if they have quality produce. Half the stuff comes from Ontario in a truck. Yea... three days in a truck. That's fresh.
As for buns... i have one word for you: BAKERY.
As for the 81 thing... excellent... this shall be fun.
OK, compare cereal prices to Safeway or Save on. And don't get me started on IGA. Superstore is cheaper. Sure it's big, and sure it fuels my anger at Chinese drivers, but stop drinking the Hater-ade (located in aisle 11 next to the Snapple bulk pack... damn, that proves your "bulk" point).
Aside from the Snapple, the point of buying 10 to save is not true... it's more like 2 or 3.
The buns are OK, but only up till, I dunno, say 4 p.m.
The produce and the meat is infected with flies, I've seen it before. The shenanigans me and my buddies pulled at Superstore back in the day would curl your hair, especially with the wet compactor. I mean, no one died, but still...
I shop at Stupidstore because I don't earn like $300,000/yr although if I did, I'd gladly go to Safeway because they treat their customers much better.
Lots of things piss me off about Stupidstore, but I save lots of money having such a low income.
The thing that pisses me off the most is they are always out of everything. My buddy wanted to get some things to make a salad and they didn't even have celery there. Lots of times I went to get a 2L bottle of Coca~Cola and they were sold out. I come back another day and still out. This once went on for 3 weeks before I finally sent an e-mail to the head office.
They don't even have much of a selection for brand names. EG: You can get Maile but you can't get Grey Poupon.
One time I was standing in line to pay for my groceries and the number light was even on to indicate that the lane was open. There were two people in front of me and another person came standing behind me. We were waiting patiently in line when the cashier rudly told us that she was closing the lane after the person who was right in front of me. I was soo angry that I dropped my basket full of groceries and walked right out of the store and went to Safeway.
Also Safeway doesn't charge you extra for shopping bags, and they bag your groceries for you.
I hate how they tape your bags when you enter the store and treat you like as if you're a well-known shoplifter or something.
Some generic products I don't mind if they actually taste good, but when it comes to my Cola, it better be the real thing!
Ok, this is getting long but if it wasn't for this store which annoys me so much, I'd probably be starving half way through the month and begging for food or lining up at some soup kitchen.
One other thing I must point out though. Back in sometime around I think it was 1996, both Safeway and Save-On-Foods locked their doors for 6 months over some labour dispute, while all the other stores including Stupidstore were still open for business. Unfortunately there wasn't a Stupidstore where I lived so I couldn't get roceries unless it was at a marked-up price at some convenient store during those 6 long months.
You're all a bunch of morons. You guys do not seem to know what you're talking about.
I hate it too. Just gross - I order my groceries online now just to save time (my money) and I love that the delivery service is a more enviro friendly option...they deliver to multiple houses in the area so no waiting 10 mins idling in the car with the blinker on. Oh and they have a 100% guarantee. Sweet shopping bliss from the comfort of my own home.
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