Grocery store

[j rake]

Is there a place on earth more annoying?

People leaving their carts in the middle of the aisle. Kids running all over the place. The manual scales in the fruit section. The people at the deli who, when you tell them you'd like a half-pound of turkey, do everything they can to give you EXACTLY a half pound of turkey...0.55...0.46...0.52...then they are ripping a piece of turkey to get it just right. The "Would you like your milk in a bag?" question. People who pay for their groceries using their check book. People who knowingly use the express lane with a few more items than allowed (and no, eight of the same items does not equal one item.) People who are behind you in line, but when a new line opens up don't offer you a chance to upgrade your position first. People who ask for price checks on essential items such as milk, which they are going to buy regardless of price. People who clip coupons at the register (do it at home.)

The grocery store tricks are also annoying, like when they list something as 10-for-$10.

You don't need to buy 10. It's $1 each. 

[steve dave]

I hate busy grocery stores.  Here's an actual photograph of me at Trader Joe's the other day:

 
 
 
 
 
   
 
 
 
 
 

[j rake]

LOL

[Saulbadguy]

Tip at the deli counter, look at the scale and say "that's ok" and they will stop trying to make it exactly half a pound. 

'nother tip, go twice a week so you never require a cart, just the basket.

Use the self checkout thing.  Saves a bunch of time/annoyance.

[steve dave]

Use the self checkout thing.  Saves a bunch of time/annoyance.

can't buy booze at that thing 

[j rake]

Use the self checkout thing.  Saves a bunch of time/annoyance.

I've had the opposite experience if the self checkout requires you to stand in line. It's like nobody has paid attention to the cashier in the years leading up to the self checkout, and so now they have no idea what they are doing.

They scan the item. It doesn't scan. They search for the bar code. They cannot find it. They twist the item, they turn the item, they shake the item. Then they step away from the machine while holding the item. "Hmm..." Suddenly, they realize that they are holding a bag of bananas. "Ah-hah! There is no barcode." Now they are playing with the kiosk, searching for the item code. But of course there is no item code. There is only a big giant icon listed under "B" that says..."Bananas." So they hit bananas. And they are done, right? Of course not. Now they have to weigh the bananas, but by the time they realized this it is much too late. Now they must look up bananas again, and weigh it again, and yes, we've now completed one item. Or have we? "Please place the item in the bag." "Well, wait," the person says. "My items are in a bag!" Suddenly they realize that the kiosk is asking them to place the bagged bananas into a plastic bag. By now, it has taken too long. The item was not bagged fast enough. Now an attendant must help them. The attendant must punch in a code. There, it's all better and the next item can be scanned. Celery is the next item to be scanned and it goes through perfectly. But just one problem: the bag was wet. Now the scanner is wet. Now nothing else will scan.

Meanwhile, the rest of the line:  

[kso_FAN]

Use the self checkout thing.  Saves a bunch of time/annoyance.

I've had the opposite experience if the self checkout requires you to stand in line. It's like nobody has paid attention to the cashier in the years leading up to the self checkout, and so now they have no idea what they are doing.

They scan the item. It doesn't scan. They search for the bar code. They cannot find it. They twist the item, they turn the item, they shake the item. Then they step away from the machine while holding the item. "Hmm..." Suddenly, they realize that they are holding a bag of bananas. "Ah-hah! There is no barcode." Now they are playing with the kiosk, searching for the item code. But of course there is no item code. There is only a big giant icon listed under "B" that says..."Bananas." So they hit bananas. And they are done, right? Of course not. Now they have to weigh the bananas, but by the time they realized this it is much too late. Now they must look up bananas again, and weigh it again, and yes, we've now completed one item. Or have we? "Please place the item in the bag." "Well, wait," the person says. "My items are in a bag!" Suddenly they realize that the kiosk is asking them to place the bagged bananas into a plastic bag. By now, it has taken too long. The item was not bagged fast enough. Now an attendant must help them. The attendant must punch in a code. There, it's all better and the next item can be scanned. Celery is the next item to be scanned and it goes through perfectly. But just one problem: the bag was wet. Now the scanner is wet. Now nothing else will scan.

Meanwhile, the rest of the line: 

Few things are more annoying than this.  Very few.

Fortunately I usually go to the store when its not real busy and most of the self-checks are free.

[pissclams]

i love going to the grocery store.  its my artisanal nature, i suppose.

[ew2x4]

This is really the only reason I got married. I haven't been to the grocery store in years.

[KSUTOMMY]

grocery stores are bad, but WalMart is the worst. IMO, take your worst grocery experience and multiply it by 10000 and you are just getting there. I hate WalMart so much, I will pay extra for stuff in other places... Target, I love. I go to WalMart for 3 very specific things - nothing else. Oh, I avoid the manic-ness of the grocery by doing the shopping at about 9 pm - seems that the dipfucks are pretty much gone and I can get done annoyance free.

[sys]

i love going to the grocery store.  its my artisanal nature, i suppose.

also love grocery stores.  when touristing, always hit the gses to observe regional diffs.

[j rake]

Anybody here ever been to a WEGMANS?

[pissclams]

wegman's?  ya duh.

[Saulbadguy]

i love going to the grocery store.  its my artisanal nature, i suppose.

also love grocery stores.  when touristing, always hit the gses to observe regional diffs.

Same.  Do you check out the same store if available in different regions, or totally different stores?  I like to compare the different types of Kroger brands.

[j rake]

wegman's?  ya duh.

Why the apostrophe?

[Saulbadguy]

Use the self checkout thing.  Saves a bunch of time/annoyance.

I've had the opposite experience if the self checkout requires you to stand in line. It's like nobody has paid attention to the cashier in the years leading up to the self checkout, and so now they have no idea what they are doing.

They scan the item. It doesn't scan. They search for the bar code. They cannot find it. They twist the item, they turn the item, they shake the item. Then they step away from the machine while holding the item. "Hmm..." Suddenly, they realize that they are holding a bag of bananas. "Ah-hah! There is no barcode." Now they are playing with the kiosk, searching for the item code. But of course there is no item code. There is only a big giant icon listed under "B" that says..."Bananas." So they hit bananas. And they are done, right? Of course not. Now they have to weigh the bananas, but by the time they realized this it is much too late. Now they must look up bananas again, and weigh it again, and yes, we've now completed one item. Or have we? "Please place the item in the bag." "Well, wait," the person says. "My items are in a bag!" Suddenly they realize that the kiosk is asking them to place the bagged bananas into a plastic bag. By now, it has taken too long. The item was not bagged fast enough. Now an attendant must help them. The attendant must punch in a code. There, it's all better and the next item can be scanned. Celery is the next item to be scanned and it goes through perfectly. But just one problem: the bag was wet. Now the scanner is wet. Now nothing else will scan.

Meanwhile, the rest of the line: 

This is why Wal-Mart took out their scanners, no one could figure out how to properly use them.

But if you live on the "elite" side of Topeka and go to the "elite" Dillons, you don't face these problems. 

Don't need to worry about buying booze either, Kansas sells 3.2 beer (and bad ones) in grocery stores, no liquor/wine. 

[pissclams]

wegman's?  ya duh.

Why the apostrophe?

i didn't spell it correctly. 

[sys]

Do you check out the same store if available in different regions, or totally different stores?  I like to compare the different types of Kroger brands.

i usually try to hit what appear to be the dominant 2 or 3.  but it can just be random.  if i'm walking or driving around and see a gs, boom, i'm in there.

[j rake]

I used to love Dillon's salad bar until they started watering down the lettuce.

[T42YS]

Don't need to worry about buying booze either, Kansas sells 3.2 beer (and bad ones) in grocery stores, no liquor/wine. 

Aside from random drug checkpoints on I-70 by RCPD, this is the worst thing about KS.

[Saulbadguy]

I used to love Dillon's salad bar until they started watering down the lettuce.

pfffft...forget the salad bar. Keep walking and hit the olive bar and sushi bar for an elite lunch.

[steve dave]

the cheese monger at whole foods is pretty much the pinnacle of grocery shopping

[T42YS]

everything at whole foods is pretty much the pinnacle of grocery shopping

FIFY

[ben ji]

LOL at the anal retentive people who have to write down every single thing they want to buy before they get to the store I dont know if I should get .5 pound of turkey or smoked turkey  

            <----- Me at the grocery store shopping by impulse and memory

[steve dave]

If you want to see a serious freak out you should be there when I throw stuff haphazardly into the cart when mrs. dave is with me.