esrosedotblog

SHOP

I am a mild agoraphobic. I do not like to shop. I am not someone who 'looks around' for things to buy. When I need something, I prefer the internet. If I have to go 'out there' to get it, I make my plans, reconnoiter the area and then swoop down in one fast mission to snag the item I need or want and get the hell out before I get any thing on me.

The one exception to this though, is grocery shopping. I love it. I am still not a 'shopper'. I am immune from the sales, I don't mess with any coupons or discounts, and I do not do impulse shopping. I just make my list, go into the store and do the job. And I enjoy every minute.

Perhaps is because I grew up in the grocery business. My Dad was a manager for A & P. I worked in the store when I was a kid. As chance would have it, my first job after college was in a food chain headquarters (a competitor of my Dad's outfit). So it is sort of in my blood. I know that I take a lot of history into the supermarket with me when I shop. Maybe that is why it is so enjoyable.

I shop twice a week and do it methodically. I have a routine. I go to the same store. I know a lot of the clerks. It is a social occasion; a light one, but social nonetheless. Tuesday and Friday. On Fridays, which is usually lighter, John and Franklin usually go along. They sit on the tailgate and charm the people going in and out of the store. A family time!

Today is a shopping day. I am smiling at the prospect. It is Tuesday, so I will go alone and relish the moments as I move from produce to dairy to groceries to meat to frozen and on to the household stuff. What a rush!