Grocery Store Etiquette

I don’t think you can go into any grocery store in the country without seeing a rack full of reusable shopping bags – cloth bags with the logo a particular store on it, which usually sells for a dollar.

I’ve found that using these bags slows me down, most of the time.  In my local grocery store, there’s a high turnover with clerks.  So just as soon as you get used to one checker, who handles the bags like a pro, affixing them to his or her turnstyle with ease, she leaves and her replacement has no clue how to pack them quickly and efficiently.

Then of course there’s the cost.  They only cost a dollar, but chances are the first time you use it, you’ll leave the bag in your house, and the next time you go shopping, you won’t have it with you.  So you buy another one.  Eventually you get smart and buy a bunch of them.  You keep half of them in the trunk of your car, and so if you forget to restore the ones from your last shopping trip, you still have those.  But that’s still a cost you don’t need to pay.

Certain stores that sell food items in bulk solve the problem by not offering any shopping bags at all.  They transfer the food and other items from your cart into a new cart, and you push that cart out to your car and load up the trunk with the items.  Of course then you have to make several trips into the house with your goodies.

The solution is easy – and that’s to use cardboard boxes as carrying cases.  Keep them in the trunk of your car, and when you unpack your groceries from the car, simply place them in the box.  Once you get home, carry the entire box inside.

If you’re going to a grocery store where you’re going to buy lots of little items, simply take the box in with you.  Ask the clerk at checkout to place the items in that box.  It goes a lot quicker than trying to hold open a cloth bag and trying to pack that!  If the clerk should object for some reason, have a little chat with the manager.

Of course, if you’re only purchasing a few things, and you have no cardboard box, consider not getting a plastic bag, either.  Simply carry the items in your arms out of the store, holding the receipt ready to be checked by a clerk.  Don’t be upset if this occurs, it’s just the nature of things.

On a side note, have you ever noticed that most people seem to leave their shopping carts (or buggies or baskets, depending on which part of the country you’re in) in the middle of parking spots, instead of walking a few extra feet to return them to cart corrals.  Get some exercise, show a little courtesy – return your cart to a corral.  If you’re going inside the store, snag a cart on your way in, just in case there are none inside.  Although this happens rarely, when it does happen, you’ll be glad you had the foresight to bring a cart of your own.