Repetitive Motion

I detest (hate, loathe, abhor, dislike with the intensity of a thousand suns- you choose an adjective) going grocery shopping, but since we sorta need to eat sometimes, I really have to go at least once a week. Sometimes I have to go more often if we run out of something that's a necessity, like coffee or chocolate.

Grocery shopping is such a hassle, isn't it? No matter how well prepared you think you are, you always forget something. You make the list, then you promptly forget it on the table, and you remember when you get to the store's parking lot. You think, “Oh, that's okay, I'll remember what we need.” HAHAHAHA. Thanks to the Wegmans app, I rarely forget my list, because I rarely forget my phone. I know I talked about it previously here, but for me, it's an absolute Godsend.

The Wegmans app sorts your list by the store layout, so if you follow the list, you don't have to backtrack. Saving steps is important to me. What nothing can account for, however, is when you're halfway through the store, and you get a meal idea that requires produce. Do you walk all the way back to the other side to get the produce, or do you change your meal idea? Sometimes, it's walk back to get the produce, sometimes, it's change your meal. It depends on how I'm feeling that day. Some days, the brain is stronger than the legs, some days the legs are stronger than the brain.

Oh, but I was talking about the hassle of grocery shopping...you walk through a giant supermarket, collecting the food you think your family will like. You get to the checkout, you have to unload all the groceries you so carefully picked up throughout the store. You pay, and then you have to go to your car, unload the cart yet again to load your car. When you get home, you have to unload your car and bring it all in the house. I'm really fortunate because if I go shopping on the weekend, my husband is home, and he will bring in the groceries for me. But your job still isn't finished, because now you have to put all of the food away. That's where my kids come in. My daughter has gotten really good at putting away groceries and has taught my son how to help.

Since we are watching our pennies (like most people in the world) I split my shopping between two stores. I go to Target first, then on to Wegmans. I like the bread better than the Wegmans bread, and their bagels are good, too. So, I get what I can at Target, then head to Wegmans. When it's warm, I don't buy frozen stuff or dairy at Target, so I'll get that stuff at Wegmans.

By the time I get home, I'm pretty well fried because it's a lot of work for me to do all that. Sometimes when I have a lot to buy, I start to feel totally overwhelmed by the time I get to the checkout. I've used my energy beyond "E" trying to walk, find, remember, balance, see, and lift. While I'm waiting in line, everything annoys me. Sounds seem too loud, the people in line are too slow (Oh, I need to pay for all of these groceries? Let me wait until my order is completely totaled to dig around for my cash, with exact change), and the lane I choose doesn't have the beverage I thought I'd get while waiting in line.

Then, I get to sit in my car. YAY, sitting!!

I like the end result of grocery shopping, because it is nice to have food in the house, but most times I really wish Buffalo had Pea Pod like we had in Chicago, or Wegmans had the buy online, pick up in store like they offer in Rochester. Until then, I forge through the vast buildings that purvey sustenance.