poll: how often do you shop for groceries?

[franksolich]

How often do you shop for groceries?

I don't mean for the last-minute half-gallon of milk or package of cigarettes from the convenience store, but the heavy-duty grocery shopping.

All the older siblings and their spouses appeared to shop once a week, filling up the automobile or van to the rafters.

I on the other hand have always emulated the parents, who shopped for groceries every single day excepting Sundays (but then and again, it needs pointed out franksolich has no spouse and dependents, so it's a somewhat different sort of thing).

In the town of circa 3,000 alongside the Platte River of Nebraska, where I spent my childhood, and in the town of circa 3,000 in the Sandhills of Nebraska, the routine of the parents never changed; they went to the grocery store every day (excepting Sundays), usually about 5:00 p.m., and until we were teenagers, hauled my younger brother and I along with them.

I wonder at times if perhaps it was more of a social thing, than a practical thing, as the parents seemed to take ample opportunity to chitchat with others on the premises, employees and customers alike, and to get a mere two bagfuls of groceries would take until nearly 6:00 p.m.

The haul never really amounted to more than that, a couple of those large paper sacks.  Sometimes it was only one sack, but never less than that.

At the time my younger brother and I were little lads, the older siblings, of which there were many, were in their late teenaged and early college years; with such a houseful, I have no idea why grocery trips weren't larger expeditions.

Perhaps there were other trips, other haulings, that I didn't know about; after all, I was hardly the most perceptive kid around.

One also has to consider the time and place, a kinder, gentler era.  Both towns had three "big" grocery stores and one mom-and-pop operation, each.  The parents however always went to only one store, never the others.  They got along with everybody in town, including the other grocers, but they always shopped at just one store, all the time.

This was also a time when customers and cashiers used to freely smoke cigarettes, customers while strolling down the aisles, the cashiers even while ringing up things in the cash-register.  And the butchers (there were usually two) behind the meat counter, chopping away on wooden blocks, cigarettes dangling from their lips.

The parents were not much into "comparison shopping" or coupons, nor grocery lists.  I suspect the lack of a list was okay because the parents always shopped together, and if one forgot something, the other would remember.

And, according to U.S. Department of Labor statistics, at the time the "average" household spent an "average" of 27% of the household income on food, not including eating out.  (The current statistic, which includes eating out, is 8%.)

Food was high, but everything else was cheaper, and each kid needed only two pairs of shoes each year.

[debk]

I always shopped "big" at least once a week when the kids were young and at home.

Then when it was just my daughter and I, she worked most nights and the other half and I went out more than eating in.

Now that we don't go out as much, I'm back to shopping pretty much every week.

I'm bad though...I rarely go with a list unless I'm cooking something major - company is coming, or Christmas Eve dinner, etc.

I'm also bad that I go up and down every aisle.....I like to see what's available on sale that I might use, what's a new product, does anything strike me for something different to fix. About a month ago, I planned a whole meal around a jar of Hot Peach and Apple Chutney that I saw on a shelf at Big Lots.

It's really bad if I'm hungry when I go to the grocery....I end up with all kinds of stuff.

More often than not, I'm with my runnin' buddy when I grocery shop....makes it great, because we often compare what we're going to get and cook and give each other ideas....

I shop for groceries at Kroger's, Sam's, Walmart, Food City, and Big Lots with a rare trip to the Fresh Market. I used to be a Kroger only shopper, now it's more what's convenient. Sam's and Walmart are next door to each other, so if I go to Sam's I will finish at Walmart. Big Lots and 2 Krogers are near each other, so they tend to get paired. And there's a Food City across from my office, so I either go there or to the Kroger's down the street from there if I go from the office. Fresh Market is really expensive, so I only go there if I'm looking for something specific that I can't get at one of the other stores.

[Odin's Hand]

Damn, I only go about every 3 weeks or so.

[formerlurker]

Big shopping once/month at the base commissary.   That said, I am in a grocery store several times a week it seems for items I run out of, the kids need for whatever reason, or to grab something to bring to meeting, etc.

It really never ends.

[Lord Undies]

I like to shop the same day for what I plan to cook for dinner.  There has been a need to alter that routine these last few years, but it is still something I prefer to do.  The peripheral items and pantry staples can be maintained with a periodic trip to Walmart or equal.   

[chris_]

I like to shop the same day for what I plan to cook for dinner.  There has been a need to alter that routine these last few years, but it is still something I prefer to do.  The peripheral items and pantry staples can be maintained with a periodic trip to Walmart or equal.   

That is pretty close to how I shop, too.  I'm in and out of the nearest grocery store a few times a week.

[Wayne]

    Once a month...

[Duke Nukum]

I tend to go as needed.  Usually a couple of times a week.  This works out well if I get 20 items or less because I get out faster and since the grocery store is on the way from work, I would rather make more trips than stand in line for more than ten minutes behind people who have a cart full or sometimes two.

[bkg]

I buy in bulk. 

[Flame]

Usually every 3-4 weeks for a "big" shop, but I fill in with milk, bread and incidentsals every 3-4 days

[Lord Undies]

I buy in bulk. 

Bulk, TX.?

[franksolich]

An excerpt of this posted at

http://www.freerepublic.c...chat/2391588/posts?page=1

if anyone is interested in other comments, if any gotten.

[Freeper]

I can't afford to buy groceries in this Obama economy. 

Sda part is that may be true if he gets his way 

[bkg]

Bulk, TX.?

Not yet... 

[Thor]

I buy in bulk. 

Sounds like either Sams or Costco........

I've done/do the majority of my shopping there, mainly for meats, cheeses and whatever else they carry that is not in too large amounts.


I sure do miss Cub Foods and most especially their Apple Fritters. They have apple fritters here, but all of the damned donut shops close at noon.... The local grocery stores, Albertsons and Krogers never have them fresh and they suck in comparison.