I am a cart parker and try my best to put it somewhere it will not be blocking people and I try to keep an eye on it so I can move it if it seems to be causing a problem. People move too slowly for me and spend much more time looking at things than I do. They inch down the isle slowly rolling by everything. It is worse in the meat dept. Where they and their cart blocks everything. Not just what they are looking at but everything in front of them. In most situations, I know what I am after and where it is. I fill my arms until full, deposit in cart, move to next area, repeat. I can see where my technique can be bothersome to others and in some cases feel rude but I do my best to be polite about it. I respect people’s personal space.
ETA: I would never, ever, leave my purse behind. That’s what a crossbody is for.
I moved back to MT and one thing i noticed in the smaller towns is how often women leave purses laying around public spaces. Crime is less of a possibility so toting it around securely is less of a requirement.
I was at a rodeo parade in Opheim a couple years ago and there were 5 or 6 purses sitting next to a cafe wall while their owners were walking around chatting w friends. That was a bit extreme even for Montana. LOL!
The only small towns I have lived in ones that would have plenty of out of towners, but I can see doing this in a small town where know everyone in the store. Not doing so is so ingrained in me that I would still probably refrain from doing so.
ETA: Truth is where I live I’d be more concerned about local meth heads than visitors.
I spent some time in a small town and was easily pegged as a “big city” girl–walk fast with determination even if I don’t really know where I’m going and always keep my pocketbook on my shoulder, except when seated in a dining establishment and it was slung on my knee. And that was before I even opened my mouth and spoke Philadelphian
I pay with my phone, so I have no need to take my purse inside, ever. People move way to slow for me as well - in fact, one of the many staff I’ve gotten to know through my biz always yells at me to slow down
I know the local Wegmans like the back of my hand - even when they occasionally change shit up to keep things “interesting.”
I didn’t shop during the pandemic. When I returned to my local Wegmans after that extended absence, they’d done a major — and awful—rearrangement. Now if I can’t find something I just go around the corner and get it in another grocery store. They also stopped carrying a lot of things, of course.
Here in Baltimore, USA, if I want to get breads, I can shop the fresh bakery, the bread aisle, the international aisle, the italian aisle, the natural food aisle, and the deli and food bar areas.
I still remember the rumors about a “gourmet” supermarket coming to town when it was still very much a culinary wasteland. The store opened in 2004 and it was, indeed, a bit of a culinary wonderland, especially compared to the local grocery stores we had.
They had big ole truffles sitting out there with the other mushrooms (that changed quickly), you could taste any of their freshly prepared seafood salads when they still made a variety, the cheese counter was incredible. Things have changed a lot since then, and I don’t shop there every day now anymore, what with 2 Aldis and a TJ’s having opened since, a fabulous fish monger and some international markets.
I’ve noticed that several times when we get a new “gourmet” market around here. Ditto the cheese counters, and the variety and quality of prepared foods. POOF gone…
i don’t shop at Safeway more than a handful of times per year, but it’s definitely a pet peeve to deal with an organization that has no ethical qualms about trying to rook their customers:
‘The lawsuit accuses Safeway of raising the cost of goods included in special sales so that customers have to pay more for their product of choice – and buy more of it than they typically would – in order to get what is being advertised to them as a better deal. e.g., Oreo cookies, went from $4.99 to $6.79, Dreyer’s ice cream, went from $4.00 to $7.49 during the so-called BOGO promotion’.
i’m probably hyper aware of pricing and would be unlikely to fall for this deception, but for those not paying attention, it does seem like a trap. it pays to know your prices.
I make a duck once a year. The rendered fat from just one bird is enough to last weeks. When you factor in the fat, a duck can be very reasonably priced.
