I sure do . I go pretty much every day. I could see the other side . Long lines at checkout, or other. Love it or hate it ? Inspired from reading another topic .
I donāt love grocery shopping. But I donāt hate it either. Put me down for tolerates it.
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Supermarket shopping is, for me, just another of lifeās necessities - like RedJim, just something to be got on with.
Now, ask me about visits to specialist shops, like cheesemongers, or the local South Asian or Middle Eastern shops, and Iāll give you the full 30 minute set about how much I always enjoy them.
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These days, I fall in the kid in a candy store category and I am a label reader. I can easily spend half a day in half a dozen food shops of all kinds and then go many days without needing to buy anything other than eggs.
BUT, because I consume a decent amt of produce which requires more frequent shopping, I try to enjoy shoppingā¦why spend time disliking the process when the reward is deliciousš. If my wife goes or my siblings want to share a store buy all the better. Then I hang in the wine shop looking at the vast array of enjoyment found thereš
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I love it but I go at off hours so I donāt deal with lines, etc. Iām not sure why I do, but Iād really rather go and pick out my own stuff than trust a pea pod or whatever. But I do like it. I do one big one on the weekend and usually end up in some kind of market for something else every day, And different markets. We have one where I live that is great for take out stuff, they have store made cold cut items like fresh turkey, roast beef and ham, a wonderful cheese section, so I try to get there once a week now too. Each store has something else to offer. Yes, I have a bit too much time on my hands at the moment!!
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Iāve been thinking the same thing, John. I really like stopping in at the Butcher Shop we patronize, and our local bakery, too.
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My twist: The dream is to get as close to the producer as possible. Which means I tend to favor farmstands, CSAs, and small businesses that sell direct-to-consumer.
Thatās hardly practical year-round living in New England so off to the grocery store I go. I do like supermarket shopping more if I find well-priced, high-quailty items I didnāt expect. (Looking at you, marcona almonds at Market Basket.)
And Iāve been known to swoon at specialist shops anywhere and at grocery stores in other countries. Learning or finding something new is happiness.
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I enjoy going when I donāt really āneedā anything. Then it is an activity I chose and enjoy. And if the lines are too long or the store is too crowded, I just leave because Iām not enjoying it.
So over all, I like going to the grocery store because when I donāt like it, I donāt go.
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I usually enjoy it, except Trader Joeās. More often than not, TJās makes me dislike humanity. (To be fair, I went yesterday and it was easy-breezy, usually the parking lot is a nightmare and people are wandering aimlessly with children and parking their carts in the middles of the aisles with zero sense of how much space they take up.)
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Copy and paste from another thread.
Many folks who know me think Iām a āgoodā cook (not sure they would think in terms of āseriousā, but I only like grocery shopping when I donāt really have to.
Thank goodness my husband does the āhave toā grocery shopping, with a list, and I go where I want, off and on, to see what looks interesting and inspirational. No list.
I DO love checking out food places in other countries, but usually with no need to buy.
Airport in Rome. I SO wanted that guianciale, but learned my lesson when I bought that jamon iberico in the airport in Barcelona.
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What happened to that jamon? Donāt tell me it had to go into the trash can!
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Supposedly Iberico de bellota!
Didnāt see it going in the garbage.
Sort of hope the folks who took it, got to eat it.
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Well put! I donāt go to TJās as much as I would like. The parking lot is the size of a postage stamp. Zombies pushing carts without a licence turn shopping into a nightmare obstacle course. By the time I make it to the register I have to bite my lip to keep from screaming ājust shut the F up and ring!ā Iām fine with chatty but sheesh, it is possible to ring an order and talk simultaneously.
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"I do like supermarket shopping more if I find well-priced, high-quailty items I didnāt expect. "
Yes! Looking at you, various āfatty meatsā (as my husband calls them) at Lucky Market in Vacaville. You will not find these moreā¦āethnicā choices at the otherwise amazing Nugget Market, and I almost always find something at Lucky that I am happy to play around with.
A week ago I got ground lamb for $1.99/ pound, and sometimes they have the āpointā of a brisket.
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I so agree! Everything you said!! I kind of feel the same way about Whole Foods.
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My wife finds it stressful, I find it relaxing
I never go into either of those places. Way too trendy for me.
I go to the grocery store often & I like it. I donāt buy much there - I buy most of my stuff in bulk or at farmers markets & specialty stores (which I also love). However, my local large grocery store has some stuff I like. Near the deli there is a āButts & Cutsā cooler where they sell the ends of the cheeses & cold cuts. I buy stuff like American Cheese, Cheddar cheese, Provolone & that stuff for $1.99 per pound rather than whatever theyāre selling it for at the deli counter. Thereās a "Managerās Specialā bin in the meat cooler which has also great deals. For example - one day they had one pound packages of free-range, local ground beef for $0.99. I bought 10. Yes - I do have a big freezer. Then they had individual Smithfield ham slices - about a half pound each for $0.30 each. I bought a stack of those too. Up by the checkout they have a couple coolers of managerās specials where they have the end of the day baked goods, prepared foods & often their 8 pc fried chicken packs for half price. Thatās really one of my guilty pleasure foods. So - the grocery store is kind of like a treasure hunt for me. Of course some days they have nothing. That I want to eat anyway.
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I love specialty markets, and i love nothing more than visiting grocery stores while traveling. Just going to safeway in california is an amazing wonderful thing i really enjoy.
However- grocery shopping in manhattan generally sucks. A lot. The produce can be hit or miss or stupid expensive, sales often include lots of fine print or theyāre just out of stock of what is on sale, and the employees are apathetic at best and at other times just not helpful or downright rude.
I brave going to trader joeās on a regular basis but itās a very stressful experience- if there was a shop online delivery option for trader joeās i would be VERY into it.
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I do too! I love the little shops, but the big markets in different states are so different! In Maine we stop at Hannaford. Iām from NY, so I am always amazed by the obvious cleanliness and the friendliness of staff. Even their cold cuts taste better than Stop and Shop!!! And they have these weird āredā hot dogs!
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I think you live uptown, but the Trader Joeās that just opened on Grand & Clinton is like a giant, half- deserted suburban supermarket. You could drive an SUV through the aisles. The longest Iāve waited on line is about 45 seconds. If all other Trader Joes are Soul Cycle, this one is Yin Yoga.
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