Recently I've begun to shy away from shopping at what was once one of my favorite groceries, and I couldn't figure out why. But today, the time and the place and the list seemed right to give it another try, so I parked in the garage, masked up, and climbed the stairs to the store. This particular location is only a few years old, and it has the compact layout of one of this chains urban outlets.
Before, I enjoyed being able to find what I wanted quickly, scanning the app on my phone for my discount, and paying by tapping my watch, but since the Covid shortages, I've been frustrated by spotty inventory, which is more of an issue when there are fewer items to choose from.
I realized today, too, that my fellow shoppers are also contributing to the decline in my shopping pleasure. Most of the people in the store were paid shoppers; all of their attention was on the lists on their phones, rather than social distance, or even the courtesy of selecting an item quickly when someone was politely waiting to get to the same shelf or cooler.
Personally, I enjoy grocery shopping, it's an aesthetic experience for me, but there was no pleasure or appreciation in their activity; shopping with them was like trying to make dinner in the kitchen at a McDonalds while the staff was serving customers. Don't get me wrong, there was no animosity, but in my encounters with them, whether it was pushing my cart past theirs in a small space, or trying to get to the cilantro, I felt the pressure to step aside and let the professionals do what they were hired for.
I guess that attitude is completely understandable-- they are at work! But I'm not. And it will be a while before I go back to that particular store.
Before, I enjoyed being able to find what I wanted quickly, scanning the app on my phone for my discount, and paying by tapping my watch, but since the Covid shortages, I've been frustrated by spotty inventory, which is more of an issue when there are fewer items to choose from.
I realized today, too, that my fellow shoppers are also contributing to the decline in my shopping pleasure. Most of the people in the store were paid shoppers; all of their attention was on the lists on their phones, rather than social distance, or even the courtesy of selecting an item quickly when someone was politely waiting to get to the same shelf or cooler.
Personally, I enjoy grocery shopping, it's an aesthetic experience for me, but there was no pleasure or appreciation in their activity; shopping with them was like trying to make dinner in the kitchen at a McDonalds while the staff was serving customers. Don't get me wrong, there was no animosity, but in my encounters with them, whether it was pushing my cart past theirs in a small space, or trying to get to the cilantro, I felt the pressure to step aside and let the professionals do what they were hired for.
I guess that attitude is completely understandable-- they are at work! But I'm not. And it will be a while before I go back to that particular store.
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