I slept terribly last night. It was one of those nights that I woke up on the hour and would stare at the clock, praying to quickly fall back into a deep sleep, but instead I would just toss and turn. Then I would finally fall asleep for what felt like a minute only to wake up after a bizarre dream and then start the cycle all over again. Right around 4 a.m., I did get into a nice, soothing, deep sleep. When the alarm went off at 6:15 a.m., I literally wanted to sob. Nights like last night are one of my biggest pet peeves in life. Almost all of my other pet peeves happen at the grocery store. I hate to be negative and harp on pet peeves, but since I barely slept last night, I’m a little cranky. So, pet peeves it is . . . .
Being the female head of a large household, I have spent a great portion of my adult life in grocery stores. Many of my blog posts have grocery store anecdotes probably due to the fact that my “Weekly Time Spent” pie chart has an enormous slice dedicated to grocery shopping. Therefore it makes sense, as I stated previously, that almost all of my pet peeves in life originate at the grocery store.
My local grocery store is actually really nice. It stocks great meats and unusual seafood and fresh produce. It always has the products that I need in stock and the BOGO specials are amazing. The store is always clean and the people who work there are so nice it’s almost like being at Disney. The people who shop there, well, that’s a different story.
I think that grocery stores should have something like traffic laws. I think that the store personnel should have the ability to write citations and we customers, should have the ability to make citizens’ arrests. I think that there should be lane markers in the middle of the aisles and if someone is parked right in the middle of the aisle they should be treated like they would be treated if they parked and stopped right in the middle of a two lane highway. Time to get to get hauled off to jail.
I live in Florida, not LA. My grocery store is not the setting for the game show, Supermarket Sweep. So, the people racing around in their carts, cutting around corners so fast, and in the process, taking out the grannies in their “golf cart-style moto-shopcarts” and innocent toddlers having tantrums, need to realize that they won’t win any free groceries in our neck of the woods. Sheesh.
Check writers. Really?? Please, get into this century. Or get into the longest line and fill out every line possible on your check and get out your calculator and start adding up what the total is going to be for your bill. Sheesh, Luis. (as my nephew would say)
Shopping bag shamers. I agree that we need to save the Earth. Usually, I remember my canvas shopping bags, but sometimes I don’t. Sometimes I forget and I hear that “cluck cluck” of tongue-clicking disgust from the person behind me in line when the bagger screams, “Is plastic okay?” I recycle our plastic bags, okay? They are actually pretty useful for picking up doggy-do, too. I have two LARGE dogs. Those prepackaged doggy bag rolls that you hang on the dog’s leash seem like a good idea, but I find that they are mostly manufactured for people with chihuahuas and for people who have the ability to get them open before rubbing them together so much, that they get too hot and catch on fire. Those rolls are not for people like me.
And finally, my biggest pet peeve EVER . . . . return your damn cart to one of the 800 different cart return stations in the parking lot!!! You walked all over the damn grocery store looking for Tabasco sauce, you can take three extra steps to return your cart. My car that I drive doesn’t need another dent on it and that parking space is for cars, not carts. My grocery store offers everyone the opportunity for their bagger to be a personalized caddy to help you out to your car, with your cart, free of charge, no tips allowed. (my 70-year-old father used to take offense to them offering him help, until I explained that they offer this service to his 18-year-old grandson, as well) If you don’t want to take the three extra steps to return your empty cart to the cart station, then take the bagger up on his or her kind offer, to help you. I think that the baggers like to get the fresh air anyway.
Phew! Okay, I feel better now. I probably shouldn’t go to the grocery store today. I promise to go to bed early tonight. My post will be more positive and uplifting tomorrow. After all, it will be a day closer to Friday.