GROCERY STORES & GOATS

            I usually enjoy grocery shopping unlike most, except on those few occasions where I have my younger children with me begging for toys or snacks.  They fuss when I say no with our already mounting grocery bill in line with every inch they grow.  Nonetheless, lately shopping has become challenging for me as I have been forced to using a scooter.  I had a botched ankle surgery that has left me in much pain when walking or standing on hard surfaces too long.  

Since the holidays approaching, it has become more difficult than the norm for me to shop.  There are people rushing from here to there in a hurry to grab and go, and not paying attention to those around them.  "Are you on fire?",  I ask.  "Dude, stop, drop, and roll!"

These are the ‘focused shoppers’ that will not let anything or anyone get in their way, including someone on a scooter.  

It reminds me of the show “Extreme Couponing”, where you find a coupon clipping crazed women racing through the store to snag up 5,000 pounds of dog food, and they don’t even own a dog.  I have been hit by carts whipping around a corner so fast that not even Superman could stop them, nearly leaving tread marks on my back.  

Then there are moments where I have to wait a century to choose an item off shelf because of shopper in front of me is catatonically choosing theirs. 

This is the ‘ingredient shopper’ memorizing the details of a product. They see me waiting, but refuse to step aside, and let me quickly get what I need. 

There is the ‘unconscious shopper’, with no ethics, empathy, or just plain rude!  This one will roll their cart right smack in the center of the aisle and leave it to walk fifty-feet away to get their item, knowing they have blocked other shoppers including the ones on a scooter.

 

I got my fill the week of Thanksgiving, but it doesn’t have to be a holiday week to have this happen.  This is a daily battle.  There is also the ‘thoughtless shopper’ I have seen parents leave infants, and small children in these carts while they walk several yards away with back turned to get their items.  

This is not only discourteous by blocking the others, but completely irresponsible as a parent or caregiver. Nearly 800,000 children come up missing each year according to (National Center for Missing and Exploited Children).  One lady left her cart literally right in front of me with a newborn in it.  I know I look trusting but did she really expect me to babysit this child?  I have six of my own, four grown, and though experienced was not in the market to watch another’s child.  However, I chose to stay put to ensure no one thought of taking that preciousness.  When the mother came to redeem her cart and child, I could not help but have a word with her on the art of practicing common sense while shopping with precious cargo.

There is the totally 'oblivious shopper', this is the one who walks through the store as if on a midnight stroll while talking on her cell phone, blocking passerbys, and those trying to get to shelf.  She is completely immersed in her conversation about next weekends agenda, and what her sister bought at the local boutique.

   

What I am saying is that shoppers need to be more considerate of those around them, especially to those who already are having difficulty getting around.  We scooter riders already have to overcome the stocking clerks, the pallets left in aisles, inventory takers, boxes, items placed too high on shelves, and children left to wonder aimlessly while Mommy chats on cell phone, and managing to get through store completely while scooter is still charged.

 

The whole shopping scenario reminds me of the story of the trolls under the bridge, Three Billy Goats Gruff. You know the story where three male goats had no grass left to eat near their abode, so they are forced to cross a river to get to a meadow or hillside on the other side of a stream in order to eat. To do so, they must first cross a bridge, under which lives a fearsome troll who eats anyone who passes that way. The smallest billy goat is the first to cross and is immediately stopped by the troll who threatens to "gobble him up!" 

The little goat convinces him to wait for the bigger billy goat to come across because he is larger and more gratifying as a feast. The greedy troll agrees and lets the smallest goat cross. The middle goat sees that the youngest one has crossed and reaches the conclusion that the bridge must be safe after all, but is also stopped by the troll and given the same threat. 

The second billy goat is allowed to cross as well after he tells the troll to wait for the biggest billy goat because he will have the most meat. The Third Billy Goat then gets on the bridge and is stopped by the hungry Troll.

  

I think of this every time I try to maneuver the scooter to reach an item and am stopped every few feet due to the thoughtlessness of some folks.  I usually have to circle the meat section several times before I can get to view it.  So I am not only speaking on my behalf but for every person out there who is forced to use a scooter to shop.  I put together an instruction manual on grocery store etiquette.

Steps to Grocery Store Etiquette

DO BE AWARE THAT YOU ARE NOT THE ONLY SHOPPER IN THE STORE, THE AISLES ARE NOT ONE SIZE FITS ALL, WE ALL HAVE TO FIT THROUGH.

DON’T BLOCK THE AISLE WITH YOUR CART, CHILD, OR CELL PHONE CONVERSATIONS WITHOUT JUST CAUSE, i.e. building on fire, someone bleeding to death, catastrophic world event, acts of God, your paralyzed, or giving CPR

DO ASSIST A SCOOTER RIDER WITH A PRODUCT THAT IS OUT OF REACH, WE ARE NOT Inspector Gadget, and its just the nice thing to do.

DON’T RACE AROUND THE CORNERS LIKE YOUR ON FIRE; this is not the place to try out for Supermarket Sweep the television game show.

DON’T EVER LEAVE A CHILD UNATTENDED IN A CART!  THIS IS DANGEROUS! THIS LEAVES YOUR CHILD IN A POSITION TO BE ABDUCTED, AND CAN CAUSE INJURY!

·         More than an estimated 23,000 children under 15 are injured by shopping carts a year.          Falls from the cart are the most common cause of shopping cart-related injury in children under 5.

• Children 3 and under account for 78 percent of shopping cart-related injuries seen in children 14 and under.
• 1- and 2- year old have the highest incidents of shopping cart-related injuries.
• Among children under 5, the majority of shopping cart injuries are due to falls from the shopping cart. Shopping cart tip overs and children colliding with (i.e. running into) the shopping cart are other causes of injury.
• Approximately 5 percent of all shopping cart injuries in children under 5 involved a child falling from/with a car seat placed on the shopping cart.
• Falls from shopping carts are among the leading causes of head injuries in young children.

Statistics found at:  www.sw.org/trauma-center/shopping-cart-safety

DO FOLLOW THE GOLDEN RULE, Do unto others as you would have them do unto you. You never know if you or a loved-one may have to use a scooter someday.

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Brenda A. Graff
Founder of Food For Soul Magazine