Evolution of Grocery Shopping
Growing up my friend Marc used to talk to me about his theory about getting older. He called it "Sidewalk Theory". He stated that as people got older they gravitate from one side of the street to the other at different phases in their lives. Toddlers and most kids stay on the sidewalk. Adolescents and young adults walk in the street. And adults and older people walk on the other sidewalk. Short and sweet. Of course, I was thinking of how our Grocery Shopping styles change as we age.
Toddler
No chance in us really being interested in anything related to food at a store. It's more about being able to ride in the cart.
Kid
It's two levels of interest if you're not tethered to your mom. 1. The candy/cereal/toy aisles. Watch a kid stare at the multitude of cereals trying to figure out which to buy. My largest problem at the time was my memory though...I could remember that I didn't like certain cereals. I couldn't remember why. Which meant that I fell in the trap of getting them again. 2. Search and Destroy. Maybe this was only me, but I used to love running around the story trying to find stuff for my mom then running it back to the cart.
Teen
It's a simple philosophy "grocery shopping isn't cool...but mom can you pick me up like 50 pounds of snacks for me and my friends?"
College Student
When you first get to college, there's sort of that freedom of buying all the things you wanted to buy as a kid. Which meant that for the first few weeks you had an ample supply of Oreos, Twix Bars, Red Vine, and Pibb (CRAZY DELICIOUS!!!). That also meant that the Nilla wafers you once loved as a kid but not anymore sit on your shelf for the rest of the semester. And if you have roommates, it's all about buying things that no one else will eat...like liver sausage. Mmmmmm.
Young Adult
There's still some left over residue of buying things you don't need (like the gallon of Ovaltene I have in my cabinet). But this is the stage where you start to form patterns for the rest of your life. I've gotten to the point where I tend not to buy anything I know I won't eat. Doesn't mean stuff doesn't go unchecked (I have a yogurt that needs to be tossed since the expiration date was two weeks ago). But believe me my refrigerator and cabinets are stocked with things I only need.
SIDE FUNNY: I assume I'm not the only person on the planet whose mom will ask them what they are eating every time they talk. This weekend I hosted my parents on Saturday. At one key moment while I was converse with The Doctoer (my father), my mother ran into my kitchen and actually checked to see what I had in there for food.
Parent
This is the most multi-faceted shopping we will ever do in our life. We're not only shopping for multiple mouths, but we're probably also on a budget, and this has become a routine chore. Thus, you'd be like my mom, you have sixteen thousand coupons cut out, ready to go. You've got your list fully intricate and sectioned off by family member (and damn straight if you buy the wrong cereal). And there's also that tendancy to be easily persuaded into buying things you never need. My mom would come back with three canisters of Cod Liver Oil just because it was half off.
Retired
My grandmother is my only reference for this. But after the chaos of 30 some years of hard core shopping come some peace and tranquility, with some simple wisdom, returning to the days of only buying what you need. My grandmother's fridge was also simple. My favorite item was the stick of butter she could make last for weeks. She used like a sliver on each peice of toast.
You're probably waiting for some big tie in to something inspirational...so here it is...life is like grocery shopping. When we're a toddler we're just along for the ride. When we're a kid we're like a sponge soaking up all there is. As a teen we're distant because we're insecure. As a college student we return to our youth. We've got most things figured out as young adults. Mutliple worries, concerns, needs, and hopes ride our minds when we're parents, and we try to balance it all so none will fall. And when we're retired, like grandma, we just simply make sure that some french silk pie ice cream is always on hand so we can savor all that has passed.
Hope your week is full of sunshine!
pb
Toddler
No chance in us really being interested in anything related to food at a store. It's more about being able to ride in the cart.
Kid
It's two levels of interest if you're not tethered to your mom. 1. The candy/cereal/toy aisles. Watch a kid stare at the multitude of cereals trying to figure out which to buy. My largest problem at the time was my memory though...I could remember that I didn't like certain cereals. I couldn't remember why. Which meant that I fell in the trap of getting them again. 2. Search and Destroy. Maybe this was only me, but I used to love running around the story trying to find stuff for my mom then running it back to the cart.
Teen
It's a simple philosophy "grocery shopping isn't cool...but mom can you pick me up like 50 pounds of snacks for me and my friends?"
College Student
When you first get to college, there's sort of that freedom of buying all the things you wanted to buy as a kid. Which meant that for the first few weeks you had an ample supply of Oreos, Twix Bars, Red Vine, and Pibb (CRAZY DELICIOUS!!!). That also meant that the Nilla wafers you once loved as a kid but not anymore sit on your shelf for the rest of the semester. And if you have roommates, it's all about buying things that no one else will eat...like liver sausage. Mmmmmm.
Young Adult
There's still some left over residue of buying things you don't need (like the gallon of Ovaltene I have in my cabinet). But this is the stage where you start to form patterns for the rest of your life. I've gotten to the point where I tend not to buy anything I know I won't eat. Doesn't mean stuff doesn't go unchecked (I have a yogurt that needs to be tossed since the expiration date was two weeks ago). But believe me my refrigerator and cabinets are stocked with things I only need.
SIDE FUNNY: I assume I'm not the only person on the planet whose mom will ask them what they are eating every time they talk. This weekend I hosted my parents on Saturday. At one key moment while I was converse with The Doctoer (my father), my mother ran into my kitchen and actually checked to see what I had in there for food.
Parent
This is the most multi-faceted shopping we will ever do in our life. We're not only shopping for multiple mouths, but we're probably also on a budget, and this has become a routine chore. Thus, you'd be like my mom, you have sixteen thousand coupons cut out, ready to go. You've got your list fully intricate and sectioned off by family member (and damn straight if you buy the wrong cereal). And there's also that tendancy to be easily persuaded into buying things you never need. My mom would come back with three canisters of Cod Liver Oil just because it was half off.
Retired
My grandmother is my only reference for this. But after the chaos of 30 some years of hard core shopping come some peace and tranquility, with some simple wisdom, returning to the days of only buying what you need. My grandmother's fridge was also simple. My favorite item was the stick of butter she could make last for weeks. She used like a sliver on each peice of toast.
You're probably waiting for some big tie in to something inspirational...so here it is...life is like grocery shopping. When we're a toddler we're just along for the ride. When we're a kid we're like a sponge soaking up all there is. As a teen we're distant because we're insecure. As a college student we return to our youth. We've got most things figured out as young adults. Mutliple worries, concerns, needs, and hopes ride our minds when we're parents, and we try to balance it all so none will fall. And when we're retired, like grandma, we just simply make sure that some french silk pie ice cream is always on hand so we can savor all that has passed.
Hope your week is full of sunshine!
pb
posted by Peter Brooks at 11:25 PM
<< Home