This week, I’ve decided to confess some of my more unsavory habits. First up: I look in your shopping cart.
Judge me if you will but it’s true. When I am at the supermarket, I look in your shopping cart. Sometimes I am surprised by what I see. Sometimes I am appalled (for instance, scrapple will never, ever be an acceptable purchase). Sometimes I am confused. Sometimes I am jealous. Sometimes I am even reminded of something I need to purchase myself. I could probably spend hours in the supermarket studying what people buy. Other people’s shopping carts fascinate me and I don’t know why.
I will also confess that while I am looking in your shopping cart, I will make assumptions about the following:
- Your cooking skills
- Your marital status
- Whether or not you have children
- The ages of those children
- Your snacking habits
- Your ability to shop sales
- Your affinity for name brand foods
- How often you go food shopping
- Your plans for the night/weekend
- Your economic status
- Your health/weight as it pertains to your food choices
- Whether or not you use food stamps (SNAP) and/or WIC
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[…] 4, 2011 by Erin Shanendoah Back in September, Jana @ Daily Money Shot did a series of “Confessions”(link is to Confession #1). Here is one of my confessions. I judge you based on the way you […]
WIC along with head start are the only two government programs that really have shown they can help. First of all you are not giving people free choice but a commodity that will benefit a child. When you give people with no skills a free choice they will choose what is easy and tastes good.
Um being from Philly Scrapple is always an acceptable purchase. I mean who doesnt love scrapple?
judy
Not too versed in SNAP, but to your comment of looking in the shopping cart, I kind of do that. Well, not when actually shopping, as I'm too focused on my own purchases. Rather, at the check out line.
When in line, I don't consciously look at what others buy, but it's all right there in front of me so I generally just happen to notice. I never make judgements on someone's socioeconomic status. However, I occasionally think about how healthy the person must be and how much or little they care about nutrition. When it doesn't match up, I might think the person has a lucky metabolism, or is trying to lose weight.
If you looked in my shopping cart, you would notice no processed food, low fat and healthy. Further light on beef, no household items, no junk food or soft drinks.
@Out My Window–Head Start and WIC are probably the programs that get the least criticism. Most likely because a)they're the most effective and b)the intended recipients is children and helping kids is never a bad thing.
@Judy–I live in Delaware so I'm well versed in the atrocity that is scrapple. There are so many things wrong with it that I actually once wrote a post about why I hate it. I should repost it over here!
@Squirrelers–I'm so glad that someone else owns up to looking at what other people buy. I can't help it.
@krantcents–I would probably make assumptions about you, too. Not sure what they would be but they'd be there. 🙂
This is funny because I'm always thinking that people are looking into my cart. I wonder what assumptions could be made about me… As to the SNAP program, I'm not really familiar with it. The WIC program seems pretty good and helpful for those who use it.