Several months ago, I confessed that I look in other people’s shopping carts. It’s not something that I’m proud of; it’s just something that I do. I’m pretty sure I’m not the only one who does it and, if I am, well that’s okay, too. Grocery shopping is painfully boring (especially when I’m standing in line, waiting to pay and there are only 2 checkout lines open. Why do you do this to me, Safeway?) and looking at what you’re buying intrigues me.
It intrigues me because I also have a terrible habit of making up lives and stories for people I encounter. For instance, I will see someone walking really fast through the park and I will decide that he is moving so quickly not for the exercise benefits but because he has to go to the bathroom really badly. When I see a van carrying 75 children and 2 adults, I think a) those poor adults and b) they must be a sports team with a really low budget. When I see a mother stuffing her kid’s face with animal crackers while walking around the supermarket, I assume the animal crackers are the glue keeping that mother’s sanity intact. It goes on and on like that. They’re not my proudest moments but they keep me entertained.
I also do this at Target. Oh, Target opens up a whole new world of in my head false assumptions. Because of the vast array of items that can be purchased at Target (like the day I bought cat food, pillows, dish soap, t-shirts, a Barbie doll and hand lotion. I realize that this makes me look like I’ve made a one way turn to the seedy part of Crazytown), the stories I concoct are ones I probably should keep to myself.
But keeping things to myself is not exactly a strength of mine. So, for this holiday Friday (Happy Passover to my Jewish readers, Happy Good Friday to my Christian readers, and a Happy Friday to all), I’m going to share with you some assumptions I make while spying on your grocery store shopping cart. Feel free to judge me, too. I probably deserve it:
- If you have 32 frozen dinners, cat food and toilet paper, I will decide that you are single, can’t cook and are a crazy cat person. This is not specified to either gender.
- If you have 9 bottles of soda, 62 giant bags of chips, 4 bags of candy and one screaming toddler, I will decide that you are having a birthday party for your other child.
- If you have nothing but flowers and a cupcake, I will decide that you are very, very sorry. And she is very, very angry.
- If you have cleaned the shelves of hot dog and hamburger rolls, hot dogs, hamburgers, pickles, and beans, I will decide you are feeding everyone you have ever met at the same time OR you are sponsoring a competitive eating contest.
- If you have a block of cheese, frozen wings and beer, I will decide you are in for a very fun night OR you are punishing your digestive system.
- If you have all gourmet and organic items that are just enough for one meal, I will decide you are trying very hard to impress someone who probably doesn’t like you.
- If you are shlepping 6 kids around the store with you and you look like you’d rather have your eyebrows plucked out one hair at a time by a blind person, I will decide that your husband (or wife) is an ass for making you go to the supermarket with 6 kids.
Those are just some of the assumptions I make about people when I’m staring at their shopping carts. I’m 98.7% sure they are entirely wrong but they amuse me. Which is the only part of grocery shopping that amuses me (the bill usually makes me cry and other shoppers make me angry). But that’s another story for another day…
For the record, if someone were to look at my shopping cart, they’d probably make some pretty weird assumptions. After all, it’s not every day you see a package of chicken breasts living happily among vegetarian fare like Boca burgers. I’d be puzzled, too.
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[…] Jana @ Daily Money Shot does the same thing I do—I’m so glad I’m not the only one to make up stories based on what’s in a grocery cart. […]
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[…] laugh – her writing style appeals to my twisted sense of humour! Last Friday, she wrote about the stories she makes up in her head when shopping based on what is in other people’s carts. I love the flowers and cupcake one – yes, he […]
Haha, Love the one about being single. I am the first point, minus being a cat crazy person. Cooking is not my strong suit, so I keep it simple. And you really can not get any simpler than those frozen dinners.
Lately I have been trying to get away from them though, they cost a fortune.
MyCanadianFinances recently posted…March – Blog Update #1
Lol, I’m not even sure I want to know what people think about me based on what’s in my cart. I also make up scenarios in my head about who people are and they types of lives they live based on the food in their cart. Organic=healthy eater, Too many toiletries=someone who doesn’t know how to get them at the drug store for free using coupons, sad 😉
Kari@Small Budget Big Dreams recently posted…Financial Confession: I Hide Money
“If you have nothing but flowers and a cupcake, I will decide that you are very, very sorry. And she is very, very angry.”
That’s the 1.3% of assumptions that you got right.
“If you have nothing but flowers and a cupcake, I will decide that you are very, very sorry. And she is very, very angry.”
That’s the 1.3% of assumptions that you got right.
You really would have thought that I was a crazy cat lady the time I was in Walmart with coupons that were about to expire so I had 96 cans of Fancy Feast in my cart and I only have 1 cat.
You can make up some pretty funny stories based on people’s shopping carts but some stores actually analyze your purchases to determine facts about you. Have you read the article where Target figured out a teen girl was pregnant before her father did. The father was angry for Target sending his still in high school daughter coupons for baby clothes and cribs but when he talked to his daughter she revealed she was pregnant.
Andy Hough recently posted…March Expenses – $3582.70
I do this, too. People DO stare in my cart these days because I usually have an adorable baby with me (but not the boys too….do you think I’m crazy??) and I also carry my huge coupon binder. I always set aside my coupons to coordinate with my list, but sometimes there’s crazy deals that weren’t advertised, so I have to go to the book! I know…I’m a nut these days with these dang coupons!
Michelle recently posted…401k Loans : The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly
I stand in a grocery for 6 hrs at a time offering up samples. I get to see a wide array of shopping carts and I do the same thing. In fact, I devised a post similar to this the other day when I was working. I haven’t typed it up yet though. I also profile based on cart. I can tell based on what’s in your cart if you are going to be interested in my sample or not.
Jessica, The Debt Princess recently posted…The (Financial) Case for Atheism
You might be interested in reading “The Power of Habit” by Charles Duhigg. One chapter talks about how companies such as Target look at purchasing habits to create more sales. This chapter is fascinating because the author discusses how one company can predict if a woman is pregnant with 96% accuracy based on certain products she buys.
I’m so glad I am not the only person who does. I love looking into other people’s carts–especially when I’m waiting in what seems to be the only register open while everyone in town is in that line.
bogofdebt recently posted…Spending Recap 4/2-4/8
Haha! I think about what my purchases say about me all the time (Most often it most likely has something to do with chocolate…)
Julia recently posted…Weekly Check-Up 4/9/2012
LOL – this is funny! I don’t often look in other people’s carts, but I do often wonder what people think when they see MY stuff… depending on my shopping day, it could be loads of fresh fruits and veggies along with white bread, potato chips, and chicken fingers – yes, we are a confused family. 😛
Kris @ BalancingMoneyandLife recently posted…Brief Hiatus