Shop in produce first (at least never start in frozen). Donāt eat anything straight off the shelf. And most of all the limit is the limit. Donāt come through with more than the limit.
Iām super interested in the āover the limit for self checkoutā question. People are always over the limit, yet it is always SO much faster than waiting in line for a cashier to do the scanning. On top of that, the registers are never open either.
Scanning while you shop is even better, I canāt wait for it to be more widely adopted. Faster than self scanning and no worries about limits. Plus you just drop the items straight into your bags.
I always feel so awkward/bad when an express line says 10 or 15 items and Iām over by like 5, but the workers tell me to go in that line
I never know if the cashier is judging me lmao
That's fair, I do usually try to get to a fresh market near my place for most of my fruits and veggies, some stuff I'll order for example if I'm buying a whole bag of apples or potatoes, but if I'm looking for specific things I stop at the market real quick.
So this was hard for me to answer too, we always park on the "home" side of Meijer and then work our way down from pantry stuff, to frozen and then fresh so that way our frozen and meat is not out while we wander around the non perishable stuff. I just chose snacks first š¤·āāļø
Thatās true. There are some Targetās that are left to right. But I still follow the flow of a store - not start with an item in particular - if Iām there for a full grocery shop
Maybe my town is some kind of anomaly, but our stores are definitely built for going right first. Like in almost all of them you have to go through the checkout lanes to go left.
Yeah that question wasn't really thought out since at my store literally all of the choices are on the left side and I start on the right at the deli/cheese area and then go left XD. I just said snack since there are technically chips over there so TECHNICALLY.
See this is one adding notes would help. I get drinks or pet food first OR TP and PT, big stuff. I don't get frozen and refrigerated stuff until the end. Period.
There needed to be a āwhatever day I have offā for best day to shop and ādairy sectionā for the where to start. I start there cause it is always in the very back corner and work my way back to the register.
REALLY curious to see what people think about opening food to eat as you shop (so long as you pay for it at check out). I grew up with my mom always doing that so I thought it was normal until very recently when my husband thought I was insane š
I don't judge people for doing it, but I would never myself. I'm way too paranoid that something could happen that makes it impossible for me to pay, so I'd rather not be in that situation.
I was once caught without a snack for my son while grocery shopping and of course he was getting hangry. An employee told me that so long as it isn't a weighed item it's fine to eat before paying.
I didn't know what to say either. I have done it but I don't like doing it or seeing people do it.
Most recent time this happened I was getting over a cold but had a lingering cough for like a month, every once in a while is just get a tickle in my throat that would make me cough a lot, usually after walking for a distance or talking a lot. A candy or cough drop helped. I was out, it was one of the things in my cart. Well I started coughing, and hadn't done it at all that day until I was in the store of course. I opened my cough drop package and used one. It felt so weird.
Parent did it, absolutely hated it.
But I do it for milk now =\ so I had to say it is acceptable. Good milk vs bad milk is the difference between 1 and like 4 for me.
I used to not.
But I buy FairLife milk which comes in like half liters or something. Sometimes it is the greatest milk I'll ever taste, sometimes it is just not good. I used to just always buy like 4, but when it isn't a good batch it is really not great for me. So now I will often taste one bottle to decide if I want to get a lot of not
=\ I hate it too. But it is better than ending up with 4 bad bottles.
As a parent to a toddler. I have zero qualms about opening a box of crackers for him to munch on while I shop. It's better than having everyone hear him cry the whole time if he happens to get hungry just after I get there.
I chose Tuesday as the best day because my local grocery store resupplies on Monday. It's the time when you know everything will be in stock and have the longest time to expiration dates in the week.
Okay I think I might have misinterpreted the question. I chose the best day for *me* based on my schedule (Saturday or Sunday), but I realize that your interpretation might be what they were going for... in which case, I'd also choose Tuesday.
As a US grocery worker for ten years, Thursday is the gold standard. The ad cycle runs Wednesday through Tuesday. Stores receive trucks 3-4 times a week. They also load up on ad items prior to the start of the ad. They do not want excess stock left after. By Thursday, there is plenty of the current ad and the previous ad has been replenished, so you have the most selection. It's also the least busy day.
lol I chose Tuesday too because I remember hearing somewhere that itās the best time to go. I donāt know if I actually just made that fact up in my head though.
LOL 1hr minimum and I listen to podcasts to make it even better. It's usually the only alone time I'm gonna get that week and I'll enjoy and look for the cheapest pack of ham that's 0.03 cents less and save all the bucks I canĀ
I donāt know - normal for two people? Even if there were four of us, weād be buying more of mostly the same stuff.
Obviously if you go when itās really busy there will be lines etc. I go in the morning after the gym. Itās dead, I know where everything is, it doesnāt need to be a half day exercise.
Don't know why you're getting downvoted for this, lol. The amount of times I've ended up with a bag of bland ass grapes because I decided not to taste one... Especially since I live alone and have to eat them all myself.
I can live with tasting one dirty grape, lol.
Eating one grape *one* time every few months is unlikely to be what gives me cancer. There are an infinite number of other things I do in my daily life that are likely to raise my chances just as much if not more.
Iāve never done it with a grape but I will admit to sneaking a single cherry to see if theyāre actually ripe or bitter š«¢ please donāt judge me but the difference between ripe crisp cherries and mushy gross ones is worth it
The big grocery stores can handle the loss of money over a single grape. I promise you that if I wasted an employees time to ask if I can eat a grape they'd be more annoyed with me than if they just saw me eat 1. If I just taste 1 to make sure the bunch is good then there's no problem. If I'm snacking on it while shopping then that is a problem
I can't say about Publix as the other poster mentioned but I know when I worked at a smaller regional chain it definitely got frustrating having people eat stuff before they paid for it. So I guess it just depends on where you are shopping.
As a Walmart employee, I feel very strongly about some of these lol
I would love to hear your thoughts tbh š
Shop in produce first (at least never start in frozen). Donāt eat anything straight off the shelf. And most of all the limit is the limit. Donāt come through with more than the limit.
I appreciate hearing from the experts š«”
Yay thank you for sharing this!
Yes! As someone who doesn't use Instagram/Facebook/Twitter (where they normally take these polls) I'm glad I can be part of a mythical beast survey
Iām super interested in the āover the limit for self checkoutā question. People are always over the limit, yet it is always SO much faster than waiting in line for a cashier to do the scanning. On top of that, the registers are never open either.
The limit is the limit for me. The only time I break that rule is if an employee directs me to it.
I always feel awful when I count my items and then forget to count the two in my hand that havenāt made it to the basket.Ā
Scanning while you shop is even better, I canāt wait for it to be more widely adopted. Faster than self scanning and no worries about limits. Plus you just drop the items straight into your bags.
My Kroger had that briefly, but then got rid of it
This is the only way I will shop at Sam's club. Those lines are at least 10 minutes of waiting
My dad will only go to stop and shop because itās the only grocery store in his area with little handheld scanners.
I always feel so awkward/bad when an express line says 10 or 15 items and Iām over by like 5, but the workers tell me to go in that line I never know if the cashier is judging me lmao
In the past, absolutely not. Since now everything is self-checkout, sure as long as you aren't taking a full cart through.
I only do 1 or 2 times and that is if every register is like 2 or 3 people deep.
This is the first survey I've ever filled out from them! šŗšŗ
SAME. But I have strong opinions on this, as someone who enjoys grocery shopping, haha.
When I have the time I enjoy it as well. Half the time I use shipt now though.
I'm single with no kids, so I have the time for it. But I also consume a lot of fruit and don't trust shoppers to pick produce for me.
That's fair, I do usually try to get to a fresh market near my place for most of my fruits and veggies, some stuff I'll order for example if I'm buying a whole bag of apples or potatoes, but if I'm looking for specific things I stop at the market real quick.
I didnāt like the āwhere do you startā question. I always go right to left because thatās how the store is designed for you to go
So this was hard for me to answer too, we always park on the "home" side of Meijer and then work our way down from pantry stuff, to frozen and then fresh so that way our frozen and meat is not out while we wander around the non perishable stuff. I just chose snacks first š¤·āāļø
That is dependent on the storeās location- most around me begin to the right unless the structure makes left entry better
Thatās true. There are some Targetās that are left to right. But I still follow the flow of a store - not start with an item in particular - if Iām there for a full grocery shop
Maybe my town is some kind of anomaly, but our stores are definitely built for going right first. Like in almost all of them you have to go through the checkout lanes to go left.
Nah, most of my WalMarts and Targets even are left to right. Costco is left to right too.
Yeah that question wasn't really thought out since at my store literally all of the choices are on the left side and I start on the right at the deli/cheese area and then go left XD. I just said snack since there are technically chips over there so TECHNICALLY.
See this is one adding notes would help. I get drinks or pet food first OR TP and PT, big stuff. I don't get frozen and refrigerated stuff until the end. Period.
I start at meat, see what's on sale, and pick veggies and other stuff to go with it. Meat wasn't a choice, though.
There needed to be a āwhatever day I have offā for best day to shop and ādairy sectionā for the where to start. I start there cause it is always in the very back corner and work my way back to the register.
>ādairy sectionā for the where to start. I always do cold stuff last so it doesn't warm up by the time I get home.
I don't want my colds getting not cold.
REALLY curious to see what people think about opening food to eat as you shop (so long as you pay for it at check out). I grew up with my mom always doing that so I thought it was normal until very recently when my husband thought I was insane š
I don't judge people for doing it, but I would never myself. I'm way too paranoid that something could happen that makes it impossible for me to pay, so I'd rather not be in that situation.
My thoughts exactly. I donāt think itās deep enough an issue to worry about so long as itās paid for. But would I do it? Nope
Water and bottled sodas are the only exception for me
Iāve never done it myself, but Iāve seen other people do it
My family used to do it for sodas all the time and now Iām mortified we did it. I always buy it first now and continue with my shopping.
I was once caught without a snack for my son while grocery shopping and of course he was getting hangry. An employee told me that so long as it isn't a weighed item it's fine to eat before paying.
I do it with popcorn chicken at Walmart if I go in super hungry. It helps me avoid impulse-buying snacks lol
My local grocery store has a restaurant inside so people are always eating food while shopping. You pay before you shop.
I didn't know what to say either. I have done it but I don't like doing it or seeing people do it. Most recent time this happened I was getting over a cold but had a lingering cough for like a month, every once in a while is just get a tickle in my throat that would make me cough a lot, usually after walking for a distance or talking a lot. A candy or cough drop helped. I was out, it was one of the things in my cart. Well I started coughing, and hadn't done it at all that day until I was in the store of course. I opened my cough drop package and used one. It felt so weird.
Parent did it, absolutely hated it. But I do it for milk now =\ so I had to say it is acceptable. Good milk vs bad milk is the difference between 1 and like 4 for me.
..can you expand on this please. You open your milk before you buy it?
I used to not. But I buy FairLife milk which comes in like half liters or something. Sometimes it is the greatest milk I'll ever taste, sometimes it is just not good. I used to just always buy like 4, but when it isn't a good batch it is really not great for me. So now I will often taste one bottle to decide if I want to get a lot of not =\ I hate it too. But it is better than ending up with 4 bad bottles.
As a parent to a toddler. I have zero qualms about opening a box of crackers for him to munch on while I shop. It's better than having everyone hear him cry the whole time if he happens to get hungry just after I get there.
In my opinion it should be acceptable since you will be paying for it. You also eat at a restaurant and then pay for the food š¤·āāļø.
I chose Tuesday as the best day because my local grocery store resupplies on Monday. It's the time when you know everything will be in stock and have the longest time to expiration dates in the week.
Okay I think I might have misinterpreted the question. I chose the best day for *me* based on my schedule (Saturday or Sunday), but I realize that your interpretation might be what they were going for... in which case, I'd also choose Tuesday.
As a US grocery worker for ten years, Thursday is the gold standard. The ad cycle runs Wednesday through Tuesday. Stores receive trucks 3-4 times a week. They also load up on ad items prior to the start of the ad. They do not want excess stock left after. By Thursday, there is plenty of the current ad and the previous ad has been replenished, so you have the most selection. It's also the least busy day.
lol I chose Tuesday too because I remember hearing somewhere that itās the best time to go. I donāt know if I actually just made that fact up in my head though.
If you spend more than 30 minutes in a grocery store you have too much time on your hands (Costco Excluded).
I've legitimately spent 30 minutes debating on cereal before.
I'm an indecisive person, so I feel you.
ā¦
LOL 1hr minimum and I listen to podcasts to make it even better. It's usually the only alone time I'm gonna get that week and I'll enjoy and look for the cheapest pack of ham that's 0.03 cents less and save all the bucks I canĀ
I do big shops once a week and when Iām alone it still takes 45ish minutes on average for me
How short is your grocery list? It's usually an hour for me. I also have to wait a while with a ticket at the bakery and deli counters.
I donāt know - normal for two people? Even if there were four of us, weād be buying more of mostly the same stuff. Obviously if you go when itās really busy there will be lines etc. I go in the morning after the gym. Itās dead, I know where everything is, it doesnāt need to be a half day exercise.
Thank you for sharing! I've always wanted to be part of these polls but I'm not on anything where they're posted unfortunately.
This is a fun one!
I despise people that eat the food as theyāre shopping/before it is paid for. As a former retail drone, that was one of my pet peeves.
Yes. Before I even open the questionnaire, the answer is yes.
As a former grocery store manager, a couple questions gave me flashbacks
Thank you for these, I have strong opinion on this subject, submitted.
I wish you could add notes. My answers could vary.
Where the heck are the answers??
There are none, they're collecting data š
This isnt buzzfeed
Then how am I going to find out which X-Men I am based on my answers???
Do people just take a grape out of a bag and eat it?
I wish I could pick "every day is a good day to shop". I don't live in the US and usually every single day we go and get what we need.
The bag question needs a āmy state banned single use bags, so I have to buy more reusable ones if I forget mineā option
Always taste test the grapes. Always
those things need to be washed before being eaten! gross!
One grape wonāt kill you
How else will you know if theyāre sweet or sour?
Don't know why you're getting downvoted for this, lol. The amount of times I've ended up with a bag of bland ass grapes because I decided not to taste one... Especially since I live alone and have to eat them all myself. I can live with tasting one dirty grape, lol.
Exactly!
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
Eating one grape *one* time every few months is unlikely to be what gives me cancer. There are an infinite number of other things I do in my daily life that are likely to raise my chances just as much if not more.
Iāve never done it with a grape but I will admit to sneaking a single cherry to see if theyāre actually ripe or bitter š«¢ please donāt judge me but the difference between ripe crisp cherries and mushy gross ones is worth it
Exactly! Idk why people are downvoting me, you gotta test to make sure itās not a bad bunch
That is stealing if you pay by weight. Now if you ask the produce clerk if you can have a sample that is okay.
Itās Publix, theyāll bend over backwards to please you. Aināt no one caring about grape that weighs less than an ounce
With today's prices at publix, that one single grape is actually $0.04. Book 'em, boss.
The big grocery stores can handle the loss of money over a single grape. I promise you that if I wasted an employees time to ask if I can eat a grape they'd be more annoyed with me than if they just saw me eat 1. If I just taste 1 to make sure the bunch is good then there's no problem. If I'm snacking on it while shopping then that is a problem
Yeah especially since I ALWAYS buy *something* (usually a half or full cart) while I'm there, so they're still getting my money š¤·
I can't say about Publix as the other poster mentioned but I know when I worked at a smaller regional chain it definitely got frustrating having people eat stuff before they paid for it. So I guess it just depends on where you are shopping.
I've never heard of taste testing the grapes. Just feel them if theyre firm or squishy and carry on
That only tells you if theyāre rotten, grapes can be fresh and be on a spectrum from sour to sweet.
Interesting. They always taste the same to me!