Stay Sane at the Supermarket

By Jennifer Donovan, Managing Editor of 5 Minutes for Books and Contributing Editor at 5 Minutes for Mom. She blogs about her life and loves at Snapshot.

I envied the mother who was entering the supermarket at the same time I was leaving. No, envy isn’t an honest word for what I was feeling. Resentful, loathing, bitter — those words give a more accurate portrayal of how I really felt.

Her two-year-old daughter was safely strapped into the shopping cart. Kyle, my son who was three at the time, was in the cart. He doesn’t fit well in the seat and walking beside me quietly isn’t the way things work for us (because he never walks and he isn’t quiet).

The other mother was talking sweetly to her child, no doubt discussing the all-organic fruits and vegetables and whole grains that are her favorite foods that they’d be able to buy on that trip. Since I had endured a harried shopping experience, I was using anything but a sweet tone of voice with Kyle. I felt impatient and mean, and I’m sure that if others overhead me talking to him at the end of that trip that they would agree with my personal assessment.

Two moms braving the supermarket with little ones in tow. I was leaving. She was entering. Did she know something I didn’t? Did she possess the secret to remaining calm and gentle under pressure? Maybe she is just blessed with an obedient child and/or a more patient temperament herself. I’m not sure. Perhaps some other haggard mom on her way out of the store thought the same thing as Kyle and I began our shopping trip on a much different note. Who knows?

One thing that I found out from a recent Mommy Blogger luncheon sponsored by Stop and Shop/Giant is that they actually care about helping tired moms out at the grocery store. They know that we spend a fair amount of our time and money each week at the grocery store, and they want to make it an engaging experience.

One way that they do this is by utilizing technology, not only to save us time, but to keep us engaged. The EasyShop is a personal hand held scanner that you can use to scan your products as you shop. It takes a little bit more time as you are shopping, but there are no lines at the end of your trip (when tempers are shortest). When I’m finished, I simply go to one of the dedicated EasyShop lanes, scan my Stop and Shop card, and pay at the terminal.

The main things I like about this system are:

• Interactivity. It’s true. It’s more engaging, and that makes my shopping experience more fulfilling. Kyle likes it too. I often let him scan the items or help me bag them as he sits in the cart with my shopping totes.
• Control. I like to be in charge of my own time (with no waiting once I’m finished) and my groceries (bagging them as I go the way I want them bagged).
• Savings. On each shopping trip, there are special savings for EasyShop users. I believe it’s based on my personal shopping history, so I almost always save between 50 cents and a dollar on Pop Tarts, red peppers, and Goldfish (and usually some ice cream and shredded cheese).

Another change that is being made in response to customer feedback are designated family-friendly check-out lanes called “Smiles for All.” These lanes are tabloid free (because do you really want to stare at the latest starlet caught in a compromising position as you’re buying your milk?). They are also candy-free, but do contain healthier snacks for those impulse purchases, including rice cakes, granola bars, and cut veggies and milk and juices (instead of soda in the refrigerated boxes). Children will also be able to get activity sheets and stickers as a reward for helping mom and dad with the shopping.

What’s your biggest obstacle to getting your grocery shopping done? What can grocery stores do to show you that they understand our needs as busy moms?

Read all of the other posts in this series on food for your family and grocery shopping featured on our sister sites today:

Save Money (and enter to win) at 5 Minutes for Mom
Save Money and the Earth at 5 Minutes for Going Green
Shop with Special Diets in Mind at 5 Minutes for Special Needs
Kids in the Kitchen at 5 Minutes for Books