Nosying other people baskets

[Carlovski]

Anyone else find it impossible to resist perusing the contents of other peoples baskets/trolleys when food shopping?

I hate making snap judgments and stereotyping, but when it comes to peoples shopping, I just can't help myself (I'm such a bad person!)

I sometimes feel like screaming at people - in particular the people who seem to buy a combination of low fat and 'healthy' meals, along with the nastiest salt and fat laden ready meals and family sized bars of chocolate (And you know they live alone!)

I really should stop. it's peoples own choice what they eat - but when I see a trolley full of 'food', and realise if that was mine there would be absolutely nothing I would have the slightest desire to eat

There - feel better now I got that off my chest

[sandra]

I also look, and I try to figure out what they are going to make from the contents... sometimes I even get new ideas - some people pick up things I never even noticed!

[Gifted Gourmet]

I never look into the baskets but, in a similar vein, I watch with shock and awe as someone puts 10 cans of Beanie Wienies on the conveyor belt at the checkout.... maybe they forgot to buy dog food the week before?

Isn't it somewhere in the Bill of Rights about protecting the contents of one's food choices from illegal search and seizure?? or is this merely food voyeurism at its most basic level??

[Anna N]

I do not habitually do a search and seizure on other people's shopping carts but have to admit that I am sometimes flabbergasted! On Wednesday I watched as a shopper unloaded package after package of pre-prepared food and wondered how on earth anyone can afford to buy groceries if all they buy is pre-made food.

[enrevanche]

Fourth Amendment be damned. I look, and sometimes silently marvel at what I see.

I'm not as bad about it as an old friend of mine back in Chapel Hill. I had helped write a business plan for him (he wanted to set himself up as a personal trainer, back before that seemed such a ubiquitous job) and he had some pretty interesting dietary theories of his own.

So anyway, I would run into him in the supermarket every now and then, and he would run over to me, slap me on the back and cry "Health food checkout!" and then proceed to rifle through my cart. "Yeah, this is great. Oh, good stuff here. No, this has gotta go, what are you thinking..."

[KateW]

I really should stop. it's peoples own choice what they eat - but when I see a trolley full of 'food', and realise if that was mine there would be absolutely nothing I would have the slightest desire to eat

Whenever I start thinking like this, I realize people are probably thinking the same thing about me. "What's she going to do with all that raw meat and no Helper?"

[curlywurlyfi]

I love ogling other people's shopping and trying to work out what event they're shopping for, eg:

- fifteen pizzas and a slab of beer = he's having the boys over for football

- fillet steak, red wine, bag of salad = she's trying to seduce someone

- nail varnish remover, bottle of gin, a lemon, pint of Ben + Jerrys = she's home alone with Frasier, Friends and ER

- catering-sized box of value teabags, lots of own-brand biscuits = they're having the extension done and are stocking up so the builders don't drink all the Fortnums tea

[bleudauvergne]

When I was in school, certain grocery stores were meat markets in more ways than one! The most attractive guys had a nice varied selection of fresh fare in their carts, indicating that they actually cooked. I found that extremely attractive.

[fifi]

I love ogling other people's shopping and trying to work out what event they're shopping for, eg:

- fifteen pizzas and a slab of beer = he's having the boys over for football

- fillet steak, red wine, bag of salad = she's trying to seduce someone

- nail varnish remover, bottle of gin, a lemon, pint of Ben + Jerrys = she's home alone with Frasier, Friends and ER

- catering-sized box of value teabags, lots of own-brand biscuits = they're having the extension done and are stocking up so the builders don't drink all the Fortnums tea

Attractive young couple with 6 huge aerosol cans of whipped cream =

[therese]

I live near a university, and the classic funny grocery cart contains store brand peanut butter, frozen pizzas, Pop Tarts, milk, and Froot Loops. The owner of this sort of cart is pretty much invariably a male.

I do most of my shopping here in Atlanta at a really great place called Dekalb Farmers Market. Not a conventional farmers, but lots of great stuff at reasonable prices. A couple of years ago I was shopping for our annual holiday party. About 160 guests that year, so I used a caterer but also did some of it myself. So my cart was full of large quantities of very nice things. I'd noticed a couple of guys also buying large quantities of things, and one of them finally approached me and asked if I was "doing a cater" (as they were). I replied "sort of" and explained. They looked longingly at the contents of my cart and said they'd rather be going to my party than working theirs.

[JPW]

The other day I was in my local run-down Safeway picking up a few odds and ends (ice cream and cones for Mrs JPW, Gummi Bears for me, the only store tortillas I really like and TP) as I'm paying, a guy gets in line behind me putting a couple dozen hamburger buns and what had to be at least 5 pounds of Scotch Bonnet peppers on the belt!

He added a bottled water from the small cooler at the head of the checkout.

It took me about 45 seconds of stareing to realize that he works at the local Jamaican hole-in-the-wall.

[bloviatrix]

Although I won't look in the carts, I love checking out what people are buying when they placing them on the conveyor belt to pay. I'm amazed at the amount of crap people buy. But then, I can ust imagine what they're thinking when I'm stocking up on 12 boxes of Coco Pebbles

[Pickles]

Dishelved young man on line ahead of me with toothpaste and toothbrush, large Pepsi and 2 bran muffins=Unplanned Spent Night At New Girlfriend's House.

And someone I casually know from town was ahead of me recently with the following items: 2 New York Strip Steaks, a 12-Pack of Bud, and a LARGE jar of Vaseline. Sounds like an interesting weekend was had by all.

[Pickles]

a slab of beer

Never heard that before. What constitutes a "slab"?

[KatieLoeb]

Oh sorry - I thought this thread was about a different sort of voyeurism...

[hjshorter]

I always check out other carts. I shop during the day and it's usually other moms so the selections are boring: Cheerios, milk, diapers, etc. Although there is usually one person with a cart full of amazing crap food like Lunchables, juice boxes, frozen PB & J sandwiches, jell-o, and stuff like that.

[Raynickben]

A few months back I came upon a woman and 5 men (all seemed to be in their early 20's) and their cart was FULL of loaves of white bread, peanut butter, and bananas. I think they took all the bananas from the store. Anyway, I was looking at the peanut butter next to them and I said "wow, that's a lot of bananas" to which the woman said "yeah, these homeless guys really like their bananas" and then she looked right into my eyes and said again "homeless guys really like bananas". I still don't know if she was putting me on or what kind of reaction she was expecting but I doubt I will ever comment on someone's food selection again.

[adoxograph]

I too will glance, or sometimes outright ogle in the checkout line. I've never actually commented, though. Someone did once ask me about my purchases - it was the day of my do-it-yourself iron chef battle egg. I bought 6 dozen eggs, soy sauce, and a bottle of water. The checkout girl asked me what the eggs were for, and I admit, I couldn't help myself and replied, "Oh, I just felt like having eggs today."

Oh the stares.

[PopsicleToze]

I look but I don't comment

My favorite is when the check-out clerk actually comments on my purchases. "Chicken backs and necks. Ewwwww. I've never seen anyone buy those before. Whatcha gonna do with that?"

[jackal10]

The supermarkets themselves do this big-time. That is the major reason for store loyalty cards, so that they can build up customer profiles. Various purchases are usec as lifestyle markers for "affinity marketing". You sign over your rights to this data and privacy when you accept a store card.

For example buy baby-food once or twice, and you will get offers for nappies.

[JohnnyFlame]

I consider shopping at Costco a spectator sport. Seeing what people load their cart with (and often multiple carts) is shocking.

I can only imagine what the meals are like at some of these people's houses when they're buying 4 cases of capri sun, 5 lbs of frosted flakes, and an entire half a cow.

[Adam Balic]

Little old lady + 4 cans of cat food, loaf of discounted white sliced bread and a jar of jam = hope she has cats.

Stressed looking mother with 2 hyperactive kids and a shit load of sugary snacks = you idiot.

[jgarner53]

I love looking at what other people are buying when they put stuff on the conveyor belt. What else are you going to do for that 20 minutes you wait in line while they figure out how to write a check, or count out their pennies?

Yesterday at Trader Joe's I saw a woman buying bananas, strawberries, and chocolate - fondue anyone? I bet she had a hot date.

I'm always amazed at the people who buy a ton of whatever's on special: 6 chickens when they're $.49/pound, 10 cans of garbanzo beans, whatever. My local super was actually OUT of 5-lb. bags of C&H sugar yesterday because they were on special. (Which steamed me, of course, because that was what I was there for!) I can only imagine the shopping cart of the person who bought 20 5-lb. bags of sugar!

I've never had the nerve to comment on someone's purchases, though.

[iguana]

I consider shopping at Costco a spectator sport.

Cart ogling at Costco is also incredibly useful-- I don't know how many times I've spotted stuff I missed on the shelves as I trudged around in my warehouse daze. "Crabmeat? Where was that?". Of course, it's also good for a laugh or two-- I didn't dare ask about the 8 boxes of oatmeal!

[ruthcooks]

I don't use package mixes, but used to buy a cake mix once in a while to make cupcakes to send to school for the kids. Every single time I had a cake mix in my basket I would see someone I knew at the grocery. Very bad for the reputation.