How I Survive Shopping at Market Basket

I am a stay-at-home-dad, which means I am responsible for serving and cooking meals, and shopping for the ingredients needed to make said meals. Over the years, I have made a habit of looking for the best deals. It comes from being broke in my twenties, like a lot of people have gone through and are going through now.

Shopping at Market Basket Saves Money

"The Basket"

One shopping godsend I discovered years ago is Market Basket. If you're not from New England, you may remember this grocery store chain from the 2016 documentary that told of the internal fighting at the top of the corporate chain and the employees' reaction to the in-fighting. More recently, the store was in the news when one customer allegedly threw a watermelon at another. 🍉

Sensational stories aside, people like me go to Market Basket because it's cheap. I have four children, a dog, and a cat to feed, so it's important to stretch that grocery dollar. There are some people who don't go to Market Basket because of the behavior of some people, but to be honest, you'll get all kinds of "behavior" wherever you shop. One day at Stop & Shop, I saw a customer and cashier get into a fight and throw paper shopping bags at each other. If you think you're safe because you're shopping at a "nicer" grocery store, trust me. It's all relative.

Maybe what I'm telling you is commonplace at other stores in other regions. Maybe it's the same type of store with the same behavior, but a different name. Whatever it is, I've learned a few things in my time as a grocery shopper, and I want to pass this knowledge and expertise on to you. There are no nuggets here to help you coupon and bundle. There is no advice for you to get even more for your dollar, as the good people of Market Basket like to say, but you will walk in and walk out without being dinged or bumped into, and your fellow customers (and maybe even the store's employees) will appreciate your effort.

Be Considerate when You're Shopping

First, I need to get there and park. Some days this is easy, and other days it's not so easy. If I'm lucky, I'll get a spot that's close to the store. I'm not one of those people who need to stalk shoppers who are done and are walking to their car. I don't have time like that to kill, and I hope I never have that kind of free time ever in my life.

Another challenge I have when it comes to parking is dealing with people who feel the need to take up more than one parking space. Sure, it may make for a great photo to share with the Parking Shame page on Facebook, but that's about all the good the Beautiful People can contribute. I call these people "The Beautiful People", because they're just too beautiful to be considerate of other people and only do what's best for them. I'll tell you more about these people later on.

I grab a carriage before entering "The Basket". If I'm lucky, I'll get one of those deluxe edition shopping carriages that aren't in the carriage corral, but actually have their own space in the parking lot. I don't know how the employees know which ones are the deluxe edition carriages, but I am grateful to be lucky enough to snag one of these before anyone else.

Property of "The Beautiful People"

There are People Behind You

Upon entering The Basket, I sometimes find myself behind someone who loves to take their time as they make their appearance. I'm not talking about the people who need a cane or a wheelchair. I'm talking about the people on their phones who are more interested in their conversation than in actually making progress into the throughout the store. As my father likes to say, "Couldn't walk and chew gum at the same time."

I move through the doors, into the store, and hear the choirs of angry customers, angrier cashiers, and fed-up supervisors. I have space to maneuver and pass the gabbing customer in front of me as I consider what I need to buy and where it can be found.

As mentioned before, I am the stay-at-home-parent, so I'm the one who does the grocery shopping. I arrive armed with my list and whatever requests I have from my miracles of Christ. Sometimes my wife will go with me. Sometimes she'll go shopping on her own. There are noticeable differences between her and me when it comes to doing the shopping. I use a list. When everything on the list is checked off, the shopping is done, and I can do my victory march to checkout. Wife likes to "be inspired" as she likes to put it and looks around to see if there's anything on the shelves that interests her. For me, if it's not on the list, it doesn't interest me, saving me both time and money.

"Deluxe Carriages"

Kindly Step Aside, Folks

Time is important for me. In addition to shopping, I need to cook dinner and do some other things around the house. I need to get my errands done so I can move on to the next order of the day. Unfortunately, some people don't have that same sense of urgency, and they must walk slowly down the aisles, taking their sweet time. Some are talking on their phones and oblivious to the people who have things to do. Others run into a friend and feel the need to have a full-blown conversation in the middle of the aisle. These ignorant, inconsiderate people block the traffic going in both directions of the aisle and prevent people from doing what needs to be done. Again, "The Beautiful People".

"Couldn't walk and chew gum at the same time." - Dad 

These people don't seem to realize what they're doing or how they're blocking the way for the other people who just want to finish their errand and get on with their life. Another pet peeve of mine is when people need to leave their carriages in the middle of the aisle when they get something from the shelf. Honestly, I just shake my head. Do you leave your car in the middle of the road when you're running into the store for something? I'm guessing you don't, but that's just me.

Shopping ain't easy. Sometimes you think you're done when you realize you forgot something on the list, and then you're in line to check out when another register opens. They are announcing to everyone waiting to pay for their groceries that they're open and people can use this new lane. Sometimes the people are too wrapped up in something to notice this. Lucky for me, I see this, and I take advantage of the Beautiful People being too wrapped up in whatever they're doing to see the new lane. Hooray for me.