How do you shop?

[Damummis]

I very rarely go to the store anymore. And when I do it is for things like toilet paper and coffee. Produce is out of the question from the local grocery store. It is the bottom of the barrel.

I use to sick my finger in ALL the meat packages when I was little. It was so squishy and tempting I couldn't help it.

 

[gettinaclue]

I'm a squeezer/poker/squisher and I've taught my daughter to do the same thing. I take her to the store with me all the time to teach her what to look for in produce, meat, price vs amounts and teach her about ingredients.

I've noticed some people are this way and some aren't. To each his own..I'll take the fresh stuff lol.

 

[abifae]

I think it depends on how much the understand food. The more people cook and enjoy their food, the more careful they are. I think people who don't really understand food assume that produce is like canned food. It all looks alike.

Many who do check, don't know what they're looking for anyway.

 

[Wannabefree]

I pick over everything. I don't poke meat though. I do look for good marblization in beef cuts, because they cook up nice and tender and juicy. No need for poking I go by smell a LOT, and weight(like a good solid head of cabbage), sound(thumping melons), feel, of fruits and certain veggies. I take FOREVER in the store sometimes, which is why I love going alone. If I feel rushed, I will leave and go back later for the other items on my list rather than just start tossing who knows what funky fruit in my cart. I won't buy meat I can't see. I won't buy prepackaged veggies I can't feel or smell. I am very VERY picky.

 

[FarmerJamie]

DW now just sends me to the produce section saying "here's your list, I'll be back in twenty minutes". Don't get me started on the "hey produce guy, this is bruised on one side, how about a discount?"

 

[hoosier]

It is nice to know I am not the only picky shopper out there. It amazes me that people just grab something w/o even looking it over. It takes me a long time to choose my food. I pick through all the produce, and in my pre-chook life, I checked the eggs in the carton to check for broken ones. When I buy bacon, I pick through the packages until I find what I want. I have had some strange looks from those that walk up and grab the one on top. I am thankful for those shoppers, though. It is less competition to get the good stuff!

 

[Marianne]

I try not to shop! Well, I have to every so often. So produce and meat are about the only thing that I have to pick through. Most the time I have to pass on the fresh fruit - fresh? Okay, maybe sorta fresh, but not ripe. The rest of the store I fly through. No need to check the bag of split peas, ya know?

I'll never forget seeing a woman taking the caps off of different salad dressings to smell them, then recapping and putting the bottles back on the shelves.

 

[hoosier]

I'll never forget seeing a woman taking the caps off of different salad dressings to smell them, then recapping and putting the bottles back on the shelves.

 

[goatilocks]

Im a poker, sniffer and reader. i read the labels, unit prices and stand there forever looking for the best deal on what I want. I check the caps on the milk to make sure someone hasnt broken the seal and squeeze chip bags to make sure no air leaks out to indicate a hole. I make sure the expiration date is far enough out that it wont go bad before I use it. My husband refuses to go shopping with me cause I take to long!

 

[FarmerDenise]

At first I thought, "I am not that picky". Then, as I read through the posts, I realized I am. It is probably why SO and I have trouble shopping together.
I don't squeeze produce too hard, because I don't want to bruise it, but it does have to have it's correct firmness/softness. And definitely smell. I won't open packages though, well mostly. Depends what it is and on my mood. I don't buy much produce or eggs, since we have our own.
I check the meat for coloring and marbeling and fat, must have the fat. I check for getting the best for my money, which means good ingredients and good price. If it is someting I have bought before, I'll toss it in the cart, most of the time. but sometimes I double check the ingredients, to make sure they haven't changed them. I read ingredients, because there is so much I won't put in my body! I am trying to teach this to my stepson and his girlfriend. A short time ago they came home and proudly announced that they got me yogurt, thinking they had gotten me a nice treat. It was yoplait! I politely said "thank you, that was very nice of you, but have you checked the ingredients?"
A few months ago, I bought some nilla wafers. I had a craving. I loved them as a kid. So that evening, I am watching tv and get out my Nilla wafers and take a bite they didn't taste at all like I remembered! So I get the box and look at the ingredients: HFCS!!!! I tossed the box. I should have returned it to the store, but that would warrant me spending my time and gas. I learned my lesson and check the labels.....