Some grocery stores now have the scan-it-yourself machines. These are great things. I love them, if I’ve only got a few things. In & out. Wheeeeee!
BUT, if you’re going to use the U-Scan, and you must pay for your groceries with a check, please, in the name of all that is holy, fill out your check while you’re waiting in line, just like you would if you were in a regular checkout line. Pretty please, with cinnamon and sugar on top!
Trucido, I’ve gotta agree with you. Assuming that the college students aren’t being deliberately rude, just inexperienced at shopping I think everybody should lighten up a little. These people are straight out of home and may not have the same experience as you. What a crime! Maybe, instead of getting all upset over it, you could <gasp> offer to help them!
And maybe they are trying to make the shopping experience a little more fun by bringing some friends along. Wow, who would think that college would be a social time?
Huh? Why is this a problem? Who is it hurting? Sometimes I lean on the “handle bar” and lift my feet off the ground as I go down the aisle myself. It’s called “harmless fun”. Try it sometime; you might like it. 
Chas, where do you shop? I have about three or four different types each of salt and pepper in my cupboard at home. The stores near my place have many more.
Once you have purchased your groceries, placed them in your auto, and returned the cart to the corral, remember to look behind you before backing out of the spot. I drive slowly, as I should, through the lot, and yet the near misses occur constantly. My car has no stealth mode that I am aware of-does anyone else know of one on the Suzuki Swift?
My error. I didn’t adequately describe the sort of riding these students do. No, it’s not the “Let’s see if the handle can crush my spleen as I lean over it with my feet momentarily off the ground” maneuver. I see that all the time, no biggie, no skin off my nose.
I’m talking about people hopping into the cart with their whole ass stuck in the cart or kiddie area, limbs akimbo. First of all, you can’t convince me that carts are meant to be used that way. I’d wager that getting in and out of that position makes the cart top heavy and at risk of overturning. And once their ass is planted and their arms are out for balance or legs are out because they have no where else to go, they’re taking up a lot more room than is convenient for fellow shoppers in the aisle.
I realize I’m a washed up old hag with an inadequate dose of that thing y’all call “humor,” but I still don’t think it’s harmless fun. I think it’s dumbassed.
I see your point now Cranky. I guess it’s like a lot of things; Some people can do things sensibly, and others just have to be jerks about it, and ruin things for everyone. I hope that when I am shopping, I am one of the former.
I’m not talking about garlic salt, sea salt, rock salt, kosher salt, seasoned salt, etc. These girls were arguing over plain old Morton’s table salt. The bone of contention seemed to be whether they should buy the disposable 69cent cardboard salt and pepper shakers or the larger Morton’s Salt package and buy a salt shaker. I’m surprised they didn’t do what most college students do, steal the shakers from a restaurant.
Basically all the same? What culinary backwater are you stuck in? I pity your pallate. Try out some of following varieties:
Tellicherry
Named for a region of Northwest India, this is the top of the scale for bold and pungent aroma.
Excellent in hearty dishes such as beef or large game.
**Malabar**
From the Southwest of India, Malabar peppercorns are full-bodied and aromatic, yet less pungent
than Tellicherry. A wonderful flavor for chicken or pork recipes.
**Sarawak**
From the Borneo region of Malaysia, Sarawak peppercorns have a somewhat fruity aroma. A lighter
choice for fish or chicken.
**Lampong**
Named for their origin in Sumatra, Indonesia, Lampong is a wonderful choice when a mild flavor is
preferred. Excellent with seafood dishes.
**Muntok**
Grown in Bangka, Indonesia Muntok white peppercorns compliment most any recipe. An excellent
flavor with a slightly musty aroma.
**Sarawak White**
The inside of the lightly pungent Sarawak black peppercorn, the white version has a very delicate
flavor. Delicious in sauces and egg recipes.
And if you really want to experience pepper, try blending.
Look, I was trying to keep this explanation simple for the shopping-challenged freshmen. Do you really think someone who has never cooked for themselves and never purchased pepper before could appreciate the differences in types of pepper? The closest they’ve ever come to selecting their own pepper was in deciding how many packets of pepper to grab at McDonalds.
I’ve seen a few responses along the line of “Well, they’re new at this, do you want perfection immediately?”
No. I don’t.
I do believe that faint glimmer of courtesy should be instilled well before some self-absorbed, most-important-person-in-known-space, air-headed parent sends their kid off on it’s own.
Oh.
-mdf
Be still my beating heart. ::drools::
I wouldnt bet on this
A very successful course offered through a few agencies around here is “Life Skills”, which is offered (well, actually it is judicially ordered) to folks who for want of a better term, are in conflict with the law. Yes, grocery shopping is part of it (shop at the grocery store, not the 7-11), as well as sections on anger management (don’t throw your food at your family, cook it instead), and basic housekeeping (don’t drink and cook at the same time, you’ll burn the house down).
[brad goodman]There are a lot of little tricks to it, things you should have learned a long time ago. Such as, if you leave milk out, it can go sour. Put it in the refrigerator, or, failing that, a cool wet sack. And put your garbage in a garbage can, people. I can’t stress that enough. Don’t just throw it out the window.[/brad goodman]
What about paying with Ass Change?
Your knowledge of pepper is admirable. I make a fierce peppersteak myself, favoring Malabar. Muntok I find especially effective with seafood. If you really stop to appreciate how wonderful this noble spice is, you begin to comprehend why people used to sail thousands of miles in leaky wooden ships to get it, and why it was as valuable as gold.
Yes. God forbid college students make an informed decision based on their needs. What is the world coming to when our youth actually stops to think about the merits of convenience versus economy?
Of course, the fact that they were arguing over what type to buy could very well indicate that they have cooked for themselves before, and are concerned with the quality of their pepper selection.
Did it ever occur to you that “college student” != “doesn’t know how to cook?” Did it ever occur to you that there exist places like the Culinary Institute of America (CIA) where 20 year-olds learn to cook meals well enough that the school restaurant is often reserved for a few months in advance?
In short, fuck off.
Buying salt is not rocket science, nor does it require a committee of 4 people to debate the issue, blocking the entire lane of a grocery store. This grocery store does not sell gourmet pepper, it sells 2 kinds, generic peppercorns and ground pepper.
Knowing how to cook requires one to know how to shop. “College student who doesn’t know what to buy in the store” equals “doesn’t know how to cook.”
You all forgot about the people that try to go down the aisle on the left. I usually keep moving forward till I meet them then sometimes (when I feel like a wise-acre) put on a pleasant smile and say “Oh, you must be from Europe! I hope you like it in America. However, In America we stay to the right”. Of course they are native born but I love their expression because they can’t tell if I’m being sarcastic or not.
My father wants to make all supermarket aisles one-way. You would enter the store at the starting point, and travel up one aisle, down the next until you got to the end. If you missed something a few aisles back, you would have to re-enter the store and work your way up and down until you reached it again. He even mused on the idea of have a travelator system to make sure no one messed up his Supermarket Paradise, but figured it would have to move too slowly to allow people to see all the items on display.
One big one-way sprial, ending at the register. Better not forget anything!