I may be odd, but one of the greatest joys in my life, as strange as it sounds, is grocery shopping. The simplicity of entering a store with a list, finding those items, and checking them off gives me a much-needed sense of accomplishment. That said, Michigan shoppers have got to brush up on grocery store etiquette.
RELATED: Michigan’s Most Affordable Grocery Stores: Time to Switch?
Maybe it’s because Michiganders have become too accustomed to shopping online, but it seems situational awareness in public is being completely ignored. Here are a few things we can do as a state to improve the overall grocery shopping experience for everyone.
Run Into a Friend? On Your Phone? Move Out of the Way!
Photo by Viki Mohamad on Unsplashwoman in red long sleeve shirt and black pants standing on white floor tiles
Since we all need food to live, grocery stores are a common place for people to run into one another. When that happens, try not to catch up with someone while blocking the store’s front entrance. Don’t get me wrong, I’m elated you ran into an old high school friend. Catch up and shoot the breeze, but don’t do it in a high-traffic area, such as the chip or cereal aisle.
This includes phone calls, Michigan. Move your conversation out of the aisle, so the rest of us can get to the Cap’n Crunch. There are rarely any crowds in the cleaning aisle. Talk there.
How Coupon Shoppers Can Keep Checkout Lines Moving
Joe Raedle, Getty ImagesJoe Raedle, Getty Images
If you plan to use a stack of coupons, announce it before anyone gets in line behind you. If you’ve ever been behind someone who has enough paper clippings to start their own recycling center, you know the frustration. Coupon collectors should wear blaze-orange vests with “COUPON” written in black. This will save all of us from being stuck behind you.
This one is more of a holdover from the pandemic and social distancing, but if I am in front of you at the checkout with a cashier, it’s my job to put the little divider on the conveyor belt. If you’re in front of me, it’s your job. This saves the person behind you from awkwardly reaching around you and the utterance, “Ope, just gonna grab this, ‘scuse me.”
While there are infinitely more points of grocery store etiquette we Michiganders need to brush up on, remembering these will make your and my trip to the grocery store slightly more pleasant.
America’s Most and Least Affordable Grocery StoresThis ranking comes from Consumer Reports, which basically filled up the same grocery cart at stores across the country, mixing name brands and store brands, then compared how each total stacked up against Walmart’s prices.
Gallery Credit: Scott Clow
Top 8 Complaints Aimed at Michigan’s ‘Modern’ Grocery StoresWe asked, and you answered. According to Facebook, here are Michigan’s Top 8 Complaints Aimed at ‘Modern’ Grocery Stores.
Gallery Credit: Scott Clow
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