Nosey Shoppers

[Trek]

I've been shopping at Aldi's for years now. Every trip is for case loads of groceries. I like shopping by the case load. It's easier on me. Canned food doesn't go bad easily, and I save on gas by shopping less frequently. NEVER has anyone at Aldi's ever paid any attention to my shopping habit, until now.

This past week, I happily shopped away. Current news from tb2k in the back of my mind, I did buy a few cases of items I usually don't stock heavily. The quantity and dollar amount of my trip remained pretty much the same though.

I was shocked when one guy started talking about all the food I was buying. Very quickly, all eyes were on my shopping cart. Comments were going back and forth too quickly for me to catch them all. The two who did not comment had me more worried. Nothing like a little paranoia creeping into the back of my mind that those two might be thinking about figuring out where I live.

So, my smart aleck answer to the first guy's probes was: "Nah, I'm just a good old-fashioned Irish Catholic widow with sixteen kids to feed. I am looking for a new husband though - interested?" That shut him up quick! So quick, I was almost insulted!

With all the msm talk of preparedness... is anyone else noticing people paying more attention to your larger purchases? Have you made a concious effort to downsize your shopping order and make up for it by shopping more frequently; maybe in a larger variety of grocery stores?

Oh! For the record... I am part Irish, am not Catholic, and am NOT a widow! Don't want to be playing on anyone's sympathy strings with that last one. Have made that mistake before when talking about preparedness planning. I always plan for what I deem to be worst case scenarios, and to me that would include being without my husband.

 

[data junkie]

The husband-shopping line is a hoot...

It seems to me, based on my shopping experience anyway fwiw, that if you have a boring logical explanation prepared, then people quickly forget you. For instance, canned goods are for food bank donations or food drives. Never lie, but use some of the purchase for the stated intent. If the intent is a do-gooder thing, then people's eyes glass over and they look away, averting eye contact. We could speculate about why that is... The more mind-numbingly ordinary and forgetful the explanation, the better. Like, dried beans for soup making gift jars.

 

[duchess47]

I have made a point of telling the clerks at the stores I shop at that I hate shopping so make a point of getting at least a month at a time when I do have to shop. Then I rotate stores. And occassionally, I comment on all the people currently staying with me waiting for their house to be built, etc. ( which is true, on and off, people are staying with me for a few months at a time. Anyway, now they all expect me to get a cart full of can goods, etc., and commiserate on all the company

 

[eXe]

No one here is paying more attention to purchases.. however I have noticed a few more people thinking long term in their shopping.

Today in Smith's I saw a whole lot of topped off carts, and its not the 1st of the month. Who knows, perhaps people are prepping.

I am pretty well set with food, we just did a large costco run Saturday, My store room shelves are full as well. I have been kind of stocking up/Rotating slowly over the last few months.. 5 extra cans here, 10 extra cans of that there.. slow (Ok so its Zen Prepping lol) so we are ready.

 

[BV141]

Tell them they have to feed my six year old son......
The grocery bills are truly climbing these days.

Interesting that people actually noticed. After Katrina,
no unusual activity in Costco. Only one other lady was mass-stocking
coffee. We talked a little....

bv

EDIT ADD: Only the FedEx guy suspected anything!

 

[BREWER]

BREWER

Trek; You really are on to something here. Several years ago in 1996 we had the Snowstorm-Of-The-Century. After people could dig themselves out and get to the stores the topic, in very long lines, was invariably... "I had to come to the store. I was out of almost everthing. Those folks had not been to the ATM's either. The FEW folks who had a cart full of groceries especially MEAT seemed to not only get the most attention, but also the most derisive comments from those that had only a little money with them at the time. I recommend you spread your shopping around. A BJ's, Sam's, or COSTCO are places where no one really pays any particular attention to a SLED full of food. I belong to two of the three. Shopping around a 'holiday' is excellent cover...say, St. Patrick's Day or Easter? Unless the clerks know you by name at your local Aldi's tell 'em your doing a catering for a friend if the 'holiday' thing is not appropriate. Wedding, Barmitzfa, Birthday Party, or whatever. I'm certain that your glib remark worked this last time, but you can only go back to that well once or twice especially if you are buying good cuts of meat, large amounts of sugar, TP, or one or two types of specialty foods in quantity. If you feel uncomfortable going out to the car..like maybe you think there is a threat out there get someone with the store to walk you out and then watch your rearview mirror just-in-case. Maybe varrying your route home might be a good idea in the future when food stocks soar in price should the H5N1 cut chicken out of the mainstream diet. You perceptions were right on target and no doubt you will encounter this situation again. Stay cool.

 

[Bird Guano]

Things I find that work well:

Shop at off-hours-- mid-day, late at night.
Split purchases between stores and locations

Remember Grocery Loyalty cards track EVERY purchase

COSTCO tracks/records every purchase in a database
(the recent canned beef recall is point in fact, they sent out notices
to EVERY member's address who had purchased it).
COSTCO employees have access to your address in the same database.

Shop at cash n carry places where businesses shop
Sysco, Smart N Final, other restaurant supply houses. They
are used to bulk and small catering operations without resale
licenses.

If questioned, say you run a small catering business, cooking school, or day/senior care center.

And if you're really paranoid, make sure you do some "crazy Ivans" on the way home.

 

[Dare7]

The places I purchase groceries & household products have known me for years as a coupon queen "lot" shopper. Most everything I buy is in large bunches be it canned goods, frozen foods or dry goods. I don't care what a stranger may think of my odd cartloads and it would be too difficult to follow me home. So the only potential "threat" would be the retail staff & their families/friends. But .....the managers and many of the cashiers also know/assume I still shop for my children as conversations tend to turn towards the one or more grandchildren I frequently have in tow and how much their parents work. Sunday, I spent 96¢ on 16 pkgs of Kotex Maxi Pads at Walgreens. (Wonderful heavy duty bandages in addition to their normal purpose) Since their carts are so small, thus magnifying the contents, and being a woman clearly in or past menopause I'm sure an eyebrow or two was raised while I stood in line until the grinning cashier commented -- "No more grandchildren on the way yet, huh! What a deal! When did these coupons come out?".

Those of my children so inclined to make a similar purchase this week won't do it at the same location. Since we are cash shoppers and do not need loyalty cards for Walgreens (or anywhere we shop), the mountain of Kotex we are presently adding to the stockpile will not be connected together or, more importantly - to my house.

 

[cory]

Don't worry about it.

First of all, the attention span of the sheeple and pollies is notoriously short.

They're amazed because the grocery store, TO THEM, is just a place with a Starbucks and ATM in front. Half of them were thinking, "People actually still buy this stuff????" and "How quaint!!"

I used to work with pollies. No kidding, they were all excited about a service called "take out taxi" that let them order carry out and have it delivered to them. Then they discovered "gourmet-to-go" (something like that).

That turned out to be refrigerated home-cooked meals, they pick it up, bring it home, microwave it. How convenient!!! (said with sarcasm)

I saw one of their meals, it was a 6 ounce hamburger with green beans on the side. Only $8.50!!! Whoa-whoa-WHOA-POLLY! I could make that for a buck maybe two bucks.

"B-b-but I don't have to cook or clean up."

How hard is it to fry a hamburger and steam some green beans? Three minutes of hand washing cleans it up nice.

 

[daisy]

So, my smart aleck answer to the first guy's probes was: "Nah, I'm just a good old-fashioned Irish Catholic widow with sixteen kids to feed. I am looking for a new husband though - interested?"

Priceless comeback!

Recently I was questioned on my shopping cart full of just canned goods, I told the clerk I had CGCD. She asked what is CGCD. I said, Canned Good Compulsive Disorder. Her eyes got big and she stared blankly and you could tell she didn't know if I was serious or joking. I just smiled and said, what can you do we're all compulsive about something.

 

[gillmanNSF]

Wow, I didn't know our purchases were being tracked. I guess I kind of knew, but that recall notification by Costco really is an eye-opener. Fortunately, for me, I'm just an add on to a business. My address is not included (I don't think), which also means, I don't get recall notices. I might have to look online to see if they list them.

I suppose that's the trade-off regarding city/suburb living vs. rural living. In the countryside, people know other people's business, whereas here in the city, people could care less. My prep buying habits, on the other hand, have been spontaneous and irregular and spread out over the course of several years. I recently found some canned corned beef from 2000, six years ago! Where did the time go? Although I'm prepped to the gills, it's really only enough for two for about six months, then I'd be under constant threat from being ripped off or worse, so there are trade-offs to city vs. country living.

My suggestion is buy in a big city and move/store it in the country. I have yet to follow my own suggestion.

 

[tsk]

I recently bought a bunch of catsup (about 10) bottles at Meijer. The clerk commented on my amount I was purchasing. Said something like "you like catsup, huh?" and I said, well yeah, and at .89 cents a bottle I'm stocking up. Last week I had to pay $2.19 for the same bottle. I'll never do that again!!!

And I had to take back a sweater from Christmas. I had the wrong receipt. The cashier looked up on her computer the price I bought the sweater at (two months prior!) First time I've ever seen that used!

tsk, tsk...

 

[Terriannie]

Quote from Tsk: I recently bought a bunch of catsup (about 10) bottles at Meijer. The clerk commented on my amount I was purchasing. Said something like "you like catsup, huh?" and I said, well yeah, and at .89 cents a bottle I'm stocking up. Last week I had to pay $2.19 for the same bottle. I'll never do that again!!!

And I had to take back a sweater from Christmas. I had the wrong receipt. The cashier looked up on her computer the price I bought the sweater at (two months prior!) First time I've ever seen that used!

Quoted from Bird Guano: Remember Grocery Loyalty cards track EVERY purchase

Yikes tsk! Even if you didn't use a Loyalty card, they probably know you have all that catsup too!

Looks like even a good "come back" isn't enough to explain large purchases. Maybe it would be wise to sureptisiously buy only a little extra each time and at different stores more often.

 

[yellowsprings]

Trek, I get the same reaction everytime I go into Aldi's. I usually shop early in the day and the usual crowd are retirees. They have a handful of things and look at me like I am crazy. If I am asked, I tell them that I have three teenagers and I only shop once a month. That usually settles their curiosity.

It used to upset me but now I have been thinking that I could make a game of it. How many nosy people can I freak out today?

 

[Fuzzychick]

I usually shop the Sam's Club and restaurant outlets for bulky items. At the local grocery store I've shopped at for years I usually go around the lunch hour when it's pretty empty. The custom service manager is a friend of mine from years back and always chuckles when he sees me rifling thru the canned veggie section. He's one of us too!

 

[Troke]

(heh) When all of our 9 kids were still at home and half of them teenagers, we would walk into the grocery, the manager would take one look, dial the phone and say "Honey, go ahead and buy it, they just walked in.", the meat people would start singing 'Happy Days Are Here Again' and two guys would run up with carts that they pushed for us.

Aaah...for the Good Old Days.

 

[fruit loop]

How about....

...."yes, this cart is soooo heavy....it's a pain to be senior wife with three others and sixteen kids to shop for. Want to push for me?"

 

[Deep Blue Dragon]

There are lots of folks who drive in from ranches in the outlying areas to shop in our local stores once a month. Buying case lots doesn't gain much attention here, even at the grocery stores. Also, with all the 10 for $10 sales lately the notion of "stocking up" at a good price is gaining more acceptance.

If I really want to buy large I go to Sam's Club, where half the shoppers are pushing flatbed carts!

 

[Cardinal]

I love your comeback Trek. Sometimes I think it is a combination of curiousity and envy that has people paying attention. "Conspicuous consumption" says that you have $...at least enough to cover all the goods you are buying.

I have always bought in small lots. When a local grocery had a great sale on cases of canned goods, with limits, I went there every day of the sale and bought the limit of that item only. Never raised eyebrows. Of course, my situation is probably different from yours, and if bulk buying works, do it.

I'll bet after the "powdered milk and tuna" comment, folks start paying a lot more attention.

 

[Trek]

I'm rolling with the witty comebacks suggested on this thread!

Just a few moments ago, DH suggested we build up our pantry a bit more. With this thread's subject on my mind, I suggested we spread our shopping around a bit more. I know of 5 different Aldi's I can travel to within a reasonable amount of time (on different days, of course). There are about 6 different supermarkets in the area also.

Sadly, there is only one Sam's club that I know of, but I can usually do better shopping other places anyway. Some things though are simply worth the trip to Sam's.

I've been buying with cash for some time now, and have been skipping the price savings cards. Unless.. the card was successfully obtained with bogus information. Then, so long as I only use cash with the card, I'm good.

The witty comebacks on this thread are all being stored away though. I do know alternate routes home from each store, so my trips will be well varied. I'll just make sure I have a cooler in the car for those items that won't stay cold enough packed together on thier own. This way, if my trip home becomes extended my money won't melt away.

 

[Worrier King]

I usually fit right in with the illegal, Spanish-speaking bulk buyers, who will often have 2 carts, all paid for with food cards/stamps and other types of welfare, with what seems like all of their 16 screaming/crying kids right there.

 

[Mother Love]

EDIT ADD: Only the FedEx guy suspected anything!

For us it's the UPS guy. He goes "I see you ordered some grain."
I wanted to die.

Can't they put something else on the label? I know for them
it's advertising FOOD to purchase but for us it's advertising FOOD that no one
else should know we have!

"I told the clerk I had CGCD."

This is a good one! I'll have to remember this one. Love it!

 

[Perpetuity]

I had the same thing happen to me about a year ago. I always do a full shop, whether I've been to the store the day before, or a week ago. A woman behind me was complaining to her partner how I had gotten all of something that was on sale in my cart. I turned around, looked at her, and smilingly said with four teenagers at home, I'll be lucky to get the groceries put away before they all vanish...kids grow so fast! The humor completely disarmed her, and we had a friendly chat about kids growing up while we waited in line. Truth of the matter, while we do have four kids, only one was currently living at home.

Also, the manager of our local Krogers knows I'm a chef, and I'm in there sometimes picking up odd amounts of things that we've run out of at the restaurant...a couple of cases of condensed milk, a dozen bottles of Worcestershire sauce, rice, etc. I can't use that excuse though to justify the six cases of Ramen noodles, however!

Zenprepping really is the greatest thing since sliced bread.

 

[sirena]

Here's food for thought....

Conspicuous Consumption can also turn into Conspicuous Garbage!

I am going through my packaged, boxed goods---things like instant oatmeal, instant potatoes, even jello--that come individually packaged inside a box, and discarding the box now. I can write with a marker what they are, and it takes up much less storage space inside a sterlite storage container, meaning I can fit in a lot more! Remember to clip any instructions/measurements off the box!

But the big bonus is that I won't have nearly as much "conspicuous garbage" to dispose of --depending on the situation, whether there is trash service or not---or tell-tale food boxes
for watching eyes to see here in surburbia.

How paranoid is that? Haha!!

 

[CountryboyinGA]

Wife has had a woman come up to her (during Katrina fallout) when her buggy was overloaded and ask her "do you know something I don't know??") her reply was that she had a big family to cook for every day.

I told her she should have whispered "YES!!" and walked off!!

CBinGA

 

[ceeblue]

Innocent curiousity happens. I'm alone 99 percent of the time. So when I get out somewhere, my tongue is likely to just start blabbing. At least some of those nosy folks just might not have anyone to talk to.

Some of the answers I've heard at Aldi's:

Cart full of bread and ground beef: We're having a big bar-b-que. And: We have a country store and the bread man won't deliver out that far.

Flat of one type of canned goods that I have to ask, is that heavy? Yes, but we only have to lift it twice.

Just don't talk to people staring at the coffee display when prices are high, especially if you're picking up two cans. Sheesh.

And I never really wanted to know what they were going to do with all those eggs and toilet paper. Everyone in the store was watching those kids, laughing and asking each other if they lived near them.

 

[blueberry]

Strangers in the grocery stores have no idea if I am shopping for one person, or for 16 kids at home - so I have never been questioned. I have seen checkers groan when I pull into their lane with a couple of loaded baskets, but no one has every questioned me.

I do shop at Sam's, even though I know they keep records. I shop there because they have items I can't find anywhere else, and their meat dept. is excellent. Everyone else shopping there has huge full carts, so my full cart would not raise any eyebrows.

 

[Pam811811]

This is why I LOVE the self check outs at Walmart and Meijers. I scan everything, bag it the way I want, and pay cash. I shop often and in small quanities so nobody notices anything.

 

[Cardinal]

Conspicuous Consumption can also turn into Conspicuous Garbage!

I am going through my packaged, boxed goods---things like instant oatmeal, instant potatoes, even jello--that come individually packaged inside a box, and discarding the box now. I can write with a marker what they are, and it takes up much less storage space inside a sterlite storage container, meaning I can fit in a lot more! Remember to clip any instructions/measurements off the box!

But the big bonus is that I won't have nearly as much "conspicuous garbage" to dispose of --depending on the situation, whether there is trash service or not---or tell-tale food boxes
for watching eyes to see here in surburbia.

How paranoid is that? Haha!!

How smart is that Yes, conspicuous garbage is something we need to plan for. Great suggestion.

 

[ofuzzy1]

I'm buying for the company picnic and food the food drive.
I'm buying for a friend their house burned down they lost everthing, I know they'll need these.
I've got house guests, can I send them your way?

ot:
On the door of a friend.
Everyone who enters brings joy.
Some as they come,
Some as they leave.

Welcome

 

[Brooks]

Never lie, but use some of the purchase for the stated intent.

DJ, somehow I wouldn't have expected that comment from you.

Since it is none of their bloody business why I am buying what I am, why do I owe them any semblance of truth? Given that it is basically a hostile comment on their part, I think they deserve whatever it takes to get their nose back into their own cart.

 

[summerthyme]

Brooks.. I suspect DJ meant it in a sort of "karma" type way...

Don't throw potential looters off your track by lying about the fact that you are buying food for charity...

I understand that way of thinking, although I don't think God cares whether or not contents of any particular cart gets passed on...

It's not owed to the nosey PITA's who are asking questions (and by and large, they are simply either making conversation, or are such hopeless sheeple that simply the IDEA of buying more than a meal or two worth of food at a time stuns them)... it's the larger considerations.

Summerthyme

 

[Cruiser]

I really don't care what anyone sees me put in my cart or how much. We usually shop at WalMart so big baskets are the norm. Even if they weren't I wouldn't care though. The only thing I watch is my trash. Specifically when I am repacking my ammo. I usually just bag up the empty boxes and throw them out when I'm getting gas. At least they don't really know where they came from.

 

[Walrus Whisperer]

I'm waiting to see what Beprepared.com has printed on the box of stuff I ordered.... I hate that when what you ordered is emblazoned all over the box, and if it sits on the porch for a while till someone gets home, the whole neighborhood knows.

 

[Bird Guano]

I'm waiting to see what Beprepared.com has printed on the box of stuff I ordered.... I hate that when what you ordered is emblazoned all over the box, and if it sits on the porch for a while till someone gets home, the whole neighborhood knows.

It's a huge screen printed marketing blurb. www.beprepared.com

Usually with a color label of what you just bought on the outside.
Nice multi color picture of veggies or what not.

I hate it that they advertise on their shipping boxes.

I've put "Plain boxes please, no advertising" a number of times on the shipping instructions, but it doesn't seem to help.

I have them delivered to my office in town anyway, so it's not such a big deal.

But it IS annoying.

 

[nannygoat]

I do alot of my shopping at the base commissary and because of the distances to the four bases in the state it is quite normal for people to buying a couple of baskets of food and twice a year at least there are case lot sales and people really have stuff then - some times mutiple baskets full - really good deals - also it seems military have large families

we also have to travel distances to stores and many others travel even farther to more than the local rip off grocery store [ but if you do not have time to travel more than an hour or two to the bigger store it can be worth it but try not to have to ] so people normally buy quite alot when they go to SAMS/COSTCO/ super walmart/commissary

 

[Jim in MO]

If they are rude I find “Mind your own damned business” works for me. If they just seems curious I tell them “Mind your own damned business” No issues……

 

[Onebyone]

Daughter went to store the other day and I had her get 20 cans of Van Camps chili as it is only 97 cents which is a good deal for 34 grams of protein to just heat and eat. I also was low on sugar, down to 10 pounds, so had her get 4, 5 pound bags of sugar to get it back up to prep level. Had her get 10 pounds of flour and several bottles of water. She said when she was at the register the people at the two buggies behind her just frowned when they saw all that being put on the counter and then the chili and 24 cans of milk they just stared at her real hard.

I told her next time just tell them you have company coming and you don't know how to cook so are making a big pot of chili..... from the can.

Priceless comeback!

Recently I was questioned on my shopping cart full of just canned goods, I told the clerk I had CGCD. She asked what is CGCD. I said, Canned Good Compulsive Disorder. Her eyes got big and she stared blankly and you could tell she didn't know if I was serious or joking. I just smiled and said, what can you do we're all compulsive about something.

 

[Onebyone]

It's a huge screen printed marketing blurb. www.beprepared.com

Usually with a color label of what you just bought on the outside.
Nice multi color picture of veggies or what not.

I hate it that they advertise on their shipping boxes.

I've put "Plain boxes please, no advertising" a number of times on the shipping instructions, but it doesn't seem to help.

I have them delivered to my office in town anyway, so it's not such a big deal.

But it IS annoying.

Try these folks. Last time I ordered from them it was just a plain white box. Didn't even say grocer on it. I was glad too.

http://www.internet-grocer.net/dehydrtd.htm

 

[Spot]

I usually ask them ( HOW LONG HAVE YOU HAD THIS NOSE PROBLEM ) ?
Spot