Get in loser, let’s go to the store

Second only to Minion Land in Orlando, Florida, I think that grocery stores are the happiest places on earth. Trader Joes is obviously a personal favorite of mine because of its colorful packaging and incredible cheese selection, but I’m really not too picky as long as there are long aisles to walk through and a cart to wheel in front of me. I didn’t always feel this way, but coming to college and experiencing the joys of picking pasta sauces with my friends and also realizing how expensive eggs are has quickly become an integral part of my human experience. Allow me to explain why. 

I think you can learn a lot about a person by the way that they like to shop, and what makes every single grocery store run with someone so unique. What sections of the store do they gravitate towards? What’s their walking speed in a store? Are they window shoppers that like to wander or are they an efficient, essentials only kind of person? I don’t have definitive answers to what personality traits align with which shopping philosophy, but it’s always interesting to see these minute differences across people and lie awake at night wondering what it could all mean. 

There is an endless amount to look at in a grocery store, an abundance of bright colors and fun shapes. The misting over fresh produce sections is an incredible sensory experience, and I could spend hours examining the deli section alone. To me, it’s the perfect amount of stimulation. I feel simultaneously like a cow at pasture and a crow looking for shiny trinkets in the dirt, blissfully content to graze and forage. My most recent euphoric grocery store experience was eating a very delicious sub sandwich from Publix, but I find myself having these happy moments nearly every time I go to the store. They’re the gift that keeps on giving no matter the month or the occasion. 

Lastly, a grocery store is also a severely underrated bonding experience. It’s really little moments like these that add up to so much of our lives, much more than the usual milestone events that we like to celebrate. Instead of mourning the fact that most of our life is wasted on chores, I think we should all embrace the joy that can be found in a good spinach and artichoke dip. A great grocery store run isn’t defined by the store itself, although it can most certainly elevate it. I’ve found that it’s really the people that you choose to go on a last minute kombucha run with that you tend to remember more than birthday party attendees. Spending time with friends and family doesn’t always have to be an elaborate production planned weeks ahead, it can also be a walk to Apple Valley to pick up a pack of spicy veggie meat.