I dislike Costco. No, let me rephrase that, I really like Costco in and of itself. I dislike the hordes of snowbirds that frequent Costco here in the winter. For anyone not from around here, snowbirds are the retirees that flock to Arizona (mainly from Canada and Minnesota) every winter to escape snow, ice storms and aching joints. By themselves they are usually lovely people but in a groups they make me insane. They stop and chat in the middle of the aisles, they navigate their scooters like drunken monkeys and they never stop for pedestrians.
You may be asking yourself what this has to do with the Grand Experiment and I'll tell you. I took the kids to Costco today. I gave them a snack but neglected to feed myself one. After an hour of trying to navigate around groups of ambling octogenarians my blood sugar had dipped to a new low and I found myself about to start screaming and throwing 25 pound bags of lentils at people. Orion was mad because I wouldn't let him have another sample of dried seaweed (love my kids) and Soph was convinced she needed to touch everything. EVERYTHING. Because we aren't buying any convenience foods I couldn't grab a box of crackers or a piece of pizza from the food court, I just had to tough it out. I got the kids home without committing any felonies, fed them lunch and got myself enough food to calm the homicidal urges.
The lesson I learned is that I'm going to have to be better prepared. Planning is going to be hugely important over this next year, especially when we're out and about. It's amazing how good I feel that I didn't grab a piece of pizza. Instead I had some leftovers from last night, thus saving money and calories. I also stuck with the program instead of my usual justifications and excuses.
I learned one more thing today, those snowbirds can drink! I don't know what anyone needs with a gallon of Jim Beam or two gallons of pre-made margaritas, but more power to them.
I think the stopping for pedestrians only happens in Colorado... when I lived in Iowa, I found out really quickly that I would get plowed over if I expected a vehicle to stop for me in a parking lot.
ReplyDeleteGrowing up in south Florida I know all too well about the snowbirds. My biggest complaint wasn't their shopping but driving. Seriously driving 20 miles BELOW the speed limit in the left lane, ahh! As for your shopping experience sorry. It sounds like a normal every day trip to Walmart. I despise shopping at Walmart. I can't understand why stepping into that shore makes people forget how to walk with others (aka their entire extended family). It's called a single file line. Remember you learned it in kindergarten. Ah thanks for letting me get that out ☺!
ReplyDeleteIt's ok honey, let it all out. The best thing is that in AZ they give you your drivers license until you're 65, you never have to renew. So you have idiot drivers, college students from ASU and 95 year olds all driving on the same highway. I walk a lot.
ReplyDeleteDella, I can't stand driving or shopping in Boston. Apparently the people around here have the same mentality for both and are in too much of a hurry to be courteous. Our local green grocer is my least favorite for shopping because the aisles are narrow and the little old ladies are competitive and can't stand it if you look at the produce for too long. I've discovered that keeping a running commentary on the rude people (in the guise of talking to Lila) worked a little to stop said rude people from cutting me off and refusing to let me move through the crowd. It's hard not to go, though, since the produce is better there than in the chain grocery stores...
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