Reframing the Grocery Store

In the last few years, going to the grocery store has become one of my least favorite chores. In order to get it over with as quickly as possible, I usually act like a contestant on Supermarket Sweep, racing through the aisles to get out of there as quickly as possible. 

It doesn't help that I really dislike the grocery store that is closest to me. Its aisles are narrow and crowded. It has a terrible produce selection. It often smells weird. And, after my favorite worker, Ron, retired and moved to Arizona, there is nothing that makes me look forward to going there. In other words, it's not delightful.

About a month ago I saw something online that I couldn't quit thinking about. It said something to the effect that Disney World is crowded and has long lines, but people forget about those things because they are focused on the wonder. Then it went on to say that grocery stores are full of wonder too--aisle upon aisle of different foods, balloons, fresh flowers, cakes, and maybe even live lobsters! However, we tend to forget about that when we frame going there as an annoying chore. 

I decided that it couldn't hurt to try reframing my trips to the grocery store and see if I couldn't make it a more delightful experience. 

The first thing I did was go to a different store. There are several grocery stores within five miles of my house, but for some reason I thought they all seemed too far away compared to the bad store that was half a mile from my house. So, I trekked a whole 2.1 miles to a different store that is bigger, has a huge produce section, and no discernable smells.

Since it was a new-to-me store, I couldn't race through the aisles grabbing the things on my list in a crazed manner. I had to meander through all the aisles, taking everything in and learning the ins and outs of the store. It was actually kinda fun, and the additional time I took only amounted to about twenty minutes. I even found a few new products that I didn't know existed!

The next week, I decided to order a coffee from one of my favorite coffee spots to drink as I did my shopping.

The week after that Pete and Margie came along with me and kept me company.

Reframing grocery shopping as something interesting, and dare I say, even relaxing has definitely made it a more delightful experience. At the very least, I haven't been dreading it!