The Jeep has been having battery issues and because of Weston's busy work schedule I have been without a car for several days this week. The weather has been nice but a little on the hot-ter balmy side... so biking & walking places has been less appealing. No biggie really but my errands started to add up and the pantry which was already on the low side became sparce. After wrestling the boys into bed that night, I was exhausted but needed to take advantage of Weston's car being home and therefore be as productive as possible in the approximately 2 hours available to me . Even though I don't like buying my produce there (from previous bad experiences) I decided the Wally World one stop shop, in a nearby town, would be my best bet.
I shuffle into the store, start with the produce and weave down the isles toward the back. I turn down the paper goods isle looking for straws. There is only one other shopper in the isle (that I could see) ;) and as I approach them I hear a husband ask his wife "Why do we need straws anyway?" Perfect straw isle mark. I stop, grab some straws and throw them in my cart. I stopped only for about 10 seconds, maybe. I continue down the isle. About 5 minutes later I glance down in my cart only to see that I had a HUGE package of paper towels and another HUGE package of styrofoam plates in my cart. At first I thought perhaps I accidentally stole someone elses shopping cart, as that has happened to me before. As I traced the items in my cart I could see they were all there, not to mention the tale tell purse in the child seat (that I saw last) which also aided in the cart identification process.
Hmmm. Very strange. Even if I did it withought thinking, which I know I better, I didn't need those things anyway and being the eco-concious person that I am (cue sarcasm) I stopped buying styrofoam a long time ago. Not only did I have ANY clue how those HUGE items got in my cart, I also had no idea how long they had been in there. So... I am starting to think I am a little crazy, ditch the items (in their proper place of course) and I move on.
I blast threw the freezer section and start my journey across the store to get some other random items. I walked past the make-up section and not even taking my hands off the cart, paused for a moment to think if there was anything I needed to pick up. I drew a blank and pressed on. I get to the hardware section and I find the WD-40 and look down to toss it in my cart when I see yet another unidentified object. Mascara. Not only did I NOT put that in my cart either but it was also a brand (Max Factor) that I have never used. I laugh and and at this point I start looking around thinking that somebody I know is in the store and they are playing a joke on me, right? I scan my surroundings and am vigilant as I explore the rest of the store but I see no one.
Time to check out. As I pile all my stuff on the belt, the checker asks me "Would you be interested in helping the environment and purchasing some of our reusable shopping bags today?" I have contemplated it a few times now, as it is the latest and greatest in saving the environment and not to mention the enticing, oh so trendy styles popping up everywhere I go. I decline the offer and he continues to bag.
I look down and see that the bagging rounder has almost fully rotated and I grab a few bags to start loading my cart. Instantly, I feel the bags are drafty and not even close to being full. I glance down at the other bags, only seeing perhaps 2 or occasionally 3 items in each bag. I see there are still groceries on the belt and I pause..."Oh, I'm sorry, where you sorting the bags still?" Then, he says "No, miss. You are free to start loading your bags, the rounder is getting full."
Hmmm. Ok? I load my cart and he gives me my receipt. Chuckling, I load my bags in my car...one by one....by one....by one...by one. I get home and after putting the groceries away, I stuff my almost empty IKEA shopping bag keeper to the max. Still having quite a few bags left that won't fit. Which causes me to wonder..... just how many bags exactly did that oh so friendly eco-checker use on my 58 items purchased shopping trip? Not that I didn't have anything else to do but I succumbed to my curiosity. Twenty eight! The math = 2.07 items per bag. Saving the environment.....one Walmart Checker at a time. :)
