Surviving the Checkout Lane
You made it to the grocery store and are almost done with your shopping when you are confronted with the most daunting obstacle: the checkout lane. A bad experience in the checkout lane, accompanied by whining, dirty looks and disorganization, can derail an otherwise successful grocery shopping trip in a matter of seconds. Here are a few tips to get through those last few minutes of your shopping trip!
Long Lines
Knowing when to hit the store is a big part of surviving the checkout lanes. The best time to go to avoid crowds is mid-week in the morning. However, if you don’t have the luxury of shopping during the day, shopping later in the evening is your next best bet (go after 9:00 p.m. for the shortest lines). Next, watch out for the chatty or slow checkers. Get to know your cashiers so you know who to go to when you need to get out fast and whose line to get in if you are in the mood for a chat.
Kid Chaos
Let’s be honest here. Most of what makes grocery shopping unpleasant is having to bring your kids along. Just getting through the store can be enough of a challenge, and then you have to face all of the candy and trinkets at the checkout lane that are conveniently placed right at their eye level. To avoid an “I WANT CANDY!” meltdown, keep them busy! Have them help load all of the groceries onto the belt, let them hold the coupons, let them hand the frequent shopper card to the cashier. Older kids can even help bag the groceries. Distract them from the tempting goodies and make them feel like they are being helpers.
Impulse Buys
Grocery stores are laid out by professionals who are trying to get you to spend more money. They know that people are prone to impulse buys and that is why they have an array of wonderful items sitting right there at the point of purchase. You throw them on the belt and don’t have time to reconsider. So how do you avoid buying junk you don’t need? Make your grocery list ahead of time and stick to it! If it’s not on the list, it’s not in the cart. Force yourself to never buy anything from the checkout lane…if you think you really need the item, go back to the regular aisles to get it. If it’s not worth that hassle, then it’s not worth buying.
Forgotten Items
There is nothing worse than holding up the line while you have to run all the way to the back of the store for a gallon of milk that you forgot. One way to avoid this is to have an organized grocery list. I make my lists according to my Price Chopper’s aisles so that I can just check off each item in order as I shop. You could even create a master grocery list on the computer, designed according to the store layout, and checkmark the items you need each week. Whatever works for you…just keep that list organized! And taking one minute before you get in line to double check the list will save you the embarrassment of running through the store while everyone waits.
Coupon Crazies
You are guaranteed to be the recipient of dirty looks if you get to the checkout lane and don’t have your coupons organized and ready to hand over. To avoid digging through your purse for that one coupon you thought you had, make sure you get organized before you go to the store. When you make your list, put your coupons in order and separate them from the rest of your coupon stash. I use a coupon organizer that has a pocket for my next shopping trip, but you may want to use a separate envelope or even just a paperclip to keep the coupons together. As you shop, make sure that you are purchasing the correct items for each coupon so you can avoid the dreaded “beep” and set aside any coupons you decide not to use. That way you can hand over the whole stack and be confident that you will sail through the checkout.
Sara Keenan shops at her Brookside Price Chopper where her favorite way to avoid checkout line drama is to get to know the cashiers…they distract the kids with questions and conversation and make it all easier with their helpful smiles!