The Weekly Supermarket Race

I’m a massive fan of Aldi supermarkets.  I do almost all my weekly shopping there apart from a few things that I need to get in Tesco or Supervalu.  It’s the best place to go if you’re looking for value for money as well as a good selection to choose from.  Their range of health foods is in my opinion the best around.  The Foodie Market and The Functional Foods products that are available are amazing value for money.  I particularly like their Macca Powder, green lentils, couscous, bulgur wheat and almond butter.  You just can’t compare the price with the other supermarket chains.

There’s one major drawback to shopping in Aldi however and I’m sure we’ve all fallen victim to it.  Allow me to paint a picture for you…   

You finish browsing the aisles and with a full trolley you walk towards the til.  You can feel the tension starting to build immediately.  It’s like being on the starting blocks of a major race.  You start to load your shopping onto the belt hoping that you have it all on before the person ahead of you is finished their transaction.  You rush to get your bags fully opened, standing up and ready to pile your shopping into.  Then as soon as the person before you leaves you are out of the starting blocks like Usain Bolt.  The race is on.  You speed your trolley to the end of the til and start throwing your goods into the waiting bags.  The faster you go, the faster the cashier seems to go.  Is she the quickest scanner on earth?!?!?!  You struggle to keep your veg together, your cupboard groceries together, your chilled goods together.  The adrenaline is pumping and your heart rate is through the roof.  The groceries start to pile up.  The cashier is winning the race…  In one last effort to get ahead you start to throw the bleach and the bananas into the same bag, your bananas are bruised, your bread is squashed and there is absolute chaos at the checkout.

Can you relate to this?  I was that soldier until a few weeks ago.  I was just giving myself a pep talk for my weekly Aldi speed session when I said to myself “why the big rush Bernie?  Why are you bringing this unnecessary stress on yourself every week?  Relax and take your time.”  So that’s what I did.  I didn’t get into the race with the cashier.  Instead I placed each item back into the trolley as she scanned them and then went over to the side and packed my bags in an orderly fashion without any stress at all.  When I got home I was able to unpack the bags much quicker because all the same produce were packed together so I probably saved time rather than losing time!

I guess my point is that life is hectic enough without bringing unnecessary stress on ourselves.  The next time you shop at Aldi or Lidl give these tips a go:

• ·        If you have a trolley full of shopping pick the longest queue.  I know it sounds insane but trust me on this.  This will give you more time to put all your shopping onto the belt before the cashier starts scanning. Better again, if you spot someone with a basket ask them if they want to go before you.  This will buy you even more time to get all the shopping on the belt in the order you want to get it into the trolley on the other side.
• ·        Once all the shopping is loaded get ready to roll the trolley to the other side of the cashier.  As soon as the item is scanned put it in the trolley. Don’t try to pack at the til!!!
• ·        Once you pay for your shopping and you get over how cheap it is head over to the packing bench.
• ·         I always pick up a leaflet with the following weeks specials on the way out the door so that I'm well prepared for what’s in store.

Happy shopping J