LSCT – Simply, Low Shopping Centre Tolerance.  Kid ya not folks, I dislike grocery shopping with an intensity.    Like daily abultions, it has to be done.  One must shop in order to eat.

Shopping here in Bathurst is pretty easy really.  Parking is not too bad – and even better, if you don’t mind walking an extra hundred yards.

I guess I’ve had it pretty good of late.  I leave that side of the family chores to the Resident Redhead.  She is a g – capital G – Good Shopper.  Until I rebelled, mine was to simply accomany her to the supermarket and pass over the requisite card at checkout time.   Now, my card leaves home without me.

It All Happened Last Friday: 

The Redhead was nursing a  sore heel, thus being a gentleman, I accompanied fair lady to our favourite market.

“Listen and learn,” were my instructions.  Oh joy! I was not going to be a mere trolley pusher, I was being invited to share the RR’s shopping secrets. Secrets passed on from mother to daughters – I a mere male was going to be privy to the art.  Yes, the art as practised by the RR’s ‘sisterhood’.  It is an art form.

Hitherto I was under the impression that one merely went to the supermarket, grabbed a trolley, hunted for the items; blanched at the prices, hunted for the specials and joined the supermarket serpentine lineup at the checkout.  Nope! not as easy.

The Great Weigh-In Caper

 Fruit vand veggies are sold by weight – right.  Occasionally, no.  Veggies like lettuce and celery can be sold as individual items.

My first advanced lesson in shopping was to check for the youngest, greenest and freshest looking items. take at least three and weigh them.   So, for example, lettuce on sale for $1.50 each Now I’m not saying that the heavier the weight, the better the bargain, but the odds are sure in favour.   We did, on this occasion, opt for the plumpest and heaviest lettuce – one up to us.

Next to the fruit and greens are the cheeses.   I’m a fan for smoked cheese; the RR loves the Bries and Camemberts.  both of us love the fruit cheeses.  Our supermarket sells the pre-packaged exotic cheeses at various prices.    We chose the smoked cheese both Dutch and Australian, all going for $3.60 each.    The weight differences were wide.   500g – 750g.  Guess which packet we bought.   Shopping was now beginning to get interesting.  In speaking to fellow trolley pushers, we ascertained that in a lot of cases, the gram in the jars were getting less and the prices going up.  I was weighing everything in sight to the approving beams of my lady love.

Milking it

I was allowed to hie to the dairy section and  pull a carton of milk.”No, not that one,” said RR.

“Why not that one?

“Look at the date.”

She was right again.   Stamped on the carton was the use by date  for the milk..

“Always go for the latest date” said my lady/mentor.  ”So, if there are two milk cartons of our favorite brand left in the fridge, one dated 30 July and the other 4 August, which do you pick?”

“August.”

“Exactly,”  Another beam of approval.

Two or One?

By this I mean, is it better value to buy the one kg pack, or two 500g packs, let’s say sugar.   In a lot of cases, I’ve found buying the 1kg pack of sugar was a few cents cheaper than two 500kg packs.   Add these up over the weeks and there is a significant saving – not only on sugar but a lot of other items as well.

Pedantic!  Time Wasting?  It may be, but what the heck.  The supermarket has no compunctions in putting up food prices, so we don’t feel at all guilty in making sure we get value and weight for dollar.

Time Is Money

Talking about time.  Yes! we do hang around until the prices begin to tumble and the specials abound. Somehow there is a different ambience about shopping later in the day.  No mini traffic jams in and out of the carpark. A choice of parking bays.   Less hustle and bustle and some magic bargains.

So, my one day of grocery shopping was a great  re-learning experience.    It didn’t or doesn’t cure my LSCT malady though.