Power Shopping with JC

When My brother and I go shopping, usually every other week, we have a system.

Since it's about 20 miles to our destination, we take his Honda CRX, which gets great gas mileage. We usually start out around 7:00 am, or a little after, so we can get to Wal-Mart before the rush starts. Our favorite parking space, right next to the shopping cart enclosure close to the front door, is usually empty and waiting for us.

Usually we'll only take one cart, but if we have extra long shopping lists, we'll use two, and then the race is on. We fly through the grocery section, grabbing milk, eggs, butter, bacon, juice and chips. Paper products can be tossed from a distance on the way to the dog food section. A quick trip through automotive, sporting goods and gardening and we're done.

If we have two baskets and get separated we come together at the checkout stand like homing pigeons flying back to the roost. On the rare occasion that we can't find each other, we've learned to listen for the thump of the out of balance shopping cart wheels and track each other down by ear like Indians with their ear to the ground listening for Buffalo. (This trick only works early in the morning when the store's relatively empty.)

We know when to slide our credit cards and how to operate Wal-Mart's speedy version of the credit card machine, signing our names with the wooden stylus and poking OK, while the checker loads the plastic bags in our cart. We roll through the automatic doors out onto the parking lot, quickly load the back of the Honda, and we're off to the Rite Aid store for the cheapest wine and beer in town.

If we're on schedule, and we usually are, they should be opening just as we pull into our usual parking space by the front door. Sometimes we have to wait impatiently as a clerk unlocks the door, but as soon as we're inside we grab a cart and head for the liquor department. Being the first customers of the day, there's no waiting and we have their version of the credit card machine mastered also. We load up the beer and wine and head for home.


Unless we're badly out of training, or something unusual happens, we're home and happy by 8:30.