July 4, 2010

How NOT to grocery shop

So, Rocky, Charlie and I are at the lake house with my family.  It's our annual HRL trip.  This year, we didn't plan our meal and just decided to grocery shop once we got there.  Being the coupon shopper I am, I took my coupon notebook and my unclipped coupons with me.  I also grabbed a couple of things from the pantry and freezer that either needed to be used soon or that I was craving.  We left the house with the following:
6 frozen chicken leg quarters (for Teriyaki chicken)
2 frozen chickens (for chicken casserole)
2 packs of hot dogs
Heinz ketchup
1 bag of red potatoes (Mawmaw's potato salad)
a bag of powdered sugar (for french toast and icing)
1 box of pop tarts (for snacks)
3 packs of jello cups
1 jar of cherries (to put in my Sprite)
sliced cheese
2 1/2 dozen of Linda's homemade eggs (okay, her chickens laid them)
half a loaf of bread
a mixture of single and quart crystal lights
6 gallons of water

Yes, that list makes absolutely no sense to you.  But in my mind (and only in my mind), it make perfect sense.  It's the perfect base to build on.

So, I mentioned that I took my coupon notebook and some unclipped coupons.  I spent the better part of last night and this morning removing outdated coupons, reading the Harris Teeter ad, and then looking for coupons for the sale items.  At around 11am, I told Rocky I was ready to go shopping when he was ready.  30 minutes later, we headed of to HT's with Charlie asleep in his car seat.

As we approach the store, I advise Rocky that he can sit in the car with Rocky and the AC if he wants too.  He quickly declines by saying "there's NO way I'm letting you go into HT alone and leave us in the car".  Fine.  We head into he store and Rocky is assigned the task of pushing the cart and holding the baggie that will hold the coupons we use.  The unused coupons would go into my purse.  We start out on the aisle with dressings and condiments, which is the aisle that I have the most coupons for.  A quarter of the way down the aisle, we've already had 2 "spats".  Rocky doesn't see the value in buying dressing that is half off with a $1 off coupon because we already have 4 bottles at home.  I say we'll use it before it expires b/c 4 bottles is not very much.  He wins.  Same with BBQ sauce, but this time I win.  I guess that makes us even.

We make the turn to head down aisle 2 and Rocky sees the sign that says "Coke products, buy 2 get 3 free".  We've already bought 2 of these specials and we have a mid-aisle debate of whether we need more or not.  We decide at that price, we do.  But what we want is not in this display so head down the aisle...canned goods.  We make it through this aisle in a snap...no coupons.  Next is pasta, soups, and Mexican foods...and we've got coupons for El Paso products for taco night.  At the end of this aisle, we start shopping the items in the "side aisles" too.  Somewhere are buy one get one Oscar Mayer hot dogs with my name written all over it.  Plus, I've got a coupon! 

Now, here's what it starts to get bad.  We realize that we've left the house without a diaper bag and Charlie has been asleep almost 3 hours.  So he's about to wake up wet and hungry and we can't do much for either in the middle of HT.  So Rocky starts "encouraging" me to go faster.  We're now halfway through the store and I change my game plan.  Instead of going down every aisle, we head to the ones where we have coupons.  Which means to the back where the packaged meats products are located.  I grab my sliced turkey and ham and then stopped in front of the hot dogs.  Rocky grabbed cheese hot dogs and I grabbed all beef.  They are buy one get one AND we have a $1 off coupons.  SWEET!  I also picked up a package of all beef bun-length wieners, which are $.99.  Then we stopped to talk to the Coke guy, which is where we got distracted...we forgot to get our Coke products.

By now Charlie is starting to wake up so we turn down the last aisle, which is dairy and frozen desserts.  We bought 2 boxes of Cereal earlier which qualifies us for $1 off milk.  Plus the cereal was on sale and we had coupons.  I grab the milk and head for the Breyers ice cream.  It's 3/$6 (normally $5.49 each).  So I pick up 6 natural vanilla's and then hit the buy one get one Smucker's toppings, which I have coupons for.  Cha-ching!!!  We finish the trip with a quick run to the jelly aisle but wait...some one's lost he baggie with the coupons!  We frantically look and he finds it in the buggy.  It had just slid down.  Whew, disaster avoided!

We had to checkout #3 and Charlie is still asleep.  I ask the lady if the all beef wieners are part of the $.99 sale and she says she's not sure.  She scans them and says they are not.  I ask her why not and she calls a manager over to explain.  The manager says it doesn't apply to the all beef kind.  I explain that the ad only says "Oscar Mayer bun-length only" and that it does not state that it's only good on the "non-beef kind".  She says the picture shows the non-beef kind.  I again say the ad does not say "this picture only" but rather "bun-length only" and that is what I have.  She offers to go get me the right one.  I tell her I don't want the other one and this one does fit the ad's criteria.  She again offers to go get me the "other one".  I tell her that Harris Teeter ought to stand by their ad and there is nothing that says it can't be all beef or that it's only for chicken  & other meat.  She goes to get a manager.  Meanwhile I'm ready to walk out and leave my entire buggy behind while Rocky is walking in circles saying "the stickers are used Mom".  Okay, that last part didn't really happen but I'm sure he was wishing he had stayed with Charlie in the car.  The head manager brings me one of each hot dog and shows me the ad is for " bun-length wieners" and the all beef kind is labeled "bun -length franks".  And with that, I knew I was defeated, which I publically admitted.  I told the manager that I didnt' realize she was saying "wieners vs. franks" and she admitted she didn't.  So we both agreed we didn't communicate very well. 

I finished paying for our groceries.  We paid $105 and saved $155.  Not my best deal but a good deal all the same.  And I think I successfully managed to guarantee myself that Rocky would NEVER go grocery shopping with me again.

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