"GroceryShopping" news and stories

I can't tell you how many times I've gone into the grocery store and decided to grab a hand-held basket instead of a cart, only to curse myself halfway through the shopping trip as my arm is ready to break with the weight of all my purchases. I end up staggering to the register, looking like a crazy woman as I half-carry, half-drag my items to the counter.

One grocery store in the Boston area has solved the problem of the overloaded hand basket by introducing ones that behave like the traditional baskets, save for the fact that when they get too heavy to carry, you can place it on the ground and wheel it along. Available in Shaw's Supermarkets, this basket has become a hit with shoppers (some might say too much of a hit, until the stores implemented a loss-prevention program, the baskets were wheeling themselves right out of the store). The store likes them too, as they encourage shoppers to toss a few more items into the basket than they might otherwise have done had they had to heft the full weight of the load.

You can also find these rolling baskets at New York-based Wegman's, Marsh Supermarkets in Indianapolis and Roundy's Supermarkets in Wisconsin.

[via Consumerist]

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I enjoy grocery shopping and spend more time in Trader Joe's, Whole Foods, Shop Rite and my local produce store than is probably necessary. However, I know that lots of folks don't see grocery shopping as pleasurable endeavor in the same way that I do. For those of you, the folks at Unclutterer have put together a series of helpful tips on how to get in and out of the grocery store quickly and effectively.

They start by recommending that you make a weekly meal plan, so that you know what you'll be eating for a series of days. That way you can create a list and shop accordingly. They also suggest that you try to shop during off-peak hours so that you can move through the aisles and check-out stands in a more timely fashion.

I know that there are expert grocery shoppers among you out there. What are you secret tricks to keeping your kitchen stocked with a minimum of time and frustration?

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Aside from the occasional late-night trips down the grocery aisle at the CVS across the street from my apartment building, I am a fairly predictable grocery shopper. I tend to hit Trader Joe's at least once a week and then supplement those groceries with a trip to the farmers market or a local produce stand. On a weekly basis, the top 10 things you will almost always find me buying are yogurt, milk, cheese (I like my dairy products), tofu, quinoa, light coconut milk (a recent obsession), fruit (nectarines, plums and apples these days), grass-fed beef, arugula and tomatoes (not a very titillating list I'm afraid). Of course, there's always loads more coming in and out of my kitchen than that (I'm a person who buys a new variety of salt nearly every month) but those are the basics.

What are the 10 things that you find yourself buying most often? Snack foods? Bread and peanut butter? Kraft singles? Share the dirty details of your grocery bags.

This post inspired by Mary at the WC Dish. Picture by Esther17.