Grocery Gawker: Checking out the checkout lane
June 10, 2015 9:03 AM Subscribe
Grocery Gawker: Checking out the checkout lane
At the supermarket, I’m often fascinated by what the person in line ahead of me is buying. I can't help it. I surreptitiously observe. I wonder. Sometimes I judge. I know I'm not alone in this. Grocery Gawker is all about those little checkout scenes.
Why is this person buying organic pumpkin seed butter, two blocks of feta, and a chocolate bar at 10 a.m. on Sunday?
Why is this woman buying 50 votive candles and a bottle of wine?
Why is that guy buying a bunch of bananas at the self-checkout — with each banana on a separate transaction?
(These are all actual examples.)
@GroceryGawker is meant to compile these checkout lane scenes, assembling them all into one glorious Twitter stream by selecting and retweeting the reports received from Twitter users far and wide.
If this sounds like it might be your bag, you can follow along and — just as important! — let @GroceryGawker know about your next weird, wonderful, poignant or puzzling checkout lane sighting.
At the supermarket, I’m often fascinated by what the person in line ahead of me is buying. I can't help it. I surreptitiously observe. I wonder. Sometimes I judge. I know I'm not alone in this. Grocery Gawker is all about those little checkout scenes.
Why is this person buying organic pumpkin seed butter, two blocks of feta, and a chocolate bar at 10 a.m. on Sunday?
Why is this woman buying 50 votive candles and a bottle of wine?
Why is that guy buying a bunch of bananas at the self-checkout — with each banana on a separate transaction?
(These are all actual examples.)
@GroceryGawker is meant to compile these checkout lane scenes, assembling them all into one glorious Twitter stream by selecting and retweeting the reports received from Twitter users far and wide.
If this sounds like it might be your bag, you can follow along and — just as important! — let @GroceryGawker know about your next weird, wonderful, poignant or puzzling checkout lane sighting.
Role: Creator
I bet you could combine the pumpkin seed butter with the feta and chunks of chocolate and a couple other ingredients you'd already have around the kitchen, and have a super fancy dip or spread.
posted by aniola at 8:50 AM on June 11, 2015
posted by aniola at 8:50 AM on June 11, 2015
Fun project! I'm sure you could solicit more of these from MeFites.
For general information: the initial MetaFilter post was deleted with the note "This is a neat project and perhaps we'll have more to talk about when it's more fully-established."
posted by filthy light thief at 10:00 AM on June 17, 2015
For general information: the initial MetaFilter post was deleted with the note "This is a neat project and perhaps we'll have more to talk about when it's more fully-established."
posted by filthy light thief at 10:00 AM on June 17, 2015
I'd love to hear from MeFites on this one, filthy light thief! That was a big part of posting it here.
posted by veggieboy at 2:24 PM on June 17, 2015
posted by veggieboy at 2:24 PM on June 17, 2015
Can of cat food and bottle of wine--big night in with Fluffy.
posted by Ideefixe at 10:52 PM on June 17, 2015
posted by Ideefixe at 10:52 PM on June 17, 2015
Because I've worked all my life in events, programs, and fundraisers, I have put in many a grocery order like this, for event-specific needs. The real reasons for buying weird stuff in bulk are a lot more boring than people might expect. Not everyone in the store is buying for home; once you grok that, nothing surprises you anymore.
posted by Miko at 8:02 PM on August 12, 2015
posted by Miko at 8:02 PM on August 12, 2015
Oh man, like the budget that is precisely $60 and meant to feed dozens of hungry snackers for a month. I was usually within $0.05 of that $60.
posted by aniola at 8:44 PM on August 12, 2015 [1 favorite]
posted by aniola at 8:44 PM on August 12, 2015 [1 favorite]
I had one job where my weekly order was about 4 heads of romaine, 2 English cucumbers, 6 tomatoes, a bag of oranges, a bag of apples, and some half and half. One day the checker asked me if I was feeding dolphins at the aquarium nearby.
My favorite story of this kind is of a friend who was putting on a Halloween party for kids. They were doing a carnival, including apple bobbing and a game where you had to blow up balloons, put shaving cream on them, and shave them without popping them. Almost all the supplies had already been bought, but at the last minute he had to run out for a few dozen apples, a package of disposable razors, and some more Halloween candy. He was also a big guy with a crazy beard. You can imagine the awkwardness.
posted by Miko at 5:54 AM on August 13, 2015
My favorite story of this kind is of a friend who was putting on a Halloween party for kids. They were doing a carnival, including apple bobbing and a game where you had to blow up balloons, put shaving cream on them, and shave them without popping them. Almost all the supplies had already been bought, but at the last minute he had to run out for a few dozen apples, a package of disposable razors, and some more Halloween candy. He was also a big guy with a crazy beard. You can imagine the awkwardness.
posted by Miko at 5:54 AM on August 13, 2015
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posted by aniola at 8:48 AM on June 11, 2015 [1 favorite]