Keeping Your Shopping Skills Up is a Hard Bargain

I haven’t gone shopping much lately.

That’s mostly because I don’t enjoy shopping and, in retirement, I don’t need much more than T-shirts, jeans and shorts. I’ve bought very few new clothes since I retired nine years ago. I don’t need to because Catherine comes home with new clothes for me.

“Here, try these on,” she’ll say. That’s a phrase that goes back to my mother. Boys (and men) generally don’t like shopping for clothes. The alternative is the shopping run where Catherine takes me to a clothing store and I basically just remain in the dressing room, trying on different things she brings me until she’s satisfied.

The dilemma for men trying on jeans is, “Should I suck in my gut to pretend I still fit in the long-past size I should be or just be realistic and get the ones that allow for expansion? Maybe they’ll shrink.”

Catherine and I each have our own shopping routines. She goes shopping all over the place and can spend hours in just one store. I go to the store’s website for what I need, find what aisle it’s in, then drive to the store to get it. Done.

We usually grocery shop together and have our own routines. Am I the only retired husband who does this? I get the important stuff like ice cream and pop while she buys sensible food.

It’s in the Bag

We even bring our own special bags that fit like hanging folders in a file cabinet. That way you can separate your items. Customers are impressed and often ask where they can buy them but we’ve never seen anyone else use them.

It’s amazing how everything about shopping has changed over time. It’s gone from “if it’s not available in town, forget it” to “two-day shipping on almost anything.” While online shopping has almost gotten dead simple, physical stores have fallen all over themselves trying to compete. We’ve seen the collateral damage.

Shopping in person at a big box store has changed enough that I need to up my game. On a recent visit to Walmart, the whole store seemed to be in the midst of a reinvention requiring a treasure hunt for items on my list.

Big box shopping takes planning. Even if the store’s floor plan hasn’t changed, forgetting something when you were on one end of the store necessitates a football field hike through narrow aisles dodging customers looking at their phones to see where to go next.

There are standard carts, mini carts and motorized carts. You never know what you’ll meet at the next blind aisle intersection. Maybe stores need yield and stop signs or even traffic lights. Maybe we’ll need to buy shopping insurance. Some stores have wide angle mirrors at busy intersections. Useful if people look up from their phones.

You Can Do It All

The whole process of shopping has changed. You, the shopper, get to do more on your own, like scanning products for more information. You can also use the self-checkout if you want to see what it’s like working there.

If I’m looking for something specific, I check the store’s website first to see if it’s in stock and where in the store it’s located. I don’t want to rely on finding an associate to help me. So I come prepared knowing exactly where the oscillating multi-tools are and not have to ask, “Where’s that tool that does a bunch of stuff?”

I knew that you can place an online order for delivery or pickup at stores like Target and Walmart. But it wasn’t useful to me until recently. Two of my brothers and I rotate buying various necessities for our sister in assisted living.

I can now just call her and walk through an online list of things she’s bought before, adding items to a digital cart. I place the order and chose a time to pick it up. It’s simple and I avoid going through the checkout line with a load of women’s products.

All of this is overwhelming to some who still prefer the small store experience. While downtown Red Wing has lost many fine stores, we are still fortunate to have shops such as grocery and hardware stores. And you know where to find things because their layouts don’t change.

In the end, though, no matter how you shop, you’re still making a transaction of your money for something you desire. Only faster.

It’s the American way.