and like to get in and out before the store gets crowded. I try like the devil to avoid 11am when the buses from the Senior Centers arrive.

I go to a local farmer's market every Saturday. I sometimes also visit an upscale seafood place, a specialty meat market, and/or Costco for food.

Most of my mid-week trips to a supermarket are on the way home from work because I need a special ingredient, or ran out of cat food.

So you probably live in a coastal town too.

North Shore of Lake Superior. Same idea.

yuppies fill their shopping carts with a dozen rolls of toilet paper, 15 loaves of bread, and six gallons of milk.

its when ever I run out of cat food, than watch out! Mr. Kitty starts looking at me like as if I am a big delicious bird!! No, but really he whines so much it drives me crazy. The silly thing has dry food and ignores it.. its gotta be the wet stuff or he has a fit. When I am down to one can of cat food, its off to the store... but I prefer to go at night, when there are less people standing in line.

Any more questions?

for participating!

by 5 a.m. in the summer so I went with the first choice. During the winter months 8 a.m. to 10 a.m

People don't seem to object to my nudity as much in the wee hours.

I drop off my kids at school and go. If I have to go on the weekend I will get up early on Sunday when everyone else is at church. I hate shopping when it is crowded.

Shelves are well stocked and no crowds.

As part of our cost-sharing arrangement, my daughter does all the grocery shopping for the family. I only go if there is something particular I want or need for myself. The other side of this is that she gets to purchase the groceries she likes and I have the choice of eating it or foraging in the kitchen for something else for myself. All in all, it seems to work out ok.

one of my requirements....he shops, cooks, and does all the "manly work stuff around the house". Ben married 32 years....and I give him a great $$ raise every year. He's a pretty good guy.

I did this all the time when I lived in Ohio... OSU is playing, off to the store because it will be empty.

When I lived in Columbus I always went to the store during the first quarter, and the stores were completely empty. Most of the employees were watching the game on the televisions at the Starbucks.

That's her job.

People made fun of GHW Bush for not knowing how much milk costs. I have no idea how much milk, bread, eggs, or most anything else costs. I never pay attention. I do now know how much coffee beans cost, as I just got a spiffy new super whiz-bang automatic coffee/expresso maker. I think the gov't should regulate the cost of coffee beans.

edit: I can't type either.

If she did she might decide to go on strike.

We have a normal checker and he's a riot. He's a little different, but he's always friendly and remembers us. It's really nice.

I use Greenling and it's great. Of course they don't have everything and I'm forced to go to the regular grocery store for staples every now and then. When I do go, usually Sunday morning when everyone's at church.

The store isn't crowded. We usually go Thursday or Friday. Sometimes Saturday.

Because my favorite time to shop wasn't listed -- whenever all the lovely ladies are shopping!

Viewing the landscape becomes almost as good as actually working in the garden.

Everything is restocked, there's hardly anyone there, and especially there are no screeching yard apes.

I like to decide on dinner at the spur of the moment, so I go to the market in the late afternoon and see what looks good and what's on sale. We're lucky here on Long Island. We have pleny of fish markets that bring in fresh catch every day. Sometimes I'll throw out a crab trap or dig up some clams and that's dinner. As far as the "Big Shop" for the stuff we use every day, 6AM M-F before work. The place is always deserted and I can use the Scan-It system so checkout takes about thirty seconds.

the shopping is free and easy!

Thus I avoid the lines and annoying people. Most of them are not out of bed yet and I don't have to put up with other people's whining kids running around. Well behaved, polite kids are a delight - enjoy them even if they're energetic. I often have some coupons also so I'm not irritating anyone in line who is waiting behind me. It just works out to be a quicker and more peaceful experience for me at that hour.

to beat the crowds and right after the've restocked the shelves.

when the cries of screaming children pierces the Muzak so loudly it makes the collective blood pressure rise 10 points. Normally "friendly" checkout staff assume grim expressions and the war of the shopping carts, manned by the totally clueless and disconnected on their cell phones, leaves few unscathed. And suddenly the inane conversations being yelled into said cell phones becomes more unbearable than the cries of the inconsolable child desperately in need of a nap.

But that is the grocery stores. The same time period at Whole (paycheck) Foods is even more unbearable as the 'self-entitled" class determine that their needs outweigh those of everyone else-- blocking the already poorly negotiable aisles with their cart as they encounter all their BFFs and chatter away. Even the crowd at Safeway seems more sensitive to the needs of others while those at Whole (Paycheck) Foods seem overwhelmingly populated by those who just don't give a sh__t. I dare anyone who doubts my veracity on this to visit the large WF in Cherry Creek-Denver on a Saturday or Sunday afternoon and experience that "thrill" of trying to park or walk across the parking lot without being hit by a Range Rover or BMW intent on getting the last available space. If you are lucky, one of the countless Priuses might just get there first--they tend to be more considerate of the poor person on foot-- either because they are "nicer people" or (more cynically), they are just more afraid of the damage that will be done by a stricken pedestrian to their more vulnerable vehicle.

Yup, I just looooove shopping on weekends.

going on the weekend makes me chainsawy

It's dead.

They know that if they let me go, I'll bring back a case of beer, three packs of cigarettes, and a box of frozen corn dogs.

That's even better than mine!

there aren't many people there at 5:30. We shop and usually pick up something from the deli to eat for dinner after we unpack the groceries.

With all the groceries as I can afford, I will always have room for that already whole cooked chicken, that I can bring home... or maybe a bag of BBQ Chicken legs. By the way the Sushi at Safeway here is terrible. I don't know who makes it but its not done by someone who knows Japanese sushi..

I just use it as my personal larder. The clerks all know me, I'm there 2-3 times a day and I have empty cabinets and fridge.

My ideal house:

On top of a coffee shop, next door to a grocery store and two blocks from home depot.

at twilight. Taking longer expeditions on weekend afternoons feels good too.

Early morning is great.
You have to dodge the pallets of resupply, but you can get great deals on stuff
they forget to code on sale.
I used to get it free if the price was wrong.
And the store is empty of shoppers.

depends on if i need to go to the deli or meat counter.

anything before noon is usually older adult time, i hate grocery shopping and want to get it done as quickly as possible, i'm too impatient for early in the day.

as you move into the afternoon, you increase the risk of shrieking children. i have sympathy for parents and i don't expect them to leave the kids at home, so i just don't go during that time.

4 to 6 pm is just a cluster fuck. things are manageable by 7 usually, but i don't like to press my luck. plus, the markdown meat isn't put out until later. money's tight and i like a steak once in a while.

When the sales overlap for two weeks!

I try other times I still run into a 1/2 doz or more people I know..it takes me longer.

So, while I shop for two weeks at a time, if I need something in between, I'll go at the hour when the store is dead.

Late at night for alcohol/stuff I can't buy at work. Tuesday mornings for stuff that I buy at the store where I work. Reason being that I'm too busy when I'm working to actually get my grocery shopping done and I kick off my "weekend" by mimosas for breakfast and spend the rest of the time floating in the pool with beer. So, I wake up early, do all my driving errands and fuck off for two days straight as soon as I'm done.

I always do chores and stuff before I go to work (usually 12-2pm), because this way on my days off, I only have to do things that I enjoy.

because crowds are usually smaller, and the stores usually discount deli items by up to 50% (including sushi )

The store I shop at is open 24/7; this allows me to shop after midnight. I prefer to do my shopping when the store is "empty."

No wonder my cupboards are bear and my fridge is empty