How To Save Time At The Grocery Store
Shopping consumes a great deal of time out of a busy mom’s tight schedule. In order to save time, you need to make sure that you know the correct way of shopping. The grocery store is where you’re going to buy most of the things you need. It’s a weekly trip you cannot omit. Planning ahead and shopping at the right time can save you many valuable hours each month.
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Always shop with a list in hand
It’s an important practice that you always keep a list of things you need to buy. The list must be there even when you’re at home. Keep the list at the kitchen or at you bedroom and write everything you need to buy as soon as that comes to your attention. So that by the time you go shopping, you’ll have a long list of things to buy and you can be assured that there’s almost everything you need in that list.
Plan your shopping well ahead
Before you go shopping, take a look at you list and focus on things you need to buy. Then think from which store you’re going to buy these items. Make sure you have a plan about each and every item in your list before you step outside. Even when you think of a certain grocery store, make sure you know the exact place in which that product will be stored. When you have a mind map of things to buy, it’s always easy and less time consuming once you hit the road.
Shop at the right time
One important thing when shopping fast is to choose the right time. Weekends and after working hours are always crowded times. The traffic is high, the parking places are full and there’s a long queue at the checkouts. So it’s better to avoid these times. The best time to shop is in the early morning hours of a weekend. By this time, most of the people are staying home and you have the stores all for yourself.
Keep the kids at home if possible
Your kids will be running all over the place at the grocery store and you will have to spend more time controlling them than the time you actually shop. So it’s always better to leave them at home if possible. If there’s no one to look after them at home, then there’s no option but to take them with you. If that happens, ask your kids to pick certain items as you shop. This will keep them occupied and you can continue your shopping without much distraction.
Park your vehicle nearby
Parking is always an important part in shopping. Nobody wishes to carry the stuff they buy for a longer distance. This will not only waste your strength but also cost you a great deal of time. So always try parking your vehicle as close as possible. You can find a good parking lot if you shop at the less crowded hours.
Look for the best checkout lane
Once you reach the checkout, scan all the lanes. There are a number of things to look for. First look at the person on the checkout counter. Does that person look active enough and experience enough? An inexperience person can take hours to do his job. Then scan through the customers and the things they have with them. Always go for the lesser items than the lesser customers. If there’s someone with a huge list to pay and if you only have one or two things to buy, it’s always polite to ask that person whether it’s alright if you get ahead of him.
Stick to your old stores
Try to shop from the same stores over and over again. So you will be familiar with the placing of items and you don’t have to go around looking for a certain product or get somebody’s help to locate it. You can go for new stores when you have time to kill as you wait to pick up your kids. In such times, you can shop leisurely, giving some freedom for your desires to pick an odd item or two as well.
Buy things for a week’s time
When you go shopping, make sure you buy enough stuff for a week. This will make sure that you don’t have to go back to the grocery store for some time. And arranging the shopping visit in combination with a few other trips will save you some time as well. It’ll also make you a little quick to go through your shopping as you have to complete more tasks within the given time.
Grocery shopping is an important part in the schedule of a busy mother. You have to make sure you buy enough of the quality stuff to provide with your family. But at the same time you need go through it as quickly as possible in order to save time for other tasks in your life. Try using some of these quick tips and mold your own pattern out of it.
