Grocery Reality

Several weeks ago, when we as a nation and a state were beginning to track virus infections more closely but before any actual rules or orders had been set down, my husband said to me, "You know, out of everyone in this house, you are the one who is most at risk for getting really sick with coronavirus.  You have asthma.  You should not be going to Kwik Trip to get the coffee; you should not be going to the grocery store; you should stay home.  I will go for those things."  I thought it was an unexpectedly thoughtful and gallant gesture, and I agreed.

(It should be noted here I have since finally figured out InstaCart and now order all groceries and supplies online.  They are delivered to the house, with no humans having contact with one another, and the bags and boxes sit outside-- to supposedly kill the virus?-- and everything gets wiped down when it does come into the house.  So, Todd's foray was a one-time-only event.)

The evening after he offered, off he went to the grocery store, with a brief list and our most helpful child in tow.  They were gone for FOUR HOURS.  I got three phone calls and three text messages with questions from the store.  (I also got a number of threatening texts from the child, saying how much she hated the experience and would never do it again.)  When eventually they returned, the shoppers came with only about half the items on the list.  Now, this was not entirely unexpected, because grocery stocks have been fair-to-middlin', low really, with limits on common items when they are available at all.  I put toilet paper on the list not thinking they would actually be able to find any, because there hasn't been any toilet paper in any store in our town-- or through major retailers online-- in weeks.  So, no, they couldn't get everything.  But, also, he didn't get everything because he said the groceries cost too much!

These are some of the items and their prices Todd found obscene and intolerable:

• cinnamon bread from the bakery ($4.19)
• bagged salad kit ($3.99)
• canned sports drinks the kids like (usually $1.29 each, but on sale for $0.80 each)
• deli meat ($4.99-$7.99 per pound)

Now, he did buy the drinks-- but just one per child... and he did buy other "outrageously expensive" things like fresh berries, but in the smallest pint (maybe half-pint?) personal containers.  On the other hand, he bought two, huge bottles of flavored cream for his coffee-- because they were buy-one-get-one free.

It was a full two days later when Todd said, "You know, I think I was just so shocked by the prices in the grocery store because I never go to the grocery store."  Gee, you think?