I think I am like most people, I read the grocery flyers each week and try to make a stop where the best deals are for the products I want. I am not sure if you have read the flyer for Real Canadian Superstores, but they are HEAVY into the Club Packs, and the signage all over the stores is “Club Pack, we beat COSTCO”….so, they had skinless bone in chicken boobs on sale for $1.99lb this week. *NOTE* Flyer runs from Friday to Thursday so today is the last day of the flyer.

I make my way through the veggie aisle, to the bakery to get a cake for my dad’s birthday, and onto the meat and poultry section. To which I find…NO club pack chicken boobs. I proceed to the butcher area and ask the man (young) behind the counter, “do you have the chicken breasts?” (I refrain from saying boobs to him). He replies, not yet, shortly. To which I ask, “shortly, meaning 1/2 hour?” His reply is what pissed me off, “Ma’am, I don’t know, I am not driving the truck!” First of all, I HATE when people call me ma’am, and secondly, is that necessary? Simply I can’t tell you what time, the truck makes deliveries to all our stores, would have sufficed.

I continued to stroll around the store looking at products, and happened to see the manager walking around. I decided to tell him what happened at the meat counter. I was pissed off. He apologized and said that even though his staff was probably just joking, the sarcasm was not necessary. He also said that he couldn’t confirm when the truck would be here, since they DO in fact deliver to all the stores, BUT he would issue me a rain check for the product (we normally don’t do that he says). I thanked him, and proceeded to self check out and then to customer service.

As I am about to leave the store, I bump into a friend of mine coming in and we stand and chat for a few minutes. While we were chatting, an employee runs up to me and tells me that the breasts have just arrived. So, I say good-bye and head back into the store to buy my chicken boobs.

Here is the punchline……

As I am walking BACK into the store…the manager, who is now on the 2nd floor of the store, YELLS out to me….”Ma’am….the breasts are in….”

Everyone has them…things that annoy, frustrate, piss us off and just plain get on our last nerve. I have a few of them, but there is one that comes to mind that I witnessed on Sunday that needs sharing.

I live in a condo, that just happens to be walking distance from a Winners, No Frills and a Walmart. When I first moved in, the WalMart hadn’t opened yet, but the other two stores had. On a regular basis the first several months, I would come home to my home, and see several shopping carts from the stores either in the underground, at the back of the building, and at times, even in the hallways of the buidling. Why do people feel the need to bring these carts, which are private property to the stores they are essentially stealing from to the condo.

I understand that not everyone has the luxury of a car. BUT, there are countless types of carts, buggies and carry type products available in the market for people who walk to purchase to carry their parcels.

Back to the story….I had been shopping at Walmart and was driving out of the parking lot to my condo and noticed a sign that said something to the effect of, “Do not remove shopping carts. Past this boundary, the wheels lock and you will be unable to remove”. Just then, I notice two people with a WalMart shopping cart ahead of me in the parking lot unable to move the cart.

I stopped and rolled down the window. The woman says to me (in broken english), “He cannot move the cart, it is stuck”. To which I reply, “the sign over there says that the wheels will lock if you try to remove the cart”. She looks at me dumbfounded and says, “oh really, I did not know that”….. Really, you just walked by the sign 10 steps behind where you were standing.

I drive away shaking my head and thinking maybe ignorance really is bliss.

I think I am an educated consumer. I look at the flyers on line or hard copy, I buy items that are on sale, and I look for the best value for money. I was at No Frills near my house yesterday, and came across something that I found interesting.

I need to step back for a minute. I know A LOT of people (families, couples) who shop at Costco and Sam’s Club (pre closure). I get that for a family, bulk shopping makes sense. But for a single person, living in a small space, buying large quantities of products doesn’t work. If you buy food, the food goes bad before it is finished. If you buy products, a) there is limited storage space and b) it may take years to finish a 10 kg box of clothes soap. I need small, cost efficent items that will fit in my storage space and that I can finish before it goes bad.

Back to my story….I am addicted to any kind of disinfecting wipes. Mostly the Lysol brand because they are usually the ones on sale. Case in point….No Frills…yesterday.

The regular size package of wipes – 35 pre-moistened wipes – $1.99

The large size package of wipes – 70 pre- moistened wipes – $4.98

Why would someone pay $1.00 MORE for the same number of wipes???

What did I do? I bought two smaller packages (2 different scents) for $3.98 and saved a dollar.

By the way, I did see the MEGA size package (110 wipes) at Costco for $9.98. Which of course is not a good deal at all…3 x $1.99 (105 wipes) = $5.97 at No Frills vs. $9.98 at Costco for 110.

Which leads me to the subject line….bigger isn’t always better.

Just think about this the next time you are walking through Costco and trying to decide if that is a good deal or not!

Happy shopping!