Grocery Shopping Etiquette

I have to be honest and say, I really had no idea what I was going to write about next. Being that I write about etiquette and social skills, a step outside my home, or to be honest, a step inside my home, clearly gives me enough material going to keep this blog going infinitely.
As we go through the motions of our average day, we all seem to get caught up in the hustle and bustle. I have to believe it is a rare person that stops before entering the grocery store and ponders on the courteous behaviors they will bestow upon their fellow shoppers that day. However, I do believe there are courtesies that need to be en-grained and flow naturally with mundane life tasks that we all need to accomplish.
Grocery shopping is one of those tasks. Being courteous while grocery shopping is not just about being polite, it’s also about time management. So I’ve compiled a few etiquette tips that if applied , could help everyone get in and out of the grocery store in a fashionable amount of time, and in doing so being courteous to others.

1. If you are only shopping for a few items grab a basket instead of a cart. This leaves the carts for the individuals who are there for a whole order. It also makes it easier for you. Instead of having to properly return a cart to the correct spot (which is listed below), a basket gets dropped off right at the register.

2. Think of your cart as a vehicle and the aisle as a road. Stay to the right of the aisle and pass on the left. And before pulling out of an aisle look to see if anyone is crossing.

3. When you stop to look for a specific item or brand, pull your cart to the side. Please don’t leave it in the middle of the aisle parked sideways, blocking all traffic.

4. If you discover an item in your cart that you decide not to purchase, put it back where it belongs. Dry goods do not belong in the baby aisle, and by the time it is located and put back by an employee, chances are it’s expired.

5. Believe me, I know what it is like shopping with children. Especially cranky and oppositional children. There are a few things I’ve always done to make this shopping trip easier on everyone. First, if there is an opportunity for you to go to the store without your children, take advantage of that. Second, time your outing right. Don’t go before, or during nap time. You really can’t expect a child to be reasonable when they are tired. Third, if  a responsible and helpful individual is available to go to the store with you, they can be helpful with entertaining your child. If your child is past the calming down point let them take your child for a walk or out to the car while you finish up.  And last, I know that more often than  not you are left to accomplish this task on your own; so go prepared! Bring some healthy snacks (people giving there children highly sugared snacks in a situation like this have always perplexed me), crayons and paper, a small board book, or even a Walkman/ipod. I’m not saying pack a suitcase, but don’t go without anything to keep your young ones occupied and expect them to have good behaviors. And remember, reward your child at the end if he/she behaved the way you wanted them to.

6. When you finally make it to the checkout aisle, and you remember you forgot an item, leaving your cart there to go and get it is forfeiting your place in line. If you bring that helpful person as mentioned in #5, that is one thing, but to leave your cart unattended in a checkout line that is being inconsiderate to others who have successfully retrieved all of their items, and are anxiously waiting to be on their way.

7. OK, this is probably my biggest pet peeve at the store. When your vehicle is loaded with all of your purchases and your cart is once again empty, please (pretty please) put it in the cart corall. If this is a task that you never seem to accomplish because of not wanting to walk the three or four parking spaces to do so, try and park as close as you can to it when arriving at the store. And if you absolutely cannot bring yourself to return the cart to it’s designated area, kindly push it off to the side where it is not blocking a parking space, or cannot go sailing aimlessly through the lot forging towards someones parked vehicle.

Being polite and considerate of others is just a common courtesy. And throughout your day if you find that someone is lacking instinct of kindness just remember, “Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.” And just to see were your shopping etiquette skills are here is a fun little test to take, and please feel free to share your results.

Happy Shopping,

Beccie June

The Goodness Inside

This past January a Georgia family had acquired a huge amount of medical bills due to their two young disabled children. One child is autistic; the older is afflicted with a debilitating form of arthritis, both requiring around-the-clock assistance.
Not knowing where to begin in paying off this medical debt, they decided to put all of their worldly possessions on sale through ebay. Now I’m sure most of us remember Ian Usher from Australia, who auctioned up his entire life last year. I am not one to judge, I’m very sure this man had his reasons. But the reason behind this families decision to give up their “things”, excluding their home, is so heart compelling.  
A family from Texas came forth and paid the asking price of $20,000 while getting absolutely nothing in return, they opted out of collecting their purchases. When asked why, the family said that they felt badly for this family having to choose between what they own, for their family’s well being and the very lives of their children. This act of kindness was complimented by countless other emails and donations that had come in from others as well. Because of this thoughtful and giving family, the family from Georgia will be able to pay their bills.   
I am so thankful that there are people like this in our world that would step in and put forth their good-natured hearts. With our economic times being so hard on almost everyone right now, it warms my heart to see that there can be kindness, compassion, and empathy at a time when being heartless, rude and mean would be the easier choice. It also reminds me that even though my days can get crazy with work, my job is making a difference in people, It is teaching them respect for themselves and others. Etiquette and manners are so much more than knowing which utensils to use and why. It is about being considerate and responsible for the greater good.

So try to be nice to others, your emotional health affects your physical health. In taking care of yourself, it helps take care of others.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

While writting my blog today, I came across a site showing ebays weirdest auctions. Quite interesting.  Click Here!!!

May the good you do for others, come back to you ten fold!!!

Beccie June

Remembering Manners Using the Rote method

I’ve had an extremely busy day, and still have a ton of things to accomplish. I am very excited to be taking my daughter to see Dora this evening, but I did not want to go without posting anything.

When my oldest son, who is now 14, started preschool, his teacher had taught them a cute little poems to help them remember their manners. Here are the ones I can remember…

Only one can talk at a time,
So this is what I’ll do:
I’ll listen like a little mouse
‘Til other folks are through.

The purpose of this was to teach the children to listen when others are talking.

Manners
We say “Thank you.”
We say, “Please,”
And  “excuse me,”
When we sneeze.

That’s the way
We do what’s right.
We have manners.
We’re polite.

Other than being simply precious, I love the values it teaches. I honestly feel like printing this out, making one hundred copies, laminating them and handing them out to children and adults alike. It just may have prevented the horrible cold I had last year.

When I shared these with a friend one time, she had told me of a song she had learned in her school years. It is sung to the tune of Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star.

Friends
We say, “Thank you.  We say, “Please.”
We don’t interrupt, We don’t  tease.
We don’t argue.  We don’t fuss.
We listen when folks talk to us.
We share our toys, we take our turn
Good manners are easy for us to learn.

These are all rhymes and songs made for children, but would it really hurt the adults of our society to learn and apply these simple respects in life?

This style of learning is called the Rote method. It is a very contraversial issue as to what the person learning in this style is really comprehending. In defense of the Rote method, my 14 year old son, who learned these songs so many years ago, is one of the most polite, well mannered child. This style of learning, I believe, depends on the individual and the environment in which the child learns.

Please feel free to feel your thoughts on this subject.

Off to see Dora the Explorer!!!

Beccie June

Everyday Etiquette

Well here goes……

First I want to thank you all for stopping by my site. Writting a blog has been something that I’ve wanted to start for sometime now. So while I know that there are thousands of etiquette blogs out there in our cyber world, I am going to jump in as well. My goal is to not only bring an etiquette issue to the table, as often as I can, but to bring it with some reality that we are not living in the days of Emily Post. While I hold much respect for the ever so graceful Mrs. Post, our social enviroments could not be more different.

Secondly, the main purpose of this site is to present information on how to carry ourselves in the many different social situations that we encounter in our lives. From dining etiquette to marriage etiquette, email etiquette to bowling etiquette, there is a proper way to behave in every situation.

I ask that you please be patient with this site as I am new to blogging. I hope to have everything in place very soon.

If you don’t already have a blog I encourage you to do so. I have learned so many things in this past week, and enjoyed learning them as well.

Best Regards,

Beccie June