Do you peek at grocery carts to see what other people buy?

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  • Marll
    Marll Posts: 904 Member
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    Yeah I always do and see certain sterotypes played out over and over.

    You almost always have those that look less well off with their carts full of junk food, those on food stamps here in America almost never have any real food at all, and they and their children tend to be overweight.

    You have those that are obviously fitness nuts with their high protein shake mixes and generally healthy assortment of meats and veggies.

    You have the vegan/vegetarians, most of which sadly don't have that much produce, but rather items that are processed and packaged that are obviously vegetarian in nature. Most of the times in my experience these people look tired, run down and sickly. If they have children the kids generally look gaunt.

    You have the produce heavy veggies, who look healthier than their processed foods counterparts above, but still look a bit frail.

    You then have the meat eaters, like me, who get all the jugemental stares, head shaking etc when you roll up to the check out line with 20+ lbs of meat, cheeses, cream, and loads of vegtables...somehow this is less acceptable to your average joe shopper than any of the above :laugh:
  • bm99
    bm99 Posts: 597 Member
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    It's natural to be curious about other people. Unless you walk around with your head down, you are going to notice a cart, what's in it and the person it's attached to. Maybe some people are so absorbed with themselves they don't notice other people?

    It's also natural to "judge" behavior you don't agree with. Should you knock over their cart and start yelling at them about nutrition? Of course not. But thinking to yourself "I can't believe they eat that crap, no wonder they're so big" doesn't make you a bad person. It's a logical leap: eat crap, get big.

    I am a big person and I think it's funny what people must think of my cart. There is no expectation of privacy in a grocery store. Buy your groceries online if it bothers you so much (although I guarantee there is a person who will look at that list and make a judgement lol)
  • dbevisjr
    dbevisjr Posts: 183
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    Only if what's in the cart is more interesting than the lady pushing it.
  • verptwerp
    verptwerp Posts: 3,659 Member
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    When I was a check-out chick at a supermarket I'd always notice what people were buying - it's a boring job and it made it more entertaining!

    The most confusing combination was a tin of catfood, a packet of drinking straws and a box of condoms.

    I'm picturing that combo ROFLMAO

    When I am buying only the good stuff like veggies, protein & dairy (as opposed to the days I'm getting crapfood for the hubby) it's rewarding to hear people comment on my healthy eating ...... and we usually get into SHORT, but rewarding conversations .... one checkout chick urged me to try quinoa ..... and I did & I love it ..... thank you, checkout chick LOL
  • daisysha
    daisysha Posts: 7
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    I do peek and sometime it's helpful as it reminds me to buy stuff I forget and it's a good time pass when you are waiting in a queue.
  • sl1ngsh0t
    sl1ngsh0t Posts: 326 Member
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    Back in 2005, I was in a Byerly's grocery store in Minneapolis and saw Garrison Keillor with his young daughter. She was sitting atop 3 boxes of "Nut Goodie" bars. They were they only 2 things in the cart. LOL.
  • mlb929
    mlb929 Posts: 1,974 Member
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    LOL, that's funny, it's never occurred to me. I do my best to try to not even make eye contact with people in the grocery store. I work in law and know WAY too much about too many people in our community. I do however get really embarrassed sometimes by what is in my own cart. My husband eats terrible and I know I will never change that, so I buy it for him while the kids and I eat differently.

    I worked as a grocery clerk in college and would be amazed and admittedly did judge at that time, very overweight people that bought crap food. Or the main one was lots of alcoholic beverages at 8:00 AM, when they would open and drink before leaving the store with it.
  • skinnywithin
    skinnywithin Posts: 1,392 Member
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    I have a son who loves to throw stuff in the cart when Im not looking so as I am putting in on the bel there may be KY or other crazy things that I have to ask the cashier to put back...YEA GOTTA LOVE TEENAGERS !
  • amymeenieminymo
    amymeenieminymo Posts: 2,394 Member
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    No, I could care less what other people are buying and its ridiculous to judge people based on their carts because you have no idea if they are shopping for a special occasion or if they shop like that all the time. Even if they do shop like that all the time, still, why judge? We all didn't get here, overweight by eating strictly veggies. Just because we have taken steps to improve ourselves does not mean we are better than people who haven't. Besides, weightloss will be a lifetime struggle for me, I lost a bunch of weight and I swore I would never gain it back but I did, so here I am starting over. I have weak moments, days, weeks, and months, so I don't think I have any room to judge others who have weak times.
  • Devolucien
    Devolucien Posts: 55 Member
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    I actually don't purchase anything unhealthy at the grocery store and shop mostly at farmer's markets. The fact of it is that it is my worst nightmare that people actually do this stuff.. I don't judge others buy what's in their cart. Part of the reason I shop so healthfully is so that people won't judge me because I am big.

    My issue with it is where do you draw the line. Vegans think meat is bad, paleos think veganism is bad, low carbers think carbs are bad. It got to a point with me where I'd buy salad and vinegar and grapefruits and spinach....THAT IS IT. That is all I was eating for 3 months before I went into the hospital. I also gained 25 lbs during that time period despite doing P90x and running.

    My point this whole time is just that people should stop judging others in this forum on this site. You don't know that other person's situation. You haven't 'walked in their shoes' so to speak. Until you have, then judging people is just wrong on every level. This should be a place where everyone can feel safe and supported during their weightloss/fitness endeavors.
  • robinregina
    robinregina Posts: 131 Member
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    I'm guilty. I do it all the time. It makes me proud when I see charts with all sorts of junk in them and I have tasty but good for you foods in mine. O.k., sometimes I get a little jealous, but then I think about my success and get over it real fast.
  • bm99
    bm99 Posts: 597 Member
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    I actually don't purchase anything unhealthy at the grocery store and shop mostly at farmer's markets. The fact of it is that it is my worst nightmare that people actually do this stuff.. I don't judge others buy what's in their cart. Part of the reason I shop so healthfully is so that people won't judge me because I am big.

    My issue with it is where do you draw the line. Vegans think meat is bad, paleos think veganism is bad, low carbers think carbs are bad. It got to a point with me where I'd buy salad and vinegar and grapefruits and spinach....THAT IS IT. That is all I was eating for 3 months before I went into the hospital. I also gained 25 lbs during that time period despite doing P90x and running.

    My point this whole time is just that people should stop judging others in this forum on this site. You don't know that other person's situation. You haven't 'walked in their shoes' so to speak. Until you have, then judging people is just wrong on every level. This should be a place where everyone can feel safe and supported during their weightloss/fitness endeavors.

    If that's all you ate because you were afraid of what strangers in the grocery store would think of you, then I assure you the problem is NOT with those strangers.

    Edit to add: Every second that you are in the presence of another human being, they are gathering information about you and putting together an opinion of you. Silently "judging" (good or bad) every thing you say or do, how you look, what you're wearing, what you drive, how polite your kids are etc. That's life.
  • BAMFMeredith
    BAMFMeredith Posts: 2,829 Member
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    I don't do it intentionally, but I do. I kinda feel like an a-hole when I judge people with carts filled with junk food.

    I honestly get sad though when I see carts full of junk food being pushed by an overweight mother with her also overweight children in tow. I know it's none of my business and has nothing to do with my life, but it still makes me sad for the kids.

    And sometimes it can be hilarious to see what other people buy. This young couple (I'd guess late teens) was behind me at the grocery store the other night and their items on the conveyor belt included a large bottle of Big Red, some condoms, KY warming lube, and a douche. I had to stifle my laughter in a serious way.
  • gastankerdriver
    gastankerdriver Posts: 162
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    i tend to look at the register to see how much they are spending.
  • aftergypsies
    aftergypsies Posts: 248 Member
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    Only when they have a lot of interesting stuff and you can't avoid it. Like yesterday this man and woman had about 40 pounds of various meats and other stuff. My guess was they were having a huge BBQ or party. Their total was like $500!! That's gonna be one hell of a party. But usually if it's not like that I don't notice other people's carts.
  • kaetmarie
    kaetmarie Posts: 668 Member
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    I actually don't purchase anything unhealthy at the grocery store and shop mostly at farmer's markets. The fact of it is that it is my worst nightmare that people actually do this stuff.. I don't judge others buy what's in their cart. Part of the reason I shop so healthfully is so that people won't judge me because I am big.

    My issue with it is where do you draw the line. Vegans think meat is bad, paleos think veganism is bad, low carbers think carbs are bad. It got to a point with me where I'd buy salad and vinegar and grapefruits and spinach....THAT IS IT. That is all I was eating for 3 months before I went into the hospital. I also gained 25 lbs during that time period despite doing P90x and running.

    My point this whole time is just that people should stop judging others in this forum on this site. You don't know that other person's situation. You haven't 'walked in their shoes' so to speak. Until you have, then judging people is just wrong on every level. This should be a place where everyone can feel safe and supported during their weightloss/fitness endeavors.

    I'm really sorry this is such a struggle for you, but honestly, if it's that hard for you to see these kinds of posts -- you should really avoid them, for your own health.

    People at the grocery store, malls, online -- everywhere -- people judge. If that is going to negatively impact YOU and your progress and your battle with ED, that's something YOU need to address. The world is not going to change to accomodate your issues, just like it does not change to accomodate mine. If I were you, I would seek help to address some of these issues -- because the world isn't going to change, if you want to get better, YOU need to change.


    ETA: Best of luck to you.
  • yoovie
    yoovie Posts: 17,121 Member
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    I actually don't purchase anything unhealthy at the grocery store and shop mostly at farmer's markets. The fact of it is that it is my worst nightmare that people actually do this stuff.. I don't judge others buy what's in their cart. Part of the reason I shop so healthfully is so that people won't judge me because I am big.

    My issue with it is where do you draw the line. Vegans think meat is bad, paleos think veganism is bad, low carbers think carbs are bad. It got to a point with me where I'd buy salad and vinegar and grapefruits and spinach....THAT IS IT. That is all I was eating for 3 months before I went into the hospital. I also gained 25 lbs during that time period despite doing P90x and running.

    My point this whole time is just that people should stop judging others in this forum on this site. You don't know that other person's situation. You haven't 'walked in their shoes' so to speak. Until you have, then judging people is just wrong on every level. This should be a place where everyone can feel safe and supported during their weightloss/fitness endeavors.

    If that's all you ate because you were afraid of what strangers in the grocery store would think of you, then I assure you the problem is NOT with those strangers.

    Everything you are saying here is how you choose to react, not what anyone makes you do. A snap 'oh, that's interesting' observation is not an act of evil or a black mark on one's character. To judge is human because its how we ingest a situation and decide if its us or not. Knowing what you like and dont like and would do and wouldnt do and used to do and still do... is part of knowing who we are.

    If you can be so wrapped up in what other people think of you that it dictates your actions, you simply cannot put that pressure on us.

    I refuse to be bullied into catering to all of the disabilities on earth. Instead I choose to live my life with vigor and healthful amazing adventures and NOT be burdened by what is not holding me back. Just as I wouldnt stop running, just because some people cant. And I wont stop drinking just because some people cant handle it. If its your issue, then its your issue, but I wont be bullied.
  • tuffytuffy1
    tuffytuffy1 Posts: 920 Member
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    I absolutely LOVE the title of this thread, it made me LOL because I totally do it :tongue: What bums me out is I come in to read the comments and I see somehow a playful topic like this has turned into an ED topic:huh: That keeps happening lately -- sigh.
  • jlbay
    jlbay Posts: 473 Member
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    Only if I hear the melodious sound of many bottles of wine or booze clink-clinking in the cart. I love carts full of wine - makes me happy.

    Otherwise, I hate grocery stores so much - I'm just trying to get the hell out as fast as I can. Grocery stores give me evil road rage.
  • yoovie
    yoovie Posts: 17,121 Member
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