Lesser Spotted Supermarket Trolley Observer

Whenever I'm in a supermarket I look at what shoppers have in their trolley. I can't help myself. It fascinates me.

Today a woman in front has seven white sliced pans (yes I counted them), two tubs of some sort of margarine spread, a bag of sweaty carrots, a small bag of potatoes and various other items, oh and a jar of jam (could have been raspberry but could also have been strawberry).

On the way in, I watched as cars lined up to drive as close to the door as possible; despite there being no obvious spaces. Two or three cars had men sitting in them not actually in a parking space. Possibly waiting for wives, mothers and hoping a space might suddenly materialise. The cars still continued to line up trying to get closer. If they could actually drive into the shop and grab items and throw them onto the
passenger seats I think they would.

Years ago when I lived in England I used to look out the window of the train in the evenings. It was dark and people were just home from work with their lights on and I could see into their kitchens. I used wonder what sort of food they were cooking. Similarly, when I'm standing in a supermarket queue I wonder the same.

Would the sliced pan woman use all seven in a week or was she buying them to freeze. It's a lot of bread. I couldn't imagine eating that much bread. But maybe she has teenage sons sticking their heads into the fridge every time they pass it, making sandwiches for their friends while they watch tv.

I have often leaned over to ask someone about a product they are buying. Sometimes they look at me as if I'm a bit deranged but usually they are delighted to have a chat and tell me about the product. At Christmas, an elderly couple in front had venison steaks and quail. I couldn't resist asking them what they were like. They told me they were big game eaters and loved them but they usually bought all their meat in one of the butchers in town. I ran back and picked up the venison. I was delighted I had because it was delicious. I still have some in the freezer.

Another day I ended up discovering a really good Rioja reserva at a great price because I asked the man buying it was it nice. He turned out to be a mine of information and pointed out a few wines to me that were a great price and very drinkable.

Supermarket people watching is a great way to pass the time, if you are not in a rush. And even when I am in a rush I still end up studying what people are buying. But I often wonder why would someone get stuck in a traffic queue to get a parking space closer to the door? And who eats all the sliced pans..........