First grocery store visit in about 2 months

Today's entry is about grocery store P.R., grocery store team spirit, and, I'm pretty sure, the economic downturn that some call the Mini Depression.

I went to the grocery store yesterday. First time in about 2 months because I have determined that the best budget control is simply to not go to stores. I am able to do this and still survive because Tom Bold has never made an impulse purchase in all the years that I've known him. Wait a minute...that's not so. He did make one in the Dallas Galleria Macy's in 1993. (Yes, it was that memorable.) So, he's doing the weekly shopping and saving us a lot of money.

So, yesterday did feel a little odd to me. And although the shelves were stocked in typical manner, I picked up on new behaviors. In 20 minutes' time, I was addressed by 6 employees asking me, "How are you doing?" or a variation of that. I am prepared to swear that I've never been individually welcomed by so many store employees before in my life. I would estimate that at least 2 of these welcomers were management. Note: some of these welcomes were called out to me from a distance.

Also during those 20 minutes I heard the loud speaker several times (couldn't make out the announcement) followed by cheers. I am prepared to swear that I've never ever heard cheering in the grocery store before.

When I reached the check out counter crowded with High School Musical 3 on sale, I had to smile. That particular DVD was a good match for the mood of the place. You know, the cheering.

I asked the checker what the announcements were about and she explained that whenever a customer adds a $1 donation to Kindness for Kids to the tab, it is announced and cheered. "Do you want to donate today?" Sure. It feels a little bit like being in HSM3.

Kindness for Kids: Help us care for kids with cancer is a donation program co-sponsored by Tom Thumb, Children's Medical Center, and CookChildren's in Texas.

© 2009 Mary Bold, PhD, CFLE. The content of this blog or related web sites created by Mary Bold (www.marybold.com, www.boldproductions.com, College Intern Blog) is not under any circumstances to be regarded as professional, legal, financial, or medical advice. Or education advice. Or marital advice. Or even a tip.

Duplicating Shower Gifts

Conscious intention: A fellow boomer woman, whom I shall call The Sociologist (because she is one), appreciates my conscious intention to match our needs for gifts with the young women in our lives. We have a lot of young women in our lives. You cannot be attached to a campus without collecting a lot of young friends. (Most of them are students, of course, and that does not mean they cannot be friends).

Lots of showers: Those young women have a lot of showers. I mean, a lot of showers. The Sociologist and I therefore receive a lot of invitations to showers and we even go to some. (I try to avoid the ones that are likely to have games.) Well, my conscious intention is to use the showers as opportunity to improve our boomer lives. Maybe it's because I didn't get a lot of shower gifts personally (in fact, I never had a shower of any kind but that pretty much matches the personality of someone who tries to avoid parties with games, even today) or maybe it's just because modern showers permit practically painless shopping. In any case, The Sociologist and I use these showers as opportunity to buy something for ourselves as we select gifts for the young women.

Good taste. They always have good taste. I think all young women today do. So, ordering up duplicate gifts (with different shipping addresses, of course) is great fun. I wonder how many extra sales Crate and Barrel enjoys as boomer women use registry shopping. (I have found wonderful things there. Target, too.)

A heart-stopping moment. The only worry that has ever arisen came the day that The Sociologist received a gushing young woman in her office. "Oh, you and Dr. Bold are so kind. Thank you, thank you." And as she leaned in for the hug, she concluded, "I love the electric breast pump."

Within minutes, The Sociologist was tracking me down by cell... "I didn't know we had given a gift this week. Tell me you didn't get duplicates."

© 2008 Mary Bold, PhD, CFLE. The content of this blog or related web sites created by Mary Bold is not under any circumstances to be regarded as professional, legal, or medical advice. Or education advice. Or marital advice. Or even a tip.