What Convenience do you Dream of?
After a handful of heavy Orthonomic posts, I always say it is time for something lite. So, here it is. Let me know what convenience you dream of and why.
A big errand day, usually brought on by near complete depletion of the basics and beyond, usually includes stopping at 2-3 grocery stores, one drug store, the bank, and the (lastly) the kosher "grocery" store. Our home is still traveling circus in tow.
Getting kids in and out of the car for grocery shopping isn't too fun. But, I make this part of errand day minimally painfully by having my lists prepared in advance using my stored knowledge and the weekly circulars. I know where most items are located and I don't veer off beaten path if I don't have to. I enlist all the help I can get by giving age appropriate assignments and I try to move as quick as possible. Minimal distraction and interruption keeps the "gimmes" under control and I just pray that we will go straight through check out without having to buy what the little ones touch.
After grocery shopping, I can really appropriate the convenience of the drive through bank teller. I enjoy this convenience so much that I keep a handful of deposit slips in the glove compartment of each car, along with a pen. Some love the ATM, but I prefer to have a human process my deposits. While my kids have seen the inside of a bank plenty of times, I'm glad that I don't have to take the traveling circus into the establishment every single time.
The last stop I usually make on a major stock up trip is the kosher grocery store. Being in the kosher grocery is the opposite of shopping of shopping in a chain grocery store, at least for me. I generally limit my purchases to cheese, poultry, and meat (as well as a handful of middle eastern items, speciality items, and frozen items, from time to time). I tend not to make the decision of what I am buying until I see the current prices. I usually have the butcher remove the skin from any chicken since I hate handling the poultry myself. All of this takes time and results in disciplining a little kid so he doesn't "pop" the saran wrap on every meat package in sight. On top of that, I never know where any non-meat or cheese products are, and because the stores are small, it is hard to steer clear of the things that give the kids the gimmes. All together, a trip to the kosher grocer can turn an almost pleasurable errand day experience into a nightmare.
My dream: a website with the current prices of the meat and a drive through window. I'd call in advance and place my order and they would give me a deadline on pickup. When I go to pickup, I would just drive through and load the groceries into the trunk. My husband says it will never happen because such a convenience would require too much manpower and would result in less impulse purchases (especially prepared food) on the part of customers. But, let me tell you, if I could call in my order hours before and drive through to pick it up, let me tell you, I'd happily patronize the store that could offer me this convenience.
15 comments:
How about delivery service. Some of the kosher stores deliver, yes there is a $5 delivary fee but in my mind it's set off by not paying for gas and listening to "can we have?" I order based on the weekly ad. One of the members of the shul is a butcher and delivers to a number of people. Maybe this is an option for you. I have a second freezer and do a large order every few months, so I don't have to deal with this. Also, I get a better price that way.
I would love it if peapod, or something similiar listed kosher certification on the web site. Then I would never have to go food shopping again!
Queeniesmom (I admit defeat and surrrender; can't get my account to work.)
every time i step in dog poop (which happens a lot where in brooklyn) i wish i could just throw out my sneakers and buy a new pair.
that's my dream convenience.
-ari kinsberg
My dream convenience is for non-Rubashkin kosher beef. The area I currently live in, has more kosher groceries than any place I've lived previously and you can't get anything but Rubashkin.
What an excellent idea - it would also lower prices for the store itself so they can (haha) lower the prices on meat appropriately.
I miss "click on kosher". You could order on-line and your delivery would arrive the next day nicley boxed. The served the Teaneck Metropolitan Area from Monsey, so the food was a little cheaper and made up for shipping.
If we're really dreaming, I'll put forth that I often wish I had an errand companion. I would really love for a little extra (trustworthy) person to be able to accompany me to stores for the purpose of shlepping groceries into my apartment (Ezzie has seen me and my ridiculous sojourns up the hill while coralling the kids on a busy street, up all of these crazy stairs, and into my kitchen! Someone to sit in the car with the baby for 2 minutes while I run into Ann's preschool to pick her up along with my neighbor's son. Someone to watch the kids in the car or sidewalk for those errands that take 2 minutes alone and 25 minutes with the kids!
I try to do all of my errands and shopping without my husband, since his home time so rarely coincides with the kids' awake time, I don't want to spoil all of Sunday in crowded stores!
My dream convenience is Rabbis with enough backbone to publicly state the basis on which they declare some hashgahot ok and others not okay.
A shopping cart that can connect to a double stroller so I don't need to push a double stroller and pull a cart, or vice versa. Or, a shopping cart big enough to put 2 car seats inside plus groceries! All twin moms would cheer!
Also--- Babies R Us closer than a half hour away. I need to go there far too often.
On shopping carts: there are some with double seats attached -- but those are not for infants. Having pushed one around, I can assure you, though, that it is so heavy with just the children that it makes lugging the groceries very difficult.
When I used to walk with a stroller to pick up dry cleaning, I used to envision a bar that could attach to the stroller to allow one to hang the clothes. They wouldn't stay well over the stroller handle.
The kosher stores here all offer delivery and even shopping service. But I do like to pick out my own fruit, and I don't have so much fridge and freezer space, so I can't just pick up groceries once a week without at least a quick foray into a fruit store to replenish later in the week. And to pick up best buys, I do sometimes go to multiple stores. I try to get the major shopping done without kids so I don't have to hear the constant "Can we get . . . ?"
Hi Queensie Mom-We don't have delivery service here, I'm afraid. Plus, our freezer is so small, that I probably won't do it. But we are going to buy a stand up freezer, G-d willing, this year. That will change a lot of things I hope.
RaggedyMom-We think alike! I often wish I could just leave my kids in the car for 2 minutes during the really small errands.
NewTwinsMom-Costco does have really hard to steer huge carts that will fit both kids when they are sitting. But, you will have your hands full making sure they don't stand up and jump out. What a shame. :) Plus, you can't get everything at Costco.
Ariella-You could probably market that attachment in a place like Boro Park!!!
LOL, SephardiLady and Newtwinsmom - I am just picturing those cute little babies standing up in the shopping cart! =-)
completely unrelated to this post (sorry), but i could not find an email for you.
you've been posting about the "tuition crisis." two additional related costs that need to be taken into account are tutoring and summer camps. each one one on its own can cost thousands of dollars a year on top of regular tuition.
another issue to explore is the cost of schooling for special populations. this can easily reach 50k a year for quality programs. (note that many chasidim in brooklyn do use the public schools for this purpose.)
Time to move to Israel... We have NetSal... you can do all of your shopping in one online supermarket...
of course, it's just REGULAR kosher and not Mehadrin, so I can't use it anymore, b/c my husband wants everything Mehadrin, but....such is life.
RM and the others with small kids: Just keep having them, and eventually you will have semi-adult company for errands, sitting with small children in the car, etc. You can also cultivate relationships with people who don't have cars, as the benefits are mutual.
Mother-in-Israel, that's a good point... Having friends in a similar position really helps. My neighbor and I (same floor, same building) frequently ask each other what we need from the supermarket, and I watch her baby sometimes when she has to go out and it's not practical for her to take the baby. (her 3-y-o won't stay with me, but one kid who can walk is exponentially easier than a kid and a baby.)
Post a Comment