Every once in a while I have to rant and rave about things that make no sense to me. Nothing earth shattering — mostly they’re just things that keep my mind whirling and spinning when I should be sleeping at night.
Why don’t people return shopping carts to the designated area?
How frustrating it is when I think I’ve found the perfect parking spot at the grocery store, only to find an abandoned cart blocking the space. It’s probably only about 40 steps to return the cart to the holding pen but I guess for some folks that’s too much to ask. And every once in awhile a good gust of wind will make one of those carts roll back into the driving lane or worse yet bounce off someone’s car.
And since confession is good for the soul, I have to admit how sanctimonious I feel when I’m heading into the store and I grab that cart that’s been abandoned in the lot and relocate it to the holding pen or sometimes even take it all the way into the store. “See there,” I think to myself. “That’s what you yahoos are supposed to do when you’re done using a cart.”
• Ordering groceries online
I guess I kind of understand why some folks order their groceries online and then wait in the parking lot while their groceries are delivered by a store employee right to their car — especially for folks who have trouble navigating the parking lot or the crowded aisles. And I’m sure it’s faster to click on the items on the store’s website than to walk up and down each aisle, and in yucky Western Washington weather, it’s more comfortable to stay in your car, rather than trek through the puddles in the parking lot.
But for me, I want to pick out my own groceries. I’ve got to check out the prices between the store brand and the name brand. I need to look at several packages of pork chops to make sure there’s not too much bone or fat on them. I have to make sure the bananas are just the right color of yellow and I sort through the gallons of milk to make sure the expiration date is at least a week out.
Drive-thru windows
So many places offer the convenience of a drive-thru window — Arby’s, Wendy’s, McDonald’s, Domino’s, KFC, banks, credit unions, coffee shops, the PUD, etc.
When my husband and I owned and operated the Quizno’s in Aberdeen, we often discussed how much our business would have increased if we had been able to have drive-thru window.
And we did get tested for COVID at a drive thru during the 2020 epidemic. I think it was at a hospital in Lewis County Fairgrounds and we were also able to get one of the first COVID vaccines at the Lewis County Fairgrounds. Those two choices made perfect sense to me ‘cause everyone was encouraged to stay as far away as possible from everyone else.
But for the most part, I prefer to go into an establishment, to order my chai tea/food or take care of other business.
If the drive-thru line is short (one or two), I admit I will get in line.
Basically I don’t understand the logic behind getting in a line that already has five or six cars in it. Watching all those vehicles idling there, burning gas, wasting time, makes me shake my head.
So as I park in the parking lot and get out of my car, I make a note of what vehicle I would have been behind if I had joined the line waiting for the drive-thru. And most of the time, I’m able to head inside, pick up my order and drive away before that person has reached the drive-thru. A little sanctimonious again? Maybe. Probably.
That’s it for now. I know I spend a lot of time pondering stuff that is of little consequence, but maybe some of you do too? If so, I’d love to hear from you.
Karen Barkstrom is the editorial assistant for The Daily World. She can be reached at 360-537-3925 or karen.barkstrom@thedailyworld.com.
