I’ve blogged about different supermarket related things in the past (hereand here). Now, since I’m going to do it again, I start thinking that I have a small obsession with supermarkets. You see, they represent the essence of the American Dream and are part of the 4 big essential activities that you do: eat, sleep, work and shop. If during the other 3 my “me-time” is limited, once the shopping starts I turn into a small philosopher who thinks about the life’s purpose, financial stability and the number of the aisle which has the tuna cups. Some would say that’s a bit of an overstatement, but remembering where things are requires some serious mental gymnastics (at least to the man who always forgets where he parks his car :) ).
Anyway, we’ve established the importance of the shopping ritual. Now, am I being unreasonable for wanting a streamlined experience? No. This starts with the shopping cart. If the shopping cart squeals, if one of the wheels is simply stuck of flapping freely or if under heavy load it pulls to one side or the other everything is ruined. How am I supposed to think when the damn thing squeals like a pig entering the slaughter-house? My qi is instantly ruined and I cannot enjoy my me-time (yeah I know how lame that sounds - me-time in the supermarket).

Being an evolved being, I look for ways to avoid this situation. As the only way to avoid it is to get a good shopping cart, I have resorted to testing the shopping carts. Simply take the shopping cart for a spin and see how it behaves. Simple enough, huh? Not so simple when you realize that the surface on which they are parked is different from the surface you will “drive” them on. So take it from the entrance into the supermarket, drive it around a bit and return it. The looks on the cashiers faces are priceless… after you do this 3-4 times. So now, I’m the freak because your carts suck? I usually give up and get the “piggy” shopping cart thus ruining the whole experience.