on bjs and airport anxiety
(how's that for a compelling post title?)
so, today i made my first trip to the bulk warehouse store, BJs (think costco or sam's club,) to stock up on what can only be described as "a shit-load of beverages and cleaning supplies" for the store and the grand opening tomorrow.
it is safe to say, that i hate this type of shopping adventure. not necessarily because of the bulk-consumerism aspect. i mean, who doesn't love buying a 12-pack of vacuum cleaners for $600? no, the reason i don't care for this is the other people that are involved. there is a certain, unspoken code of conduct that exists at places like target or your local grocery store that, though occasionally broken, allows one to shop in relative comfort and ease. the shopping cart protocol is standard. you try not to crash into other people. you mostly keep to yourself and all is well.
such a code of conduct does not exist at the likes of BJs.
not only are the carts (carriages for you true new englanders) twice the size of the norm, but they are more times than not, filled to overflowing with all manner of consumable garbage. you can't go down a single aisle without narrowly avoiding a collision that would result in catastrophe. at no time, is there room to turn around if necessary or to backtrack because of the soccer moms and elderly who are rushing through the warehouse trying to finish their montly grocery blitz at a new, record time. still, don't get it? here's the best analogy i can come up with:
imagine trying to shop while there are 20 or so drunk people around you...driving SUVs...in a roller rink.
all this to say, that i felt very uncomfortable and was again confronted with my own issues dealing with personal space. my personal space or "space bubble" was not only invaded, but molested and beaten several times throughout the 1 hour and 13 minute trip. and this causes me all kinds of anxiety. and i got to thinking that maybe this is the reason i struggle with airports so much. because there is NOTHING more chaotic than trying to traverse a busy airport. there is simply no such thing as personal space in these situations. and while i feel i have made definite leaps in recent years toward overcoming my people-related claustrophobia, i know i still have a long way to go.
but at the very least, i can say that i now own more pepsi products than can be possibly be consumed by one human. sweet.
so, today i made my first trip to the bulk warehouse store, BJs (think costco or sam's club,) to stock up on what can only be described as "a shit-load of beverages and cleaning supplies" for the store and the grand opening tomorrow.
it is safe to say, that i hate this type of shopping adventure. not necessarily because of the bulk-consumerism aspect. i mean, who doesn't love buying a 12-pack of vacuum cleaners for $600? no, the reason i don't care for this is the other people that are involved. there is a certain, unspoken code of conduct that exists at places like target or your local grocery store that, though occasionally broken, allows one to shop in relative comfort and ease. the shopping cart protocol is standard. you try not to crash into other people. you mostly keep to yourself and all is well.
such a code of conduct does not exist at the likes of BJs.
not only are the carts (carriages for you true new englanders) twice the size of the norm, but they are more times than not, filled to overflowing with all manner of consumable garbage. you can't go down a single aisle without narrowly avoiding a collision that would result in catastrophe. at no time, is there room to turn around if necessary or to backtrack because of the soccer moms and elderly who are rushing through the warehouse trying to finish their montly grocery blitz at a new, record time. still, don't get it? here's the best analogy i can come up with:
imagine trying to shop while there are 20 or so drunk people around you...driving SUVs...in a roller rink.
all this to say, that i felt very uncomfortable and was again confronted with my own issues dealing with personal space. my personal space or "space bubble" was not only invaded, but molested and beaten several times throughout the 1 hour and 13 minute trip. and this causes me all kinds of anxiety. and i got to thinking that maybe this is the reason i struggle with airports so much. because there is NOTHING more chaotic than trying to traverse a busy airport. there is simply no such thing as personal space in these situations. and while i feel i have made definite leaps in recent years toward overcoming my people-related claustrophobia, i know i still have a long way to go.
but at the very least, i can say that i now own more pepsi products than can be possibly be consumed by one human. sweet.
posted by cade at 11:34 AM
4 Comments:
I like to write the date on my items purchased from the likes of Sam's Club. This helps me to appreciate the fact that my giant "i can barely lift it by myself" detergent container took me 2 (TWO) years to empty.
I'm still working on a box of Ziplocks I purchased 4 years ago. (i'm holding 4 fingers up to the screen for emphasis. FOUR.)
I'm proud of you for braving that awful place alone. Good job.
*Gives Cade a great big hug*
If it was Dr. Pepper instead of Pepsi, I'd be impressed, because I know how much Dr. Pepper I can consume.
That said, Stuffmarts are not to be soloed by the amateur. You have taken your first step into a larger world, and I bow to you.
...but did you really buy 12 vacuums?? I didn't know vagabonds were that dirty...
I can't abide people who try to zoom in and out of warehouse clubs in less than an hour. Part of my perspective is no doubt related to the fact that a visit to one implies the perceived day-trip to Topeka or KC. Couple that with the fact that I treat such trips with the same planning as a caravan across the Sahara, and I fully expect a round-trip from door to door to take no less than 3 weeks.
I relate each experience in a Sam's Club to a visit to the Smithsonian: I really want to see everything, and spend at least 10-30 seconds on viewing each item. That would mathematically equal 30,000 years worth of shopping per visit, so the other members of my party invariably leave me to my perusing and track me down (usually in the electronics section) in about an hour and a half, so that I can help them push the second cart full of stuff.
My parents used to laugh at how much money we 'saved' by going to Sam's Club. Spending $400-plus was hardly unusual, so they made themselves feel better by saying 'We must have saved $3000 by shopping here!'
Okay, with this hyperbolic comment ended, I'm off to not watch the end of Arrested Development (Guess I'll have to rent the DVDs).
Oh, and may we please see pics of the Grand Opening?
I have no problem with telling people to back off my personal space. You've given me a good idea to post a blog about how to do just that, and politely. Well, reasonably politely.
NO ONE needs to shop at these places unless they have a business to support or they have 12 kids. Even then, does anyone really need 8,000 drinking straws?
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