Today in Groceries

I write a lot on the mundane, and here's more! I do most of my "big" shopping at Auchan, basically the equivalent of a Meijer. At my temp housing, I went to the one location that was a bit newer, as it was closer to me. I'd get up early on a Saturday and catch the 10AM bus back to my place. This was to ensure that the crowds were at a minimum, and I had time to explore the place, learn the lay of the land, and use my Google translate to secure the deals. 

Now that I've moved, I need to go to the original location to shop. I've been a few times at the behest of others, and it's always been packed. My good intentions to be there at 830AM were quickly quashed as my phone read 943AM. I decided to try my luck at 6pm instead, in advance of the 8PM closing. 

A small part of me wondered if I should try to go at all, but then I remembered nothing will be open tomorrow (Sunday) and I won't have any food. So off we went. Luckily, it was a short walk to the bus, then a smooth connection to the tram, which stops right outside the store. I took with me my trusty backpack, the giant reusable Lux bag, and my refrigerator bag as well. 

Today's plan included getting an Auchan rewards card, as online it seemed to be a good program. To my happy surprise, today there was a sign-up program, and I ended up easily signing up and getting to spin a freebie wheel as well! Given the evening time, almost everything was gone, but I got a free shampoo out of it :) 

Next, I went to get a cart. At a conference this year, I had gotten a little token on a keychain as a chotsky giveaway. It comes in so handy to get the cart, as I rarely have the required coins to unlock it, and the grocery token I got long ago is nowhere to be found. I find having a cart actually helps me budget my space and weight better to carry home, than the baskets. I think having the space to layout everything helps me understand what I'm buying better. 

First, I headed upstairs to homeware. I wanted to look at Command strips, and while I didn't purchase any, it was a good decision. I found clothesline and clothespins and trash bags, all of which had been on my radar to buy! I also found a great Lego deal, so 5 sets went into my cart :) 

Taking a deep breath, I took the escalator back down, ready to face the crowds which always fill out the first floor. First, I began with the juice: I got 2 boxes of one of my favorite brands of juice, and a bottle of a sugar-free sprite-esque drink. It's hard to purchase drinks, because the weight quickly adds up. 

Next, I went to the olive oil. Mine just ended, and fortunately they had a nice one for the weekly sale! However, I was now up to a full gallon of liquids to carry! 

Dry goods: Given the size of this store, there are options in prices and brands for products, which is nice. I purchased a coffee, which is hopefully better than the super cheap stuff I got earlier this year. I did a few laps in the dry goods sections, but I knew I had to prioritize my space for fresh things. I try to somewhat alternate, between produce + meat, and dry goods, as I don't have the energy or space to buy both on the same trip! Luckily, I have enough dry goods at home for today. 

Meat: Meat here is pricey- it's the equivalent of shopping at a luxury grocery store or butcher in the USA. The quality is great, but I still revert to the sales! I got the weekly special of pork chops, and then began my scan for the yellow discount sticker! I got a nice portion of steak that was dinner tonight, and a few other discount cuts of meat as well. I also found 30% off a package of mixed sausages (think for the grill) as well as a few tubes of sausage (think biscuits and gravy). 

Seafood: this store has a large amount of fresh seafood, that people can queue and select for themselves! I've never done it though and revert to the prepackaged or clearance things. Today in clearance: I found 4 packs of smoked salmon at 50% off, and since it freezes well, I bought them all. I also got a matje filet. My investigation once I got home has resulted in learning it is a herring type fish, from the Nordics, and I think it is smoked. It was quite salty when I tasted a bit, but it will be perfect for a Portuguese potato dish I'm planning to make. It was a great price, so I bought 3 packs, all of which ended up in the freezer for now. The seafood section also afforded me what seems to be a seasoned herb cream cheese (used later for a pizza base) and tiny appetizer cups of what turned out to be cubed salmon salad topped with shrimps. It was the perfect snack for when I finally made it home! 

Produce: the deal of the day was zucchini, for basically $.60/lb. I couldn't say no to that and ended up with more than 3lbs. It is common here to put 2 lbs./1kg of eggplants into a bag, for a good price. The eggplant wound up being about $1/lb., and they are in the oven roasting at present. There was another sale for vine tomatoes at $.60/lb., so I bought a large bag full. The assortment of tomatoes and mushrooms at the normal grocery stores are truly incredible. There was a lovely selection of fruit, but I had to sacrifice that purchase in lieu of the Legos today. I also got two boxes of essentially coleslaw mix for some spring roll wrappers in my freezers. When you select your produce, you put it in a tiny paper bag and take it to the weighing counter. There are 6-10 scales surrounding the store person, and you put your bag on the scale. They input the item price, and place a sticker on your sack, which is scanned at the cashier. They are always very efficient with their job- my job is always trying to decide if there is a line for the scales. I've decided there mostly is not- it's a bit of a jump in while you can situation! 

Refrigerated: I now recognize the discount stickers quite well! I found two pizza crusts, which inspired me to make pizza for our church lunch tomorrow. I knew I had pepperoni at home, so I found a clearance fresh mozzarella and bought some normal pizza blend as well. I also utilized some zucchini and eggplant for a veggie pizza too. I also bought a carton of milk. Lately, I've been trying to figure out a decent tasting milk. Most of the ones I've bought I think had too high a milkfat, so today's is a 1.5% and we'll see how it goes. 

Finally, we made it to the checkout. The cashiers here have tiny flags hanging, that say which language they speak. Today, there were only two in English. Normally, I'd try to do the French one, but given how many clearance items I had, I wanted to ensure I got the correct discounts. The Legos didn't automatically give their sale prices, so I did have to discuss that. Also, we get a few lunch vouchers from work, which can be used at the grocery store, so I used a number of those today. 

Many people pack their groceries as they come off the cashier's belt. Seeing as I normally overbuy (aka maximize my shopping trip), I get stressed trying to pack there. I always put everything back into my cart and exit the store to a quiet location to strategically pack. I had anticipated the amount of Legos I bought would perfectly fit into my backpack, and I was right (though I did need to open the extender!). However, I can carry a good amount of weight on my back, so this meant all the weight immediately had to go to my hands. I put all the meat and fish into my refrigerated bag, even though it didn't close. Finally, I packed my reusable bag. I always anchor the four corners with the heavy items I buy, today the juice, milk, and oil. This also gives the bag some structure. I put flat things along the walls of the bag, and then finally build in the center, trying to distribute the weight evenly. Thankfully it's a durable bag, as today it was quite heavy! I put the pizza dough and a few delicate items in a cloth shoulder bag I had (pro-tip from Beka: try to buy shoulder bags, it's easier than carrying by hand). It was a short walk to the tram, and a relatively small walk to the connecting bus, but the bags were HEAVY. I had to pause often on all the walking portions. As it is a Saturday, the busses run less often, and I had a 15-minute wait for my bus. I put my two big bags down in the corner of the bus stop (it was pouring rain, as usual), and took a seat with my Lego filled backpack and shoulder bag. After a few minutes, another Saturday shopper put his collection of grocery bags down by mine and went to smoke!  Eventually I made it to my bus stop, and painfully soldiered home with my weighty baggage.  

It's nice to have food in the fridge, and I spent some time unwinding by cooking later. Grocery shopping is always a major excursion, and I'm excited to one day return to my grocery trips by car.