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Does anyone else actually enjoy going to the grocery store or walking to a local place to pick up food? What, exactly, are people doing that gives them so litt

Does anyone else actually enjoy going to the grocery store or walking to a local place to pick up food? What, exactly, are people doing that gives them so little free time that this is necessary? And why aren't people talking to each other? I seriously don't understand the mentality that working all the time is good for you. I find that I figure out solutions to problems I'm having not by banging my head against them all the time, but from relaxing, walking, running, biking, shopping, reading books, and all the other "non-productive" things that normal people do. Is Silicon Valley really like this? It sounds more like a dystopia than a utopia.

flat6turbo 10y ago
> Does anyone else actually enjoy going to the grocery store or walking to a local place to pick up food? i enjoy this also. the problem with food delivery is a lot of the time they forget something, or are out of something, or don't give you enough of something, so you end up going to the store. and delivered prepared food is always disappointing compared to cooking or going out. it also generates an absurd amount of waste. the only thing i really get delivered are products i can't buy locally, or without sitting in traffic for an hour.
rm_-rf_slash 10y ago
Personally I love buying groceries. Sure it's a pain when you're tired and your fridge is empty but every visit to Wegmans is like a trip to Willy Wonka's Chocolate Factory - at least until I see the bill. I just as much enjoy shopping at Aldi. There is a perverse glee in stuffing a shopping cart with enough food for two weeks and - like every time before - watching the bill fail to surpass $100. It's quite a kick in the pants to stay focused on budgeting. Shopping for food that I put in my body also reminds me that I am alive.
- ionised 10y ago
  > Shopping for food that I put in my body also reminds me that I am alive. Surely having to drag yourself out of a warm, comfy bed should remind you of that every day?
hnal943 10y ago
Try going to a grocery store with kids. It's not as fun as advertised. That said, before kids I loved going to the store.
- robalfonso 10y ago
  Me too! Love grocery, tougher with kids. I find the free cookie at the bakery seems to be a good incentive for them to behave, ymmv
  - prawn 10y ago
    In Australia, one major grocery chain has fruit baskets at the entrance for children to choose an item from, for free. Apples, bananas, pears, etc. It's brilliant and many parents specifically pick this chain because of it. The piece of fruit keeps the child from complaining about hunger (usually they're bored or angling for a fun snack instead of being overly hungry) or begging for a treat.
FullMtlAlcoholc 10y ago
> I'm having not by banging my head against them all the time, but from relaxing, walking, running, biking, shopping, reading books, and all the other "non-productive" things that normal people do. Exactly! This is why I prefer working remotely. If I'm stuck on a problem, I can do all of the above whenever I want. My version of zen is to go to the local basketball court and shoot jump shoots. Since I started working from home, I work 15-20 hours less. I'm much more productive without all the distractions and I don't have an 8 hour commute gobbling up my time. I can't get into podcasts or audible.com when I'm stuck in traffic :(
- recursive 10y ago
  I can do all that stuff at the office, so it's not just on-site vs. remote.
  - FullMtlAlcoholc 10y ago
    Your office has a shower and a management team that doesn't mind such behavior? At my first job, our manager would force the engineering team to go to the beach every Friday to get out of the office, as we were the office shut ins. We worked longer hours than any other department by far. This caused a major political situation as the head of Project Management voiced vocal opposition to our field trips due to optics, even though this most likely helped our productivity. One other commitment I had difficulty meeting was seeing a therapist every week. I always had to come in super early or stay late, neither of which was ideal
    - recursive 10y ago
      Yes. It's a nicer shower than the one I have at home too.
Aaargh20318 10y ago
> Does anyone else actually enjoy going to the grocery store or walking to a local place to pick up food? No, I hate it. Supermarkets especially are a horrible place, they are way too crowded and I don't like being in situations like that. I will cycle to the grocery store and if I see there's a long line for checkout I'll reverse course and try at a later time in the hope there's less people. I do my grocery shopping stormtrooper-style. I'll be in and out in as little time as possible (think 3-5 minutes for a typical shopping trip). > What, exactly, are people doing that gives them so little free time that this is necessary? Stuff in grocery stores costs money, you get money by having a job. > I seriously don't understand the mentality that working all the time is good for you. And yet you claim not to understand why people hate doing more work ?
- SnacksOnAPlane 10y ago
  Well, there you go. You just explained why you don't like going out; it's because you don't like being in situations with lots of people around. I'm personally not like that (used to be, but with a lot of effort, got over it), but it's good to see someone else's perspective.
  - Aaargh20318 10y ago
    > You just explained why you don't like going out; it's because you don't like being in situations with lots of people around. It's not just that I don't like it, it's super exhausting to me. I literally start feeling depressed and lose the will to live if I spend too much time around people. The less time I have to spend with people, the happier I feel.
    - SnacksOnAPlane 10y ago
      Gotcha. I used to be like that but something in me flipped and now I generally like to be around people...although I definitely need "alone time" or I get cranky and irritable.
  - kazagistar 10y ago
    I think the other reason was more important... People see chores as work, and have more enjoyable things they could be doing.
TACIXAT 10y ago
I work full time (from home) and go to class 3 nights a week. The other nights I am usually doing homework. The lack of time and my own laziness means going to the grocery store gets put off. I don't even like leaving the house to get a meal everyday, as I view the time spent driving as a waste. I recognize how absurd that is, but there is just a lot I would rather be doing than spending 30 minutes fetching lunch (12 there, 12 back, 6 minutes ordering). Most of the delivery services to my area (not the heart of a city) have high minimums, and I have dietary restrictions, so those meals are about 20 dollars each. Given that, I drive to Chipotle just about every day, as that is one of the closest restaurants I can eat at. Even if I did go shopping, finding 30 minutes or an hour to deal with cooking is also inconvenient. Even if not working, I'd rather save an hour and hang out with my girlfriend, watch a show, work on a side project, or pet my dogs. There are dozens of things I would rather be doing than going shopping or fetching lunch. I have 5 projects I would love to work on that I don't have time for. That is mostly due to grad school, but given that there are things I want to be doing, that are not being done, it makes everything I'm indifferent about look like a time sink.
rglover 10y ago
> And why aren't people talking to each other? Million dollar question.
ionised 10y ago
> Does anyone else actually enjoy going to the grocery store or walking to a local place to pick up food? Nope, not at all. Any kind of shopping is pain in the ass to me. It takes time away from any of the many other things in my life I would rather be doing. Food shopping as an example is a necessity as I need food to give me the energy to get back to doing those things I enjoy. It's a chore like doing doing the dishes, washing your clothes or cleaning your home.
- robalfonso 10y ago
  Just curious - do you like cooking? I find people who don't like going to the grocery also don't enjoy cooking. Not a 100% correlation but my gut says a strong one.
  - prawn 10y ago
    Love cooking. Don't love going shopping for groceries - dealing with time lost in traffic, checking out, walking aisle after aisle looking for things. It's also a lot more hassle doing it with kids - getting them in and out of a car, and then through a carpark safely while your hands are full with bags isn't very enjoyable.
  - ionised 10y ago
    I don't mind cooking if it takes ~30 minutes or less. Any more and it needs to be something that is going to last me a few days. Otherwise like I said above, it takes too much time out of my day I would rather spend programming, learning guitar, reading or hell, even playing games or movies from my backlog.
lmm 10y ago
Some people like it, some people don't. Shopping is relaxing for some and a chore for others. The utopian world is one where people who enjoy doing things do them and people who don't don't.
prawn 10y ago
"What, exactly, are people doing that gives them so little free time that this is necessary?" Young kids are a big part of it. Also, in my case: run own business, multiple side projects, partner does some work from home, plus freelances also, keeping on top of a shared co-working space we own, upkeep of the house, garden, etc. There is not much down time. I enjoy talking with family and friends, but not really as interested in extended interactions with random people at the shop.

flat6turbo 10y ago

> Does anyone else actually enjoy going to the grocery store or walking to a local place to pick up food? i enjoy this also. the problem with food delivery is a lot of the time they forget something, or are out of something, or don't give you enough of something, so you end up going to the store. and delivered prepared food is always disappointing compared to cooking or going out. it also generates an absurd amount of waste. the only thing i really get delivered are products i can't buy locally, or without sitting in traffic for an hour.

rm_-rf_slash 10y ago

Personally I love buying groceries. Sure it's a pain when you're tired and your fridge is empty but every visit to Wegmans is like a trip to Willy Wonka's Chocolate Factory - at least until I see the bill. I just as much enjoy shopping at Aldi. There is a perverse glee in stuffing a shopping cart with enough food for two weeks and - like every time before - watching the bill fail to surpass $100. It's quite a kick in the pants to stay focused on budgeting. Shopping for food that I put in my body also reminds me that I am alive.

ionised 10y ago
> Shopping for food that I put in my body also reminds me that I am alive. Surely having to drag yourself out of a warm, comfy bed should remind you of that every day?

hnal943 10y ago

Try going to a grocery store with kids. It's not as fun as advertised. That said, before kids I loved going to the store.

robalfonso 10y ago
Me too! Love grocery, tougher with kids. I find the free cookie at the bakery seems to be a good incentive for them to behave, ymmv
- prawn 10y ago
  In Australia, one major grocery chain has fruit baskets at the entrance for children to choose an item from, for free. Apples, bananas, pears, etc. It's brilliant and many parents specifically pick this chain because of it. The piece of fruit keeps the child from complaining about hunger (usually they're bored or angling for a fun snack instead of being overly hungry) or begging for a treat.

FullMtlAlcoholc 10y ago

> I'm having not by banging my head against them all the time, but from relaxing, walking, running, biking, shopping, reading books, and all the other "non-productive" things that normal people do. Exactly! This is why I prefer working remotely. If I'm stuck on a problem, I can do all of the above whenever I want. My version of zen is to go to the local basketball court and shoot jump shoots. Since I started working from home, I work 15-20 hours less. I'm much more productive without all the distractions and I don't have an 8 hour commute gobbling up my time. I can't get into podcasts or audible.com when I'm stuck in traffic :(

recursive 10y ago
I can do all that stuff at the office, so it's not just on-site vs. remote.
- FullMtlAlcoholc 10y ago
  Your office has a shower and a management team that doesn't mind such behavior? At my first job, our manager would force the engineering team to go to the beach every Friday to get out of the office, as we were the office shut ins. We worked longer hours than any other department by far. This caused a major political situation as the head of Project Management voiced vocal opposition to our field trips due to optics, even though this most likely helped our productivity. One other commitment I had difficulty meeting was seeing a therapist every week. I always had to come in super early or stay late, neither of which was ideal
  - recursive 10y ago
    Yes. It's a nicer shower than the one I have at home too.

Aaargh20318 10y ago

> Does anyone else actually enjoy going to the grocery store or walking to a local place to pick up food? No, I hate it. Supermarkets especially are a horrible place, they are way too crowded and I don't like being in situations like that. I will cycle to the grocery store and if I see there's a long line for checkout I'll reverse course and try at a later time in the hope there's less people. I do my grocery shopping stormtrooper-style. I'll be in and out in as little time as possible (think 3-5 minutes for a typical shopping trip). > What, exactly, are people doing that gives them so little free time that this is necessary? Stuff in grocery stores costs money, you get money by having a job. > I seriously don't understand the mentality that working all the time is good for you. And yet you claim not to understand why people hate doing more work ?

SnacksOnAPlane 10y ago
Well, there you go. You just explained why you don't like going out; it's because you don't like being in situations with lots of people around. I'm personally not like that (used to be, but with a lot of effort, got over it), but it's good to see someone else's perspective.
- Aaargh20318 10y ago
  > You just explained why you don't like going out; it's because you don't like being in situations with lots of people around. It's not just that I don't like it, it's super exhausting to me. I literally start feeling depressed and lose the will to live if I spend too much time around people. The less time I have to spend with people, the happier I feel.
  - SnacksOnAPlane 10y ago
    Gotcha. I used to be like that but something in me flipped and now I generally like to be around people...although I definitely need "alone time" or I get cranky and irritable.
- kazagistar 10y ago
  I think the other reason was more important... People see chores as work, and have more enjoyable things they could be doing.

TACIXAT 10y ago

I work full time (from home) and go to class 3 nights a week. The other nights I am usually doing homework. The lack of time and my own laziness means going to the grocery store gets put off. I don't even like leaving the house to get a meal everyday, as I view the time spent driving as a waste. I recognize how absurd that is, but there is just a lot I would rather be doing than spending 30 minutes fetching lunch (12 there, 12 back, 6 minutes ordering). Most of the delivery services to my area (not the heart of a city) have high minimums, and I have dietary restrictions, so those meals are about 20 dollars each. Given that, I drive to Chipotle just about every day, as that is one of the closest restaurants I can eat at. Even if I did go shopping, finding 30 minutes or an hour to deal with cooking is also inconvenient. Even if not working, I'd rather save an hour and hang out with my girlfriend, watch a show, work on a side project, or pet my dogs. There are dozens of things I would rather be doing than going shopping or fetching lunch. I have 5 projects I would love to work on that I don't have time for. That is mostly due to grad school, but given that there are things I want to be doing, that are not being done, it makes everything I'm indifferent about look like a time sink.

rglover 10y ago

> And why aren't people talking to each other? Million dollar question.

ionised 10y ago

> Does anyone else actually enjoy going to the grocery store or walking to a local place to pick up food? Nope, not at all. Any kind of shopping is pain in the ass to me. It takes time away from any of the many other things in my life I would rather be doing. Food shopping as an example is a necessity as I need food to give me the energy to get back to doing those things I enjoy. It's a chore like doing doing the dishes, washing your clothes or cleaning your home.

robalfonso 10y ago
Just curious - do you like cooking? I find people who don't like going to the grocery also don't enjoy cooking. Not a 100% correlation but my gut says a strong one.
- prawn 10y ago
  Love cooking. Don't love going shopping for groceries - dealing with time lost in traffic, checking out, walking aisle after aisle looking for things. It's also a lot more hassle doing it with kids - getting them in and out of a car, and then through a carpark safely while your hands are full with bags isn't very enjoyable.
- ionised 10y ago
  I don't mind cooking if it takes ~30 minutes or less. Any more and it needs to be something that is going to last me a few days. Otherwise like I said above, it takes too much time out of my day I would rather spend programming, learning guitar, reading or hell, even playing games or movies from my backlog.

lmm 10y ago

Some people like it, some people don't. Shopping is relaxing for some and a chore for others. The utopian world is one where people who enjoy doing things do them and people who don't don't.

prawn 10y ago

"What, exactly, are people doing that gives them so little free time that this is necessary?" Young kids are a big part of it. Also, in my case: run own business, multiple side projects, partner does some work from home, plus freelances also, keeping on top of a shared co-working space we own, upkeep of the house, garden, etc. There is not much down time. I enjoy talking with family and friends, but not really as interested in extended interactions with random people at the shop.