https://boards.hellobee.com/ Pregnancy, Baby and Parenting blog, by Hellobee en Mon, 25 May 2026 09:17:15 +0000 https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/grocery-shopping-at-night-and-parents#post-955764 Tue, 23 Jul 2013 11:10:21 +0000 mrs. wagon 955764@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>We only do small grocery trips with the kids. I refuse to do large regular grocery shopping with the kids because one of them would probably fall out of the cart while I'm not looking. I'm a very focused shopper with a coupon binder and detailed list on my phone, etc. We do all our grocery shopping at night for this reason. We have a lot of stores around us so I guess our store just is never crowded enough to run into lots of parents/kids like this.</p> <p>Once when I was at the grocery store with WJ when he was in his tantrum phase, we stopped at the deli counter for some cold cuts and he was whining really loudly... a woman looked at me sympathetically and said "it's witching hour." I looked at the clock and realized that 5pm is just bad all around for all kids! Ever since then, when the kids are having trouble near bedtime, Wagon Sr. and I always say "it's witching hour" and try to psych ourselves up to just survive and last those last couple of hours. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/grocery-shopping-at-night-and-parents#post-955744 Tue, 23 Jul 2013 11:05:01 +0000 looch 955744@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>We go shopping as a family on the weekend mornings. One day we usually hit Home Depot, the other the grocery store. </p> <p>Our son is 2.5 and the routine is always the same: enter store and go directly to the bakery, where DS picks a muffin. Then DH and DS wheel the cart to the milk area, while I pick up all the household items. I dump them in and then we head to meats and veggies, then we're out of there. If DS behaves, he can pick a balloon.</p> <p>It took us a few weeks to get the routing down, but it works because we're all engaged. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/grocery-shopping-at-night-and-parents#post-955736 Tue, 23 Jul 2013 11:01:30 +0000 Dandelion 955736@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Monday mornings are grocery days...or Monday afternoons when DS is in school. I like to make him help me unload.</p> <p>Anyways, DS is almost 6, and I make him stand on the back of the cart. I make it fun (he does train sounds while we're going around, and I'll pretend to lose control of the cart, etc) but I always make sure he's out of people's way.</p> <p>He's really good...it takes bribes sometimes (quarter machine, ftw), but even when I don't bribe he's good. I involve him, which I think helps. I get him to get stuff off of the shelves and let him pick certain things (like which character of mac and cheese we should buy.)</p> <p>But I've seen more adults act horrible in super markets than children, honestly. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/grocery-shopping-at-night-and-parents#post-955712 Tue, 23 Jul 2013 10:55:16 +0000 littlebittyhouse 955712@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I now go at 8am on Friday morning because I cannot stand shopping with a ton of people!</p> <p>I ran into target solo on Saturday at noon time and was HORRIFIED at some of the parents being ugly to their kids. I get that it is stressful sometimes but telling your child to shut up or you're going to smack them is inappropriate IMO. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/grocery-shopping-at-night-and-parents#post-955582 Tue, 23 Jul 2013 10:30:30 +0000 Foodnerd81 955582@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@mediagirl: @sloaneandpuffy: OK that makes sense. The parents in particular that I just saw were pretty much ignoring their kids anyway as they ran up and down the aisles. And we somehow kept ending up in the same aisle so their kids kept running past me and in the way of the cart while the parents looked sort of clueless and didn't notice, plus the parents themselves were in the way (like, cart in the middle of the aisle instead of to the side so you can get past). But I don't know that this isn't the only chance they have to do something together because they work opposite hours or whatever! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/grocery-shopping-at-night-and-parents#post-955570 Tue, 23 Jul 2013 10:26:44 +0000 mediagirl 955570@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Foodnerd81: we usually go grocery shopping together, with our daughter, on the weekends. It works out well because one of us can entertain her while the other shops. I don't like to spend a lot of time without her when she's awake so, she goes with us. That being said, my husband and I are very conscientious people and if she starts melting down or having a fit, one of us goes outside with her. We pay attention to what we are doing and what our child is doing so we don't annoy other people or get in their way. It appears most people don't work this way and it totally annoys us both.</p> <p>@zippylef - totally agree. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/grocery-shopping-at-night-and-parents#post-955555 Tue, 23 Jul 2013 10:21:50 +0000 Honeybee 955555@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@sloaneandpuffy: haha, done and done! We're going to Costco today (usually a much less stressful trip since it's more chaotic anyway and my kids are less noticable). Wanna fly up from Mexico for the day? ;) </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/grocery-shopping-at-night-and-parents#post-955549 Tue, 23 Jul 2013 10:19:07 +0000 mamimami 955549@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Honeybee: We should go shopping together - we could probably clear the whole store hahaha </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/grocery-shopping-at-night-and-parents#post-955542 Tue, 23 Jul 2013 10:17:21 +0000 Honeybee 955542@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@sloaneandpuffy: Lol, ditto. Shopping with two is hard sometimes! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/grocery-shopping-at-night-and-parents#post-955540 Tue, 23 Jul 2013 10:16:49 +0000 loveisstrange 955540@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I cant imagine calling my kid a b*tch. Ever. Especially in public. </p> <p>It always pisses me off when I see a parent on a phone when they are out with their child at any time. It ticks me off when I see families out to dinner and everyone has a phone/tablet/DS/etc. I guess it just conflicts with my upbringing of dinner time being family time. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/grocery-shopping-at-night-and-parents#post-955539 Tue, 23 Jul 2013 10:16:25 +0000 Honeybee 955539@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@mediagirl: aside from the time, you pretty much described like half of my shopping experiences. We usually go on Monday mornings, but it is stressful because I have to get the shopping done and all the groceries put away before DD's gymnastics lessons on Mondays. I don't usually yell at my kids, but they definitely get in the way of other people, and sometimes I'm short with them because it is a stressful time for me. And I keep my shopping list on my phone so I probably look distracted by that most of the time. Sigh. Grocery shopping is one of my least favorite chores, and I'm reall not good at it. :/ </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/grocery-shopping-at-night-and-parents#post-955536 Tue, 23 Jul 2013 10:15:33 +0000 mamimami 955536@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@Foodnerd81: My husband and I spend every moment we can together -- that's why we go grocery shopping together with our kids. Usually we're not melting down. But when I go alone with both kids, I'm probably the one melting down by the end :) </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/grocery-shopping-at-night-and-parents#post-955532 Tue, 23 Jul 2013 10:13:47 +0000 maybebaby 955532@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@sloaneandpuffy: ditto. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/grocery-shopping-at-night-and-parents#post-955528 Tue, 23 Jul 2013 10:13:11 +0000 HLK208 955528@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I despise stores like Costco on the weekend for this reason!</p> <p>I do keep my grocery list on my phone but I talk to my kids the entirely time we're there! They love the grocery store but I do have to say we typically go after naps. Once in awhile we've gone after 7pm if I'm the only one home for the night and we REALLY need something (like tampons or milk haha). </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/grocery-shopping-at-night-and-parents#post-955515 Tue, 23 Jul 2013 10:10:26 +0000 mediagirl 955515@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>LOL @Honeybee: @sloaneandpuffy: if that's all you took from my entire post, I'm sorry you didn't see the whole picture!!!! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/grocery-shopping-at-night-and-parents#post-955506 Tue, 23 Jul 2013 10:06:53 +0000 Honeybee 955506@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@sloaneandpuffy: ditto.... </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/grocery-shopping-at-night-and-parents#post-955495 Tue, 23 Jul 2013 10:01:27 +0000 bpcmarj 955495@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Ugh, yes. And we go to the cheap grocery store and people drive for miiiiles and miiiiles to come to it...so it's always a zoo with crazy children and their rude parents running around. I ususally go after bedtime, too. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/grocery-shopping-at-night-and-parents#post-955492 Tue, 23 Jul 2013 10:00:16 +0000 Foodnerd81 955492@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Yes. It drives me nuts but usually the parents are just as clueless and in the way as the kids! I also don't understand why two parents would go grocery shopping with the kids-- why not just leave one parent at home with the kids and get the shopping done quicker? I get it when one parent has the kids with them-- what can you do? But when both parents are there and the kids are going crazy or melting down, I just don't understand why. It's not like grocery shopping is some fun experience everyone wants a part of. Now that I'm on mat leave I'm trying to remember to do my shopping during the day. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/grocery-shopping-at-night-and-parents#post-955489 Tue, 23 Jul 2013 09:58:00 +0000 mamimami 955489@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>:( I keep my grocery list on my phone. I hope people don't think I'm ignoring my kids when I'm looking at it. </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/grocery-shopping-at-night-and-parents#post-955483 Tue, 23 Jul 2013 09:56:11 +0000 mediagirl 955483@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>@T-Mom: yeah. I'm in bed by 9. *snort* :) </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/grocery-shopping-at-night-and-parents#post-955465 Tue, 23 Jul 2013 09:53:08 +0000 regberadaisy 955465@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>I can not stand it when parents call their kids little sh*ts, b etc. Drives me insane! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/grocery-shopping-at-night-and-parents#post-955461 Tue, 23 Jul 2013 09:52:24 +0000 BabyBoecksMom 955461@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Ughhhhhh I see this all the time now - not just grocery shopping and it pisses me off to no end. It's like parents don't parent anymore, and don't teach their kids to respect anyone. Just reading your experience made me grumpy because it's so common to see that kind of behavior now. :-( </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/grocery-shopping-at-night-and-parents#post-955453 Tue, 23 Jul 2013 09:50:25 +0000 T-Mom 955453@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>That's interesting.. I did grocery shopping on Sunday night, but after 8:30. I actually get so much more done without everyone in tow and relish the "alone time". It was still busy since it was Sunday night, but there weren't too many kids. Maybe try going an hour or two later? Funny you mention the meltdowns.. the reason I was shopping at night and alone was because my kids were melting down in ANOTHER grocery store earlier in the day, and we just cut the trip short (only made it through the produce aisle). I couldn't deal with 2 having meltdowns! </p> https://boards.hellobee.com/topic/grocery-shopping-at-night-and-parents#post-955438 Tue, 23 Jul 2013 09:45:39 +0000 mediagirl 955438@https://boards.hellobee.com/ <p>Last night was horrible. I went to the grocery store at 7pm after M was asleep. I swear every other parent in my town was at the grocery store. Their kids weren't at home in bed, though. They were there with their kids ranging in age from 4 months to 15. What I saw and learned:</p> <p>1. 90% of the parents I passed were on their phones - not talking, looking at them. Half of those were watching videos or something, not watching their kids.<br /> 2. At least 50% of the parents appeared to be stressed out and annoyed at their kids. I was standing 2 feet away from a woman who screamed at her child and told her to stop being a little b*tch. The child was maybe 5.<br /> 3. Most of the parents didn't care if their kids were in the way of other shoppers. I don't mind it when a young child is in my way, I know they don't understand they could be in someone's way yet. But, this really got on my nerves: I was getting in line to check out and a young teen was standing in my way. I said excuse me and she stared at me. Her father, who was on the other side (he was checking out on the left, I was trying to check out on the right) stared at me. She gave me a look like, "you're in MY way" and so I just pushed on by her and practically ran over her foot. Her father said nothing. She gave me another teenager look.</p> <p>What I learned:<br /> 1. I hate grocery shopping in the evening.<br /> 2. I will remember this for future shopping trips with my child and will do my best to stay off of my phone.<br /> 3. I will try to remember my patience when my child gets old enough to possibly be in someone's way or may be asking for everything she sees. </p> <p>Anyone else feel like grocery shopping in the evening is the worst possible time to do so? </p>