Never shop on an Empty Stomach

I don't like going to the grocery store when it's crowded.

I discovered, during my college days, the joy of strolling through the supermarket in the later evening hours, and it's a habit that I'm not sure I want to break.

Sure, there's no one manning the Deli counter. And the salad bar has long been put out to rest for the day. If you catch it just right, there's a nice mist in the vegetable center, and the only dodging you have to do is around pallets used to restock shelves. Some of the necessities have been stripped clean from the shelves, and the baked goods are traveling on the downside from their morning freshness.

Usually, finding a parking place near the front doors isn't a challenge, but locating more than one cashier might be. It's a little easier to see the business behind the business when you walk through the tinned goods at night. When you skip an aisle because it's just been washed and waxed, you're reminded that a lot of people trample down those lanes everyday, and those footpaths get pretty messy.

Maybe it's the mess that I like. When I read an article like They have ways of making you spend, I'm reminded of the rough-hewn nature of my grocery at night, and the magic of the market doesn't seem as enchanting.

Though I do try to eat a snack before I drive to the store.

(via the BusinessPundit)