Grocery Shopping

Grocery shopping here in Lagos is something of a challenge.  You make your list but it ends up being a revolving list.  You may not find things this week but in a week or two or three or four you may find the item on the shelf again.  I'm trying really hard to see grocery shopping more as a treasure hunt and not get too frustrated.  Although I will admit there are days when I really would like to just go to Kroger or Sainesbury's (where I shopped in the UK) and know that what I need is there, fill up my shopping cart and go home.

There are several decent sized grocery stores and a few smaller specialty stores.  Some people have the patience to go to 3 or 4 stores in a day in an attempt, but not a guarantee, to find what they are looking for...I don't have that sort of patience.  So I usually only go to 1 or 2 stores and take what I can get.  I do change up the stores I go to just because they don't all carry the same merchandise and you can find that "treasure" you have been in search of or didn't even know you wanted.

This week and last week the treasure came in the form of cereal.  Last week Joe and I both went shopping on separate occasions and came home with Cheerios, something that sells out quickly.  We both laughed that we had purchased the same thing without knowing it and were excited about it!  (Hopefully the experience here doesn't make us into huge hoarders!  But it has that potential.)  This week I found Fruit Loops, something I had not seen before.  I was looking at something on the bottom shelf and the girl stocking the shelves above me dropped the box of Fruit Loops so I picked it up for her.  I thought about it for 2 seconds and came home with the Fruit Loops.  :)

Milk & Cereal...the milk is in the blue boxes, UHT

So the lessons I have learned are...Thursday is usually when the stores get their shipments in so that is a good day to shop...if you see something unusual that you like, buy it!...and finally, be flexible.  I'm told grocery shopping is A LOT better now than it was just a few years ago so I am sure it will continue to improve.  And you just never know what you might find the next time!