monday's mulling: instacart {may 1, 2023}

The other day T called out to me from his office and said we could get a complimentary one-year Instacart enrollment through our credit card. Would I be interested in trying?

I didn't have to mull this over. My answer was "No."

I know a lot of people who used Instacart during the Pandemic. I didn't. I planned menus, made my lists accordingly, masked up, and went to the grocery store once a week. It was a way to get out of the house, giving me a brief sense of normalcy in a very uncertain time. Now that there are no more pandemic restrictions, people still use Instacart: The work-from-home contingency, parents with young children, those whose immune systems are compromised, sick, have some sort of disability, can't drive, or just don't want to make a trip to the store. It's good to have that choice. My choice is that I will handle my own shopping.

I enjoy going to the grocery store and taking time to look at the produce, the date on the milk, cuts of meat, checking the eggs to see if any are cracked. With food prices as high as they are, I want to be in charge of my choices, not someone who is looking at a list and grabbing the first item he or she sees to cross that item off the list. One time my daughter-in-law requested three apples. She got three bags of apples. Another friend asked for Romaine lettuce and got bok choy instead.

Grocery shopping is a social experience, too. It's nice to bump into friends and neighbors and have a quick catch-up in the aisle. Also, I don't use the plastic bags. Last Christmas each of my kids gave me a fun reusable bag from their cities (Columbus, Cleveland, and Chicago) and those always bring a smile. I also love to use a shopping basket that was my mom's. It's really cool and is a conversation starter in the check out lines.

Maybe one day Instacart will be my mode of shopping but not today. For now it's me, my list/my choice, and the reusable bags and basket.