I never hated grocery shopping until we moved here, to Toronto. We live right next door to a Loblaws Grocery store. Sounds great so far -- except that when you live right next to something -- you don't drive there. That is all fine and dandy, but I kind of like going for groceries once a week. Not 5 times for little stuff I can carry home. I like buying the bulk TP, the case of 30 bottles of water, etc, etc... Those items, however, are not items you can comfortably carry home. I suppose I could drive next door, and load up a cart as I used to do... but that is not overly simple either. We live on a one way street that is just off of a main artery that is under construction. Actually -- the intersection we live closest too is mentioned in a list of top 10 worst construction sites to avoid in the GTA. So, you see -- I could walk there in 5 minutes or I could drive there in 25...

So today, I thought I'd leave the neighbourhood and head to this 24 hour Dominion Supermarket about 10 minutes north of us by car. I go into the store, I fill my cart, and I pay for my groceries. I get outside the exit and realize that the entire area around the front of the supermarket is surrounded by these metal poles (the kind you sometimes see to prevent vehicles from smashing into the building). I stand there like a retard for about 5 minutes. I look at my cart and realize that there is no way I can a) get my cart through the poles and b) carry everything in my cart to the car in one trip. I start this little uncomfortable dance on the sidewalk. Finally, I get up the nerve to ask someone how one gets their groceries to their car. He laughs and points to the corner of the sidewalk... just park you cart there and go get your car -- there are 3 spots over there for people to park in and load up. I look at him like he's nuts and say, "I'm just supposed to leave my paid for groceries sitting on the sidewalk for anyone to touch and go get my car?" "Yup, pretty much."

I was extremely disturbed by this. In the end, I was informed that there is a clerk that wanders out to the sidewalk from time to time to check on the "carts" but it was still quite creepy to leave my groceries sitting there while I walked to my car, got in and drove towards the front of the store.

Me thinks I will be scrapping the convenience of once a week shopping and sticking to my every other day jaunt over to Loblaws... after all -- your stuff is fresh, and we haven't had crisper rot like we used to... it's really just a pain when you need to buy milk, juice, pop -- heavy shit.

Oh and I should also mention that there are "self" checkout lanes here. Yes, you can scan your own groceries and pay with credit/debit card at a little machine. It is weird. Buying your food on the "honour code"??? Only in T.O.