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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

to wonder why the whole family go supermarket shopping?

506 replies

turnipfarmers · 01/04/2018 17:00

I tend to shop without my children as it's easier; I get that lone parents have to take their children with them but what I can't make sense of is why you see two adults with several children in tow at the supermarket?

Shopping with children for the weekly shop doesn't seem to be much of a pleasurable experience to me and it's probably not that fun for the children so why do people do it?

OP posts:
anxious2017 · 01/04/2018 17:02

Because they want to?

IHaveBrilloHair · 01/04/2018 17:02

OMG, yes, why, why?
And no its not a learning experience or some shit, it's you getting your kids bored to death and running under my trolley.

halfwitpicker · 01/04/2018 17:03

I agree op.

I'd rather go alone or with just one of the DC'S but DH insists we all go.

HolyMountain · 01/04/2018 17:04

They enjoy the time together and like to chat over what to buy?

Don’t like online shopping?

NerNerNerNerBATMAN · 01/04/2018 17:04

I just presume it's a control thing. So one doesn't trust the other to do it sufficiently/ allow them out alone, so insists on going everywhere with them.

upsideup · 01/04/2018 17:04

We normally do our weekly shop with me, DH and 4 kids 10, 8,4 and 3.
It is a pleasurable experiance and the kids want to come.

Original poster
turnipfarmers · 01/04/2018 17:05

@anxious17 Because they want to?

Why, though? I mean how can it be a rewarding experience? I can't imagine many families going home and saying "I'll never forget the day we went to Aldi to choose the parsnips for dinner"

OP posts:
deblet · 01/04/2018 17:07

My husband has a workmate who moans about shopping with the wife and children ( 5,4 and 1). Thing is we are rural and she does not drive so they all have to go according to him. When I suggested he went on his own was told but that's her job. I am at work all day. I gave up at that point.

MereDintofPandiculation · 01/04/2018 17:07

Because sometimes that's one of the few times that both parents can be together. Because both parents want to participate in food choice. Because the parent who knows what is required needs help from the other in carrying bags, driving or whatever. Because it's good for children to learn how to behave properly when the world isn't revolving around them. Because children need to know how to shop for food. Because maybe they both enjoy supermarket shopping.

insancerre · 01/04/2018 17:07

Only one drives?

Its a pita and neither wants the other to have to do it alone?

They do it on the way back from somewhere else?

Batteriesallgone · 01/04/2018 17:07

From the people I know it’s generally those married to men who don’t engage in any home / child work at all.

So something like
Woman: oh I need to go to the shops
Man: we’ll all go
Woman: why don’t you stay at home with the kids
Man: what? And entertain the toddler?
Woman: well you go to the shops then
Man: but I don’t know what we neeeeeeed, you know me, I’m hopeless
Woman: well I can’t do a big shop and take the kids, you have to do something
Man: come on let’s just all go, it’ll be easier
Woman: fine

Get to shops

Man: on phone the whole time
Woman: dreams of running off a la Shirley Valentine
Kids: bored AF

IHaveBrilloHair · 01/04/2018 17:07

It's possibly "family time".
Why is your kids screeching and running around like dickheads whilst you shout at them enjoyable family time?
Ffs do the shopping by yourself, you'll get it done in half the time, then have your family time in the park/zoo/soft play.

FourEyesGood · 01/04/2018 17:07

We actually like it! DH takes half of the list with one DC; I take the other half with the other DC. We go to the cafe together beforehand.

Nice to know that you find a completely mundane part of my life utterly baffling, though.

Gizlotsmum · 01/04/2018 17:08

We will do it if we have been out for the day and are grabbing a few things on the way back but mostly try without... Not always possible tho as we can be quite disorganised

Fitzsimmons · 01/04/2018 17:08

Well in our case it's because the nearest supermarket is 15 miles away from our house and we tend to go on the way back from a trip out somewhere.

Honestly it always makes me laugh how Mumsnet judges people for the most silliest of reasons.

Pengggwn · 01/04/2018 17:09

Because it makes life easier for them in some particular way that you can't see, but that has nothing to do with you?

scaryteacher · 01/04/2018 17:09

I used to take ds to get him trained for university, when the fridge fairy wouldn't be there. He knows how to pack shopping at the checkout, and read how much per kg something is on the price labels. It made him aware that ham , cheese and milk just didn't magically appear in the fridge.

reddressblueshoes · 01/04/2018 17:09

Actually I read something recently that suggested part of the reason why there's an increase in problems with young people (twenties) eating poorly, being unable to budget etc, is because they weren't exposed to the weekly shop in the way children used to be. It was suggesting that online shopping meant lots of children now weren't being exposed to a normal balance of things to buy, seeing someone meal plan, budget, etc. It was quite interesting, and made me think that in future I will want to take my children with me to do a big shop at least once in a while.

So.... maybe they have the same idea?

abundantlyclear · 01/04/2018 17:09

We do sometimes because it gets my children out and about for a bit - sometimes we all walk the dog and sometimes we go shopping and get a coffee/ hot chocolate together.

kimanda · 01/04/2018 17:09

Me and DH used to love going for the 'big shop' on a Thursday evening with the kids (when they were little.) They loved it too.

Each to their own.

BarbaraofSevillle · 01/04/2018 17:09

I'm more baffled about couples where the men accompany their female partners clothes shopping.

They trail around clearly bored out of their skull getting in everyone else's way by standing in front of whatever you want to look at or even worse are glued to their phones so they have zero awareness of their surroundings and you can be literally screaming 'excuse me' in their faces before they let you past. Madness.

upsideup · 01/04/2018 17:10

Why does it need to be a rewarding experinance? Its just normal life.
I cant imagine anything more boring than walking round the supermarket on my own. Me and DH can discuss what we are going to cook for dinner, one of us can go back and get something we forgot.
The kids can choose new foods they want to try and get snacks they want in their pack lunches etc.
Its actually much easier for us all to go together.

37KAT · 01/04/2018 17:11

Maybe they're tagging shopping on to whatever else the day has in store for them?
We didn't enjoy all going to the supermarket however we were often time restricted due to work and activities so if we had a spare half an hour on a Saturday on our way home from somewhere we would utilise it and get the job done. I didn't always have time for leisurely pottering around Sainsbury's.

LockedOutOfMN · 01/04/2018 17:11

Never. We live in the city centre and don't have a car so DH and I tend to pick up bits on our ways home from work as and when we need them.

MuddyForestWalks · 01/04/2018 17:12

Batteriesallgone its like you have been in my house