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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Whole families going food shopping

746 replies

Shiningstarr · 18/09/2022 15:01

Just came back from food shopping, there were a couple of young families in there, one in particular, the mum was pushing the trolley, her two young children walking near her and the dad was following with a pram and carrying another toddler.

Surely it would be easier for just mum to go and do the food shop, or just dad? Why bring all those children plus pram? I can't think of anything worse. Both mum and dad looked stressed.

OP posts:
tellmewhyidontlikemondayfunerals · 19/09/2022 20:39

Yanbu

I haven't been grocery shopping for years

Deliveries are a wondrous thing

Twos0ups · 19/09/2022 20:39

Don’t get me started on the amount of seriously obese families troughing down pizza and ice cream in the cafe😮

Energydrink · 19/09/2022 20:40

Ffs! Mind your business

ChampagneCamping · 19/09/2022 20:42

TulipVictory · 18/09/2022 15:16

Well isn't this thread full of miserable women 🤷‍♀️🤣

This 100%

JudgeJ · 19/09/2022 20:42

YellowTreeHouse · 18/09/2022 17:15

Families who enjoy spending time together, who have children who enjoy doing the shop and being helpful, who don’t see shopping as a mundane activity to be rushed through.

Instead of having rage over other peoples behaviour, look at your own. Find pleasure in the little things. How do you expect children to know how to behave in society if they are never given the chance?

Show quote history

Your poor children, if your idea of enjoying time as a family is to traipse round a supermarket!

Missyc11 · 19/09/2022 20:45

It’s none of your business.

starfishmummy · 19/09/2022 20:45

kimchifox · 18/09/2022 15:08

Maybe they have been doing something else and are now doing the food shop on the way home?

This is the only time we go as a family - just three of us though! And we are probably not doing a big shop!

SillySausage81 · 19/09/2022 20:46

My child was born in lockdown, so massive chunks of the first year and a half of her life, going to the supermarket was literally THE ONLY excitement she got and the only social interaction outside of me and DH. I know the pandemic is over now, but she still generally enjoys coming to the shop, I give her a pen and paper and she helps me "write a list", she loves seeing all the people, people often chat to her, she loves pointing at all the things she sees and naming them...

Sometimes me and DH go together too, for a few reasons:

  • if we're stopping at the shop on our way back from somewhere else (by far the most common reason).
  • If you're doing a massive shop it's more efficient if you've got two people packing, or one unloading the trolley while the other's packing.
  • If we both want to look around/pick some treats/pick something for lunch the next day or whatever
  • Some days we haven't got much on and it's the only time we'll get out the house (and we do generally have quite a busy and active life, but not every single week).

Btw the supermarket we shop in is large and spacious with wide aisles, so I don't think we are bothering anyone with our presence, not that it would be anyone's business if we were...

Also, I grew up with a single mother so had no choice but to go shopping all the time with her, and I usually quite enjoyed it.

SillySausage81 · 19/09/2022 20:48

WildfellAnne · 19/09/2022 18:32

We would go together often -because it was much quicker, and far easier to have two adults to carry the shopping home.

Hahaha, so many of the people posting on here probably haven't even realised that not everyone has a car...

LT2 · 19/09/2022 20:48

How do you know they aren't travelling somewhere and picking up food on route? 🤔

di2004 · 19/09/2022 20:50

Yes I can’t see why all the family need to take a trip to the supermarket, it’s worse when they put kids in the trolley where the food goes. Or even worse, couples shopping and they pack them at the till like it’s the Crown Jewels! Does your head in!

SillySausage81 · 19/09/2022 20:53

JudgeJ · 19/09/2022 20:42

Your poor children, if your idea of enjoying time as a family is to traipse round a supermarket!

Show quote history

Well I feel sorry for you, if you are unable to understand the concept of enjoying spending time with your loved ones no matter what the activity... 😟

Loics · 19/09/2022 21:00

JudgeJ · 19/09/2022 20:42

Your poor children, if your idea of enjoying time as a family is to traipse round a supermarket!

Show quote history

You can make anything sound dreary by wording it that way:

Traipsing around the supermarket vs browsing offers in the supermarket.

I could even make Disneyland sound mundane to my toddler if I described it as trudging round a huge park and moping around in long queues before getting on any rides.

I loved going shopping with my mum when I was younger, sometimes with my grandma - something I miss now she's been dead several years.

People don't need an excuse to go shopping as a family, if people are annoyed by it then they can fume in private, or mention it to the families concerned to give them a laugh and a funny story to tell others. 🤷‍♀️

Pinkfluff76 · 19/09/2022 21:09

And why have so many kids??!

ilovepixie · 19/09/2022 21:10

I work in a shop/petrol station and this is totally a thing. Whole families come in to get petrol or buy milk! Sometimes a dozen times a day! It's mad.

Ilikepinacoladass · 19/09/2022 21:10

Some days we haven't got much on and it's the only time we'll get out the house (and we do generally have quite a busy and active life, but not every single week)

I think this is the answer a lot of the time. Why can't you go out of the house and do something else - go to a park, for a run, to a museum, for a walk...

pastypirate · 19/09/2022 21:14

Ffs it's likely families who don't have a car. You need both the adults to carry all the shopping home. Hence you have to bring all the kids with you.

Carla2601 · 19/09/2022 21:14

@Shiningstarr i hear you, I also wonder what possesses anyone who doesn’t need to to go on a weekend.

One bug bear, everytime you’ve referred to single parent families v whole families. maybe better to say two parent families as my family was very much whole without one parent

Original poster
Shiningstarr · 19/09/2022 21:17

LT2 · 19/09/2022 20:48

How do you know they aren't travelling somewhere and picking up food on route? 🤔

Because it was a whole trolley (big trolley), definitely a full food shop.

OP posts:
GirlFaeMars · 19/09/2022 21:19

we done this. Only 1 kid though. I don’t drive, and as a sahm would need to get a change of scenery. Kiddo and Dh came with so they could drive me home with all the shopping. Once I started working, DH started going on his own, or with DS so I had peace to get the tea on.

people have their reasons.

NeedAHoliday2021 · 19/09/2022 21:21

The arguments on this thread all sound lovely and wholesome yet the families I see aren’t enjoying anything but usually yelling at Cadan to fucking stop running off. There’s a difference between whole family full shop and popping in together for a few bits or a single parent with dc. It’s definitely a certain type of family and they’re not there to teach dc numbers. We do plenty of things at the weekend that don’t cost money so it’s not about being rich. My family had some really tough times financially when I was a dc yet my parents would comment on the madness of family days out to the supermarket. There’s probably a sociological study.

gatehouseoffleet · 19/09/2022 21:25

Gr33ngr33ngr4ss · 18/09/2022 20:14

You live a blessed life if this is a real issue fir you.
Or you're extraordinarily shirt tempered and mean.

Show quote history

You're the one with the blessed life because you don't work in a supermarket and don't get a headache every day from kids screaming who don't want, and don't need, to be there.

As for it being an educational experience, how much practice do you need to buy something in a shop?

piegone · 19/09/2022 21:27

As for it being an educational experience, how much practice do you need to buy something in a shop?

Surely you can see there is a lot more to be learned than just making the transaction? There is so much more.

feckoffbrian · 19/09/2022 21:29

I had 4 DC in 6 years and always did/do this.

I live over 1,000 miles from family members and DH doesn't drive. So no support.
That said, as a result, my DC are now able to go around supermarkets, museums etc and NOT run around or behave like little shits. We actually get comments on how well behaved they are.

Shopping is something we have to do to get food in, and I am not willing to do it more than once a week. Kids are also interested as they get to chose what we eat and take part in the cooking process.

Hardly a family fun day out but definitely a life skill. Also, we do a lot of activities. We hike, we swim, DC all play a competitive sport each. DH and I both work full time.

I feel sorry for kids who don't get to participate in the normal day to day activities because the adults can't be bothered with the hassle and teach their kids how to behave in public for the sake of an easier life.

piegone · 19/09/2022 21:29

I also wonder what possesses anyone who doesn’t need to to go on a weekend.

I don't need to go out on any given day, should I stay home for other people's convenience?