When customers come to the grocery store hungry, they buy whatever is pleasing to the eye. There’s no consequences for impulse buys because you can always eat it later. But working in a grocery store, our lunch breaks are timed and we have to eat what we can before our lunch break is up.
I see all kinds of appetizing foods that come through the checkouts. My mouth is salivating for something to quench my hunger. Jojo’s from the Deli, fried chicken, corn dogs, made to order sandwich, Snicker bar, Doritos, hot french bread from the bakery, or TV dinners. The options are limitless and anything sounds good right now as I’m scanning the customers items. I’m anticipating my lunch break and deciding in between grocery orders in what to eat. My stomach is growling along with the “beep” sound the register makes when I scan each item. I’m hungry and ready to eat!
“You ready for your 30-minute lunch break?” Debbie the Checker asked. “Heck yes I am! I’m starving!” I replied anxiously. I clock out and immediately head towards the deli food counter. I look at the fried food in the deli case, jojo’s, fried chicken and corn dogs. “I shouldn’t be eating grease,” I tell myself. “How long is it going to take to make a sandwich?” I asked Deli Clerk Katy. “About 10 minutes,” she replied. Dang, that’s a third of my lunch time, waiting. I’ll pass.
I’m wandering through the aisles and being indecisive in what I want to eat. I would pick items from the shelf, look at it and then put it back. Items such as a Snicker bar and Doritos. “It’s my lunch time! I want to eat real food!” I keep telling myself. I make my way to the bakery, take one look at the french bread, “I’ll probably end up eating the whole loaf!” I thought to myself and with those carbohydrates its going to be a long sluggish night if I attempted to eat that. I quickly scurried away from the bakery because the tempting smell of fresh bread.
With nothing to show for and only 10-minutes of what’s left of my lunchtime. I find myself in front of the freezer doors. I read the label of each TV dinner package, “microwave for 5 minutes,” I don’t have much time for that. I see some that only requires 2-minutes to microwave but the dinner themselves look skimpy. It would only serve as a snack, so I’ll pass.
With only a few minutes left I grab a bottle of water and a pack of $.99 peanuts and make my way to checkout.
Debbie the Checker: I thought you were starving, this is all you got?
Me: …
I should pack my lunch next time. I hate wandering through the grocery store looking for something to eat on my lunchtime.
