I got out of the house early this a.m. - hit Walmart at 5:30 and there discovered that yes...it is truly not Friday. However, at 5:30 a.m. there are no angry shoppers, no clerks yelling at customers, and I didn't see one accident. I am starting to do a price comparison again. I do this every time we move. I did it two years ago and found that shopping at Walmart and the Commissary was even - and Walmart is WAY closer. Prices, however, have gone crazy again. We are now buying different things than we were two years ago. For instance, there was not ONE walnut, not ONE at Walmart that didn't have BHT. AND on the whole shelf of chocolate chips there is only ONE brand that doesn't have artificial flavors and colors in it. If I'm going to buy name brand as opposed to Walmart brand - I'm guessing the commissary is cheaper.
Sherri, a Bible Study friend, informed me Tuesday night that the going rate to tip baggers at the commissary is $1 per CART. Debbie and Ivey concurred. I had been told the going rate was $1 per BAG - this will also affect my price comparisons. Mike will be a happy camper when he gets back and finds out that I am committed to no longer tipping $10 per cart. The bagger won't like me as well. Sherri's son is a bagger and says that is the average rate. $1 per cart - I can't believe it.
What was I saying - I got up early. I'm still tired. I began comparing prices and bought MILK and EGGS because I was OUT....and can you believe the first milk I saw was $5.45 a gal? The cheapest eggs (not the free range/Omega 3 eggs) were $1.54 a dozen. I thought they were still .75 a dozen. Two thoughts here - I'm not doing as bad on my grocery budget as I thought. LOL Buying organic/natural is proving to be closer in price to Walmart than I thought.
Since this is Thursday, I'd better go get school going and I have an appointment on base in 3 hours to see the dietitian.....no work out today....but then the adrenaline of stepping in Walmart, the shock of the price of milk and the near accident on the way home - must count for something.
Accident? Have I mentioned that TX is the only state I know where "yield" means "come to a full and sudden stop?" I'm not sure it is ALL Texans - could just be those of a certain age - but the ladies two cars in front of me came to a full and sudden stop causing a chain reaction that sent my milk flying off the seat onto my eggs......The camera isn't working - must be time for Mike to come home.
Yes, even with rising grocery costs....and mixed up calendars. ::snort:: I should have brought some fruit.
19 comments:
LOL! I didn't even catch that you were a day off. In fact, I had to really think about what today really was. We are off of school this week and I am terribly off on my days. Thanks for the morning laugh.
I'm usually the one who has no idea what day it is, so I was really thinking I might have lost a day somewhere!
We can still get milk here for under $3 and we have wonderful free-range eggs from our girls. Not sure how much it comes out to with feed costs, but the eggs are soooo much better than store bought!
I should do a comparison of all the different stores we have in the area and see who does better, but that sounds like a lot of work!
At the commissary milk is under $3 a gallon here. Off post it's almost $4.
Thanks for sharing the going tipping rate.....our baggers aren't going to like us either. How many carts do you usually end up with, De'Etta? We usually have 3 so I push one while the bagger pushes the other 2.
LOL! I was wondering and figured it was me. I've been off all week. I thought perhaps yesterday really was TH.. this morning I had to go charge my cell phone so I could double check what day it really was... sad...
I'm pretty sure we no longer have any stores with people who push your cart out to your car.
Michelle - priced it today and milk is $3.99 a gal here. I think Sam's is still a bit cheaper - I'll see...if they ARE the same price at Sam's I don't have to pay the surcharge.....
Cindy - Albertsons will take your stuff out here...HEB will too...the commissary - ALWAYS. LOL They won't LET you take your own groceries out - no carts laying around on a military base. LOL
I tip $3 per cart. At one time, I was researching this and found that the average was 30 cents a bag. I average over 10 bags easily (even IF they don't bag in plastic unless you ask, sigh). Now, I don't mean to be snooty here, but if I get a young kid with a 'tude who is working there just because he's too lazy to try and get a job elsewhere (and you can ALWAYS tell who they are), I don't tip as much.
But when I get my favorite lady, an elderly German lady who tells my son you can call me granma anytime (MOMMY - she's all wrinkly, is she a GRANMA?) because yes, I AM all wrinkly, and you know what...I AM a granma too!" She gets more...because she's great with my son!
I hope the eggs didn't make to much a mess in your van when the milk landed on them (or didn't break at all?) yuck, raw eggs that slip the opposite direction when one trys to clean them up.
What a morning! I can't believe you were still on the wrong day when you woke up :)
Milk at Sam's Club is $3.45 for 1 gallon of skim! I am going to start buying organic milk for me. I don't use that much and I can't afford it for the entire family. But I am trying to eat as clean as possible!!!
I've not looked at the price of eggs. I don't know where to get organic, but would like to find them.
Was so glad to see my favorite Stoneybrook yogurt is now organic AND on sale this week :)
Publix here in town will still take your groceries out for you and they don't allow tipping. There is a sign that says no tipping please. Also, our organic milk is hovering right at $3.00 a half gallon. The price has dropped in the past 6 months. I was paying $3.89 when we first started drinking it.
Madeleine now bags at the commissary. I had heard it was a quarter a bag (but remember those plastic bags hold a lot less than a paper bag). I tend to tip about $2 for my regular shopping trip which is a regular cart of stuff.
oh and here in Garmisch there are NO jobs available for teenagers so the commissary is the only job available.
Michelle - I've not shopped routinely at the commissary since we moved here. Sam's is 2 miles away - the commissary is 15. Sam's doesn't charge me a surcharge....but I'm doing the numbers again because I've not done them since we changed our eating habits.
I USED to have 3 - 4 carts a trip.
Linda - so $1-3 PER CART....where I was paying $1 a BAG - so about $10 a cart.
I understand what you mean about the attitude.
Bess - Debbie - I HATE cleaning up eggs. I was lucky that they stayed in their carton.
Yep, we're paying 2 for $6 for half gallons of organic milk. The eggs are expensive! I'm paying 3.99 for a dozen organic eggs. Almost makes me want chickens!
We buy milk at a local dairy. In addition to being organic, it is non-homogenized and pasteurized at a low-heat to retain the good stuff (ala read Sally Fallon's Nourishing Traditions and other similar thoughts going around). It is $5.45 a gallon and has been for the longest time. This seemed expensive when regular milk was $3.00 a gallon in the stores. It's very competitive now. Why hasn't their price gone up? I have no idea!
Linda - maybe your prices are staying the same becuase you pick the milk up at the dairy and he doesn't have the transporting costs?
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