Consumer ID

In cop shows they often go through the victim's trash with the idea that you can tell a lot about a person from their trash. Are they health nuts with nothing but organic groceries? Or are they Chinese take out aficionados? Maybe that receipt from the corner store will break open the case.

When I'm in the (always lengthy) line at the grocery store on Sundays, I find myself mindlessly staring at the purchases of the person in front of me and IDing them based on consumer habits. Apple juice and Pediasure probably mean there's a wee one at home. Sticky buns, soda and potato chips, especially when not accompanied by fruit, milk or vegetables, speak for themselves. Mountains of chips, Gatorade and deli meat either mean there are 5 kids in the family or possibly just 1 teenage boy.

Our shirts also said game day

What does our grocery shopping say about us? Well, yesterday with beer, cranberry juice, sausage and jalapeno poppers it said "game day!"

But our regular weekly grocery trip consists more of fresh vegetables (but rarely the organic ones), boxed rice or pasta mixes, 1% milk, fish, steak or pork, chicken, store brand tortilla chips (every week like clockwork), a small bouquet of cheap flowers and maybe a sweet something like this week, a pint of (light) vanilla ice cream. I think you'd say that we're a small family, probably with no kids (I mean come on, no juice boxes), who are mostly healthy and who don't put a lot of stock in most name brands.

Or maybe I just think that because I am us. While groceries don't actually define us, I'm still curious: what do your groceries say about you?