Second-guessing

Second-guessing

I decided to do the Christmas grocery shopping first thing yesterday morning. We had taken the chilly bins with us the day before when we caught up with friends for lunch in town. But by the time that was over I had totally run out of energy so decided the following morning would be a better option.

It seems everyone else in town had the same idea. The supermarket carpark was full at 8.10am when we arrived and people were already exiting with their fully-laden trolleys. So much for the quiet shop that I had envisioned.

I learnt a while ago that it doesn't pay to second-guess other people around Christmas time. Sometimes, like yesterday, when we decide to do something early to escape the rush, others have thought the same way and instead of having the expected quiet time, it is just as busy as the time we had tried to avoid. I don't know whether that will be the case this Christmas Eve, but once, when I left my grocery shopping that late, there were queues stretching up and down the isles with a good hour's wait till the checkout. I swore never again. I remember last year people commenting that Christmas Eve at the supermarket wasn’t too bad. Perhaps everyone has been bitten like me and avoid that time, making it a better option after all. Or maybe there are many more people in this area following the lockdowns of Covid and it will just get busier and busier. People are travelling again, making up for their lost years.

This phenomenon doesn’t just apply to shopping. It is the same on the roads. I have chosen to travel a day or two before the expected rush some years, only to have found everyone else had the same idea, with the roads just as congested as on the expected busier day.

I am thankful that this year I won't have to travel anywhere as family are coming here. And I won't have to go to town again as I have completed all my shopping.

The price of food was astronomical. But I will perhaps save that rant for another blog.