Ewe Oh Thursday

[Crisco Salad]

[dramaphile]

I think going overboard with gifts for Easter is unnecessary. Maybe it was just my family, but when I was a kid, we got a basket with a chocolate bunny and some dyed eggs and candy and maybe a dollar store Easter toy or some bubbles or something. I have no plans to get Nugget big presents for Easter in the future. She's getting treats in a basket and an Easter board book and a thing of bubbles this year. People keep adding gift-giving holidays, it's ridiculous.

[MapleMe]

The whole concept of any sort of gift for Easter caught me by surprise. Growing up we had a special Easter breakfast (bagels and lox because the Jewish deli was the only place open on Easter) and my dad hid some candy for us to find. It literally wasn't until I joined this community that I knew that parents did any kind of presents for Easter. I would be happy continuing that, but I don't know if my kids will feel like they're being shortchanged somehow.

[dramaphile]

Apr 13, 2017 8:42:21 GMT -5 @milano said:

Apr 13, 2017 7:55:29 GMT -5 dramaphile said:

I think going overboard with gifts for Easter is unnecessary. Maybe it was just my family, but when I was a kid, we got a basket with a chocolate bunny and some dyed eggs and candy and maybe a dollar store Easter toy or some bubbles or something. I have no plans to get Nugget big presents for Easter in the future. She's getting treats in a basket and an Easter board book and a thing of bubbles this year. People keep adding gift-giving holidays, it's ridiculous.

And to spin off of this, I don't think it's necessary for grandparents to fill a whole basket for their grandkids. I have no problem with a little Easter gift or a small amount of candy, but a whole second/third basket is ridiculous.

Seriously.  One bonus of not living close to my parents is none of that nonsense.  I was out shopping with my friend and she had to buy Easter stuff for her nieces because their parents always buy lots of stuff for her kids for Easter and she feels bad if she gets them nothing.  It's a vicious cycle of present-buying.

[pbandj714]

Agree on the over-the-top gifting that Easter has become. MIL already brought down Easter baskets for the kids, small ones. She (surprisingly) didn't go too over the top, but the extra baskets do seem sort of silly to me. I'm going to give them back to her because I don't want her filling NEW baskets every year. No one needs that many Easter baskets.

[MapleMe]

I think that volunteer/special helper baggers at a grocery store is not a good idea. I want my bagger to either know what they're doing or go away. This UO is brought to you by a volunteer bagger at my local coop. I guess she is weak muscled or something because she always fills bags 1/3 of the way and leaves out things like beer and milk. Ok, maybe that's fine if I have a shopping cart, no kids and a use for the excess bags. But I just showed up with a shopping basket and left with three full sized grocery bags and a gallon of milk. I don't have 4 arms, so I have to nest the bags and then end up having to choose if my milk goes on top of my bananas or eggs. Awesome.

Oh and she's slow and insists on folding down the tops of my bags (I guess to make them easier to carry with my 4 arms), so I'm done with my transaction and just standing there waiting for her to finish folding down my bags just so I can open them back up and nest the bags so that I can actually carry them out of the store.

Oh and she even does this with reusable bags. I have a huge reusable bag that can fit a crazy amount of stuff and she will put 1/3 of my stuff in there and put the rest of my stuff in paper bags and leave my milk out. So if I'm walking I actually need to unpack and repack everything into some usable formulation. Ugh. I can't even avoid her line because bounces between lines to whoever needs a bagger. And I feel bad telling her that I'll just bag myself because she's there with a special needs guy (she's his assistant) and I want to be patient for him to have a job. But he will put one thing in a bag and then wander away. It's the woman's bagging that annoys me.

Phew. I apparently needed to get that out.

[Crisco Salad]

I like it when grocery baggers pack my bags lighter.

[Deleted]

+1 to the ridiculousness of Easter. We used to get some candy, an outdoor toy and a movie.
I'm not even buying anything for the kids because a) they are little, and b) both sets of grandparents are filling that void. My MIL even made the comment that she was appalled I wasn't buying anything. Uhh DS is 2.5, I'm going to eat all his chocolate anyways. So NYAH.



I miss plastic bags from the grocery store. Every couple of weeks I don't bring my resuable bags and will pay the 30 cents or whatever for bags. I use them around the house in the garbage cans.

[dramaphile]

MapleMe I almost always bag my own groceries, ever since working at Trader Joe's, I'm a total snob about bagging and haaate it when people bag my groceries badly. I did appreciate people bagging my groceries light when I had a back injury, but other than that, I prefer fewer, heavier bags. It also annoys me when people unnecessarily double-bag my groceries or put one thing in a bag. I have to walk my milk 20 feet from my car to my fridge, I don't need two bags for that. J is also a bagging snob and insists on bagging. It's kind of annoying when the cashier thinks they are being useful by helping.

Self check-out is my favorite thing ever.

My bagging method:
Separate cold, frozen, raw meat, pantry and cleaning products. Bag heaviest items on the bottom and fill in lighter items on top.

[MapleMe]

Apr 13, 2017 9:47:09 GMT -5 dramaphile said:

MapleMe I almost always bag my own groceries, ever since working at Trader Joe's, I'm a total snob about bagging and haaate it when people bag my groceries badly. I did appreciate people bagging my groceries light when I had a back injury, but other than that, I prefer fewer, heavier bags. It also annoys me when people unnecessarily double-bag my groceries or put one thing in a bag. I have to walk my milk 20 feet from my car to my fridge, I don't need two bags for that. J is also a bagging snob and insists on bagging. It's kind of annoying when the cashier thinks they are being useful by helping.

Self check-out is my favorite thing ever.

My bagging method:
Separate cold, frozen, raw meat, pantry and cleaning products. Bag heaviest items on the bottom and fill in lighter items on top.

Overall I prefer bagging myself, but I have great admiration for good baggers. Conducting a swift, spacial problem solving with an oncoming stream of inputs is impressive. Costco baggers(boxers?) at my local Costco are fantastic to watch.

[sarenu]

When buying less than 10 items, I should not be given 4 plastic bags.

I'm team, fill my re-usable bags as much as possible. Carrying 2 reusable bags is much easier than 10 plastic ones.

[Stringy]

I think bagging cleaning/non food items separately is a waste of bag and space.

[dramaphile]

Apr 13, 2017 10:25:53 GMT -5 Stringy said:

I think bagging cleaning/non food items separately is a waste of bag and space.

Generally, yes.  The only exception I would make is if it's a liquid cleaner that could leak onto food, then I'd put it with things like canned food or in its own bag.  Usually I have enough non-food items they can go in their own bag.  

A good bagger is a lovely thing, I just find that too many grocery store employees are terrible baggers, especially at the store by my work, which has no self check-out.  Costco and Trader Joe's tend to be the exception.

[sarenu]

Apr 13, 2017 10:41:22 GMT -5 dramaphile said:

Apr 13, 2017 10:25:53 GMT -5 Stringy said:

I think bagging cleaning/non food items separately is a waste of bag and space.

Generally, yes.  The only exception I would make is if it's a liquid cleaner that could leak onto food, then I'd put it with things like canned food or in its own bag.  Usually I have enough non-food items they can go in their own bag.  

A good bagger is a lovely thing, I just find that too many grocery store employees are terrible baggers, especially at the store by my work, which has no self check-out.  Costco and Trader Joe's tend to be the exception.

Should it be a confession that I don't buy cleaners that often?  Because I think the last thing I bought was Bona floor cleaner.  Probably 3-4 months ago.

[pipsqueak]

Regarding Easter: dh and I have debated the topic every year. Last year Easter basket won but only because we wanted to buy Pip some sandbox toys to take to the park. This year we are leaning towards buying a bag of snack sized M&Ms and calling that his Easter basket. Picking up toys at the end of the night, every night, is all the "Easter Egg" hunt we need.

[pipsqueak]

Regarding baggers: I think some stores train their baggers and some stores just set the employee loose at the end of the checkout with no instructions at all.

[CurlieWhirlie]

I hate bagging my own groceries. If I am spending $200 on four bags of groceries at Whole Foods, I do not feel the need to even make a move to help bag. Yet I feel pressured to help when there isn't a separate bagger and the cashier has to finish ringing me up and *then* bag, while people wait impatiently behind me.

You know what? I don't care! I'm not bagging my own groceries!

[dramaphile]

Apr 13, 2017 10:43:12 GMT -5 sarenu said:

Apr 13, 2017 10:41:22 GMT -5 dramaphile said:

Generally, yes.  The only exception I would make is if it's a liquid cleaner that could leak onto food, then I'd put it with things like canned food or in its own bag.  Usually I have enough non-food items they can go in their own bag.  

A good bagger is a lovely thing, I just find that too many grocery store employees are terrible baggers, especially at the store by my work, which has no self check-out.  Costco and Trader Joe's tend to be the exception.

Should it be a confession that I don't buy cleaners that often?  Because I think the last thing I bought was Bona floor cleaner.  Probably 3-4 months ago.

I was referring more to paper products and sponges and foil and trash bags and all that non-food stuff that sometimes includes cleaners.  I hardly ever buy actual liquid cleaner.  

[Crisco Salad]

Side dishes are the best part of a holiday meal

[dramaphile]

Apr 13, 2017 13:09:06 GMT -5 Crisco Salad said:

Side dishes are the best part of a holiday meal

POPULAR

[mc13]

Some things are just worth paying for. Like having a garage full of stuff hauled away in one trip instead of putting little bits out for trash pickup every week.

[CurlieWhirlie]

Apr 13, 2017 17:01:56 GMT -5 mc13 said:

Some things are just worth paying for. Like having a garage full of stuff hauled away in one trip instead of putting little bits out for trash pickup every week.

And paying for someone to come pack up your stuff and move it for you, instead of bribing your one friend with a pickup truck with pizza and beer.

Being a grownup does have its perks.

[ovenrack]

UO: everyone should find a way to have a honest conversation with their relatives about things that really annoy them.

[ovenrack]

UO: I love the wide variety of easter traditions that different families choose to partake in.

[ovenrack]

UO: I think it is great when grandparents work hard to have some sort of a relationship with their grandkids.

[dramaphile]

Apr 13, 2017 20:08:55 GMT -5 ovenrack said:

UO: everyone should find a way to have a honest conversation with their relatives about things that really annoy them.

It definitely depends on the relative. I'm on team "smile and nod" when it comes to the old folks. Sometimes keeping the peace is worth hiding your feelings (and sometimes it's not).

[ovenrack]

Apr 13, 2017 21:08:36 GMT -5 dramaphile said:

Apr 13, 2017 20:08:55 GMT -5 ovenrack said:

UO: everyone should find a way to have a honest conversation with their relatives about things that really annoy them.

It definitely depends on the relative. I'm on team "smile and nod" when it comes to the old folks. Sometimes keeping the peace is worth hiding your feelings (and sometimes it's not).

I agree to an extent.  I just find it's usually not worth it to hide your feelings.  It usually results in feeling resentful of the person you have to hide them from.  


Also, there's a way to respectfully disagree with people.  If they go off the handle and react unreasonably, that's on them, not me.  

[pipsqueak]

Apr 13, 2017 21:21:20 GMT -5 ovenrack said:

Apr 13, 2017 21:08:36 GMT -5 dramaphile said:

It definitely depends on the relative. I'm on team "smile and nod" when it comes to the old folks. Sometimes keeping the peace is worth hiding your feelings (and sometimes it's not).

I agree to an extent.  I just find it's usually not worth it to hide your feelings.  It usually results in feeling resentful of the person you have to hide them from.  


Also, there's a way to respectfully disagree with people.  If they go off the handle and react unreasonably, that's on them, not me.  

There also exist the family members who you have to hide your feelings from because they gain pleasure from hurting/angering you.  

[ovenrack]

Apr 13, 2017 21:31:01 GMT -5 pipsqueak said:

Apr 13, 2017 21:21:20 GMT -5 ovenrack said:

I agree to an extent.  I just find it's usually not worth it to hide your feelings.  It usually results in feeling resentful of the person you have to hide them from.  


Also, there's a way to respectfully disagree with people.  If they go off the handle and react unreasonably, that's on them, not me.  

There also exist the family members who you have to hide your feelings from because they gain pleasure from hurting/angering you.  

Well I feel like at a certain point maybe it is time to cut those people from your life.

[ovenrack]

Sorry. I mostly just meant I get frustrated when people silently seethe at family members that they otherwise care about. Or generally don't call people on their bullshit. But I also live my life like there's no tomorrow. So.