Does anyone else get overwhelmed by grocery store options, spend 2-3 hours in there because you need to really scan every shelf and as a result get suspected of stealing by staff and security?

[u/_nonymouse]

[u/Traditional_Bee_1667]

Generally, no. I rush in and get what’s on my list and GTFO as quickly as possible.

The only time I slow down and look is at night when it’s slow and there aren’t many people around. I’ve never been flagged by security.

[u/AptCasaNova → u/Traditional_Bee_1667]

Same. I have every aisle memorized and approach it like a swat mission.

If they move something, well, then that’s a problem.

[u/DreamingofCharlie]

I only do grocery pickup and delivery now. I can research the ingredients while relaxing, instead of with the horrible florescent lights and other sensory nightmares.

[u/Soup-Mother5709 → u/DreamingofCharlie]

I’ve found this to be cheaper too. A lot more coupons, sales, through the store’s app. I’m also getting exactly what I need. No temptations to add things on that I don’t.

[u/girlly_p0p]

This is why I hate going shopping anywhere in person!!! I feel so sketch looking at every item and trying to figure out the best option

[u/vectordot]

Try going to Aldi if you have one in your area. Fewer options for each item. 

ETA: the checkout line is a little quick and you have to bag your own groceries with your own bag. Also bring a quarter to unlock the shopping cart. 

[u/Ope_85311 → u/vectordot]

I was just about to comment this! Aldi is a dream for me because there’s usually just one option for whatever item I want, the stores are pretty small, and there isn’t a lot of music or distractions. Very easy for me to get in and out quickly.

[u/Physical_Ad9945 → u/vectordot]

LIDL is also like this and where I go for my groceries.

Have had a loss less melt downs since starting shopping there

[u/estheredna → u/vectordot]

Trader Joe's is like this too

[u/HedgehogElection]

I always make a list and wear headphones when I go grocery shopping. I also prefer to go to shops with limited options such as Lidl and Aldi.

[u/_nonymouse → u/HedgehogElection]

This explains why those two stores are my favourite

[u/LittleNarwal]

Not usually, but when I go to a store I haven’t been to before, it does take me a long time because it is hard to find what I’m looking for and there are often a lot of new options to make sense of and choose between.

But normally, I always go to the same grocery store, so that I know my way around and don’t have to wander around looking for stuff. I also keep more or less the same items stocked, so I just buy whatever I have run out of, and don’t have to spend a lot of time deciding between things. I will generally buy a few new things if they look interesting, and then if I end up liking them, they go into my regular grocery rotation, and if I don’t, then I don’t buy them again. All of these strategies come from several years of shopping for myself and figuring this stuff out over time, and I recommend trying them to help make shopping feel less overwhelming! 

[u/shallottmirror]

The amount of time I spend staring at items in stores, doing embarrassing math (will this dish sponge fit exactly in my sponge holder?)…. Also spend way too much time hiding in my car, parked in odd, distant places.

Always have been afraid of being accused of doing something sketchy.

[u/RandomStrangerN2]

Haha, this reminds me of something that happened when I was a teen. I went to buy my school supplies and carried a small notebook with me to make note of the prices and brands that I wanted. I spent a looooong time at a particular store. An employee approached me and asked if I was doing a research, and I said yeah, 'cause that was what I was doing, right? The dude panicked and asked "for who?" 😂 he thought I was from competition or a mistery client. I quickly tranquilized him and explained that it was just for my own use and he looked at me like I had two heads. 

[u/Due-Run-5342]

I get overwhelmed by the crowd of people and the noisy kids. It's especially frustrating when I'm stuck in a tight narrow spot and can't move away immediately due to the amount of people.

[u/Specialist_Sea9805]

I pay for Walmart delivery so this doesn’t happen. I hate the sensory overload of Walmart, people make me anxious, I’m overwhelmed by all the crap they have. I pay like $49/year and tip to deliver so it’s pretty reasonable for the service you get. Highly recommend

[u/MakrinaPlatypode → u/Specialist_Sea9805]

I went into walmart last week with family. Horrible. Too much stuff, too many people, and too much noise overhead. I couldn't focus my gaze anywhere as I was walking around, because all the aisles and coolers became so much visual clutter that my eyes glazed over all of it, couldn't take any of it in. It made me feel quite dizzy, like I was tipped over sideways :(

On a bright note, in a desperate search for where the veggie nuggs might be hiding, I discovered a gigantic box of frozen, precooked ripe plantains, which I've been eating off of almost every night for the past three weeks 🤤 I can't cook fresh plantains to save my life, but all I have to do is pop a few chunks of these in the microwave for two minutes!

[u/ElizabethMaeStuart]

This is why I do the buy online curbside pickup. Life saving

[u/wizardribs]

YES. I also start overthinking / spiraling about the ethics of every purchase, which ramps up my anxiety and indecision to almost paralyzing levels.

[u/4x4Bee]

Online shopping for the win! I can pop in if I need one or two items, but could not cope with a full shop!

[u/EducatedRat → u/4x4Bee]

Same. We pay the premium and get delivery. It changed my life for the better.

[u/Tukbiii]

I used to spend 2h every visit and would dread it so I'd only shop once every two weeks to bulk buy to last 2 weeks. Then I discovered these "meal packages". I don't know if there is an English term but basically supermarkets here have these pre-prepped packages with all the ingredients for -3-4 portions of a specific dish. It's a godsend for me. I just pick a cuisine I feel like eating and then buy a few of those packages. Also 0 waste of food! I used to throw so much food away because it was left over but these have the exact amount of ingredients needed. Now I don't mind grocery shopping anymore.

The most stressful part for me was finding recipes and figuring out what to eat and make a shopping list. It was SO time consuming. I don't mind personally to eat the same thing for 3-4 days straight so it's perfect for me. And if I do get tired of it, I put it in the freezer for another time.

[u/Opening-Ad-8793]

lol people look at me suspiciously too. Especially when I wanna wear my hoodie with my mask and sunnies and headphones.

If someone asks or follows you just say hey uh I’m autistic I’m not stealing but if you wanna waste your time following me feel free but it does weird me out and if I feel too uncomfortable I’m just gonna have to leave.

[u/ms-SM]

I love going to grocery stores and will spend quite lot of time in them perusing the shelves, comparing prices per gram, discovering new foods, memorizing prices, learning the layout. I like to imagine fun things to cook. The muzak is currently a playlist from my adolescence, so I can sing along if I'm bare-eared. Many of them have warm lighting and/or sensory-friendly times. I don't think I've ever noticed staff or security hovering because I spend 10 minutes deciding not to buy a bag of British salt and vinegar chips for $6.99 even though they are so good texture wise compared to Canadian ones.

I do get overwhelmed by sensory input eventually but grocery stores are a thing I get excited about so I have more tolerance I guess. I absolutely hate when they move things around though.

[u/Illustrious-Tear-542]

I haven’t been suspected of stealing. But, this describes a grocery store trip for me. Or this is my experience in every store. I have some sort of compulsion that says I’m going to miss the perfect thing or the perfect deal. So even if I have what I need I have to look at everything.

[u/Lucia_the_doll]

I make a list to avoid this but I always get stuck in the pickle isle like every time lmao choice paralysis is real. When I shop in a new store I always start feeling overwhelmed it's why I always go to the same store

[u/CalicoValkyrie]

People that are more obviously stealing aren't taking their time. They go straight to what they want. Repeatedly at times, and wait for the aisles to clear, avoid the same people seeing them. Then run.

Otherwise, if someone is shopping and planning to steal their cart, the way it's obvious is they hover around the entrance for a moment someone isn't around.

I promise you, all my years of working in retail, the longer someone is in a store the more honest they are. Because I'll see them repeatedly, and that's exactly the opposite of what a thief wants.

[u/MakrinaPlatypode → u/CalicoValkyrie]

Thank you! I take forever and an always worried the staff at any kind of store think I'm a weirdo and a likely thief. This makes me feels so much better 😭

[u/HarryPouri]

I get followed by security for doing the opposite, going in with a list and treating it like a mission I'm trying to complete as efficiently as possible. Apparently I look like I'm following a list of what to steal or something 😅

[u/_nonymouse → u/HarryPouri]

I have a list too! Except I get distracted and go off track very easily 😹

[u/K2SOJR]

Yep! I hate going to stores, especially grocery stores. 

[u/humanpotatoboy]

Grocery pickup is a game changer!

[u/AhZuT_LA_BoMba]

If I don’t have a plan I’m screwed. This goes for anything. If I’m looking for lunch I will drive endlessly unless someone says “let’s go here”.

[u/Samdasamurai]

Yes, and curbside pickup is such a blessing. I have all the time I want to compare items on price, quality, and features without feeling rushed or exhausted by the lights, people, and noise. Plus it helps with impulse buying, you know exactly what you're getting on the trip.

[u/IntrovertExplorer_]

Yes, even when I have a list with me. Last time I was in the shampoo isle. I guess I took the longest time googling shampoo ingredients and which one would be the best one for my hair, because a secret shopper appeared out of nowhere. He was a bald man “listening to music,” dressed like your typical narc. I could tell he was keeping an eye on me. My purse is tiny, literally fits my wallet and phone at the moment. There was no way I could’ve been shoplifting. Idk if it’s the diagnosis or the skin color that alerts the bastards.

[u/CalligrapherSharp → u/IntrovertExplorer_]

Aw, this tells me you’ve never shoplifted. As long as you’re wearing clothes, it is possible to shoplift.

[u/BookishHobbit]

This is why I have to make a list, but if they ever change the layout of the store it ruins my whole day.

[u/FickleForager]

No. I go in with a list (organized by the layout of the store), speed walk through the store in my ear plugs and sunglasses avoiding human interaction and get out of there as quickly as possible.

[u/Anna-Bee-1984]

I hate grocery stores and avoid them. I get groceries from amazon fresh and supplement with things from target. It might be a bit more expensive, but it saves me a ton of stress. My mom used to lose me in stores when I was a kid because I would just take off due to being distracted and overwhelmed, Funny how it took them until I was 18 to diagnose me with ADHD and till I was 39 to diagnosis me with level 2 autism.

[u/two-girls-one-tank]

I used to really struggle with this. Being vegan helps because it means that I have way less options. I also try to avoid going in without a plan and a written list. I try to go to the same shop and write my list in order of each aisle in the shop. Don't get me started on when they change the store layouts though. I shop in Lidl (UK) and the supermarkets are smaller and it's mainly own brand stuff and not loads of options.

I certainly have been eyed up by security before when shopping. I think it's because I charge in with big headphones and sunglasses avoiding eye contact and busy aisles. I also dress quite alternatively.

I have thought about wearing one of those sunflower lanyards but I fear being spoken to like I am stupid and becoming enraged. But maybe I have internalised ableism.

[u/that_cottagecoregirl]

I nearly always do grocery pick up, so I can do the scanning through options on my couch at home.

[u/karyatis]

The store is one of my #1 places to get overstimulated! Bright lights, tons of people, tons of products and quick decisions, and feeling like I'm being weird or an incontinence by taking too long doing any one thing is the worst.

I actually started using Instacart as my shopping list because it lets myself and my partner add exact items (i.e. the 18 oz dish soap instead of the 32 oz) from home and as I grab the items I can remove them from the cart, so it is really dynamic. It also gives me the out to just push "order" and get it delivered for slightly more if I can't make it to the store in person.

Also today I wore headphones for the first time and it was a game changer. Between that and the list, I had very little anxiety and got to shop in my own little world. 10/10

[u/goldandjade]

Not anymore but when I was in my late teens I’d regularly get super stoned and then go to the grocery store and be really overwhelmed by all the choices and I definitely had people observing me and thinking I was weird af.

[u/Shaywise]

Nah, I go in with a list. I do sometimes wander a little when I'm looking for snacks but that's it. Wearing headphones when I'm shopping alone helps.