How to Go Grocery Shopping with Children Part 2

Last week I began the topic of Grocery Shopping with children. Last week’s post dealt with things to do BEFORE you even leave your house to go to the store. This week, I will discuss our procedures as we arrive at the store and enter.

You should already have your grocery list ready, your reusable shopping bags in the car as well as all the extra things you need. Be sure to remember snacks and anything else. Now, when you get to the store:

• Go over again the rules with the children including expectations. I do not have to do this procedure with my children any more because they know what I expect. The older ones are the leaders and my younger children typically follow their lead for how to behave.
• All of our children have partners. Each partner is to make sure his/her partner has their shoes and jacket and hat on before we get out of the car.
• One of the children grabs the reusable bags. They all take turns among themselves carrying them.
• No one gets out of the car until I come around and open the door. I usually grab a buggy first to put the little ones in to ride through the parking lot. Then everyone else gets out of the vehicle.
• I put the youngest ones and whoever else wants a ride in the buggy, the others stay on each side of the buggy with their hands on the side of the buggy so I know where they are.
• If we are close enough to walk without putting the little ones in the buggy OR if there are no buggies in the parking lot, then we go in a two by two line each older child holding his/her partner’s hand. My oldest son is in the front and I am in the back either carrying the youngest baby or holding a hand. My oldest son is now ten and knows how fast to walk and when to stop and to look for cars which may be backing out of a parking space. We are all walking closely together anyway, but when they were younger I had them more beside me so they could hear me better.
• Once we get into the store, my oldest takes a buggy with one baby and I take a buggy with another baby in the front seat. OR if we are at Wal-Mart with the big blue two seaters or Kroger or Ingles with the car buggies, then the youngest two ride in the seats. The others walk beside the buggy with their hands on the sides. In smaller stores such as Dollar Tree or CVS, I just take one buggy with the smallest in it and everyone else walks.
• I get my list out and the coupons I plan to use. The other coupons are in my accordion file binder. Someone helps carry the binder as well as the reusable grocery bags if I do not have a buggy to place them.
• We are now ready to get through the store. I will begin with procedures once in the store next week!