Stop & Shop- Scan as you go

So, I grocery shop. We all do. Sometimes, I feel like I shop every day (& there are weeks when I DO!).

Having just moved to a new community I've been checking out all the local grocers, finding a good butcher, figuring out who has the best produce, best prices, etc. While shopping at my local Stop & Shop I kept noticing people carrying little hand held scanners as if they were registering for baby or wedding gifts. I was absolutely mystified.
I did what any confused shopper would do- I came home & Googled it. Imagine my surprise when I discovered that Stop & Shop- some of them anyway- has instituted a program where you can scan your groceries WHILE YOU SHOP, bag them along the way & by the time you get to check out you just scan the handheld scanner, scan your Stop & Shop card, your entire grocery list rings up on the register, you pay & you LEAVE!

For someone like me who is, let's face it, obsessive about how the groceries are bagged, this is a genius solution. I get to bag everything the way I want it as I shop- produce all together (the easily bruised or squished items are always on the top-hurray!), cold items all together keeping each other cold, no more raw meats mixed in with my produce (ewww- why do they always do that?) & boxes neatly boxed together. And most importantly, my nerves much less frayed at the end of a grocery run!

Yes, it absolutely takes a little bit more time to scan everything & bag it yourself, but I'm also saving the 5-10 minutes of cursing & rebagging after I get to the car. Plus, I don't have to wait in a check out line- whether I have 5 items or 50 I can go through the self-checkout lines & it takes 2 minutes to check out. I figure it balances out.

The one glitch can be produce if you forget to check the scales before you weigh- it seems people like to play with the scales. I usually check the label machine first to make sure it isn't jammed. If it is, I clear it & then it works fine.

As an added bonus, if you're shopping with the kids, the scanner is a great way to get them involved- just watch to make sure they don't "add" extra items that you aren't buying. I also like that the scanner offers extra savings that I wouldn't get if I weren't using it. A bonus all around. If you're a Stop & Shop shopper, look for it- at my store it's not directly at the door- you have to wander inside a bit to find it. Well worth it though.