Globe and Mail ran a story today on how companies are targeting “quick shoppers”, those of us who make frequent trips to the grocery store to pick up just a few items, perhaps for a quick dinner. The story points out that “quick trip shoppers prefer to save time over money. They seek fast, efficient solutions instead of hunting for the lowest price”. While it may be good news for consumer staples companies and grocery stores, isn’t so great for our pocketbook.

We visit the grocery store and the local Wal-Mart or Costco once every week. We keep a magnetic board on the fridge door and add items to the shopping list as we run out of things during the course of the week. I do make quick trips to the store every once in a while, but try to keep it to a minimum. Such quick trips tend to be a waste of time (park the car, run into the store to pick two or three items, wait in line at the check-out) and money (driving the car to the store).