An Unappealing Issue With The General Public At Publix

If you came here for deep thoughts, you will won’t be disappointed today.

*Publix is the grocery store chain where we shop. Whenever I type the word Public, I usually type Publix instead, because it is a big part of my life*

Something that I’ve pondered for years, but haven’t shared here has to do with bananas.

I told you: DEEP.

Are you a ‘bring your own bag‘ person when it comes to grocery shopping? If you are, you are cool and I like you deeply.

I always remember my shopping bags, but I also have some smaller reusable bags specifically for produce. I have to admit, sometimes those smaller bags get lost in my trunk and I forgo using them. Do I use plastic bags for my produce if I forget mine? Not on your life.

I plop my produce right in the COVID cart as I’ll be washing it all when I get home anyway.

No biggie, but something that I occasionally see in the produce department baffles me:

Bananas IN plastic bags.

Are you picking up what I’m putting down?

A shopper picks up a bunch of ‘nana’s and places them INSIDE a plastic bag then puts them in their cart.

Blows.my.mind.

Mother Nature made specific coverage for said ‘nana’s. They are already protected, so why are you giving them extra protection? It’s like a condom on a condom. This is wasteful with no chance of banana babies.

Photo by Any Lane on Pexels.com

I’d like a Gold Star for not actually saying this directly to the banana offenders in the store, you know I want to, but, I ain’t No hollaback girl.

This Sh*t is bananas! B A N A N A S

YOU ARE IN MY HEAD.

A while back Nance wrote an entire blog post devoted to produce with an emphasis on bananas and their cost. I can’t walk past a banana display without thinking of her. That’s one way to get inside my head: blog about fruit.

For many years the Coach didn’t share my enjoyment of fruit. I think he was trying to avoid sugar and instead was eating bacon while his cholesterol was perfectly normal, and mine was skyrocketing. No, I’m not bitter, thanks for asking.

He’s had a change of heart lately and has skipped the daily bacon, and has been enjoying bananas, grapes, and apples with me. (He’s also lost weight)

I’ve been buying more bananas lately. I have to admit, I don’t usually look at the prices. I want them, so I buy them.

I had a planned trek to Costco this week:

Coach: get some bananas while you’re there.

Me: You have to buy TOO many in a bunch. We won’t be able to eat them.

Coach: I’ll eat them. I can eat two a day.

Me: Bragger. Ok.

I bought one huge bunch. (Here it is minus 2) They weren’t the prettiest, but I noticed the price was $4.99. {there you go Nance!}

I figured if we didn’t eat them we could always feed them to our staghorn ferns, as we already throw the peels in there, but they don’t mind the whole ‘nana.

When I got home, I was astonished at how I spent over $400 at Costco. I shouldn’t have been as I tend to leave a lot of money there. I went back through my receipt to get an overview of what the heck I’d purchased and I noted that the cashier charged me the wrong price for my large bunch of bananas.

$1.29 for 9 bananas. I feel like I got an amazing deal, but also felt bad that I inadvertently stole bananas.

But if you think I’m gonna fight the traffic and the onslaught of snow birds who now live at Costco for the free samples so I can pay the difference, well you might be a Monkey’s uncle.

**Edited to add** A few commenters pointed out that $1.29 probably was the correct price. I think the $4.99 price was for the organic bananas, which I did not purchase.

If you think I spent minutes putting this fruity post together, then you’d be correct. Minutes.

I’m waiting for more wedding photos before I can put that post together. Do you want photos and details? Or just photos?

Do any of your blog friends get in your head and travel with you?

One day I’m going to write a post solely about all of you bloggers and commenters who I think of as I go about my glamorous life of stealing fruit from Costco. That is if I ever get over the bananas-in-bags situation at Publix.

Signed,

Your friend who DOES have some restraint in public, but she’s still bananas.

35 thoughts on “An Unappealing Issue With The General Public At Publix”

  1. A few points:
    1. I’m a Mainer, I always bring my own grocery bags. Hell, LL Bean invented the concept. Of course, it’s mandatory here now. No plastic or paper in stores.
    2. Bananas. Love ‘em. Don’t put ‘em in a redundant bag. But I’m fascinated that you feed yours to a plant. I’m having Little Shop of Horrors flashbacks as we speak.
    3. Wedding? I want details and lots of photos. Share the joy.
    4. I often have bloggers quirks and peccadilloes running through my mind in real life. That’s not always a good thing, but such is life.
    🤣

    Liked by 1 person

    1. I didn’t know Maine was a ‘mandatory bring your own bag’ state: I’m a fan!
      We realized that while we were in California recently and I’d love to see my state take it on as well.
      Something about the potassium for the staghorn ferns. They haven’t SAID thank you, but I’m sure they’re thinking it.
      Check, check on the wedding details/pics.

      Liked by 1 person

  2. Bananas in plastic? Strange. The baggers at my grocery ask me if I want my 6 gallons of milk in bags or my bag of potatoes bagged. Huh? No, thanks.

    You spent $400 AND you got a deal on bananas?

    I do think of blog friends when out and about, but I can’t come up with a single example. Then there’s the ‘wait till I tell my blog friends this’ part of me. Coach and I were eating out in Dallas and I was taking a pic of our drinks. He leaned in to the photo, but then was like OH, AM I IN THIS? Um, hate to burst your bubble, but no.

    I am excited for the details and the wedding pics. I’m here when you’re ready to share.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Yes, I do see people carrying out gallons of milk or water in bags. THEY HAVE HANDLES.

      Funny about your photo bomber Coach. 🙂

      Like

  5. I’m surprised no one has mentioned Trader Joes for bananas. They are the cheapest place to get them.
    THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS AN ORGANIC BANANA, because they are protected by their own covering. I recall reading that somewhere. I apologize for yelling in your comment section. I haven’t eaten anything yet.

    Maybe I should have a banana.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. I’m with you on the organic nanas. I’m not a frequent Trader Joe’s shopper, so that is a surprise for me. I might go there more often if it were as convenient as my Publix which is on every.corner.in.town.

      I do hope that by now, you’ve had some food. You’re not yourself when you’re hungry. (isn’t that a snickers commercial?)

      Liked by 1 person

  6. Since the beginning of the pandemic we’ve been encouraged to not bring our own bags to the grocery. There’s concern about spreading the virus. The result is every time I shop they bag our groceries in a zillion plastic bags. Then I go home, safe the bags, and bring them back to the store to be recycled. I think it’s lousy, but that’s how it is.

    As for putting bananas in a plastic bag, that is wasteful to the nth degree. And weird.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. I recall at the beginning of the pandemic when no one really understand how the virus spread, there was much fear over ‘surfaces’. I think there were one or two times that I was asked to not use my reusable bags, but other than that it’s not been an issue. The likelihood of it spreading from my bag to myself or someone else is pretty slim. Of course, our shopping bags do need to be cleaned fairly regularly too.
      People who put bananas in bags should have an extra tax on their groceries. 😉

      Liked by 1 person

  7. Lots to unpack here (like my grocery pun?):

    Like you, I bring my own bags, though my issue now is that due to Covid, some cashiers won’t touch my bags, so I have to try to bag my groceries and pay before cashier starts ringing up next person. This is highly stressful for me. But bagging bananas is nuts and not worth the extra 2 minutes it would take me to open a produce bag!

    $4.99 seems expensive for a bunch of bananas, but I guess it was a big bunch. I cut up brown bananas and freeze them for my fake ice cream I make.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Oh, I might be the opposite of you as I LOVE packing my own groceries; I just do it better. 🙂

      After reading your comment and a few others, I think $4.99 might have been for the organic ones and not the regular beat-up ones I purchased. I’m gonna go back and edit my post.
      Banana fake ice cream! I love that idea.

      Like

  8. I think the price you paid for the Costco bananas is correct. When I was working, I used to buy fruit for the staff lunchroom from Costco, and the regular price for the plastic wrapped bananas was $1.59 CANADIAN!!!! Yes, that shit was indeed BANANAS, and I retired at the end of 2019 so not that long ago, either. Rest easy, Suz…and save your guilt for thinking dark thoughts about your low-blood-cholesterol, weight-losing hubs 🤣😉.

    Deb

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Deb, in hindsight after reading your comment and a few others, I think you are correct. I believe the $4.99 might have been for the organic ones. *sigh*
      I’ll go back and edit my post so I don’t look like a flaky liar. Thanks!!

      Liked by 1 person

  9. I bring my own bags EVERYWHERE – so that ensures I’m now your very best friend. And – who the hell would go through the trouble to shroud bananas in plastic? Not only wasteful but also a waste of time. If I have to go into a store these days, I want to get in and out as quickly as possible and not fool with those stupid plastic bags.

    Shockingly enough, you all seem to travel around in my head every single day.

    Pictures – yes! Details – yes! (but only if you are up for it; otherwise pictures alone will satisfy me)

    Liked by 1 person

  10. I do bring my own bags but I usually get halfway to the store and remember I forgot them in the trunk. I do the same thing with my face masks, get to the door and then remember and have to go back. It is not like I haven’t been using either bag or mask for years now so why do I forget?

    Liked by 1 person

  11. We go through at least 20, and up to 30, bananas a week over here. I always bring my own produce bags but I would NEVER put bananas in a bag. That’s crazy talk. Why even? That would be like putting an avocado in a bag.

    Liked by 1 person

  12. LOL! I’m so tickled that you take me to the grocery store with you. (And thanks for the link in your post, too.)

    A big NO to bananas in a plastic bag. Ridiculous. And Organic Bananas? Come ON. I feel pretty okay with generic bananas.

    Like others, I take my own bags to the store, but I must then pack my own groceries. Not a huge deal, but it does make for some stress when the person behind you is NOT maintaining his/her distance and is acting like they have to perform life-saving surgery in five minutes and you may be the reason the patient doesn’t make it.

    Oh, I’m sorry; I’m just over here doing my part to SAVE THE PLANET. THANK YOU VERY MUCH.

    Sigh.

    Liked by 1 person

    1. Generic bananas are the best.
      I do prefer to pack my own groceries (if they allow me) because the packers are sometimes NOT so bright and put heavy items on soft items and then I come home and talk shit about them as I unpack my bags. I’d like to be a non-shit-talking person if possible.
      I completely understand the pressure though when someone is breathing down your back wanting to check out. Hey, maybe they are going to perform a life-saving surgery?
      But probably not, so they should back off or we will also talk shit about them.

      Liked by 1 person

  13. I never put my produce in plastic bags unless it’s lettuce that’s wet. Then I don’t want anyone else touching it like the cashier or the bagger. I confess I don’t always bring my own bags, though. We used them for litter box scoops. Plus when I have a overload of bags I can usually bring them back to the store to be recycled.

    Liked by 1 person

  14. I always bring my own bags. Last year, when COVID was at its worst, our grocery stores wouldn’t allow you to bring reusable bags. I actually got scolded once. Bastards.

    I also have the small produce bags and also rarely bag produce if I forget those. Never bananas. Speaking of, Tara rarely eats bananas, so I usually only buy two at a time. And invariably one goes bad.

    Liked by 1 person

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