Shopping Extraordinaire, I Think Not!

As promised, I want to give an update on my grocery shopping adventure yesterday!  I’m going to do something a little different today, and present the experience to you through the eyes of a man with a mobility impairment.

List in hand, automatic doors open to greet me at my local Issaquah Fred Meyer. Looking to my left, I notice what those of us in the mobility impaired community consider a God send…..Can anyone guess what that is? …  That’s right ladies and gentleman the Amigo® SmartShopper.  The Amigo® SmartShopper is an electric cart (pictured in the upper left corner) provided by the fine folks at Fred Meyer which makes for an optimal shopping experience for someone such as myself. 

Although there are times when it’s not so “optimal” -  like when the battery goes dead when you are in the middle of an isle with a cart full of groceries, and you have to get your ever so lovely family to push you with a cart full of groceries to the nearest checkout line…lol Yes, ladies and gentleman, electric carts do not discriminate, they are an equal opportunity emberresser! Moral of the story… make sure your cart is charged before you attempt to conquer the supermarket LOL.  Luckily, that didn’t happen yesterday, as I made sure all systems were go, before leaving the charging station (aka, wall outlet in front of the store).

Everything went relatively smooth and I actually enjoyed the experience… I took my time and found everything on my list….even the freakin’ cucumbers, those dang things were hiding; I must have circled that produce display 20 times before finally stumbling upon them…

The only thing that was somewhat a pain was the level in which everything is placed.  Remember, I am shopping in a sit down position driving a cart, so under that circumstance, my reach distance is somewhat limited.  Also, it can be a challenge to maneuver the cart down tightly packed isles, in a store that is already packed to the rafters with people... What if getting out of the cart wasn’t an option, or what if the shopper is someone who is confined to a wheelchair and can’t simply stand up on their crutches to reach for what they need…that is something I think stores should take into account.  The more accessible your business, the more return customers and revenue you will see. 

When I left this morning, that roast sure did smell good, so I must have done something right J

Until next time….