Aisle 3 at Andy's Fruit Ranch

When I ducked into a local grocery store the other evening to pick up some last-minute ingredients for pumpkin cookies, I realized I was a bit lost. It used to be that my grocery store “wayfinding” skills were top-notch. I could go into any grocery store and have a solid sense of where everything was, particularly in chain stores like Dominick’s and Jewell. But the other night, I had to break down and ask a Treasure Island employee where to find baking supplies. I could blame the grocery store for a bad layout or poor signage, but I honestly think my reliance on Peapod is to blame.

I stopped shopping at grocery stores regularly when I moved into my condo five years ago. I didn’t have a car, so I made the transition to the Peapod grocery delivery service. The many benefits included using past lists to help shop, time savings, reducing the labor of hauling cases of Diet Coke up the stairs, and cost savings (I’m less tempted by in-store sales). Additionally, I used to organize my shopping lists by aisle to save time going through the store and to insure I didn’t miss a critical item on my journey. These days I just add things to my on-line shopping cart as I need them. I honestly think that last point has affected my brick & mortar grocery shopping ability.

Not that this is a great loss, but it is interesting to see how shifting a bit of cognitive load impacts ordinary living. I’ve heard others mention similar shifts, things like relying on mobile phones and PDAs for phone numbers. I haven’t noticed that impact, but I suppose it will surface if I ever lose my phone!