>> Barbara McNay wrote to Cindy Haglund, "TGF Shopping
 >> Carts!" on 06-04-05 21:02

 >>> 0n (21 May 05) Barbara McNay wrote to All...

 >>>  BM> I am happy that some of the larger stores, especially
the grocery
 >>>  BM> store I patronize, have electric shopping carts
available for their
 >>>  BM> customers' use.  I do have to park by a (regular)
cart corral, and
 >>>  BM> push one of those to get in the store, but after
that, I can sit down
 >>>  BM> and drive in a fair degree of comfort around the
store to collect
 >>>  BM> items I want to buy.  If I go to a store without
electric carts, I
 >>>  BM> either use one of the store's push carts or my
walker, and only buy a
 > n
 >>>  BM> item or two, since I haven't the endurance to do
leisurely shopping.

 >>>  I'm five three. How do you get things from those top
 >>> shelves? Do you
 >>> have someone help? What I do is make room on the
 >>> bottom shelf and step
 >>> up to get to the top. The top is where they put the
 >>> mandarin oranges
 >>> canned in Orange juice.

 >>  BM> I always take my cane with me, since occasionally I have
to go a foot
 >>  BM> or three farther than I can reach to get from my car to a push
 >>  BM> cart, or from a non-working electric cart to a working one.
 >>  BM>  When I want something lightweight or soft, such as toilet
 >>  BM> paper or a bottle of vitamins, I reach up and snag it with
 >>  BM> my cane handle.  If it's heavy or breakable, like things in

 >> You too! The sticks sure comes in handy, don't they?
 >> When someone is politely
 >> holding the door for me, little do they know I have my
 >> stick wedged into the
 >> ground, and they are doing nothing but holding up
 >> progress. Come to think about
 >> it, it's mostly my family that haven't figured that
 >> one out. I'd hate to become
 >> that cratchity old stereotype, but I sure identify
 >> with the mindset.

 >> In ice-hockey, there is something called "spearing."
 >> It's not as bad as it
 >> sounds. The trailing player encourages the leading
 >> players knee to bend with
 >> his stick. Next time one of the family hinders my
 >> progress yet *again*, I just
 >> might accidentally encourage their progress. 

 >>  BM> cans or glass jars, I ask the next person coming by to get
 >>  BM> it for me, or I go round looking for a clerk, if necessary.
 >>  BM>  Most people are very agreeable about helping, and many
 >>  BM> people ask if I need help if I'm sitting there trying to
 >>  BM> locate what it is I want.

 >> Good luck waiting for a clerk up here. I've notice
 >> management is starting to
 >> stare at the ground, mumbling to themselves something
 >> about staffing levels.
 >> Someone mentioned some stores will send an employee
 >> down the isles with you.
 >> 

 > I did.  They will, if they're not rushed with a pre-
 > holiday burden of shoppers, and if they haven't an
 > electric cart available, but one of their push-type
 > shopping wheel chairs is available.  Those chairs
 > overly manageable by the individual using it.

Eh!  I wish!  Those chairs *aren't* overly manageable by the individual riding in it.

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