> 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 an
 >>  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.

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