Grocery Cart Judgment

Have you ever stood in line and judged someone based on what's in their grocery cart?  I was in line at Publix for what felt like nine hours yesterday and I caught myself scrutinizing the woman in front of me based on what she pulled out of her cart.  First, was the giant package of chicken breasts--guess her family is having chicken tonight.  Next, there were cans of green beans, which I love, so I thought about going and getting some for myself.  I saw a few Publix brand things, meaning she's probably at least a little bit of a saver, and based on that rock on her hand, it's working out pretty well for her.  And then the real judging started.

I saw the Gatorade in her cart and at first, thought it was for her.  She was in running shorts, so maybe it was for her.  Next, a six pack of small Doritos bags.  She's feeding her children that?  The chips, along with the tiny packages of goldfish, must be for her children's lunches.  Apparently, it's not chicken and green beans, or other healthy items for those kids all the time.  Then she pulled out the Gatorade and I realized it was small bottles, so those probably go with her children to practice or school.  Really?  With all of those artificial colors?  Excuse me while I judge some more. 

In the span of 15 minutes, I had decided all kinds of things about a woman based on a few purchases at the grocery store, during what was clearly a supplemental trip for her, not a big full on trip to the store to stock up.  Funny how a little less than a week of starting to cut things out of my diet suddenly gave me the right to feel superior because of the chickpeas, lettuce, and other healthy selections in my shopping cart.  Nothing artificial for me, thankyouverymuch.  Never-mind what a stranger would have thought about my cart two weeks ago, what with all the frozen meals, diet soda, and less than 100% healthy snack selections, I am now a healthy shopper and I won't be giving my children all that artificial stuff.  Shame on me.  I mentally apologized to this stranger in front of me and vowed to think nicer things about people.  Okay, fine, I'm not turning into a saint overnight, but at least I'm trying to be a better person.  Besides, surely I'm not the only person that has been caught being the grocery store judge?