WHERE FATE CHECKS OUT

Why Do People Follow Me Throughout the Grocery Store?

Explore the charm and wonder of encountering the same stranger in different aisles.

Decades of wisdom meets the art of choosing the perfect berries. Photo by Beth Macdonald on Unsplash

Navigating the world of a bustling grocery store is a lot like navigating the complexities of the human psyche: fraught with confusion, peppered with inexplicable moments, and layered with those “What the hell?” contemplations. Basket in hand, I’ve embarked on countless food quests, but none so baffling as the dance of shadow shoppers in aisle five.

I’ve noticed, as I’m sure many of you have, this curious choreography. It’s that strange ballet that unfolds when you and a fellow shopper, a complete stranger, can’t seem to escape one another. Every time I reach for a loaf of rye bread, there’s someone reaching with me. When I’m contemplatively staring at the array of mustards, suddenly, we’re both in deep, mustard-related thought.

So, why, in the vast expanse of shelves, tiles, and overhead Muzak, does this shared experience seem to occur? Allow me to postulate a few theories:

• The Synchronized List Theory: It’s possible that our shopping lists, though crafted in the privacy of our homes, aren’t so unique after all. Perhaps we’re all creatures of habit, predictable in our needs and…