impulse purchase

[asakiyume]

The checkout line at this Walmart was going to be very slow: ahead of us were four grown-ish children and their mom, and their cart was packed to overflowing.

“How about you bring the car around for my dad,” I suggested. “You guys wait, and I’ll text when I’m through.” My husband nodded, and the two of them headed out.

Between me and the family with the packed cart was an older couple; behind me was a younger couple. All of us had just a few things—I had a laundry basket, a bathroom scale, and a shower curtain for my dad’s new living situation.

Lining the checkout alley were tempting items to impulse purchase: Goya adobo seasoning, both con and sin pimienta, Goya canned beans, Jarritos sodas, Sanchis Mira Turrón de Alicante—nougat candy from Alicante, Spain. We who were waiting had a long time to contemplate these items. The couple ahead of me grabbed a shaker of adobo seasoning. The couple behind put a couple of the sodas in their cart. I stared at the nougat candy. Would it be like torrone, the Italian version of nougat candy that my grandmother used to have? That candy came in small boxes with pictures of famous sites in Italy or of women in traditional regional dress.

I added a package of the candy to my cart. The family with the very full cart was through; the older couple ahead of me were putting their items on the conveyor belt.

“Necesitan bolsas?” the cashier asked. No, they didn’t need any bags. The cashier wished them a Feliz Navidad, and it was my turn.

“Hi, how are you, you want the shower curtain and the scale in the laundry basket?” the cashier asked. She wished me happy holidays and switched smoothly back to Spanish for the couple behind me.

Sanchis Mira Turrón de Alicante turned out to have the same flavor but a completely different texture from the Italian torrone my grandmother used to get. The Italian torrone was thickly chewy, a workout for the jaw; the turrón was hard and broke into dangerous sugar splinters. Ah well. Maybe I’ll have better luck with my next impulse purchase.

Comments

[sovay]

Sanchis Mira Turrón de Alicante turned out to have the same flavor but a completely different texture from the Italian torrone my grandmother used to get.

That sounds disorienting as well as spiky.

[asakiyume]

My dad said when his mother (the grandmother in question) tried to make her own torrone, the same thing happened: it came out hard and sharp. It must be really difficult to cook the sugar the right amount and not more! (But also: I'm sure for some people the hard version is a feature not a bug--like whether you want crispy or chewy cookies, or thin or thick pizza crusts, etc.)

[sovay]

My dad said when his mother (the grandmother in question) tried to make her own torrone, the same thing happened: it came out hard and sharp. It must be really difficult to cook the sugar the right amount and not more!

It is! I was making cinder toffee for a while and the texture was highly variable even using a candy thermometer.

(But also: I'm sure for some people the hard version is a feature not a bug--like whether you want crispy or chewy cookies, or thin or thick pizza crusts, etc.)

Peanut brittle has its name for a reason.

[asakiyume]

Exactly! We like our peanut brittle brittle!

[sartorias]

I hope your dad is comfy and cozy in his new digs!

I do like examining the impulse buy shelves while standing in lines, though I tend to feel like an alien from another planet no matter where I'm shopping. I don't think I've ever bought anything from them. But someone has to be figuring out what will appeal to the most people? Or do vendors pay for those spots?

[asakiyume]

Good question! Very good question! I wouldn't be surprised if vendors **did** pay--but I don't know that for a fact. What was amazing to me was how every single one of us, at least of the people I saw in line, did succumb and make an impulse purchase. I think it had to do with the wait.

ETA: And thank you for the good wishes. It's a bad time to move, and there's lots he's not too happy about, but he still thinks it was the right decision.

[f0rrest]

I'm a sucker for those nefariously placed mini-mags, particularly the ones with the cat pictures, and the ones with the musician deepdives, oh and especially those crazy ones with the bigfoot stories and abductee interviews. I have quite a few of these. Although, I'm buying them less now because they are getting quite expensive indeed.

[pameladean]

I was about to comment wondering if those were still sold. I haven't been inside a grocery store since 2019, and those magazines used to exercise a profound fascination over me. Thanks for confirming their continued existence. P.

[asakiyume]

They do! Also the National Enquirer and similar with Bat Boy stories.

[asakiyume]

LOL, yeah, the ones I buy are the ones featuring stories about Pokémon, always with the excuse, "I'll pass this along to [xx kid], s/he'll get a kick out of it. But I've gazed lingeringly at some of the musician deepdives, too.

[(Anonymous)]

Turrón was one of those Spanish traditions I could never get enthisastic about. I don't know whether the stuff served in the house was bought or made, but it was always crumbly.

[asakiyume]

It must just be that the preference and tradition in Spain, or some parts of it, is for hard rather than chewy.

[smokingboot]

I think I replied to you without logging in! Apologies!

[asakiyume]

No worries! left a reply to the comment ;-)

[heleninwales]

Ah, yes! The tempting things on the shelves right by the checkout. I try to ignore them, but I do sometimes succumb.

[asakiyume]

One I often make in the supermarket is a tiny package of flavored almonds. How about you?

[heleninwales]

One recent impulse purchase was a small bar of Dubai chocolate. It was very nice, but also rather expensive, so I won't be buying that very often.

[asakiyume]

An excellent very occasional treat, sounds like!