Dianne, cashier
Dianne has been a cashier in the 'Victoria Mart' Kings Cross, Sydney Australia for 18 years. (Photo by Paul Gosney)
Posted at 7:00 AM Central Time

Armed with a grocery cart, and a critical eye
"With all the choices, what's a shopper to do? A food activist offers advice, aisle by aisle." Posted at 7:12 AM Central Time

What the NY Times doesn't know might hurt you
"In [Wednesday's] edition of the Dining and Wine section of the New York Times, there appears an article about New York City's Greenmarket (a consortium of farmers markets throughout the city)... The article makes good points about the never-ending nuances of organic food and the often overwhelming feelings organic shoppers can get when they are faced with often contradictory messages about how to do the 'right thing.' What struck me as odd was a statement from the 6th paragraph down: 'In its February issue, Consumer Reports magazine assessed the relative pesticide contents of organically and conventionally grown produce, and found that for many fruits and vegetables, the difference was imperceptible. Is this reason enough to forsake expensive organic bananas and broccoli?' I thought this was odd, so I looked back through that February issue and found this statement..." Posted at 12:28 PM Central Time

Random Top 10 goodness!
Since I am supposed to be working on my book about the grocery lists, I thought it would be a good time to procrastinate and set up a way for you to click through to random Top 10 lists while browsing the site. See the link above, in the Top 10 section. And below, note that I added a few standing links to some good food blogs. Posted at 11:08 AM Central Time

On your mark, get set, grill!
"Rush-hour traffic has progressed from unusually heavy to virtually unbearable... But, we're talking about carts, not cars. The traffic jam in question is at the butcher counter at your local grocery store. The warm, pleasant spring has provided a bit of a jump start, but Memorial Day weekend marks the unofficial start of the outdoor grilling season..." Posted at 6:31 AM Central Time

Monitor picks (and more)
A quick mention in the Christian Science Monitor: "We all write grocery lists, but Bill Keaggy may be the only person who collects them."

Also, thanks for the links: Newstoday and TDC Online (although I can't read it, here's a poor translation) and many, many others. Thanks! Posted at 6:29 AM Central Time

GLC book: I want your grocery lists!
Hey I still need lists (or scans of lists) from the states listed below. Send yours -- or a found list -- and you could end up in the book I'm working on. Even if I already have one from your state (or you're from somewhere other than the U.S.), send one in anyway. Updated from a 13 May post:

Alaska
Arizona
Colorado
Delaware
Florida
Hawaii
Idaho
Kansas
Kentucky
Maine
Minnesota
Mississippi
Montana
Nevada
New Hampshire
New Jersey
New Mexico
North Dakota
Oregon
Rhode Island
South Dakota
Vermont
West Virginia
Wisconsin
Wyoming Posted at 6:21 AM Central Time

Of shopping lists and shoplifters
"The three shopping lists below are scrawled on the back of business cards I find after we have a certain customer visit the store. Since I am not sure he is the same person who is named on the front of the cards or if he just has access to a large supply of them (like a customer would at a bank or car dealership) I am not showing the front. I also censored the phone number of 'Jennifer' (who is not a part of our visitor's activities) before posting it so no one harrasses her with psycho calls. What is interesting about these shopping lists are that they are always dropped by the same serial shoplifter on his way out of the store." Posted at 7:22 AM Central Time

With vitamin-enriched foods, more isn't always better
"Her childbearing years are decades behind her, but Barbara Koblin, a 59-year-old L.A. business owner, still takes a prenatal multivitamin. She takes a handful of other supplements too, is careful about her diet and, at the supermarket, buys a few of those products enhanced with added vitamins and minerals. 'I just made the decision on my own that more is better,' Koblin says. When it comes to some vitamins, however, too much of a good thing can be a bad thing." Posted at 6:59 AM Central Time

Wal-Mart tops local police calls, sheriff's office finds
"Wal-Mart isn't just the number-one retailer in the universe. It also leads the way in calls for help to local police. No west-county property generates more calls-for-service to the Clark County Sheriff's Office than Wal-Mart on Northeast Highway 99, according to a sheriff's report." Posted at 7:10 AM Central Time

Comparing Frozen Fish to Fresh
"My mother swears by frozen fish. I was unconvinced, and decided to put her statements to the test: could flash-frozen fish taste as good as fresh local fish from the Greenmarket or even fresh fish from a local supermarket?" Posted at 12:22 PM Central Time

Lots o' links
A big thanks to everyone who's been linking us up and spreading the word about the grocery list book. Reciprocal link-love goes out to: Boing Boing, Consumerist, All Dumb, Transbuddha, Speak Up, Metroblogging Philadelphia and the many others. Thanks! Posted at 8:01 AM Central Time

Newcomers take to global grocery stage
"Tesco and Wal-Mart are the undisputed champions of the international grocery market, but little-known fringe grocers may rise to eat into their margins over the next decade, says report." Posted at 7:59 AM Central Time

Food from Hell
"This week, Hell's food editor brings you an informative primer for properly stocking your pantry shelves in case a horde of hungry rednecks descends on your kitchen at feeding time. Contrary to popular belief, Rednecks are very picky eaters who stick unerringly to a limited diet of misspelled, highly-processed, cheap foods." Posted at 6:22 AM Central Time

How did Piggly Wiggly get its name?
"Clarence Saunders founded Piggly Wiggly in Memphis, Tenn., in 1916. His idea of a grocery store revolutionized the way you shop for groceries. Prior to Piggly Wiggly, shoppers gave their grocery list to a clerk, who then gathered the goods for the shopper. Saunders found this wasteful, and developed a way for shoppers to serve themselves. Piggly Wiggly introduced shopping carts, open shelves and no clerks to shop for the customer... He fielded constant questions about the name; the Web site said Saunders was curiously reluctant to explain its origin." Posted at 5:16 PM Central Time

Free books -- it's the May GLC giveaway!
UPDATE: The GLC Giveaway books for May are gone. Congrats to Phil and Raymond -- enjoy your free books! | The first person to write in and request one of the books linked below gets it for free during our fifth Monthly GLC Giveaway of 2006. Limit one per person -- and you must request a specific book. First come, first served. You also must include a snail mail address -- but we won't use your email or postal address for anything other than sending you the book. Email me for a free book!

GONE! Claimed by Phil of Grand Rapids, Michigan!
Donuts: An American Passion | "This, the final of four volumes in food writer Edge's series about the 'small-d democratic foods that conjure our collective childhood' (following fried chicken, apple pie and hamburgers), is a tour through donut-loving America that stops at unique donut shops and offers a handful of recipes for the ubiquitous ring of deep-fried and sugared dough. After quickly acknowledging donuts' nutritional bankruptcy, Edge explains how the Salvation Army made the consumption of donuts a patriotic necessity in World War I; how every culture has a donut-type pastry (including the Italian zeppole, the Lebanese awwamaat, the Croatian krafne and the South African koeksister); how New Orleans stalwart Cafe du Monde is still serving up beignets post-Katrina; and how an innovative Chicago chef has conjured up donut soup, for which Edge presents an alternate, though no less caloric, recipe." —Amazon.com (List price: $19.95)

GONE! Claimed by Raymond of Minneapolis, Minnesota!
Eat This Book: A Year of Gorging and Glory on the Competitive Eating Circuit | "With barbecue sauce-soaked tongue planted firmly in cheek, Nerz chronicles his amusing adventures in the perverse, repellent, strangely heroic world of 'competitive eating.' Having moved beyond county fair pie-eating contests, competitive eating is now a global challenge involving national pride, superstars and, in 2005, $200,000 in prize money. Freelance journalist Nerz falls in with the denizens of this world while covering the Nathan's Famous Fourth of July International Hot Dog-Eating Contest for the Village Voice. There, the diminutive Japanese Takeru Kobayashi overturns years of American dominance by consuming 50 hot dogs and buns in 12 minutes. From the gastronomical excesses of Coney Island, it's a short hop to the sadomasochistic extremes of Japan, where, during the Superman Dash, 'Hungry' Charles Hardy and Kazutoyo Arai devour 180 bento box lunches between them. Along the way, records are broken and countless calories are consumed." —Amazon.com (List price: $14.95)



Love,
The GLC Crew and keaggy.com Posted at 8:03 AM Central Time

A new Top 10 list
Um, hey, I made a new Top 10 list because I am just so funny. Posted at 4:24 PM Central Time

Store Managers Offer Tips To Save On Groceries
"Area grocery store managers said a few simple changes in your shopping habits can help you save money on food. According to the American Express 'Everyday Spending' Index, the average U.S. household spends more than $5,000 a year on food alone. For a family of three, the average grocery bill is more than $300 a week." Posted at 11:42 AM Central Time

Take The Stress Out Of Planning What To Cook
"Two Denver-area moms hope to take the stress out of working in the kitchen by using a Web site to help them plan meals, television station KMGH reported. 'I often go to the grocery store, buy all this food and think, 'I don't have anything to make for dinner,'' said Holly O'Connor... To change up the menu, O'Connor tried Relish -- a Web site to help plan meals. It features different ideas each week." Posted at 11:32 AM Central Time

Hello Boing Boing and Consumerist readers!
Thanks for stopping by ... now send me your lists and you could end up in my new book! You can either email a scan or send them to my P.O. box. Have at it, or just browse the collection! Posted at 8:35 AM Central Time

New lessons about buying organic
"While most people may think a decisive factor in organic-food buying would be price, Demeritt and her colleagues don't see it that way. 'It's more about which product, what it means to the consumer and the value they attach,' says Demeritt. 'Here's an example: We will be shopping with a woman and she stops to put organic strawberries in her shopping cart. The strawberries cost $2 more than conventionally grown strawberries. The question is, why?' The answer in this case was the woman was buying those strawberries for her children, and she had heard and read that strawberries have some of the greatest amounts of pesticide residues." Posted at 6:34 AM Central Time

GLC book: Lists from around the world?
I'd also like to have a little section of lists from around the globe. If you live outside of the U.S., send yours in! I have some from these countries, but would love to have more: Canada, Australia, U.K., Philippines, Germany, Netherlands. Posted at 7:54 AM Central Time

GLC book: Lists from all 50 states?
One of the chapters I'm considering for the book (currently titled "Milk, Eggs, Vodka: The Lost Grocery Lists of America") would feature a list from every state. Here's what I have so far. I am looking for a list from the states that are not yet crossed off (but you can send one in no matter what because maybe yours is more interesting than one I already have -- it could still end up in the book and on this site). Please send yours in right away!

Alabama Alaska Arizona Arkansas California Colorado Connecticut Delaware Florida Georgia Hawaii Idaho Illinois Indiana Iowa Kansas Kentucky Louisiana

Maine Maryland Massachusetts Michigan Minnesota Mississippi Missouri Montana Nebraska Nevada New Hampshire New Jersey New Mexico New York North Carolina North Dakota

Ohio Oklahoma Oregon Pennsylvania Rhode Island South Carolina South Dakota Tennessee Texas Utah Vermont Virginia Washington West Virginia Wisconsin Wyoming and... Washington D.C.

Even if your state is crossed off, please send your found (or personal) grocery lists to me! It could end up in the book -- though they certainly will end up on this site. Thanks everyone! Posted at 12:30 PM Central Time

A GLC book is in the works!
OK folks, bigs news. I'm working on turning the Grocery List Collection into a book. Clip some coupons and start saving your pennies because it's going to be a fun read. If you have some good found lists, or even one of your own, send them my way -- right away! They may just get published on ink and paper for all posterity.

The book will be put out by F+W Publications, the publishers of How Magazine and many other quality books and magazines. So in addition to the certain crisp wit you've come to expect from me, you can be guaranteed a great presentation from the design-savvy folks at F+W. Posted at 5:35 PM Central Time

A GLC book is in the works!
OK folks, bigs news. I'm working on turning the Grocery List Collection into a book. Clip some coupons and start saving your pennies because it's going to be a fun read. If you have some good found lists, or even one of your own, send them my way -- right away! They may just get published on ink and paper for all posterity.

The book will be put out by F+W Publications, the publishers of How Magazine and many other quality books and magazines. So in addition to the certain crisp wit you've come to expect from me, you can be guaranteed a great presentation from the design-savvy folks at F+W. Posted at 5:35 PM Central Time

Woman Turns Grocery Shopping Into Science
"When it comes to saving serious money on your grocery bill, seeing is believing. It's why Faye Prosser of Cary, N.C., keeps a collection of old grocery store receipts in her kitchen, reported WYFF-TV in Greenville, S.C. 'At this particular store, they were tripling coupons and my subtotal was $63.84,' Prosser said holding up a receipt. 'And they paid me $8.29 to take (the groceries) home!' Prosser had a receipt for $531 worth of groceries purchased for $47. She had another receipt for $55.28 worth of groceries that cost $1.87 after coupons. In fact, the stay-at-home mom said she never spends more than $50 per week on groceries." Posted at 7:06 AM Central Time

Organic Coach Shows Consumers How to Make the Switch
"While the number of Americans who have tried organic foods jumped to 65 percent last year, many consumers say they need information about the organic label and why organic foods are important to healthful living and well-being.(1) In response, Horizon Organic, the leading manufacturer of organic dairy products, today unveiled an organic makeover initiative, partnering with moms to educate families about the benefits of organic. Horizon Organic's makeover program features distinct steps for incorporating organic foods into a family's everyday life..." Posted at 8:42 AM Central Time

TO-DO LIST
Not grocery lists, but to-do lists: "Everything from garden-variety daily to-do lists to lifelong goals, pros and cons lists, wish lists, work lists, honeymoon ideas, cliches to avoid, boys/girls you have kissed, vocab lists, shit lists, movies to see, lists of any kind." Posted at 7:10 AM Central Time

Is it self-service or disservice?
"'It's a self-everything world,' said Mike Webster, vice president and general manager of NCR Self Service, which makes self-checkout equipment. 'Customers increasingly are demanding self-service in all parts of their lives because of the convenience, the privacy and the speed that it affords the customer.'" Posted at 7:16 AM Central Time

Live Checkout Clerks Are Better
"The problem came when I reached the checkout aisles and found no lines open and no friendly clerk waiting. A pale young woman who looked as if she hadn't seen the sun since the Ford administration was standing over by the manager's desk. She pointed sleepily to the end of the checkout aisles. 'You'll have to use the self-checkout,' she said, yawning." Posted at 7:15 AM Central Time