Super Sol = Insanity

I've waited over a year to blog about supermarkets in Israel, and most especially my local market, SuperSol Deal. Super Sol means, literally, "super basket" and of course Deal means "deal." So I shop at "Super Basket Deal." And this store literally drives me crazy.

Why?

Because, no matter how much planning you prepare ahead of time, or when you go, you will ALWAYS WAIT IN LINE AND IT WILL ALWAYS TAKE FOREVER. At least 30 minutes in line.

And I AM NOT KIDDING. Not at all.

1. Should you try to get away by standing in the "10 items or fewer" line, you will wait. Why? Well, first of all, there's only one of these lines. Secondly, the line is also for people who are on disability. So, you may have 4 items, the person in front of you may have 10, but the person in front of her has a whole frigging basket. Lastly, NO ONE has only 10 items. This is Israel, we're talking about and if you can get away with something, then do it. But you have to truly believe that you are right. The other day, I waited behind a man who had at least 15 items. I mentioned that to him, and he told me simply, "no." Why no? Because the five yogurts are all the same type of food, and so are the many fruits, etc. You get the idea. The sign doesn't say, mind you: "10 groups of foods or less," does it?

2. Mishloach. That one word sends me running to another line. You can be in line, thinking you are just one person away from being done, and they say "mishloach" to the cashier. That means, basically, "home delivery." I have no idea why home delivery takes forever and a day to check out, but it does. There are milk crates brought out and onto the line, where the items are put into the crates. Then there is some discussion about where to send it. Maybe it takes a long time to enter the info into the computer. I don't know, and I don't have the Hebrew to really know, either. All I DO know is that once all the items are scanned, and the milk crates packed, then the person who is buying these things waits around a long time for the cashier to do some other stuff. If there are two mishloachs in line ahead of you, plan for a 45 minute wait.

3. Arguments and pushy buyers. It is a rare week when I am not in line behind someone who is arguing with the cashier over the price of an item, the discount, the supposed sale or ANYTHING. This usually entails waiting until the cashier gets up, walks over to the manager's desk, talks to the manager, comes back, and then, more argument. True story: yesterday I am in line behind some woman who obviously doesn't have enough money for all that she wants to purchase. She checks the total after every scan. She takes things off. She hands them back to the cashier, she pays for what she can, and leaves. The next person buys groceries, and then it is my turn. What happens? The lady comes back! She says, "I was just here" to me. She waves some paper in front of my face that looks like a reciept. She waits until all my items have been scanned and THEN she says to the cashier, "I need some of those items now." I wanted to cry. I can't believe the cashier let her do this.

4. Thursday nights and Friday mornings. Never, ever, EVER EVER, if you can avoid it, shop in Jerusalem at a market during these times. The grocery stores close about 2pm, and they stay closed until Sunday morning. The lines are ridiculously long, and the stores don't ever have enough cashiers.

5. Plan old inefficiency. Every time there is an issue on the line, the cashier has to get up, go over to the manager's desk, ask the question, and return. Same with if the cashier needs change. This drives me nutso.

Thanks for reading (if you made it through to here) my rant. I fervently hope for: automated check-out lines, lights that turn on if the cashier needs the manager to come to her, and more than one "10 items or fewer" lines.