Free food

I enjoy Sam's Club. Years ago, I got a business membership to buy all the food for my daycare. It allowed me to go during early morning hours and buy milk and string cheese, vats of maple syrup and barrels of pancake mix. It's been three years since I've done daycare, but I still love buying in bulk and stocking up on all the necessities of life. Also the not-so-necessary, but very yummy little things that only Sam's seems to carry - at such a great price.

My boys wanted me to buy the Caterer's Secret Lemon and Strawberry Tarts. They tried some at a friend's house last night and LOVED them, so of course they talked me into getting them to take to my Mom's for dinner tomorrow evening. The only problem is now I would have to go to Sam's Club on a Saturday. Which I despise.

But since I'm a crowd-pleasin' Mama and the fact that I also find the tarts to be delightful, I set out towards Sam's around 1:30. It was a nightmare. I always vow to never again go there on a Friday or Saturday, but ugh, there I was.

I think Disneyland is less chaotic. There was a line of people just waiting to get a cart. Of course, this was when the buffet, I mean samples, were set out. Now I enjoy the occasional sample at Sam's, but we've always laughed at the families that pack up all the kids and Grandma, just to eat a meal that's portioned out in bite-sized servings. These people know how to work it. They stake themselves out by the produce, each person watching a different sample station. When the microwave dings or the skillet finishes browning the chicken cutlet, they motion for the other family members to line up. The little old lady cooking the food hasn't even cut it up yet, but there they are, bunched up and watching, wondering just how big their sample might be. When they get their super hot food, they go back to their lookout spot, and blow and blow, waiting for the next course, er, sample to be ready. Three hours later, they've had a grand meal.

I grabbed my tarts in the frozen foods and headed towards the front of the store to check out. I passed the seafood island where people were grabbing up shrimp morsels as fast as the butcher could put them in a tiny cup with a squirt of cocktail sauce. People smiling, thinking "Score! A shrimp!" I came to a silver cart that had a few boxes of lemony mini muffins stacked on it. It was pushed close to the end of the aisle, no sign telling of the muffin's goodness, no gloved and hair-netted woman slicing and serving. This was maybe for the late afternoon snack. The muffins were clearly not being served at this time.

A man walked over to the cart, lips still smacking over the shrimp, opened the top box, and distributed muffins to his family of four. I guess if it's on a cart with wheels, it's free for the taking.

I hate Sam's Club on a Saturday.

Where do you avoid going on Saturdays?