I love grocery shopping

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I've come to love grocery shopping. It's my own personal autistic paradise. The layout is generally consistent and something I can count on. The relationships are superficial, but allow me to practice using names. I greet the deli counter woman by the name on her tag. I've never felt bullied by any of the workers. In fact, most of them smile and offer pleasant conversation. This allows me to practice the dreaded "small talk" on my own terms with minimal possibility of a negative outcome. Controlling my diet helps with a great many issues regarding health and independence.

I find myself going to the grocery store multiple times/week as I become more comfortable in my autism. Anyone else have a similar experience, whether at the grocery store or similar venue?

I hate grocery shopping, but I do understand about successful interactions with staff at the market. I always feel happy when the simple words we exchange work out.

I feel happy that I was able to do it successfully when I have finished asking for something or paying, etc. I dislike it when the wrong words come out of my mouth and it's noticed.

Grocery shopping is a means to an end.

I hate grocery shopping at "busy" outlets. I refuse to buy groceries at the warehouse clubs because of all the dysfunctional families allowing their kids to run loose in the place, plus I can't stand their stupid bulky packaging and "membership" gimmicks. Also I'll never shop large stores on weekends, and when I do go grocery shopping, it's always midweek and during a time the brats are either in school or should be in bed. I'll always skip the produce department unless I need potatoes, plus I avoid going up to counters like the deli or bakery where I have to "interact". If the store has a self-checkout I'll use it if I'm not writing a check for the purchases.

I don't mind shopping at the small local market in the town nearest to where I live, but if I go off The Hill, I can't stand those huge retail stores. Unfortunately, the prices are lower in urban areas, so whenever I have to go to them, I almost have to shop there as I don't have much money.

The creation of self-service machines have made my life a whole lot easier. I loathe interactions with store clerks!! ! To avoid such anxiety-inducing situations, in which I ordinarily mumble, avoid eye-contact and fidget nervously with my clothes is a great relief for me.

I really like it a lot, as long as it isn't too crowded. I go to places like Kmart a lot too. I like going to the store and picking things up off of the floor, I find it relaxing.

I try to shop early on week days, when the shops aren't crowded.
The grocery carts are always blocking the isles making it hard to get around.

Some stores advise checkers to make small talk with people and that can be very awkward.
One of the worst questions I ever got from a checker was "how are you recovering from the holidays?".
First of all, she assumed I was recovering from something, and "how are you recovering" didn't make much sense to me. "how" as in what was I doing to recover, or "how" as in good or bad?
I really didn't know what to reply to that.

Another awkward question was "read any good books lately?".
I'm at a checkout station and the checker wants to start a conversation about literature?
How much information did they want?
Again I didn't know what to say. I suppose a simple "yes" to "no" would have been good enough.
I like questions with stock answers like "how are you?" "fine thanks".

Love / hate.
When I was in a bad situation and seriously isolated living in a rural area a while ago, I loved the grocery store, because it was the only contact with civilisation I ever got. One of my special interests is also Japanese food / cooking, so in that way, I love going to get my ingredients, thinking about all the awesome dishes I'm going to be able to try (and where I live now, there's an Asian grocery specialty store down the road )
But at other times I'm extremely self-conscious in grocery stores, all the people looking at me and judging me (presumably) and being inconsiderate and getting in the way and being loud, and the possibility of being touched (though I'm getting better with this living in an urban area).
I navigate the checkout clerk's "hello and how are you today?" (Isn't that maddening for her, to have to say that to every customer for 8 hours?) with just smiling at her while avoiding eye contact and saying "hello." Then I don't have to participate in that BS "fine thank you and how are you?" "Fine thanks," fake, pointless exchange.

I can enjoy it under certain circumstances. I need to go when it's less crowded, as I hate the experience of there being so many people there that anything I want to look at on the shelves (sometimes I do want to consider something new or take a closer look at other things than the one I usually buy) is also being looked at by other people -- who then stick their arm right across my face to get something, without even an "Excuse me." People where I live are completely rude like this, so I prefer to shop at a time when there are so few people there, that statistically it's more likely that I will be relatively alone in an aisle.

I buy mostly the same items every week, but there are one or two things where I pick a different kind of that item, like chocolate for example. I buy chocolate every week, but I like to get a different TYPE of chocolate each week so that I don't get bored with the same one. I have a few favorites within the category, so every week I want to take time at the chocolate shelves to peruse them and consider which one I feel like having that week.

Well, when I'm doing this kind of choosing, I find that I can't function if strangers are standing right next to me or right behind me doing the same thing at the same section of the aisle/shelving. It's as if I'm a radio receiver or transmitter and their very presence messes up my signal. I literally "can't think straight." I can only think, focus on the selection, and make my choices when I'm all alone at that section of the aisle. I can't think when strangers are RIGHT THERE next to me. And where I live, people have zero "personal space" they give to strangers. Everyone crowds everyone and touching or being too near is not a taboo like it used to be. It's horrible for me but I can't do anything about it but try to go when it's not busy.

I enjoy grocery shopping. It's one of the few reasons I go out. I usually go to Trader Joe's and Caputo's for my produce. The stores are right next to each other and only 10 minutes from where I work, so I usually do all my shopping during my lunch hour. I'm very efficient.

I'm efficient too and mine always takes under an hour also, but built into that is also my choosing time for certain of my non-specified-within-a-category items, and that's where crowds make me unable to function, not time-wise but in comfort levels and ability to think.