By profession, I am in marketing. Before the girls were born, I spent years thinking about new product ideas, pricing strategy, and promotions. One of the tools I always enjoyed was market basket analysis.
A person’s market basket is what they buy during a single shopping trip. It’s so interesting to pull data for one item…men’s boxer shorts [hypothetically speaking]…to see what is most often purchased with it.
Hypothetically speaking again, I can tell you that batteries are one of the top items you’ll find along with men’s underwear purchases. Boys’ underwear purchases most often include glue (think school supplies). Bacon is often purchased with eggs, and smoked sausage with rice.
When the girls were infants, and I was not far removed from my marketing days…and maybe still swimming in some post-pregnancy hormones…I remember laughing so hard in thinking about what was in my cart at Target one time. I had run in super quickly, in between feedings, to pick up some essentials…things I couldn’t quite ask Hubby to buy me. I had only a couple of items, including nursing pads and control-top panties. I just wondered how prevalent was that combination!
For close to three years, my shopping cart was almost sure to contain some combination of baby items…diapers, wipes, bibs, strained peas, Puffs. Most weeks I felt like I was on auto-pilot, heading toward the baby section.
As I perused bibs and booties a couple of days ago in search of a baby gift, it struck me that I hadn’t been there in a while.
Wow.
Certainly I don’t miss the expense of baby food and diapers [or the need for control-top panties!], but there was something a little bittersweet about that realization.
My girlies are growing up, alright…and I have the grocery receipt to prove it!
Ticker
8 comments:
It's an interesting evolution isn't it. Now I cruise the baby aisle and see formula on sale for a good price and I have to remind myself not to buy.
I still find myself reaching for baby things, try to justify that they're gifts but then put them down.
Although I would be thrilled to not buy any more of the formula or nappies. Thrilled, I tell you.
I love to hear your marketing background coming through, BTW, please share more :)
that's fun :) i bet that my shopping trips totally skew the data!
i was just really noticing your ticker today! your girls are basically 3! i can't even believe it! the time goes by so quickly!!!
and i feel like i've taken a step back in food with those darn squeezable fruits/veggies. that is all t will eat right now (in terms of veg). we literally have 30 of them in our mud room!!!
So funny! I just recently had this same thought at the grocery store. We are definitely entering a new stage. There are some baby times I miss and some I don't :-) I am really enjoying the preschool stage (I think that's what they are considered now...)!
Are nyou guys enjoying winter? We finally got our first real snow fall today. The kids are thrilled! Have a great week!
I know what you mean! Aside from Adam's diapers, I don't need anything else 'baby' these days. I was so tempted to go Hog Wild in shopping for my new nephew...but I also remembered he doesn't need much since he has his brother and cousins' hand me downs.
Soooooooo crazy to think our 'babies' are going to be 3!!!! Its so odd to me - Adam is my baby yet he's so mature for most (still) 2 year olds. He learns so much from his siblings. I keep asking him to stop growing. He says he'll be my baby but it doesn't stop him :-(
I experienced a similar realization today as I cleaned out cabinets and drawers. I tossed bottle nippes, found a lost bottle under the brib, and retired the bulb syringe thingee...
My, how times have changed!
HA! Underwear and batteries?! Boys underwear and glue?! Too funny! And I bet the control top panties and nursing pads happens A LOT...and maybe add in some maxi pads/tampons and midol and you'd be set! LOL!
Very interesting field you were in! I'd love to hear more about it too! =)
The baby stuff always throws me for a loop. The socks are SO small and they used to be BIG on the Crazies. Oh, those were the days!
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