Shopping

Depending upon which route I take, there is a grocery store between my house and my place of employment.  During the week, if I need an item or two, I will stop at this store on my way home from work.  I have noticed a series of patterns. 

If I get to work early, and can leave even 5 or 10 minutes before 5 PM, the traffic at the store is not too bad, usually. But if I leave work at 5 PM, or anytime between 5 PM and 5:40 PM, the store is generally very, very crowded. If I get to the store close to 6 PM, the congestion has already cleared.

The day everyone gets their disability or state benefits the store is very crowded, and right after work is especially bad with congestion.

The store plans well, and during the peak times, generally has many registers open, including the express registers.

Sometimes, I need to stop off at this store to get something on my way to work.  It is never crowded before 8 AM.  However, they seldom have many registers open, so you might find a line at the register. However, the management is very responsive to this, and will generally quickly open a register if this happens.

I try to plan my shopping for less crowded times, but also, I want to stop on my way home from work.  Once I get home, I do not want to go out shopping again, if I can help it.