Do you suffer from decision fatigue?

Molly Stevens

Do you have trouble with the multitude of decisions involved in accomplishing mundane activities? Like grocery shopping?

pretty woman with a cart shopping and choosing goods at the supermarket
Photo courtesy depositphotos, used with permission

Here is how a typical trip to the grocery store evolves for me.

Before I leave home I choose the week’s menu, and make an organized list of the items I need to create these culinary delights. I enter Hannaford with a song in my heart, grateful to have funds to buy food in a clean, well-stocked store with wonderful employees who look out for my every need.

I begin my expedition and so does the decision-making.

  • Do I buy salad ingredients at the salad bar or in the produce department?
  • What is the best buy based on cost per unit?
  • Do I buy store brand or name brand?
  • Do I buy in quantity when on special? (I’m sure Patrick and I will eat a five-pound box of clementines before they turn into adorable little green fuzz balls that smell like finger nail polish remover.)
  • Do I buy organic or food laced with chemicals? (I am getting older so realistically how many years can I benefit from eating clean?)
  • Do I buy fresh or frozen?
  • Do I buy full fat or ‘lite?’
  • Do I buy salted, unsalted, or low salt?
  • How do I best avoid the person hawking samples?

On and on it goes. It’s enough to drive you straight to the liquor aisle but have you seen the choices in that aisle lately?

By the time I plod along to the check out counter I barely have enough energy to feel a sense of victory, before I have to start making more decisions.

  • Did I find everything I was looking for? (A little late to ask – I could have used your help in the liquor aisle).
  • Do I have any coupons?
  • Do I want plastic or paper?
  • Do I want my bags packed heavy or light?
  • Do I want my chicken double bagged?
  • Do I want my beer in a bag?
  • Do I want cash back?
  • Do I want help out with my cart?

As I wander dazed around the parking lot looking for my car, I feel a sense of relief that I don’t need to buy gas. The onslaught of decisions involved in that attempt might put me over the edge.

  • Debit or credit?
  • Car wash?
  • If yes on the car wash do I want Deluxe, Super Deluxe or Deluxe on Steroids?
  • What grade of gasoline?
  • Do I want a printed receipt?

Please forgive me for ending this post so abruptly. I wrote several brilliant endings but I can’t decide which one to use.

For more of my humor go HERE.
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10 thoughts on “Do you suffer from decision fatigue?”

  3. One or two things you left out:

    When preparing to enter the store:

    Should I bring my shopping cart in with me?
    Should I wait for that elderly man to pull out of that parking space right in front of the store entrance or should I give up and park way over there at the edge of the lot?
    Is that store employee really looking at me funny?
    Should I clean the handle of the store shopping cart with Purell before touching it? What about the basket on the cart? Did someone have a kid in a diaper sitting there?

    I agree that decisions are hard. I do most of my food shopping online, and even THAT involves decisions, decisions, decisions!!

    1. Wow, Kathy, you’ve added another whole layer to this experience. Now it is going to take me twice as long to get this weekly chore accomplished!

  5. Do you want comments on this post?
    If so, do you want them to be funny?
    Or would you prefer sincere compliments?
    Or do you want funny compliments?

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