The thing about men and grocery stores is … they don't always mix. At least, that's the argument one woman on TikTok has recently raised, after she sent her boyfriend to the grocery store with an elaborately detailed list — in hopes of not getting a series of phone calls "this time." Her video is going viral on TikTok, where it's now been viewed more than a million times.
To be fair, grocery shopping in the age of social distancing has become a seriously intense feat.
Thanks to the current public health situation, most of us are waiting longer in between trips and adhering to experts' advice about only shopping for the essentials. But when we do head to the store, it often involves suiting up with gloves and a mask, bringing our own bags, and sometimes even disinfecting packages once we get home.
When we're inside the store, a game plan is also needed, because getting in and getting out is the main objective. And that appears to be something TikTok user @stefferronii has down to a science.
"Doing groceries is an art form," the woman captioned her video.
In it, she pans from a shot of her own grocery list, which is written out on a simple notepad, to the highly detailed list she keeps on her computer in a spreadsheet.
For each item, there are photos, quantities, and descriptions listed to let him know he's got the right thing. It's even created in the order in which the items are found inside the store, so he literally won't miss a thing.
(Talk about impressive.)
In a later video, the woman admits that she's kind of a Monica Gellar, and is super Type-A.
In fact, that's why she has a 13-step system for creating grocery lists (yes, seriously!), which helps her stay organized each time she heads to the store or sends her boyfriend. (Long story short: It involves meal planning for the weeks ahead first, writing out her list, inputting meals into her calendar, and sticking to her food plan.)
Still, she says that part of why she created such a highly detailed list was because she knew her boyfriend would inevitably call with questions.
After all, it's happened before, which is why she was "hoping to avoid that this time," she explained in the clip.
"We'll see how it goes, but hopefully he follows it to a T, because I want some plump-a– corn," she concluded.
(I mean … who doesn't?!)
Apparently, her test run with the foolproof shopping guide went well.
She said her boyfriend agreed to do the shopping next time and take along another one of her lists again. (We'd say that's win-win!)
On TikTok, commenters applauded the woman for her ingenuity.
They also thanked her for inspiring them to do the same for the clueless grocery store shoppers in their lives.
"I should really do this!" one person wrote. "My boyfriend called me nine times last time he went for groceries."
(Oof. That's bad.)
Others said they'd been forced to do a similarly detailed list themselves.
"OMG I have to do this too essentially," one person commented. "We now shop online and it's become much easier."
Honestly, considering how risky grocery shopping has become lately, that's not a bad idea …
