Supermarket Sweep 2.0

Price check in aisle 5! Our Girls Group had a terrific time this weekend during our famous Supermarket Sweep outing to Gristedes Supermarket on the Upper East Side. Upon arrival to the session, the girls were engaged in a conversation regarding the supermarket and how each of their families typically get groceries (shopping at a local supermarket, specialty store such as Whole Foods, Costco, or shopping online on a site such as Amazon or Fresh Direct). We discussed these different options comparing factors including convenience, quantity and price. We then distributed a list of 25 common household items including milk, eggs, bananas, paper towels, turkey, peanut butter & jelly. The girls were given 10 minutes to review the list of items and make an educated guess on the price of each item. They were told that we would then have the opportunity to explore the supermarket and have the opportunity to compare their initial guess with the actual item prices. Upon arrival to the supermarket, we discussed how the supermarket was organized by sections (i.e. produce, diary, frozen, deli etc.), which makes the supermarket easier to navigate and certain items easily accessible. The girls were then broken up into two teams, which gave the members an opportunity to work as part of a team and practice their problem solving skills. Each group did an excellent job navigating the store, using the signs on each aisle as a guide to locate each item on their list. When an item was unable to be located, the girls advocated for assistance from a store associate, which was excellent practice. Both of the groups worked really well together, each using different strategies to complete the shopping list in the allotted time frame. After navigating the supermarket and being tempted by so many delicious foods, the girls developed quite an appetite and decided to dine at a local pizzeria for a delicious lunch. During lunch, the girls tallied up their supermarket lists and engaged in an educational discussion on their experience and their guesses. The girls were surprised at the cost of certain items, and expressed that when food shopping in the future, they would keep in mind factors they learned during this outing, such as sale price, quantity, brand name vs. store name etc. We were extremely impressed by the girls excitement and motivation during this outing. These skills are critical to developing increased independence for adulthood. We look forward to doing more educational activities like this in the future!