People dancing all around at grocery stores

[bandit957]

In areas with little recreation, do you use grocery stores as one of the main forms of recreation? Around here, people go to Kroger to socialize and dance all around like it's a nightclub, since there's nothing else to do.

[jeffandnicole]

If it's like a nightclub, I better be able to drink a few beers while in the market.

[Bruce]

That is a depressing thought. The U.S. needs more third places.

[texaskdog]

In areas with little recreation, do you use grocery stores as one of the main forms of recreation? Around here, people go to Kroger to socialize and dance all around like it's a nightclub, since there's nothing else to do.

No, but it's where I pick up women.

[Takumi]

I think this is a small town phenomenon, because I remember someone from a small town half an hour away saying once that they went to the mall in the evening because the only other place to go at that time of night is the town grocery store.

If it's like a nightclub, I better be able to drink a few beers while in the market.

I think some large Krogers have a beer/wine tasting booth, or at least used to.

[JayhawkCO]

In areas with little recreation, do you use grocery stores as one of the main forms of recreation? Around here, people go to Kroger to socialize and dance all around like it's a nightclub, since there's nothing else to do.

If I found myself in such a situation, I would begin saving to move elsewhere.

[Max Rockatansky]

I'm still waiting for this to happen at McDonald's just like in Mac and Me:

[US 89]

I go to grocery stores to...um...buy groceries.

[hotdogPi]

In my 1 1/2 years working at Stop & Shop, I don't remember anyone doing this.

[Big John]

https://news.yahoo.com/dancing-grocery-store-employee-goes-011100780.html

[FightingIrish]

This is the first thing I thought of.

https://youtu.be/eI8AK-BO_Ns

[1995hoo]

I go to grocery stores to...um...buy groceries.

I'm at the grocery store right now for a covid booster. Oh, and then to buy groceries.

[epzik8]

I may be tempted to if there's a good song playing in there.

[NWI_Irish96]

That is a depressing thought. The U.S. needs more third places.

I don't know if anything like this has been tried yet, but I like the idea of a gathering place with some free and some pay seating. The free section has a limit of 30 minutes and requires a minimum purchase per table. The pay area is $5 per hour (or something reasonable) per 2 seats, and requires no minimum order. Perhaps there is a credit towards purchases for the pay tables.

The business makes money off customers who stay a long time but don't purchase much, and the customers don't feel pressured to give up their seats to customers who do make purchases since they are paying for their time. If it proves successful, reservations could be accepted for busy times.

The menu could be very simple: coffee, tea, soft drinks, juices, maybe a limited beer/wine selection, and some snacks/appetizers. It could be counter service, so it wouldn't require a lot of staff, and not needing a full kitchen means that most of the space can be used for seating.

[kurumi]

It happens from time to time:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4jBDnYE1WjI

[thenetwork]

There used to be a time when radio stations used to play the best variety of music...

Nowadays, I have to give that title to grocery stores, especially those who concentrate on pre-1990 music.

[NE2]

https://youtu.be/oKfSIBwh3vg

[Scott5114]

That is a depressing thought. The U.S. needs more third places.

I don't know if anything like this has been tried yet, but I like the idea of a gathering place with some free and some pay seating. The free section has a limit of 30 minutes and requires a minimum purchase per table. The pay area is $5 per hour (or something reasonable) per 2 seats, and requires no minimum order. Perhaps there is a credit towards purchases for the pay tables.

The business makes money off customers who stay a long time but don't purchase much, and the customers don't feel pressured to give up their seats to customers who do make purchases since they are paying for their time. If it proves successful, reservations could be accepted for busy times.

The menu could be very simple: coffee, tea, soft drinks, juices, maybe a limited beer/wine selection, and some snacks/appetizers. It could be counter service, so it wouldn't require a lot of staff, and not needing a full kitchen means that most of the space can be used for seating.

There was a board game cafe here in Norman that did something like that. For $5, you rented a seat at a table for the night and could play anything in their massive library of board games. They had a small cafe where they sold drinks like that, and also had a deal with a few takeout places (barbeque, Chinese, and pizza) where you could order from the game store's counter and have it delivered to your table. If you just wanted to eat/drink and hang out with friends without playing a game, that was free, and they had a separate area at the front of the store for that.

They did pretty decent business, but they closed down just before the start of the pandemic to try to retool and expand to a larger space, so they could start cooking food in-house instead of doing the takeout thing. By the time they were ready to reopen, the pandemic was in progress. It's still open, but none of the original owners are involved anymore and the vibe is totally different. I haven't been there very often since then, since I don't really hang out with many people that like board games anymore, and it's much cheaper and easier to run TTRPGs at home.

[CtrlAltDel]

I once ran into a line dance going on in a Mississippi Welcome Center, but nothing at a grocery store.

[US 89]

There used to be a time when radio stations used to play the best variety of music...

Nowadays, I have to give that title to grocery stores, especially those who concentrate on pre-1990 music.

You know what, I'm going to have to agree with you. More than once in the past couple of weeks I've walked into a Walmart or Publix and thought "damn, this is some good music".

[SectorZ]

There used to be a time when radio stations used to play the best variety of music...

Nowadays, I have to give that title to grocery stores, especially those who concentrate on pre-1990 music.

You know what, I'm going to have to agree with you. More than once in the past couple of weeks I've walked into a Walmart or Publix and thought "damn, this is some good music".

I worked at Walmart from 1996 to 2001, and I have bad memories of their music. Every generic country song possible, along with a two-year period where they were fascinated with playing "Judy in Disguise" constantly which I contend is the sixties equivalent of modern Tik Tok music.

Thankfully I worked next to the bank of car stereos in automotive to drown it out with my own choices when possible.

[JoePCool14]

That is a depressing thought. The U.S. needs more third places.

I don't know if anything like this has been tried yet, but I like the idea of a gathering place with some free and some pay seating. The free section has a limit of 30 minutes and requires a minimum purchase per table. The pay area is $5 per hour (or something reasonable) per 2 seats, and requires no minimum order. Perhaps there is a credit towards purchases for the pay tables.

The business makes money off customers who stay a long time but don't purchase much, and the customers don't feel pressured to give up their seats to customers who do make purchases since they are paying for their time. If it proves successful, reservations could be accepted for busy times.

The menu could be very simple: coffee, tea, soft drinks, juices, maybe a limited beer/wine selection, and some snacks/appetizers. It could be counter service, so it wouldn't require a lot of staff, and not needing a full kitchen means that most of the space can be used for seating.

There's a couple "gaming lounges" located near me (I believe they are the same brand). You can pay to rent space on any video games from PCs to Xbox's and Switches to racing sims to Rock Band rooms. They also sell food and drinks with a small bar section. It's a pretty cool concept actually, acting as a nice "modern arcade" if you will. It's a good place for college kids or those just out of college like myself. We need more places like this.

As for OP, the only dancing at the grocery store might be girls making some TikToks. 

[epzik8]

There used to be a time when radio stations used to play the best variety of music...

Nowadays, I have to give that title to grocery stores, especially those who concentrate on pre-1990 music.

You know what, I'm going to have to agree with you. More than once in the past couple of weeks I've walked into a Walmart or Publix and thought "damn, this is some good music".

A lot of the places I go to, including two I've worked at, use the same music service, and it has an 80s pop channel that seems to be among the most popular ones on the service. The 80s are indeed my favorite decade for music.

[kphoger]

My wife and I do this every time we go to the grocery store–unless we're in a hurry for some reason.  It's usually just a quick dance, followed by a passionate kiss.  We prefer Aisle #21, because that's where the eggs and sour cream were recently moved to during a renovation.

[Scott5114]

I don't think I've ever been in a grocery store that puts the eggs in a numbered aisle–usually it seems like they're on the back wall, where the walkway runs perpendicular to the numbered aisles.

Now that I think about it, I don't think Crest numbers any of their cold-storage aisles. Instead of having the big ceiling-mounted sign midway down the aisle where the number would be displayed, they have small signs every few doors, like Walmart does.