Affordances continued.

Having collaborated a shopping list with my flat mate’s we were now ready to hit the shops. We had a whole range of items on the list that we hoped to buy however given our tight budget I knew there would be some serious debates about who gets to get what and tossing up over what things are more important for us to get. Being the only girl on the shopping expedition i naturally became the leader of the group, it was totally unintentional but the boys seemed to become more reliant on me and I guess i took on a mother role in a way. I felt quite comfortable in the supermarket, it was a place I was familiar with and grocery shopping was something I had done many times before. As a young girl I was always the one to go along with mum and help her do the grocery shop while my brothers helped dad with whatever it was he was doing or they skived off to the electronics stores close by to play on the games. I had always enjoyed doing this activity with mum and when I finally got my licence mum often got me to go do the grocery shop for her as I had a good idea of the types of things she would want and the types of things she goes for when she does the shop. I knew a good deal when I saw one, something my mother had taught me from her many years of experience as she had 4 growing boys, myself and a hard working father to feed every day of the week!

So while I kept hold of the list and kept a look out, one of the boys manned the trolley while the other waited for my command and went and collected whatever items I told him to get. It was a short stop in the fresh produce aisle as we usually get our fruit and veg from the market or the vege shop for a better price. We zig zagged up and down each aisle trying to keep to the shopping list as much as possible and not getting all caught up by the specials and unnecessary items. The meat section had us all confused and frustrated as we realised how much chicken breasts were this week, we took a good 10 minutes picking out the chicken and mince…there went half our budget!

Now we just needed to get the essentials and get out of there. Bread, milk, eggs and butter. My calculations had gone out the door by this stage so we were now shopping in faith, quite risky business! As we strolled down the remaining aisles we all glazed up at the many items we would like to have in our trolley but knew there was just no way we could ever afford those luxuries, not until we get our degrees anyways!

Carrying on from last week about affordances, this week we looked at some different aspects of it. Affordance is all about the outcome of the activity in respect to particular attributes. After i went for a grocery shop with my flat mates it got me thinking and i could see how what we had talked about in class related to the activity of shopping in regards to spirituality, aesthetics and health. 

Spirituality is the fundamental orientation of a persons life, that which inspires and motivates that individual. It is the essence of a person that gives them a greater sense of purpose, meaning and substance in their life. There was a sense of spirituality that i experienced when i was at the grocery store with my flat mates. I felt a real sense of responsibility and meaning during the activity being the only female. My two male flat mates looked to me for guidance when we were shopping, i took on a mother role and acted similar to how my mother used to when i went grocery shopping with her. I was the dominant one during the activity and had the last say on what we did and didn't get but not because i was being bossy or over powering, they just seemed to respect my opinion.
Aesthetics has been put down to the "potential to express and enhance a sense of beauty". When i thought about grocery shopping, initially i couldn't of anything "beautiful" about it. The buildings ugly, the trolley is ugly, the floor is ugly, the big high aisles are ugly. When i think of the things i see, touch, smell, taste and hear though, i realize that these things bring me pleasure. The colours of all the fruit and veg is appealing to the eye and makes me want to buy lots just so i can have the nice contrasting colours! Walking down past the bakery the smell of fresh bread makes my mouth water, the feeling of having a trolley full of food that we are going to be able to annihilate when we get home excites me. In regards to the packaging of food, the more attractive the packaging will be the deciding factor when it comes to making a purchase.
Health in regards to shopping is a significant part of it. Going to the grocery store offers us an opportunity to be naughty or nice! I find that depending on my mood will determine what i choose to buy; going after i have been exercising i tend to make more healthier options compared to when i am tired and hungry and buy whatever i feel like at the time, i often end up with a whole lot of treats and nothing to make dinner with!