Invention (part 1)

When you were a kid, was there something that you wished that was invented? I remember when I was in grade school and when we were running late for school, I wished that they have invented cars that are flying so that we could have avoided the traffic. Also my mom drives so slow that we were already running late but she was still driving at the minimum speed.

Then I think it was also when my brother and I were in grade school that we both wished that there was an equipment that can stretch you or make you a little taller and at the same time you get to lose all the fat and weight. I know it was more of my brother's imagination since he was a little chubby duting grade school. But I have wanted it when I was already in high school. LOL.

But of course none of those things have been invented. It just means that if I don't want to get stuck in traffic, then I have to leave the house early. But when I was working in closing shift, I didn't get to experience traffic. I did a few times when there were some unexpected delays but I was still on time since I used to go to work early. If I want to lose weight, I need to have a proper diet and regular exercise. It just means that we really have to work hard for the things that we want to achieve or accomplish.

Now that I am older, the things that I wanted for people to invent is somehow a little achievable and more realistic. To start off, I had my errands day today. Went to the groceries and paid our bills. I know that this pandemic has made our lives easier by relying on our phones to do our groceries and even have it delivered right into our doorstep. As for our bills, we can pay them using mobile payment platforms. Here in the Philippines we have GCash, Paymaya or Coins.ph. We can even pay using our Shopee app. I have used it once during this month and I even got a 25% cashback. I do not know if there was a cap but I got Php250 cashback which was just the right for the amount that I paid. Those are the platforms that I am familiar with when it comes to paying our bills. I know mobile banking had already bills payment in the past. As for our groceries, there was already Honestbee, an online grocery service here in the Philippines even before the pandemic started but speculations have said that they stoped operations because of lack of operational funds. I think it has also been dissolved in other countries. They would have been a hit if they were still operational during the pandemic. But there was still Metromart that time but it was so hard to book a delivery. That's why they introduced online groceries on online shopping platforms like Shopee and Lazada. Everything that we need to do, we can all do it with just one click. Life is becoming more easier these days.

Growing up I always hear my dad say to my mom to have a market list when doing the groceries and to always have a pen and calculator on hand. When we were doing groceries specially during Christmas season way back, it was such hassle to write the prices of each items in the list and then add it all up if we have already reached our budget. That is why I was always beside my mom because I was the one who would add all of the items. So it was easier for me to sneak the items that my brother and I wanted into the push cart because I was the accountant. LOL. My term before in one of the articles that I published whenever I would sneak some items was "steal". LOL. I miss getting all the items that I want whenever I do my groceries. I think the people who are entitled for a full shopping carts are the rich and the top Youtube influencers. Whenever I would watch their grocery shopping before, I cannot help but to wish to experience it again. When was the last time you did groceries with a full cart/s? For us I think it was 2016 or 2017.

Moving on, so what is it that I want them to invent? Actually there are a lot of things that I want people to invent and one of them is a shopping cart that can scan the items and can sum up all of the items inside it. Maybe you will ask me on what is the use of the item scanners or the price tags that are posted in every rack.

Firstly, there are some tags that are mislabeled. Notice this when doing your groceries? They are in the rack but the tags and the items doesn't match.

Second, not everyone knows how to use the price scanners. Yes they can ask for help but during these times wherein we are refraining in talking to other people with the fear of contracting the virus. I know that we are equipped with proper safety gears but as for me I really distant myself to other people. Additionally, sometimes there are price scanners that are broken.

Third, where are the price scanners located? I do not know how it is in different countries but the supermarket in which I frequently go to only had 2 price scanners. I know it is a small supermarket so maybe that is only the allotted scanners for them. One is placed at the center and the other is at the side towards the back end. So whenever I would use the scanner, sometimes I have to go back and forth especially if I am not going to buy the item that I have scanned. Then there are also times that the next choice of item that I will choose also doesn't have a price tag so I will have to scan it again. The hassle of going back and forth just to scan the items right?

Now that there is an unseen virus, we are limiting ourselves in going out. If ever that we do, we wanted it to be quick because we do not want to expose ourselves anywhere and to anyone any longer. But checking the prices of some of the items can eat up our time outside. Resulting to longer exposure inside the supermarket. What do you think is the solution for this? Yes we can inform the management to always ask their staffs to double check the tags of the displayed items. Although I don't think they will be up for it to check the prices and items everyday if they are labeled correctly. That is why I wanted for someone to invent that kind of cart that can instantly scan our items. No need to go back and forth just to scan the items because our carts can easily do it.

Those are just some of the reasons why I wanted to have a price scanner in our carts. You are free to add more if you have thought of something. On my next article, I will discuss why I also want our shopping carts to easily add up all of the items in our cart.

P.S. lead image was from my grocery day this afternoon. I took a photo once I thought of a topic to write about.