How an Aspie buys Chocolate at the Mall

Post Reply New Topic

I'm only at the Mall because I need to pick up some new eyeglasses.

I decide to buy 1/4 pound of chocolate, picking my favorite varieties.
Then I calculate how many pieces that is. With my new glasses I can look across the store and see that a square pound box has about seven pieces across. Seven squared is 49. 1/4 of 49 is 12. I decide to round that down to 8 in case the pieces are bigger. So, I order two each of four varieties. Comes out to 0.24 pounds or $5.64. With tax that comes to precisely 6.00, so I give the cashier $11.00 so I get $5 change.

That must take a lot of time. I rarely buy chocolate though when I do, it's a simple process of scanning what's on offer and making a choice - a 2 or 3 second process. The variety in AS behaviour is obviously huge!

Not really, it actually takes longer to type it in that it does to calculate that. Perhaps 10 or 15 seconds to decide how many pieces to buy.

Do you do this with any other purchases or just chocolate?

I can't be an Aspie then as I would of bought a box of only my favourite chocolate - no variety. I also would of asked for them to keep adding chocolate until I reached the amount I wanted to pay ( although I have taken weighed things to the checkout and it's been too expensive but I paid it anyway to cause less friction ) . In the UK tax is already added , I would be screwed if I had to work out tax as well and only had a certain amount of money.

With meat I'll calculate portion sizes to see whether things will divide up neatly. Oh yeah, I do the calculations in my head.

My brain doesn't do math. It's hard, but I tend to avoid most math-related thinking in my day to day life. When I buy chocolate I just look at the size briefly.

I'm intrigued. Did you decide on a quarter pound based on that being the amount you wanted or had you already decided to only spend $6? And $11 seems an odd amount to pay - unless you were deliberately aiming to have $5 change. Can you fill us in on the thought process?
Not that I need to know, I was just wondering, since you mentioned it

I take so long working things out whether maths or if I could make it cheaper at home that I get parking tickets.

I decided on a quarter pound as a reasonable amount of chocolates to buy. My favorite chocolates, made by Sees, normally shows up at the mall in a couple weeks. They set up a kiosk just for the Holiday season.

I don't like to get a lot of singles as change, so I intentionally gave the cashier a little more money so I'd only get the $5 bill back.

I didn't say that all Aspies do this. I am just giving an example of one Aspie.

I never do that when I've bought chocolate. I must not be autistic. In fact whenever I buy several items at once I usually only have a vague idea how much it's going to cost, especially with the half-dozen or so taxes on it. When I was a teenager I was really afraid of the thought of having to buy groceries and other items on my own because I was so bad at math and the taxes, which they don't bother telling you about because they want you to forget the items cost more than it says on the price tag.

And when I do buy chocolate, or anything else, it's like I'm playing a game of chess. I'll stand there, trying to decide which of the 50 or so different brands, flavors, consistencies and qualities I want, and of course there are all the different prices. Then someone will ask me to move so they can get their shopping cart past me, disrupting my thoughts. I let them pass saying sorry about three times, then go back to deciding. Finally I reach out to pick a box. But then I'll see something else I like that's on sale. The another shopper needs to get their cart past me. Say sorry two or three times while I let them pass. Then try to remember where the brand with the cheaper price that I like is. Reach out and take the box and put it in my cart. Then I can't get my cart down the aisle because three people are standing there with their carts yakking to each other and blocking my way. Decide to go the opposite direction instead of asking them to move. Accidentally bump into another shopper. Say sorry about six times while adding in a lower voice "sorry for existing".

No wonder the life is sucked out of me by the time I get home.

I wouldn't do that, honestly. I would just ask for a quarter of a pound of chocolate. I suck at math.

How I buy chocolates involves recalling 'taste' of said chocolate (if I already tasted it) and see if I feel like wanting it before considering the size/quantity and price.
If it's new, I go with the smallest quantity or the cheapest range of flavor.

Gained Number Post Count (1).
Lose Time (n).

Lose more time here - Updates at least once a week.

I guess I'm a creature of habit.
Every week I buy a 200g bar of 85% cocoa dark chocolate from the supermarket.
If they're on special, I might buy two.
Simple

This is why Apies are so confusing to NTs. We tend to be creatures of habit, but what we actually do as individuals is so so different.

I don't buy desserts or sweets from anywhere other than a grocery store because I don't want to look like a maladjusted manchild. Kind of sucks and I might just have to get over it, but new experiences are difficult.