Save money, live better, go on dates

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Shopping centers are filled with eager shoppers, couponers and bargainers every hour of the day and have recently attracted their newest customers — daters.

Couples go to WalMart, Target or any other big shopping center and grab a shopping cart. The dates designate a spot to meet at in 15 minutes and then head off to pick a number of random items. When both dates have selected their items, they switch carts, say “Ready, set, go” and let the competition begin. The couple who is the first to put all of the items back and be at the designated spot wins, and the loser treats the other couple to dessert.

“It’s a good date because it’s cheap and you have an opportunity to be creative and do stupid stuff,” said Mikey Tagliaferri of Las Vegas. “It will show a different side of you that your date may not already know, like that you’re fun if you’re not a fun person already.”

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Blake Wise and Brynn Wright quickly choose items that may confuse their competitors. In this fun and cheap double date, couples must first pick out grocery items, then swap carts, and quickly put the items back into their original locations.

Tagliaferri said he saw four different groups at WalMart one night, which means this date idea is becoming popular. Junior Blake Wise has gone on the date three times because he thinks it’s an original, fast-paced and competitive date.

“It’s hard to see if a girl has the competitive edge so this date helps to know if she is doing it just to do it or if she’s really willing to run around,” Wise said. “There may not be a lot of talking, but there’s a lot of goofing around.”

Odd items tend end up in carts such as wooden artist mannequins, jack-in-the-box heads, adult onesies and a bird net.

“The most awkward item that was in our basket was diapers,” Tagliaferri said. “When we didn’t know where to put them back I put my arm around my date and acted like we already had a kid and said, ‘Do you know where we can get more of these?'”

Wise said his easiest item to put back were Pokemon cards because he knew exactly where to find them. Tagliaferri’s easiest item was smiley fruit snacks, while the hardest was a sack of rice because it was heavy to move.

Plan on the date taking 45 minutes to an hour long, depending on the flow of store traffic.

“Don’t do it on Valentine’s Day because it might scare her and if she’s a big eater don’t do it around Thanksgiving,” Tagliaferri said. “The best time to go is during summer solstice.”

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