Impulse Buys

I plan my weekly menu (someday I'll write about the cycle) and go to the grocery store:

1. once a week,
2. with a list
3. and (usually) NO children.

Once in a while I'm stuck blessed with their company. That's when some impulse buys may end up in the cart. The items selected tell a bit about the requester:

• Mom: post-holiday turkey at $.49 per pound (Boring!)
• Kids: ranch wheat thins, blueberry bagels (yuck!), orange tic-tacs
• 16 year old: select ground coffee beans, wedge of romano, dark chocolate bar with almonds and dried cherries

So why is the teen more sophisticated than his mother?