History Main / OhWaitThisIsMyGroceryList

-->'''Plankton:''' The secret formula is -- One bottle of molting lotion, take passport photo, buy new safe, ''travel size?!'' This isn't the secret formula! ''It's a to-do list!!''
** From ''One Krabs Trash'':

A subtrope of UnfortunateItemSwap. See also ScriptSwap.

* ''Webcomic/LeastICouldDo'' : Rayne Summers has some [[http://www.leasticoulddo.com/comic/20090501 unusual corporate demands]]. Not quite a grocery list, though.

Old comedic trope that [[DeadHorseTrope isn't used too much any more.]]

* ''Series/FraggleRock'': Wembley frees a trapped spider-fly that turns out to be an Odd Old Man/Fairy Godmother—who, as a reward, gives Wembley the ability to make three flights. Later, the Fairy Godmother, annoyed with Wembley for not having used up his wish, starts to read him a book of rules on the cosmic laws of the universe.

* ''Series/FraggleRock'': Wembley frees a trapped spider-fly that turns out to be an Odd Old Man/Fairy Godmother—who, as a reward, gives Wembley the ability to make three flights. Later, the Fairy Godmother, annoyed with Wembley for not having used up his wish, starts to read Wembley a book of rules on the cosmic laws of the universe.

* "Baxter's Book" from ''Series/{{Bookaboo}}'' opens with Growler telling Bookaboo he's going to read him a story from a great book. He reads "Six sausages, one onion, basil, rosemary, browned all over. Put into an oven, a hot oven for one hour. Garnish with fresh parsley." Bookaboo is at first confused, then interprets Basil and "Rose Marie" as characters in the story, before realizing that Growler is reading him a recipe from a cookbook.

* In a ''Series/LazyTown'' episode, Robbie Rotten, disguised as a pirate, pulls out his grocery list instead of the treasure map.

** "Eggs, Tea, Bread, Rich Tea biscuits.. Are you sure this is the right list Mr. Schindler?"

** "Waiting for God" went farther than most with this. The evolved descendants of Lister's cat escaped the space ship years ago aboard arks using a "star map" given to them by their god, Cloister the Stupid. The star map turned out to be Lister's laundry list which he used to line his cat's basket.

--> '''Adu Du''': 10 o'clock, $3.50, Gopal! (''evil laugh'') 2 o'clock, $7.20 Gopal! 7 o'clock, $5.90! Footnote: Payments pending for ''three months''!
--> '''[=BoBoiBoy Lightning=]''': Huh? What kind of recipe is that?
--> '''Adu Du''': The recipe of your- wait - what book is this?!

* In a more melodramatic version of the ''Film/MysteryMen'' example, in ''Film/SeventeenAgain'' 17-year-old Mike pretends to read a letter from thirtysomething Mike during the divorce hearing, but it's really just his handwritten directions to the courthouse--as his wife discovers after he leaves the paper behind and she picks it up.

-->'''Marshall:''' ''[looking for his password]'' Jelly beans, fluffernutter, gummi bears, ginger snaps-- this is a grocery list.\\

'''Barney:''' This is the kind of shopping a ten-year-old does when he's alone for the weekend.\\
'''Lily:''' Who leaves a 10 year old alone for the weekend?\\

--> "Forty percent off a complete service at Groovy Lube?"

* In An early lost episode of ''WebAnimation/{{Eddsworld}}'' called Punch'd, when they are trying to find out stuff about Peter Andre Matt says "Right, so what we know about Peter is that he enjoys walks on the beach and meals for two-- hey wait a minute! Oh right that's his dating advert. So what we know about Peter is that he is a socially retarded solo artist who tried to revive his career with a crappy song"

** Then in the sbemail "[[http://www.homestarrunner.com/sbemail195.html Love Poems]]", Homestar relays a "love poem" to Marizpan, which is more like an acrostic poem full of foodstuffs.
-->'''Strong Bad:''' That's not a love poem! That is a lavishly produced grocery list!\\

--> '''Secret Cranky Office Temp:''' Gallon of milk, tube of hemorrhoi...\\

[[quoteright:350:[[Webcomic/VGCats https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/grocery_list.jpg]]]]

** ''VisualNovel/PhoenixWrightAceAttorney'': In Rise from the Ashes, Phoenix requests a letter of introduction to Detective Gumshoe so he is able to investigate the crime scene at the request of Jake Marshal, the cop in charge of the place. When Phoenix presents it to the literal CowboyCop, he comments it is actually a grocery list. While Phoenix is mentally kicking himself for not checking out the document first, Jake accepts it anyway, claiming this proves that it comes from Gumshoe better than a DNA test.

Not to be confused with BreadEggsMilkSquick. Except in the most literal examples.

Old comedic trope that [[DeadHorseTrope isn't used too ]][[TechnologyMarchesOn much any more.]]

* An episode of ''Series/WelcomeBackKotter'' had Mr. Kotter accused of sexually harassing a student. (Actually, she fainted due to a fat diet she had been on and Mr. Kotter was just trying to help her get up.) The Sweathogs wanted the girl in question to sign a confession stating that Kotter hadn't done anything. Horshach wrote the confession on the back of a grocery list and read that to her at first.

** This trope was also partly responsible for thwarting one of Doofenshmirtz' schemes. While using an -inator that moves objects to a random horrible location, he mixes up his "horrible location" wheel with a "dry cleaning wheel" [[InventionalWisdom which exists for]]... [[FridgeLogic reasons he can't recall]], and zaps [[StealthPun a party into his pants]].

* Series/{{Pets}}'': Subverted in "Hostage" when Davina thinks a list of Hamish's demands is going to be this trope. It turns out the list of groceries he gave them really is his list of demands. Played straight in "Reincarnation" when a grocery list is mistaken for Hamish's suicide note.

** In "Twentico", a badly wounded bootlegger tells Lister he is not going to make it and hands him a card. Lister reads the card and says "Pizza delivery? You want to order a pizza?". The bootlegger replies "Sorry. Wrong pocket" and hands him the card for the science speakeasy.

* ''WesternAnimation/{{DuckTales|1987}}'': In the final scene of "[[Recap/DuckTalesS1E8SpiesInTheirEyes Spies in Their Eyes]]", Donald's commander gives him his court-martial papers, which he eagerly tears up, while his commander gives Scrooge contracts to build 20 more submarines. Unfortunately, it's then revealed that the Commander gave Scrooge the court-martial papers by mistake, meaning that Donald had actually torn up the contracts, much to Scrooge's fury.

-->'''Plankton:''' The secret formula is -- One bottle of molting lotion, take passport photo, buy new safe, ''travel size?!'' This is a to-do list!

[[folder:Film -- Live Action]]

-->'''Whit:''' "But you gave them the map."
-->'''Sasha:''' "It wasn't a map, it was just a list of things I had to do once I got back to base."

-->'''Roms''': I don't think so, because at the top here it says "Dear Santa Claus" and at the bottom it says "P.S. I have been nice this year." And further down it says "P.P.S. [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fridtjof_Nansen Fridtjof]] hasn't."

-->'''Marshall:''' [looking for his password] Jelly beans, fluffernutter, gummi bears, ginger snaps-- this is a grocery list.
-->'''Robin:''' For who, a witch building a house in the forest?
-->'''Marshall:''' Sugar helps me study.
-->'''Barney:''' This is the kind of shopping a ten-year-old does when he's alone for the weekend.
-->'''Lily:''' Who leaves a 10 year old alone for the weekend?
-->'''Barney''' [Sarcastically]: Oh, and your mom was perfect.

-->'''Police''': We found this list in his cell.
-->'''Kenan''': ''(Reading the list)'' Number one: Get out of Jail. Number two: go to the laundry. Number three: get Kenan.

-->'''Scott:''' ''(leafing through the book)'' Salmon. Moutarde. Creme ''Fraiche''. What ''is'' this?\\
'''Allison:''' ''(sighs)'' A recipe. It's a cookbook.

* ''Series/{{Utopia 2014}}'': In "Clause for Concern", Tony and Jim end drafting an amendment to a contract on the back of a piece of cardboard given to them by a homeless person (ItMakesSenseInContext). The next day, Jim brings the cardboard back to Tony for him to check. He starts reading "I am down on my luck and homeless..." before realising and turning the cardboard over.

-->'''Strong Bad''': That's not a love poem! That is a lavishly produced grocery list!\\
'''Homestar Runner''': No, here is my grocery list: Amazing thing, amazing thing, amazing thing, amazing thing!\\
'''Strong Bad''': Woah, where have ''you'' been shopping?\\
'''Homestar Runner''': Sky Mall.

-->'''Code of the Demon Hunters''': Demons are bad. Kill demons. Also, remember milk, cereal, and bread.

* Used in French audio webseries ''AudioPlay/LeDonjonDeNaheulbeuk.'' The Ranger's list of the kind of monsters the adventurers are likely to encounter runs thus:

* ''WesternAnimation/DuckTales1987'': In the final scene of "[[Recap/DuckTalesS1E8SpiesInTheirEyes Spies in Their Eyes]]", Donald's commander gives him his court-martial papers, which he eagerly tears up, while his commander gives Scrooge contracts to build 20 more submarines. Unfortunately, it's then revealed that the Commander gave Scrooge the court-martial papers by mistake, meaning that Donald had actually torn up the contracts, much to Scrooge's fury.
* ''WesternAnimation/TheFairlyOddparents'': Timmy's Dad has a bucket list he keeps inside [[LiteralMinded an actual bucket]]. When he first tried to read it to Timmy, he instead picked up the bucket's receipt.

--->'''Adam West:''' Milk, butter, cat food, those new potato chips in the snack aisle, beer, deodorant, garbage bags, toothpaste...
--->'''Carol:''' Adam, I think that's your shopping list.
--->'''Adam West:''' No, these are my vows. They're all the reasons why I'll always love you.

--->'''Quagmire:''' Today I ate Peaches, Honey, Candy, Ginger, Olive ... you know what? This is the wrong list.

-->'''Moose''': Oh, sorry, that's my shopping list.

-->'''Grounder:''' ''(Reading from paper)'' "Single, 700-pound villain looking for suitable companion..."
-->'''Robotnik:''' ''(Embarassed)'' Whoops, uh, wrong paper, give me that. ''(Snatches paper back)''

-->'''Plankton''': The secret formula is -- One bottle of molting lotion, take passport photo, buy new safe, ''travel size?!'' This is a to-do list!

-->'''[=SpongeBob=]:''' Oh my Gosh! A floating shopping list! Aaaaaaaahhhhhhh!
-->'''Mr. Krabs''': I'm not a shopping list... ''[turns paper over]'' I'M A GHOOOOOOOOOST!

* In ''Franchise/TheMuppets KingArthur'', a group of planted protesters are reading cue-cards provided by Sir Sam of Eagle. One of them shouts out "Bread, milk, cheese, armour polish..." before Sam gives him the right card.

[[folder:Real Life]]
* It's just as well that this isn't used much in comedy anymore. Most people nowadays would probably put their grocery lists on [[TropeBreaker their smartphones]]. And just put important stuff on Thumbdrives or in E-Mails. Of course, in the latter case, [[IrrevocableMessage it could be sent to the wrong person]]...
[[/folder]]