Critical thinking is something that each person uses on a daily basis, the magnitude of it varies greatly from person to person or group to group. It is something that an individual would use to determine a choice or path which leads to a type of resolution or outcome that can be considered favorable. It is impossible to predict an exact outcome in advance but establishing an understanding through inquiry and problem solving has the highest chance of favorability (Ahuna, 2014). For example there is no one way to start a shopping trip for groceries, the shopper must decide on several factors, the first being where to start. Although critical thinking can sometimes be misconstrued with common sense, a smart or critical thinker would grab items that are canned or boxed to be placed on the bottom of the cart and save items such as breads for the middle of the shopping trip and perishables last since they can spoil or be crushed. "Critical thinking, though variously defined, refers to good thinking and is connected with rationality and the appeal to reason" (Bailin, 1996).
Other factors such as time of day, temperature, day of the week, and seasons can further be factored into the equation for future planning. Items like oranges or blueberries would be cheaper at certain times of the year due to seasonal growing of such fruits. A critical thinker might stock up on such items when they are at their cheapest to save money. Stores now are starting to incorporate a scan tool, phone apps, and websites that can be used to tally up total cost in advance as well as saving previous shopping trip items to speed up