WASHINGTON (AP) — Turns out Target isn’t the only place to find Michelle Obama escaping the White House bubble.
The first lady says she sneaks out of the White House “as much as possible.” She even took family dog Bo to the pet store Petco once, and almost went unrecognized. The cashier eventually realized who she was from her credit card.
“I do that more frequently than people realize,” Mrs. Obama said. “And it’s amazing how people don’t recognize you. They don’t expect to see me at Starbucks or Chipotle.”
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Last month, Mrs. Obama shopped at a suburban Virginia Target store, her face masked by a baseball cap and sunglasses. Casually dressed Secret Service agents arrived about a half-hour before Mrs. Obama, who walked in through the main entrance with an assistant. She spent 30 to 40 minutes shopping, pushing her own cart. Once again, it was only a cashier who noticed her as she paid for her purchases.
During an interview on NBC’s “Today” show, Mrs. Obama said the trips outside the White House help her and her daughters maintain a sense of normalcy.
But don’t expect to see the first lady shopping for toilet paper or cleaning supplies anytime soon.
“We pretty much have our supplies stocked,” she said. “It’s one of the perks.”
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Copyright 2011 The Associated Press.