Grocery store etiquette

[Medusa]

Is there such a thing? I'm asking. Seriously. The rude, inconsiderate and nonsensical way that people behave in grocery stores has been a peeve of mine for a long time and I finally feel the need to give voice to it.

Why, pray, do people go to the trouble of getting a cart, only to leave it in the aisle, walk to get their items and carry an armful back to the cart rather than take the cart w/them? It has wheels. It's mobile.

Why do people w/1 or just a few items have no qualms about asking if they can get in front of someone in the checkout line when the Express lane is free and clear? I always offer to let people go ahead of me anyhow but my point is that the Express lane is just for people w/only a few items. It happened again today only the man didn't ask; he just stood there and stared at the woman behind me in line so she sighed and said "Do you want to go ahead of me since you only have one item?" He said "Yes, thank you" and then he yelled across the store at his daughter and said "I'm down here!" and she brought a basket full of items! It still didn't add up to 12 items, though. So I said w/a smile, "Sir, the Express lane is open and there is no one in line". He glared at me and said "I'm here now". He had to walk by the Express lane to go out of the store anyhow, so why did he feel that it was necessary to break the line?

And, finally, a woman decided that she wanted to read a book as she was leaving the store, which meant that she was walking as slowly as a tortoise. She must have just purchased the book because she wasn't carrying any bags. She never looked up and I couldn't figure out at first why she was walking so slowly. I thought that perhaps she was disabled or needed some assistance. No one could get around her w/their carts, so I said politely "Excuse me". She didn't even look up. Again I said "Excuse me". She still kept reading. There was a line of people behind me w/their carts and the man behind me yelled "Move!". I'm not sure if he was yelling at me or her but we entered the common area of the store, so I managed to maneuver around her. She was still reading, as she walked across the parking lot and cars had to stop for her. I loaded my groceries into the trunk of my car and as she got into her car which was directly across from me, she stopped, looked up and glared at me.

It's times like this that I feel as though I've entered a parallel universe. Have incidents such as the ones I described above ever happened to you or do they only occur in Mary's world?

[Catty1]

Is your grocery store on another planet, Mary?

Maybe find one closer to home!

[Medusa]

Is your grocery store on another planet, Mary?

Maybe find one closer to home!

Doesn't matter what store I go into, the same things occur regularly. Maybe it's an Ohio thing.

[sparks19]

No I hear ya... this happens all the time at the grocery store or department stores or anywhere with lots of people. My personal favorite is when two people stop to chat with their carts in the middle of the aisle so no one can get around and when you finally ask them to move they act like it's a big hassle or they just don't move at all.

Or people with unruly kids... the kids are running amok in the store being obnoxious and the parents just stand there like idiots.

[jazzcat]

My personal favorite is when two people stop to chat with their carts in the middle of the aisle so no one can get around and when you finally ask them to move they act like it's a big hassle or they just don't move at all.

That drives me crazy too!!! People are so rude.

Another one that gets on my nerves is people who don't even get out their method of payment until everything is rung up and they are told a total. GRR! You know you have to pay for it somehow so go ahead and get your cash, credit card or checkbook out in anticipation and if it's a check please start filling it out early!!!! Oh, and don't make me wait while you fill in every little part of your ledger.

At least it seems more people use credit/debit cards now so the check part doesn't happen as often.

[chocolatepuppy]

How about the 'middle of the aisle' shopper? How can anyone get past you?

[Karen]

Maybe the woman who was walking slowly and reading was deaf ... Or physically incapable of walking faster for a reason that is not readily apparent? Anyway, I have only encountered the "people chatting blocking" syndrome around here, not the others, and when I ask to be let by with a smile, no one has ever complained or been in a huff.

Come shop here!

We have "self-serve check-out" lines, so people in a hurry can go to those, I have not seen or had anyone break into a line.

[Medusa]

Maybe the woman who was walking slowly and reading was deaf ... Or physically incapable of walking faster for a reason that is not readily apparent? Anyway, I have only encountered the "people chatting blocking" syndrome around here, not the others, and when I ask to be let by with a smile, no one has ever complained or been in a huff.

Come shop here!

We have "self-serve check-out" lines, so people in a hurry can go to those, I have not seen or had anyone break into a line.

Well, she wasn't deaf because she was driving her own car. No, she was walking slowly because she was reading her book. I've not experienced people chatting and blocking the aisle, just the ones I've mentioned. We have self serve lines, too. There was one right next to me that this man could have gone to besides the Express lane. That was my whole point. He chose to cut in line rather than use what was readily available to him. This wasn't a one time occurrence. It happens quite frequently, especially people carrying their groceries to the cart instead of taking the cart w/them. Maybe I really should chalk it up to an Ohio thing. LOL

[Karen]

Well, she wasn't deaf because she was driving her own car.

Being deaf does not preclude having a car and driver's license! Just had to note that.

[caseysmom]

Can't deaf people drive? I really don't know but I thought they could?

If she was deaf I would think she better be extra careful crossing through the parking lot and not reading her book.

[Medusa]

Being deaf does not preclude having a car and driver's license! Just had to note that.

I didn't realize that. My mistake, sorry.

[jennielynn1970]

I've been working as a cashier since the end of July at our local grocerystore, Giant.

Oh the stories I could tell, the rude people I could point out, and the foodstamp fraud I could also report ("I just bought and sold 2 houses for cash." said one man as he pulled out his access card to pay by foodstamps. Lovely. Keep sponging off the rest of us who work for a living).

There are a lot of annoying people out there, and many who have no manners or don't care if my express lane is 15 items or less. Or the people who hand me bags of carrots, or cookies or whatever and say "We don't want this, it's already opened." What they lack to say is that THEY were the ones who have opened it and already eaten from it and don't feel like paying for it.

I don't care if they are writing a check, or paying by credit or debit, but if you know you only have so much cash on you, remember the amount, or write it on the shopping list so that I don't have to void 20+ items when you can't pay for them.

There is one major peeve I have about shoppers in my checkout line. It's the ones on cell phones. Can you get off the phone so that I can talk to you and tell you what you owe, that your card was declined, or that your kid just ate a candy bar and you need to pay for it?? Heaven forbid I actually interrupt your conversation to speak to you while you're checking out.

One thing to keep in mind as you are checking out is that many of the cashiers today in foodstores are TIMED with the amount of items they pass across the scanner. They get yelled at when they go below a certain number. Our store is supposed to be aiming for 24 items a minute. That's anything that has to be hand keyed in, or weighed, or whatever. It includes when you are paying, swiping your card, writing your check, everything. It's annoying when they also track not only how many items you scan per minute, but then the items you have to key by hand (you get reprimanded for that, even if it's not your fault the barcode is faulty), for the number of voids (even if it is the person who bought 20 more things that what they could pay for).

The list goes on and on. Sometimes I just want to know why we are supposed to go so fast, and then you make mistakes going so fast, and the mistakes are counted against you. What happened to going at a reasonable rate and being consistent???

I could also tell you about some of the nicer people I encounter at my job. The elderly men and women who greet me by name, who ask me how my day was, and if my line is empty "were you waiting just for me?!" I run into friends I haven't seen in ages, or people who I had grad classes with and haven't seen me for years, but they still remember me. Kids who are sweet and cute and behaving, and are polite and say "Hi lady!" It's working with other cashiers that I get along with, and that make me laugh and keep things upbeat. It's these things that make me smile, and lately, that's what keeps me going.

Sure, there are annoying people, and I'd bet we're all on someone else's annoying list somewhere out there, lol.

[moosmom]

Welcome to MY world!!!! We have these certain people that storm the store in droves, just about 10 minutes before the store closes. The other night my manager said it was my responsibility to keep the "clearance" section in the front of the store (hopefully when I go in tomorrow, it'll all be gone) neat and orderly. Well, when THESE people come in, they throw stuff all over the place, stepping on merchandise they've dropped on the floor (never picking up what they drop). By the time they're done, the place is a PIG PEN!!!! I was so ticked off. They kept coming up and demanding that I tell them how much an item was, knowing full well the price is what is on the package. I cringe everytime I see these people walk in the door. It's not just one or two. It's the whole freaking family (with a VERY strong odor of curry and BO). The kids are screaming (it's 9:20 PM and they're tired and should be in bed). They buy up all the clearance items they can, then return them, claiming they don't have the receipt so they get a store credit back for the full amount. It's a scam that they've been pulling for years and there's nothing we can do about it.

Ah, the wonderful world of retail....NOT!!!

[shepgirl]

Guess we can all relate to these happenings. My worst peeve are the people who get in the express lane but have a huge load in their basket. Hubby complained to the girl once and she told him management did not allow them to stand empty even for a few seconds...doesn't sound fair to me when just a few seconds elapse before someone comes in with only the 8 items allowed.
And the chatters blocking the ailses , staring at you as if you are the intruder makes me want to scream...I usually just turn around and go around another aisle after saying excuse me a few times with no action on their part.

[Edwina's Secretary]

I never saw this until California...

people here do NOT put their empty cart back at the building or even in the cart corral. They leave the cart in the parking lot. Whereever...

Which means parking spots are often not available because the spot is occupied...by a cart. Or carts roll around hitting cars.

What is the excuse? In Chicago where it rains and snows and etc. people put the carts back. Here in the land of perpetual sun...they cannot be bothered.

I suggested to a woman once that she could walk the 10 feet to the cart corral. She was extremely offended and said..."with a baby in the car???"