Grocery Store Nightmares
For the most part I love my neighborhood grocery store. It’s part of a small local chain that focuses on locally produced products and produce. They have a strong emphasis on customer service. Clerks routinely roam the aisles to check if you need help. The butchers and people in the deli seem dedicated to providing useful information when asked. And don’t get me started about the yummy in-store bakery, and the delicious samples located throughout the store. So where’s the nightmare in all of this? Sometimes, such as last night, the nightmare is in my fellow customers.
Okay, maybe Friday night at 5:30 isn’t the most brilliant time to hit the grocery store. While the parking lot didn’t seem terribly crowded, once I got inside I discovered the store was packed with after-work shoppers. After-work shoppers all seemingly determined to get in and out of the store as quickly as possible, oblivious to their fellow shoppers.
I can certainly appreciate being in a hurry and being focused on my own personal shopping needs. I too had an agenda: find something simple and healthy to make for dinner and get home. However, while I remained focused on my personal goal, I did not do any of the following behaviors — all major grocery store violations in my mind — that some of my fellow shoppers engaged in.
1. Talking on a cell phone while pushing a cart quickly around an aisle. Thank you Mr. “I don’t usually go to grocery stores.” Perhaps if you’d paid attention to where you where going instead of engaging in an extended phone conversation, you wouldn’t have crashed into my cart while making the turn.
2. Blocking an entire aisle with your cart and your child’s mini-cart while talking on your cell phone. Yes, Mr. Shopper Two, other people truly do want to get to the milk aisle and should not be glared at when they ask you to move your cart to the side.
3. Blocking an entire section of the produce department with your cart while talking on your cell phone. Yes, Mr. Shopper Three, other people hope to pick up tomatoes and cucumbers on a Friday night, and really do not care to stand and listen to you ask for extended advice from someone about the best tomatoes to select for your oh-so-important dinner.
4. Giving each of your many toddlers their own personal mini-cart. Please, Ms. Shopper (see, not all male shoppers in this tale), I understand you’re frantic with all those toddlers trailing after you, but allowing multiple pre-schoolers to roam freely in the grocery store with their tiny little carts probably isn’t the best idea, especially when they seem oblivious to all of the big people with their much bigger carts.
5. Talking on a cell phone (sense a theme here), while speeding through the parking lot. Please, Ms. IDIOT Shopper, there are lots of people in the lot focused on walking to and from the store. It would really help if you would end your very important conversation and actually look outside your car. Fortunately, my reflexes are still pretty good, and I managed to avoid being smashed by your car. Some day, someone else might not be so lucky.
Okay, rant over. I feel better. What grocery store nightmares have you encountered lately? Or are all of your local shoppers more civilized than the group I encountered last night?
LinnieGayl
Very interesting article, I’ll have more of these .
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More than once, I’ve actually gotten into an express line with my legal number of items and gently pointed out to the person ahead of me with the loaded-to-the-max cart that the sign specifies no more than 12 items. You might expect that the shopper had responded with something impolite or perhaps ignore me altogether, but this hasn’t been the case. Each and every time, they’ve given both me and the sign a startled look, apologized, and moved into a regular checkout line, enabling me to move on up with my few items.
I don’t know, maybe I’m just scary. ;)
If I never would have to enter a food store again, I would be a happy camper. My husband doesn’t mind shopping and I’ve tried to pass that chore over to him completely, unsuccessfully, I might add. Another gene that passed me by at birth. I go with a list or a set number of items to get, then I follow it. Forget going up and down the aisles without a plan. I want in and out as quickly as possible.
As far as the express lines go, I completely agree. I have asked cashiers why they accept people in those lines with obviously more items (one or two more don’t upset me). As long as shoppers get away with it, they’ll continually do it. What’s wrong with tactfully saying to a customer, “This is an express line–no more than 15 items.” Why bother having the separate lines if no one pays attention to the restrictions? A couple of times I have accidentally placed my items on the counter in an express line, not seeing the sign. When I discovered it, I turned to the person behind me and apologized profusely for not paying attention to the sign. Usually, they understand, but sometimes not. Accidents happen, but most of the time, people just do what they want, ignoring the signs. Yuck.
Victoria — yes, going during the off times does make a HUGE difference, doesn’t it??
When we have a holiday coming up, I always try to organize my menu and shopping list ahead of time and try to do my food shopping at least a couple of days ahead of time.
But there are times when we have to go during that peak time, and every other shopper there is stressed, as well…I just try to breathe in, breathe out, and remind myself of why I was wanting so badly whatever it is I went after. ;-)
Victoria, a couple years ago I worked very odd hours, so was able to shop in the daytime. It was such a pleasant experience in comparison to the “after-work rush” and weekend rush.
Blythe, living in a college town, I see lots of odd clothing all over the place by both grown women and college students. The worst job interview I ever did was the one where the first question the student I was interviewing asked me was if she could wear pajamas to work. Needless to say, she wasn’t hired.
Anne, yes, the mini-carts can be incredibly dangerous. I’m sure they’re designed to keep kids entertained, but far too often they just create chaos.
Re: people with too many items in the express lane…my Safeway often has only the express lanes open. So I’ll be doing my full shopping, trying to be a good citizen, and they’ll beckon me over to the ten items or less area.
I once had a shopping trip where I just kept bumping into the same clueless family that would park themselves right in the middle of an aisle and not move. And then act put out when I said, “Excuse me.” I find that most people are considerate that way, though, and will move as soon as they realize they are blocking the way.
I also think that some stores are better than others. I avoid a particular grocery store in our area because it’s crowded, and (for reasons I don’t understand) full of grown women who think it’s okay to wear their pajamas to the grocery store.
Those mini carts they give kids can be dangerous. At least when idiotic shoppers give them to kids and let them run up and down the aisles unsupervised. I’m pretty sure the stores didn’t design those aisles to host races. ;)
I am truly blessed in that I retired last year, so I am able to go to stores on “off” days and times. My biggest issue with grocery shopping (aside from the prices) is that I go during the day, and a lot of older people do also. I am usually called on to get things from shelves they cannot reach, or help in the parking lot with carts or motorized-chair carts. I happily help though, as someday I am gonna be the “little old lady” needing help.
I like going during the off times ’cause I get into the nicest conversations with people in the lines. Yesterday in Wal-Mart I was looking for something, muttering to myself, and an older woman heard me and let me know what I was looking for, was “two isles over on the right”. She was dead on, I found it exactly where she said it would be.
I’ve almost become used to people on cell phones being rude, preoccupied, loud, unprepared, rude,self-absorbed, rude, in public. Sad isn’t it?
On the rare times I do go during the rush, I remind myself that I truly can go anytime, and these people truly do face time constraints I do not have to deal with and as for the butheads in life..oh well, somebody loves them too :-) I like to go shopping for ANYTHING during the day, now that I’m retired. I truly meet a kinder, gentler people doing that, and thus, my frustration levels, and faith in my fellow man is maintained.
Love your blog today LinnieGayl! Made me laugh. My main shopping trip of the week is on Saturday morning when there aren’t a lot of shoppers around so I rarely encounter cell phone talkers or people who block the aisles, thank goodness.
However, when I do go after work during the week there are lots more people. To me the most bothersome behavior is people who use the self-checkout area but don’t know how to use the machine. The store employee who watches over the entire section has to go help them, pretty much scanning and packing everything. Thus, if someone else needs for their machine to unfreeze (because an item didn’t scan right or you have a coupon), it takes awhile to get the clerk’s attention.
Good one to add, Sandy. I’ve gotten to the point where I almost never even consider the express lines. Too many people cheating in them.
Oh yes, Saturdays can be a nightmare at the grocery.
Missie, I don’t blame you for switching pharmacies.
Ditto to all your complaints. I try to go off hours as much as I can, but, alas, today I have to go and it’s, of course, Saturday, the worst day of all.
I will add people who obviously have WAY more than 12 items standing in the express line AND the cashiers who let them get away with it.
Because we’re self-employed, I do my best to shop during off-peak hours, but sometimes, yes, you end up at the store when it’s crowded. *shudders*
People blocking the aisle is the most troublesome thing, but actually, all in all, I’m generally pretty lucky in going to the grocery store — most of my fellow shoppers are fairly polite and considerate (a bonus of a small town, I suppose).
I did have to change stores where I go to my pharmacy, though — it’s with the same store, still, but a different location, because the store I was originally getting my prescription from has a smaller pharmacy area, and fellow pharmacy customers REFUSED to respect my privacy when I was getting my prescription. Complaints to the store and company management brought forth some effort to improve the situation at that pharmacy counter, but it never really solved anything, so in the end, I just switched store locations.
Yes, Dick! I’ve had people bump into me way too many times to count in the past in motorized carts.
Right on! And how about those in the motorized carts, who may or may not truly need them, who have no compunctions about backing up without looking.