Don’t go in through the out door, a grocery store etiquette PSA

by PJ Mullen on January 25, 2010

in Random Thoughts

A woman operates the NCR FastLane self checkou...

Image via Wikipedia

Ordinarily I can keep my Irish/Italian temper in check, but something has been driving me absolutely insane lately.

As a result, I’ve decided it’s time for a public service announcement:

Dear grocery shoppers of the world:

The self checkout lanes are not, I repeat NOT, a way into the store. You don’t walk in through the normal cashier manned check out lanes, so what about the self check out lanes says “right this way, come on in!”?

<rant>

Today a woman had the sheer audacity to push the shopping cart that my son happened to be sitting in away from me and the self check out station where I was paying for my groceries, all so she could avoid walking a few extra steps.

Completely fed up at inconsiderate bastages that are too lazy to walk ten yards around the self check out lanes like they should, I totally lost it. The conversation was one sided and brief.

For decorum’s sake I won’t repeat what I said, because it wasn’t pretty.

Pushing my son away from me to get into a store by going in through the out door was completely unacceptable. I would never, ever consider touching another person’s child unless it was to get them out of imminent danger. While this woman didn’t physically touch my child, what she did was essentially the same thing in my mind.

The supremely lazy practice of coming into the store through the self checkout area is far too common and always annoys me, but compounded by the act of pushing my child well beyond my reach was enough to finally set me off.

I think after our ‘conversation’ today that I really reached this person. Also, I think may need to find a new grocery store at which to shop.

</rant>

Reblog this post [with Zemanta]

{ 8 comments }

Seattledad January 26, 2010 at 4:40 am

This would never happen at The Fancy Grocery Store. There would be an attendant to prevent that from happening. And I would pay a few cents extra on all my items to make it so.

Sounds like you let her have it. And justifiably so. It must be rant Monday. I was at it too.

weaselmomma January 26, 2010 at 11:43 am

Man, that really takes guts for somebody to do. Glad you gave both barrels.

RobMonroe January 26, 2010 at 12:37 pm

Wow – yeah, you don't move someone's child away from them. Not cool.

PJ Mullen January 27, 2010 at 4:03 pm

You are so right about that, now that I need to find a new grocery store I'll have to start shopping there. I saw your post, I actually took the faucet with the offending brand off our wish list as a result.

PJ Mullen January 27, 2010 at 4:03 pm

I think I used a howitzer on her, I'd say I'm embarrassed by the language I used, but I'd be lying.

PJ Mullen January 27, 2010 at 4:05 pm

I don't know what she was thinking, I've never encountered anything like that before.

Keith Wilcox February 4, 2010 at 4:18 am

That lady would have developed a very severe case of foot in the ass if she had tried that crap with me. Glad you didn't put up what that s@#T from her. It always astounds me about people and their self importance that they think they can do things like that and get away with it.

PJ Mullen February 5, 2010 at 4:19 am

When it comes to other peoples children you just don't go there. Ordinarily I would be embarrassed at how quick to temper I was, but not in this case. The problem is I doubt this woman took anything away from it other than me being the lunatic in the grocery store. Still, it made me feel better :)

Comments on this entry are closed.

{ 2 trackbacks }

blog comments powered by Disqus

Previous post:

Next post: