Venting : store check out etiquette

[topolino]

We shop at Wegman's weekly and no one ever takes our groceries to our car except us. I've never seen these Helping Hands or umbrellas. And their bagging method and area suck and take forever.

Must be a Western New York thing, because we have these Helping Hands people, though I never use them.

 

[TuneTownMagic]

Oh my GOSH Disboards community forum is reading my mind tonight haha . This issue about personal space at the checkout area is exactly what I experienced while grocery shopping today!! The lady behind me couldn't wait an extra thirty seconds for me to put my things back in my purse and leave, and she started putting her items on the counter from behind me, maneuvering over my shoulder! lol! to make matters worse the store was dinky and cramped. people act so rushed these days. I'm trying to accept that that is the reality of the world now but sometimes I think everyone could use a little meditation and some lightening up

 

[Jennasis]

I try to shop at off-peak times to avoid this. It's worked for us...so far. We generally hit Walmart on Sunday before church lets out. The store is a ghost town then in our small NC town. It's a delight!

 

[ShelsGoingToDisney]

I've had this happen to me a couple times while getting groceries at Supertarget. Once the cashier said something to the lady. Each time I have kind of laughed at the person and said "You'll have to move back a bit so I can pay for my groceries, unless of course you want to pay for them?" They always look embarrassed and back up!

 

[PizzieDuster]

That is why I have the cart in behind me. It is a space blocker.

Awesome tip...I never ever thought of this I always feel rushed to empty the cart and put it through to be loaded with bags.

Can we also stop the checker to stop commenting on the items we buy? "Oh, what's this?" "Oh, dear lord, muffin tops now?" "Hmmm, low fat?" My favorite is when the sweet young ones bagging hold it up to and shrug their shoulders. It's chorizo. Can you please just put it in the bag?

And please, stop reading my People magazine and save your comments about the Kardashians to yourself.

 

[mhsjax]

Hmmmm, the few times I've been in a Publix in Florida this never happened to me. Then again, maybe they could tell that I didn't WANT them to do this. If they "insisted," I'd probably refuse.

What, they make YOU walk out in the rain to get your car???!!! Jeez, I'd think that they'd bring your cart out to your car, load the groceries, then drive your car to the covered area so you don't get wet.





I've been in a few Wegmans as well and don't remember this either. Do you mean a separate bagger puts your groceries in the cart for you? Or does the cashier scan, bag, and load? If the latter, does she walk around the counter to load after each bag, or wait until the entire order is scanned and bagged?

And Wegmans expects people to actually bring their carts back to the corral??!! AFTER a Helping Hand loads the car?? Wegmans shoppers seem to be the biggest offenders when it comes to NOT returning carts to the corral, at least at this one I've been to a few times. (Cherry Hill, NJ).

I like Wegmans and Publix on the rare occasions I go there, but I'd rather bag, load, carry, and unload my own groceries. I miss Pathmark's "bag your own" register.

Jim

lol. Well not all Publix stores are the same. Mine actually wins pretty much consistently for being the best store, manager is FANTASTIC.

I will give them your suggestion though, I think them going out and getting my car is a much better idea.

Also I have no desire to bag my own groceries. I will let them take care of it for me.

 

[njmom47]

I prefer to bag my own, because I am really, um, obsessive in that way.
However, even though we don't have real baggers where I shop (unless it's super crazy busy) there is usually a school group bagging for tips. I tell them exactly how I want it bagged, and then laugh and say "That's why I shop alone..my family thinks I'm nuts" or something similar.
The Florida incident was in Daytona Beach, but I was with my x MIL and she had all that "Southern charm" so maybe that was part of it.
offtopic: And yes, I have had to learn to pump my own gas as I've driven Dmom home from Fl and don't want her doing it, plus our family has traveled and for some reason dh and ds want nothing to do with it...thanks guys! I also won't use the self-checkouts because I worked in a supermarket for 20 years and it's just nice to have someone check my groceries for me )

 

[mikehn]

Store check out etiquette:

1) Enough of the small talk, pay and move on
2) Abide by rules of the express checkout lane.
3) Dont leave your shopping cart in a parking spot, return the cart to the corral

 

[rainy~daze]

I was at the checkout once when my son was 14 months old and I was 7 months pregnant with my daughter.
Guy behind me hit me with his cart my pregnant belly slammed into the cart and my sons legs. I kinda half turned because I presumed it was an accident and he was like "sorry". I said ok.
Then he says like the most arrogant human I have ever heard " you're supposed to say excuuuuuuse me!" like it was my fault he hit me with his cart.

I turned my big ole pregnant belly at him and said I don't need etiquette lessons from some jerk who slams his cart into a pregnant woman and her baby then yells at her. The cashier was giving him dirty looks and everyone in line started laughing.
I was actually freaked out getting to my car though cause I was like what did I just do?? Why am I pissing off some fool when I am with the baby???
He was such a jerk it was unreal.

 

[snapppyd]

I was bending down to get something from a low shelf. A woman comes up behind me, can't wait a second, and starts reaching for something on the shelf above me. I couldn't even stand up without her arm hitting me in the shoulder. What is wrong with people?

 

[usd2bmd]

We shop at Wegman's weekly and no one ever takes our groceries to our car except us. I've never seen these Helping Hands or umbrellas. And their bagging method and area suck and take forever.

They offer it to us every time at our store. When it's raining it's a god send to just drive up and have them load my car. When it rains they put out a rather large umbrella stand filled with over-sized golf umbrellas for you to use if you need.

The cashier does it all - scans, bags and places the bags in your cart. She doesn't have to walk anywhere, your cart is right next to her with you in back of it. Unlike in other stores, the bagging rack is right there in front of the cashier, so she can scan and bag in almost one motion.

The Helping Hands aren't intrusive, but they are there when you need them. I don't use them. Here (Buffalo) most people are good about returning the carts to the corral.

This...I have three grocery stores within 3 miles of my house..but I will drive them extra distance to go to Wegman's every time.

Now about the personal space...I don't think people teach it to their children. We had take your kids to work day in my office and I was the spokesperson for our dept. When the kids came up on the tour they were literally in my face...they couldn't have gotten any closer unless they sat on my lap.

 

[DragonMomma]

I'll go a step further. There are the people who TOUCH my groceries on a conveyer belt to make room for theirs. Like totally picking up and rearranging my groceries. Really? You couldn't wait for the belt to move? I'm going to be eating that, please, really. Hands off! I'm not really a germaphobe, but I am territorial of things I'm going to be paying for.

 

[NoSoup4U]

I'll go a step further. There are the people who TOUCH my groceries on a conveyer belt to make room for theirs. Like totally picking up and rearranging my groceries. Really? You couldn't wait for the belt to move? I'm going to be eating that, please, really. Hands off! I'm not really a germaphobe, but I am territorial of things I'm going to be paying for.

Ya that would bug me too. Normally I will just wait, but a couple of times i have pushed over the other persons items by nudging it with the divider bar thingy. Lol. Not often, but i've done it a couple of times. But i wont touch anything with my hands.

 

[topolino]

I'll go a step further. There are the people who TOUCH my groceries on a conveyer belt to make room for theirs. Like totally picking up and rearranging my groceries. Really? You couldn't wait for the belt to move? I'm going to be eating that, please, really. Hands off! I'm not really a germaphobe, but I am territorial of things I'm going to be paying for.

You purchase unwrapped items at your supermarket? Otherwise, why would it matter that you are going to be eating something someone touched? What about all the people that touched it while it was on the shelf before you took it down and put it in your cart?

 

[jrmasm]

You purchase unwrapped items at your supermarket? Otherwise, why would it matter that you are going to be eating something someone touched? What about all the people that touched it while it was on the shelf before you took it down and put it in your cart?

Doesn't matter why it bothers her. Touching someone else's purchases is rude.

 

[Robbi]

Most of the time, I do give people a "bubble". I will start to crowd them though when they chat up the cashier and they start to act like best friends. No problem with a short chat but I've been behind people who will stand there and chat for several minutes after they've paid.

 

[ironpig70]

The one that bothers me just a bit more than that is when I am #2 in line and I am obeying the space boundaries of the 1st person the person behind me is in the you need to move up mode.


Guess there is a reason I don't go shopping very much.

 

[threeboysmom]

These are the times I really wish I could sneeze on demand.

I love the "are you paying?" line. I am going to use that next time!

I once had a store bagger that felt the need to comment on every grocery item I bought every single time I shopped there. I would purposely try to get into a different lane than her, but she always seemed to find me and move over. I now shop at a different store.

 

[sharbear]

Its worse when the person behind you starts unloading on to the belt BEFORE I am done emptying my cart.

Uh...excuse me...do you SEE how much stuff I still have to put up on the belt? Wait until I put the 'spacer bar' up to end my order.

This happens to me today. And she didn't put a divider up either. It was so annoying! I had to hurry and get my stuff on the conveyor belt before I ran out of space.

I also put the cart behind me so people done encroach on my space.

 

[JLTraveling]

This happens to me today. And she didn't put a divider up either. It was so annoying! I had to hurry and get my stuff on the conveyor belt before I ran out of space.

I also put the cart behind me so people done encroach on my space.

I had one of those a few weeks ago. I had a huge cartload of stuff, maybe halfway through unloading. Some woman walked up behind me with four or five items and plunked them down on the conveyor belt. Now, I'm the first to let a small order go ahead of me, but the cashier was already in the middle of ringing my order!

So I kept unloading as quickly as possible, but there was no way to beat her stuff down the conveyor belt. So when her items were about to mix with mine, I took the divider bar and gently nudged them back. She gave me attitude. I politely explained that I need to finish. She huffed at me. Meanwhile, her items kept moving forward on the conveyor belt, and I had to keep moving them back. After the fourth time I pushed them back, the cashier turned off the conveyor belt and sternly told the woman that she needed to remove her items altogether until I was finished. I love Publix cashiers