WannaBeGythaOgg

Why can't they be more like ME

I seem to always get stuck dealing with people whose motivations and actions don't match the why or the way I do things.

For instance, yesterday, at the supermarket with my daughter, we had finished paying & bagging and I was ready to go. I don't really love taking her with me (if that makes me a bad parent, tough) because she nags me to buy her things she doesn't need, or tries to sneak them into the cart when I'm not looking. Even more than that, though, she doesn't move as fast as I would if I were alone. The result is that we always seem to end up heading for the door at a snail's pace, stuck behind some elderly or otherwise barely mobile person, matching their pace since there's no room to go around them for whatever reason.

I think that people should walk through supermarkets following the same basic right-of-way rules that apply to driving, although most drivers seem to have real difficulty grasping things that are essentially simple. However, for you other shoppers out there, here's a few things that would certainly improve my shopping experience:

1) If you're searching along the shelves for something, put your cart right in front of you, up against the shelves. Don't leave it in the middle of the aisle, where I have to try to squeak around it, or ask you to move it. If I am forced to ask you to move it, don't give me attitude - you weren't smart enough to shift it out of the way in the first place.

2) It's called the "Express Lane" for a reason. People seem to think it's okay to "cheat" by adding more than the limit of 12 - maybe they have 14, or 18, or whatever. Those of us with 12 or less get to go first. If you're having trouble counting the items in your cart, maybe you should just let me manage your money for you too.

3) If you cut out of an aisle without first looking to see if there's oncoming traffic, you deserve to be crashed into. Try to regard this as similar to a 3 or 4-way intersection. Stop at the end of the aisle, and look to see if anybody's coming. Merge appropriately. You do NOT have the right of way at these times.

4) If, for some reason, you have trouble keeping up with the average speed, stay to the side. Some of us are in a hurry and would like to finish shopping before the perishables we've selected actually expire.

5) Do NOT waste my time arguing with the cashier and/or store management about your right to use an expired coupon. The date is clearly printed on the damn thing. If everybody around you can read it, why can't you? And what makes you think that, in clear defiance of socially accepted rules, YOU should be allowed to use one that the manufacturer will no longer accept? Suck it up and learn to pay attention to detail. In the meantime, maybe the store has some expired steaks you'd like to buy, since dates apparently have no meaning to you.

Thanks for your assistance in making MY world a brighter place.

posted by PratchettFan @ 8:36 AM