It was all I could do to refrain from making some wiseass remark about leaving the manual labor to the peasants.
Now, I know lots of grocery stores have designated baggers--it is their (mostly) sole purpose to put your stuff in your bags and help you get out the door with it. My grocery store doesn’t have this. When there is a lull, employees will help with bagging. During the holiday season there are more able bodies helping out, but there aren’t enough of them to help with all the bagging all the time. Yes, this woman didn’t have her own bags with her so she was purchasing store paper bags, but they don’t keep those under lock and key. Some are kept near the register, and some are very conveniently located in a little cubby at the end of every counter. And even if they were kept out of reach of the hoi-polloi, there’s no law against saying, “Hey, pass me a few of those and I’ll help you.” In any case, the woman in front of me didn’t seem to have the presence of mind to do anything other than gawk, so there was nothing anyone could do (short of being a real jerk) to help things along.
I would like to note here that when it was (finally) my turn, the first thing I did (as I always do) was start bagging my groceries like a useful human being.
Anyway, this incident got me thinking about all the irritating things people do in places like grocery stores. And then I got annoyed. And now I’m writing about it. I think not helping the checker bag your groceries or other items when there is no designated bagger is right up there on my list of store pet peeves. It’s definitely in the top three. Another one that makes me crazy is people dawdling on their phones in the middle of aisles. Pull. Over. It’s not rocket science! Don’t stand there, oblivious to your surroundings, taking up valuable moving-around space, while you yak with Kelly from the office about Barbara’s new haircut. (Also, the rest of the store couldn’t care less that it makes her look like a cut-rate Sally Field circa Smokey and the Bandit, so turn down the volume while you’re at it.)
Don’t dawdle. If there’s one thing I can’t stand that clogs things up for everyone else, it’s people who have to look at everything as they go down an aisle. If you’re looking for something specific, pull to one side and hug the opposite set of shelves. At least that way you’re only inconveniencing the people who need tomato paste, and they will say ‘excuse me’ and you will move a foot to the right and everything will be fine.
My grocery store has these little kid-sized carts in addition to the regular ones. I’ve seen adults use them when they have a short list, but they are mostly (as they were intended to be) used by kiddos. This can be a wonderful exercise in educational play! It teaches responsibility! But it only does these things when the accompanying adult is actually, you know, adulting. If you’re going to let your kid use the kid-cart, you need to be on top of things. Your kid is going to behave like a kid, which can lead to drag races down the aisle and bumper-carts in the produce section if you, Accompanying Adult, don’t do your job. Pay attention to your child/ren. Help them feel useful while at the same time minimizing any disruption to those around you.
Exceptions to the rule:
- Obviously, if you have a disability--temporary or permanent--which makes grocery bagging difficult for you, you get a pass. That should go without saying, but I’m saying it anyway.
- If you are on the hunt for an elusive ingredient or need assistance differentiating between two similar products and have called Mom for advice, as long as you try your best to stay out of everyone’s way I don’t mind.
- If your child has some sort of disability, I know you’re doing the best you can. Keep on keepin’ on, you.
But the rest of you heathens need to sort yourselves out.
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