That's too funny! My husband called me when I was in the grocery store. He's out of town right now and calls in us in the evening before heading off to bed. Well, I have my 3 year old in the grocery cart that looks like a car and she was "stearing" it while talking on the cell phone to her daddy! I thought it was too funny. I figured all she needed was to be putting on lipstick and drinking a latte!

My rant lies with people who bring their whole family shopping. They bring their own family plus extended family. I swear it's like 10 people for one buggy. Do you really need that many people. Do you realize how much room you are taking up and how much you are in the way? This burns me up to no end!!! It's like a family outing or something.

I can't even get a sitter for the kids while I'm in class much less for a short visit to the grocery store. :P My kids are expected to behave themselves though or they will be sitting in the car (they are so young this threat really carries no weight, but they listen). About the most annoying thing is my 4 yo walks while staring at the ceiling, spinning, or focusing on something else. I have to pull him out of peoples paths or get his attention before he walks smakc into something. Other times I just let him walk into things that won't fall to see if he'll learn to pay attention.

Gosh, I hate to say it about my own sex, but it's usually women at my stores that wander around in a daze staring at the products and standing smack in the middle of the aisle and NOT MOVING when a cart is coming. The other day a couple was shopping together, he had the cart parked close to the shelf and she was standing between it and the salad dressing shelf, staring like "duhhhhhhhhhhhh" at the dressing. Her boyfriend tried to get her to move and he couldn't get her attention so I finally had to back out and go the long way around. Sheesh. WAKE UP!! YOU ARE NOT THE ONLY PERSON IN THE WORLD!! SCOOT OVER!! Sorry.

Me and silverfang: My other favorite thing is when you are standing in front of the green beans with all this space around you and someone gets rightnexttoyou and starts picking at the beans in front of you. OMG!! Grrr! hahaha I guess I get a little uptight in the store. I have said on occasion "I'll be out of your way in two seconds", but it usually doesn't help.

This cracked me up...the other day I was in the same aisle as two sisters (I think) shopping together for a party and discussing what to get and who liked what. One of the sisters walked over to the nuts and grabbed a can and headed for my cart with me standing right there. I start saying "No...no...no...not me...not me..." She is completely fogged and keeps coming and tries to put the nuts in my cart. Her sister and I are both cracking up at her. Finally her sister got her to snap out of her nut reverie.

This thread was better than the Sunday funnies.. Thanks for starting this rant. It's a hoot.

Angel

I've been avoiding replying to this thread, mostly because the folks who need to let off steam here have indeed had rude-people experiences. And Cait knows that rude people are kind of a hot-button topic for me--I have real trouble putting up with it in my vicinity.

I have to say something about the differences in our shopping habits, though. Cait is the organized one. She actually writes stuff down, and can fill her list in one pass through the store. I'm a zen shopper, moving from section to section in search of whatever inspires me. I'll often make a week's menu based on what looks good at the time, then I'll go back and pick up ingredients that I missed the first time through. She's really very patient with that.

s.

I have to put in here: the other day I was at the self-checkout line (do you guys have those? Where you scan your own stuff and bag it yourself) and this woman in front of me was obviously hurrying (she felt bad, I think, as though she was going too slow), and meanwhile her daughter (about 6 I think) was at the bagging area bagging the groceries for her. The daughter kept asking the mom "Should I put this in here?" and the mom, even though she was trying occupied trying to weigh the asparagus, etc, each time very patiently and nicely told her where each item should go.

I had never thought of the self-checkout line as a good place to teach kids to "help," but I was very impressed by the interaction between this mom and her kid. I actually told her, "you have a very nice child," and she smiled and said, "yes, she's lovely," and visibly relaxed about her hurrying-up to get out of my way.

Much nicer than the kids throwing tantrums in the checkout line.

And while I had been shopping there was this obviously mentally-impaired gentleman steering his cart straight for me. The young woman who was shopping with him (I think she was an aide of some sort) just laughed and guided him to avoid collision. She looked so sweet and calm; and the other mentally-impaired fellow who was with them drew aside to let me pass, in the most polite way. It was very sweet. I wish that all people were as patient with one another (I myself have a lot to learn on this score).

So there is nice stuff too, in the grocery store.

My problem in the grocery store (I do most of the grocery shopping) is that I am pretty studious in my following of traffic rules (I drive the cart using the same rules as if driving an automobile), but almost no one else seems to be. Why, just tell me, why would anyone park right in your way and just stare off into space? I feel like I need some sort of cattle prod in the supermarket!

WOW! I must say that when I read the first post I was like but I see it's a very light hearted rant .

With that being said, I have to disagree with Wickedways - not entirely though. I seem to have more trouble with women (yes, bashing my own sex)....my DH is not incompetent and does most of the grocery shopping. He is also very considerate in buying the foods I eat and searching out new recipes and foods for me as well.

There are two places that really steam me - one is the Super WalMart - it makes me freakin' insane to go look at the meats there....picture this - a kid ready to dive out of the cart, a toddler learning how to walk down the crowded aisle with Daddy cheering him on, the preteen on her cell, and the mom and her mom & sister leaning into the meat case. I cannot even go near the meats - DH has to go for me because I know if I do go and I'm already in a mood I will say something really nasty. The 2nd place I hate to shop is a military base (DH is retired Navy). Now the degree of frustration varies from base to base, but it's a lot of the same - females walking around with a completely blank look on their faces, reaching around me for something that they could very easily get at if they just waited their turn (remember the slide at the playground - you have to wait your turn in line!), leaving the cart right in the way and when I say "excuse me please" I've often gotten the blank, hollow eyed look like I just said something in an alien language!

On a brighter note - I go shopping after I drop DD at school (8am) and the store is usually empty and the store staff are so kind - saying good morning asking if I need help, etc.....but then again - it's probably just that blank look on my face

Me too! I always direct my cart down the right side of the aisle, no matter which direction I'm going and no one else really seems to!

The thing I hate is this: have you ever noticed that sometimes when you are out and about at the malls, the bank, the hair salon, etc., and you are exiting a store with at least 2 sets of doors, the people coming into the doors are always jumping to use yours instead of the other? That, to me...is just like one of those moments you want to yell, "What the %*~#, use your OWN door, ya jacka$$!" Happens to me ALL the time. Just yesterday I was entering a building downtown that had like, a dozen (not kidding) doors on it and this lady sees me coming out and grabs the door from me so she can go in, and after I go through it I have to wonder if she thinks I'm doing her a favor, finding them the 'magic door', like, "here ya go". WTF??!! Get OUT OF MY WAY! Use your OWN door!

Maybe I'm just really a freak, haha. What do you think?

I have no choice but to take my son with me most of the time. I try to shop while he's in school, but it's not always possible. I've had people glare at him, roll their eyes, and nearly run over his wheelchair because THEIR time is more valuable than ours. Tapping your toe as he learns which box of cereal costs more or while he learns to steer a LITTLE more carefully around the big stack of cans really doesn't make us move faster... does it make people feel better, I wonder? I'm teaching him to avoid running into others, but they don't always extend him the same courtesy. I can't count how many times he has to stop, start, stop, start because people can't slow down enough to SEE him. "Excuse me please" SHOULD work, but often doesn't.

Although I wasn't aware there were "traffic rules" for grocery stores, I guess we must violate a lot of them judging by the number of labored sighs I can hear as I try to stay out of the way of all the busy, busy people we're trying not to be run over by. I suppose shopping at midnight would be a good way to avoid the problem....

Grocery store rants.. I have a few.

-- Not men in general but OLDER men. These are men who haven't been trained in proper grocery store etiquette and seem to think they are the only important people in the store. This is a holdover from living in South Florida for many years (the seniors go to the grocery store every day just for something to do).

-- Social hour. I kive in a small town and work long hours during the week... then going to SuperWalmart on Saturday is like torture. It's like coffeetalk central!! and you can stand there politely for what seems like forever while neighbors chat away and they just ignore you.

-- The WHOLE family (like someone said, kid falling out of cart, toddler learning to walk, teenager on cellphone...) taking up the entire aisle debating about cereal (or poptarts or yogurt -- whatever).

Last but not least -- unruly children. I have two very active sons -- but they've known for a very long time not to be rude or disruptive in public or we leave. Period. I have taken them out of stores, restaurants, away from parks (left Disney world after two hours once -- but then I DO livein Florida and had passes that year).... you don't know how to behave in public then let's go home and DISCUSS it.

Cheryle


Ohhhh the door thing? When you hold the door open for someone to be polite and people start rushing over and streaming in like they are incapable of opening a door. That one STILL confuses my kids cause they will stand there for wayyyyy longer than I would!!

I find that I only visit supermarkets at 3 in the morning when it is really quiet. Otherwise it is full of people. Yuck!
The other day one of them had the nerve to complain about my behaviour! Like where else am I going to take my polar bear for a walk? He loves the freezer section.

So it was YOU, Ian. I was more turned off by the polar bear's blank stare and his penchant for walking on the LEFT.

Oh yea, Hifive, thanks for reminding me...the self checkout line. Yea, thats another one. Went to superwalmart and this lady is in front of me in line. she is scanning her stuff and gets to some picture frames. she scans the first one and the machine tells her "don't place the item on the scale to prevent damage". So what does this prodigy do? she put it on the scale. So of course it starts bitching at her that the weight is not correct, blah blah blah. So we have to wait for the clerk to come fix the problem, then what does she do? scans another picture frame, gets a warning not to put it on the scale, and puts the stupid thing on the scale!!!!!!
This went on 4 times each time took 10 mins. to get straightened out. geez what a moron! then there are the people who don't know how to use the self checkout at all and stand there and wait for someone to hold their had through the whole process!
As you can tell I have a lot of grocery store rage!