Slowdown in the express lane

It really annoys me when people unload more than 10 items in the express lane at the grocery store. Especially when they have some bizarre justification for it ("I know there are 15, but several are the same item, so it doesn't count."). It bothers me because I did the same thing years ago and now I actually wait in the longer lines because it seems only fair. And it bothers me because when I'm in the express lane it usually means I'm in a hurry.

What are your grocery store pet peeves?

Comments

[Goldberry]

My biggest pet peeve EVER in a grocery store are those people who can't seem to push their carts in a straight line. I hate dodging those people. Or those people who have no clue of anything around them because they are only concerned with themselves. They are NOT the only people in the store. Whew, I feel better :O)

[Hope Wilbanks]

As a former express lane cashier, I can say that sometimes it bugs the cashier, and sometimes it doesn't. :) Sound crazy? It is. But there were days when it was so slow on the E.L. that I didn't care if someone came up with two buggies full of groceries--I'd check them out anyway. Sometimes, too, the managers send people with more than 10 items to the lanes if it's busy. When that happens, other people just automatically fall in line, too because they see others doing it. You know, the old, "If everyone else cuts a finger off, will you do it, too?" thing. :)

As a customer, I try hard not to go in the express lanes period, unless I only have two or three items in my hand. It's not really quicker anyways, if you ask me. ;)

[VJ]

A mother loudly disciplining her child/ren in the middle of an aisle. It’s embarrassing to me and to the child. That’s one reason I use sign language with Tony, so if he needs correction, I can give it to him quietly, and so only he and I will understand. If the off-chance that someone who knows ASL walks by, they still won’t understand what we were talking about because we have our own dialect….

[Robin]

Wow! This really got people talking!!
I was shopping one night years ago and I was in the 10 items or less aisle. The woman in front had 6,932 items!!!!!!! Well, 6,930 items were baby food jars so she looked at us all and said, "The baby food is just ONE item!!" She was lucky the 15 people behind her didn't hunt her down and hurl her jars across the parking lot!!!
The cashier didn't say anything. I think if a customer is in violation of the 10 items or less policy the cashier should tell them to kindly get out of that lane. I know they can't with the "Customer first" policy but why do I have to be inconvenienced?????

[Helene]

I have just one major grocery store peeve- it's called "shopping" but unfortunately it's a necessary evil I can't avoid.

PS: I also hate the frquent shooper/reward card system. Yes, Big Brother starts at the root of it all - our stomaches.

[Christie]

Do not, GOD DAMN IT, DO NOT check out in the self-check if you don't know what you're doing!!!! If I have to stand behind one more person who is trying to figure out what to press when it says "enter store code" I might scream. YOU DO NOT WORK THERE, YOU DON'T KNOW THE CODE!!

I also hate the ads on the grocery store floor. I always think I ran over something.

[Angie]

When there are a hundred people in one lane, but they refuse to open another lane, people who bring their uncontrolled kids into the grocery store and they are running around my cart and putting things in it and nobody is saying anything to them, and when people take things and then decide they don't want them and put them down where they don't belong.

[Julie]

I blogged about my grocery store peeve not too long ago :) For me, it's those people that use the shopping carts that have the child seat attachments on them for their 1 ten year old child that doesn't need a ride or restraint. Thus, I with my 4 children ages 8, 4, 2 & 1, have to push one cart in front of me, to seat my children (the younger 3) and pull another behind me to fill with groceries. This extends my shopping trip by at least an hour and I hate grocery shopping to begin with. LOL Don't even get me started on the grocery store :)

[Betty]

I'd say that one of my major pet peeves is when sales items are not coded into their computer system! And, this seems to happen on a regular basis too. Sometimes I don't realize that I wasn't given the sales items until I am already 1/2 way home and don't want to head back to the store to get them to fix it.

Even when I do catch the problem when I'm at the counter, it infuriates me when the person behind the counter insists that that item is not on sale -- even when I have the sales ad that proves without a doubt that that item is on sale!

[Busy Mom]

I can't stand displays in the middle of the aisle!!

[heather]

I'd have to agree that's pretty obnoxious when people do that. I also hate it when people won't move their carts are you're trying to get through.

[AGK]

People who don't pull their carts to the side when browsing shelves, and instead block the whole aisle and act like they don't notice traffic is backing up.

As a former cashier, I have plenty of rants about customers and lame express lane excuses ;)

[kristal]

I am always very aware of my kids and what they are doing in the store. We have seven, and my kids know what they can and can't do. I usually have the two youngest in carts and the other five line up behind me. I get frustrated when I am behind someone with one or two kids who don't behave, especially when the parent just ignores them. Yesterday, a little boy was knocking food off of the shelves and throwing boxes. His mother was complaining to me (while completely ignoring her son) about how hard it was to control children. I was sitting there thinking 'try it with seven'! It never fails that those same parents will make comments to me about the number of kids we have.