Your best story from the grocery store line?

[benenglish]

There are a couple of HEB stories on here, so I thought I'd offer one.

When I was about 8 or 9, my mom and I were in line to check out at the local HEB with a full cart of groceries. Ahead of us was a woman about the same age and size as my mom. The lady had a kid in her cart that was maybe 3 years old at most. The kid was crying. The lady was trying to get the kid to shut up, failing, and getting more angry and frustrated every second. Eventually, she started smacking the kid. At first it was lightly, then harder when the kid didn't shut up. We're talking slaps to the face. The kid cries harder with each slap. Eventually she hits the kid so hard that even I, in my little-kid state of obliviousness, was mortified. Everybody in every line noticed and stared.

With everyone in the store watching, my mom tapped the lady on the shoulder. When the lady turned around, my mom swung her entire body with all of her strength into an open-handed slap to the face of the lady with the kid. I can still hear the sound of that impact. The lady fell flat on the floor. My mom leaned over her and spat out, in the angriest voice I ever heard from her: "How do YOU like it?"

Then mom took me by the hand and we walked quietly but quickly out the door, leaving our groceries behind. No one lifted a finger to stop her but I guess mom didn't want to stick around in case the woman decided to call the police, anyway.

That might just be my best "What I Saw In The Grocery Store Line" story.

What's yours?

 

[BIGPAPIGREG]

 

[breakingcontact]

Are people by you total nazis about having to use the plastic order dividers? I dont know if its a Cali thing or a TX thing. Like they wont even put their stuff behind mine on the belt if i dont put the divider down and if i dont do it they do it grumpily.

 

[Vaquero]

Are people by you total nazis about having to use the plastic order dividers? I dont know if its a Cali thing or a TX thing. Like they wont even put their stuff behind mine on the belt if i dont put the divider down and if i dont do it they do it grumpily.

Nope.

 

[Phototex]

Good for your Mom.

 

[breakingcontact]

Walmart stories should be disallowed from this thread. Years ago in an Aldis i yelled at a woman for being cruel to her little kid. She shut up and took it because she knew she was wrong.

 

[okie556]

Are people by you total nazis about having to use the plastic order dividers? I dont know if its a Cali thing or a TX thing. Like they wont even put their stuff behind mine on the belt if i dont put the divider down and if i dont do it they do it grumpily.

Did have a brand new checker at our Walmart pickup the divider thing and look and look for bar code while trying to scan it. Swear this actually happened!

 

[Moonpie]

This one occurred when my daughter was about 3.5yrs old.

One day I took my little snowflake with me to the grocery store.
Ahead of us in the check-out line was this very large robust older woman.
This lady had a very heavy growth of hair on her upper lip. Fact is she had a freakin' moustache!
The itty-bitty heathen was enthralled and kept staring a this woman, leaning her head one way and then another pondering this unusual sight.
The woman was very nice. She was talking to daughter, asking her name etc.


The daughter turned to me and in a very loud voice and asks, "Daddy, why does the fat lady have a moustache?"


I about died.
And yeah everybody else in line laughed too. Except for the Moustache Lady.

 

[benenglish]

...total nazi... about ... the plastic order dividers...

That might be me.

If I'm in front of you, "I don't need this space any more so you're welcome to use it" seems, to me, like a nice thing to say to people. And if you're at the belt in front of me, I won't take up your space until you explicitly release it...by putting down that little divider.

Unreasonable?

 

[breakingcontact]

That might be me.

If I'm in front of you, "I don't need this space any more so you're welcome to use it" seems, to me, like a nice thing to say to people. And if you're at the belt in front of me, I won't take up your space until you explicitly release it...by putting down that little divider.

Unreasonable?

Its a very weird social ineraction. Stores should improve that. Im sure they lose sales to people out there who just cant deal with it. Close confines too.

 

[benenglish]

Close confines too.

There's a trick to the "close confines" problem, if your grocery store is laid out with the carts inside, just across from the check out. Load your stuff onto the belt from in front of your cart. Then let the cart stay between you and the person behind you during your transaction. The bagger can put your stuff in one of the loose carts on the floor. Your cart gets the groceries from the person behind you. During the entire process, your cart keeps the person behind you from crowding you.

Unfortunately, most newer supermarkets aren't laid out that way anymore; the carts are kept outside. For that reason, I haven't been able to use this technique in a while. The last Kroger near me that had such a layout just closed.

 

[Army 1911]

I tend to get very loud and obnoxious when someone in front of me at the express lane is checking out with a full shopping cart of way more than the posted X amount of items. If a store manager comes over (happened more than once) I start on them about their rules are posted and they should enforce them or take down the signs.

I have been asked to leave twice. Still it feels good to vent.

 

[TreyG-20]

I believe people should be fined for leaving their shopping carts in the parking spaces. There are cart collections all over the parking lots, yet these people are to lazy to walk an extra 50 feet to return their carts. I have come out of stores before to see carts that have rolled into my truck and behind it because of these fuckers.

 

[benenglish]

I believe people should be fined for leaving their shopping carts in the parking spaces.

You realize there are chains that do something like that, right? Aldi, for one, does this. You have to use a quarter to get a shopping cart and to get the quarter back, you must return the cart to the front of the store. You could, if you wanted, abandon the cart in the parking lot but that would cost you a quarter.

I actually like the cart system and the paper towels at Aldi. Everything else about the place is lousy.

 

[TreyG-20]

You realize there are chains that do something like that, right? Aldi, for one, does this. You have to use a quarter to get a shopping cart and to get the quarter back, you must return the cart to the front of the store. You could, if you wanted, abandon the cart in the parking lot but that would cost you a quarter.

I actually like the cart system and the paper towels at Aldi. Everything else about the place is lousy.

Never seen one before, but I like the concept. Most people I see won't even bend over to pick up a quarter on the ground, much less return a basket for one. It should cost 5 bucks.

 

[Big Phil]

As it pertains to shopping carts, I learned to be a little more forgiving the first time I went to the store with my infant daughter. I put the groceries in the car, then her, then realized how far away the cart collector was. So I left it. It's not always as simple as laziness.
I do realize I could have gone about my unloading process differently but when you have kids it's not always black and white.

 

[Wild hair]

As it pertains to shopping carts, I learned to be a little more forgiving the first time I went to the store with my infant daughter. I put the groceries in the car, then her, then realized how far away the cart collector was. So I left it. It's not always as simple as laziness.
I do realize I could have gone about my unloading process differently but when you have kids it's not always black and white.

This^^^^^ it's so true!

squirrel!

 

[TreyG-20]

I can understand that even though it is very easy process to fix. Carry the kid or park close to a collector. If you left and later found out your cart rolled off into another car and scratched it, would you feel responsible?

 

[Wild hair]

I can understand that even though it is very easy process to fix. Carry the kid or park close to a collector. If you left and later found out your cart rolled off into another car and scratched it, would you feel responsible?

Yes, I would be guilty. But I also understand having a new baby and trying to juggle all that comes with learning "New" habits! The panic of being in a dark parking lot, panicked, trying to get your purse, child and groceries in your car, and watching around to to be sure that no one is sneaking up on you....that basket is the least of your concerns.

squirrel!

 

[TreyG-20]

If your that paranoid there is people who can assist you if you ask for it. They even take the basket after helping you.