Supermarket etiquette

[Stormwhale]

I'm pretty sure I'm nbu, but I just want to check. Very minor, definitely not life changing issue.

I was at Lidl the other day and it was really busy. The staff opened another checkout, and I joined the queue for that one. A man then comes along with a full trolley and pushes it past me, so he is in front of me in the queue. At this point I say "excuse me", but he keeps pushing it forwards, meaning other people in the queue are forced to move aside too.

I then said "excuse me, I'm in the queue". A woman at the front of the queue then said, "he's with me" and he gave me a dirty look and said, "we obviously need the trolley".

That's not cool right? Surely you wait until you have the trolley ready before joining a queue? It's not on to send someone ahead to hold a place in the queue, right?

[HooplaLoopla1]

Why not?

[DonkeyOaty]

Best thing to do is just channel Elsa and Let It Go.

[WhooooAmI24601]

Nope YANBU they were totally rude. You don't save spaces in supermarket queues. And if you need to run back for something you forgot, you'd better move faster than Bolt.

[Stormwhale]

Hoopla Because it's a supermarket. You have to take the items to the checkout to complete the process. Standing in the queue without any items isn't right! He also had to push a trolley through a small space that was already full of people and trolleys. It was a douchey move.

[Screwinthetuna]

Not cool

[ArchNotImpudent]

I agree with you. I've no problem with someone sending their shopping partner off to pick up a couple of items they've suddenly realised they'd forgotten while queuing, but not a whole trolley full.

[Stormwhale]

Yes whoo. The flash may not be fast enough for me.

[AwaywiththePixies27]

YNBU. It is cheeky. I politely let someone go in front of me the other week as I thought the man waiting in front of me was her husband. She stood talking to him for like a minute before she strut past both of us to the checkout (was in pound land) leaving both of us as she sauntered out the shop after paying for her goods.

I didn't know whether to be pissed off at her or admire her brazenness to be honest!

But yes, what DonkeyOaty said. Let it go.

[jay55]

I hate this and get full of rage so shop online.

[LuxCoDespondent]

YANBU. Placeholding is not acceptable at a supermarket. Unfortunately staff would rather not risk causing a scene with people who have already demonstrated themselves to be unreasonable.

Perhaps you could have (verbally) been more aggressive though? They were being a c-word, so deserve to be called it!

[SantinoRice]

YANBU. Also it'd be a total ballache trying to make space on the belt for all the stuff. They sound quite stupid.

[Stormwhale]

It's obviously not going to keep me up at night, I was just curious as to whether this is a done thing or if they were as knobbish as I thought.

[JigglyTuff]

No, that's poor etiquette and they know it. Also, Lidl/Aldi work on queue length to see when they need to open another till so they are fucking up their system too.

[Stormwhale]

Also, I was the only one to say anything at all, and he was so abrupt in his manner towards me it made me doubt myself afterwards. I actually felt a little embarrassed. It was an odd situation.

[ThoraGruntwhistle]

Yanbu, that is bloody rude and not what one does at all. No trolley, no place in queue.
And another thing - if you have a couple of items and there's a trolley unloading in front of you, you WAIT until the trolley shopper says 'you've only got a couple of things, do you want to go in front of me?' or similar. You don't just queue jump and push in front of them because you're so much more busy and important. I'm talking to you, woman in Aldi yesterday.

[SauvignonBlanche]

YWNBU, you choose which queue to join by looking at how much stuff people have, someone suddenly acquiring a whole trolley load is cheating.

I had a good etiquette dilemma today, the assistant in Tesco told me I hadn't spent enough to qualify for free parking (£15 min) I explained there must be a mistake as the washing powder was £6 and some primer for DD was £10 and I had other stuff.

She said the primer was only scanning at £1 and suggested I get another to qualify for free parking! I didn't feel bad as I did tell them.

[Stormwhale]

Thora, your Aldi lady can join my Lidl couple in the pit of shame.

Sauvignon what a bargain!!!

[GrainOfSalt]

Gosh this is genius, I will send DS to save a place in the queue for me in future

[Chloe84]

Wow, Sauvignon , what primer was it, maybe we can all get it for a £1

[ToastVacuum]

Also, when the shop is busy and they open another till, why is it always the people at the back of the original queue who go first to the newly opened till? Can't they ask people to stay in order so those who've waited longest are served first?

[ThoraGruntwhistle]

Yes yes yes ToastVacuum! I bloody hate that, it's so rude! The way they practically run to the newly opened one and get served and are out of the door whilst people who were there first are still waiting The staff should say it directly to people higher in the queue and invite them to come to the till they're opening.

[woodhill]

They do tend to do that in Waitrose, usually to the 2nd person in the queue but Lidl is a free for all.

I suppose at least they opened another till. I know it's cheap but this sort of rudeness from the old cow place holding would make me furious yanbu.

[littlefrog3]

Yes she was rude. Cheeky entitled-to old moo!

[littlefrog3]

Yeah it's rude. Cheeky entitled-to old moo! I do like Lidl, and Aldi, but I hate that whether you have 3 items or 93, you have to join the same queue.

The other week I was waiting behind 4 people (one chap being served, one with about 7 things in his basket, one with 4 things in his basket, and one with a trolley about half full (who was behind the one being served.)

Well this cheeky bitch (55 ish,) said to the man with the trolley (who was 2nd in the queue,) 'scuse me, I only have 3 items, and I am in a rush, is it OK if I go in front of you?' He said 'umm OK,'

As she started to come forward I said 'Er NO actually.' She looked stunned and said 'HE has said I can go in front of him.' I said, 'yes, and in order to do that, you will need to cut in front of me and the 2 people in front of me, and I am certainly not letting you in front of me.' 'But I only have 3 items!' she snapped. 'So you do!' I said. One LESS than me! Now beat it coz you ain't coming in front of me.'

She then said to the cashier 'the man in front of this woman said I can go in front of him, so I can can't I?' The cashier said 'I'm sorry but if the other people in front of you say you can't cut in front of them, then you'll have to stay put...'

I then turned my back. The woman said 'I am entitled to go in front!'

Yeah she was 'entitled' all right!

I looked back half a minute later, and she'd left the shop. Silly cow.