To wonder why people fuck about so much?

Yanbu. I was waiting in a queue earlier, the cashier was almost asleep, slowing moving every product while the queue got longer.

She was a young lady with no speed at all.
She'd never be employed in lidl or aldi, speed servers.

I'm sorry if I offended anyone re toilet faffing. I did say that of course sometimes you need longer - including me! Biological/medical needs are fair enough of course.

It's just when the people in all 4 cubicles take ages - and then the next 4 take ages - it's a fair bet that at least some of them are faffers.

But would it take you around every aisle? Or can you pick sections?

I have often said that supermarkets should have a conveyer belt going round all the aisles so you have to grab what you want straight away, no messing about. If you aren't quick enough, you have to go all the way round and back to the start again. It would speed things up massively and make people more focused and efficient.

What really boils my goat is fast food restaurants, and yet there's a queue! WTF.
Self check out tills when every f'ing item pings up a sorry excuse not to do what it's supposed to and the endless wait for the harassed worker that has to attend every f'ing til.

That’s said with a huge sigh, it’s not meant with an aggressive tone. Most of the time I’m so tired I want to cry, I just need people to not delight in making the day harder.

@zezet I’m thrilled for the people you know who ‘act busy’. Same as @HereBeFuckery i work more than full time, have kids, pets, oh and 2 80-somethings next door who refuse all but the minimum of care since the family should rally round. If I have 30 mins spare in my day I don’t really want to lose 3 mins of it watching some kid who is 15 years off having their own bank card ‘practicing’ at the till, or counting out pennies when people are waiting. A bit of chit chat is normal, people not walking at sprint pace is normal. People fucking about when they can see others are waiting is selfish.

It's the lack of consideration I can't stand.

You can do what you like in an empty shop. No judgement here. Take 50 years counting your change by all means, change your mind as many times as you like, treat the cashier to a consensual lap dance, I don't care.

But as soon as it starts to affect others, please just have some god damn consideration. Just like you wouldn't take all the food at a buffet, don't take over the entire shop with your fuckery. It's not all about you. You live in a society.

Here's my own pet peeve, several cafes near me have the menu ON THE WALL. Usually on a chalkboard thing behind the counter. It is clearly visible to the entire queue. Whhhyyy can't you decide what you want during the 10 minutes you are standing in the queue, and sort with your family what they want during this time? You are doing nothing else while standing there? It's already been painfully slow waiting for Janet on the till to take everyone's order, why are you making it worse when you get to the front and go "I'll... have.... ummm...." then turn to your kids and ask them individually what they want, promoting them to go "uuuummmmmmmmm"
Please stop. Please. It's making me dread the summer holidays where everywhere will be full of overly relaxed hippie families that do this.

I don't think it's a matter of lots of work as much as of priorities. (And as I said, I am not sure I DO waste that much time. I said it doesn't bother me when people do and I strenuously oppose the duty to be efficient.)

Not that it's a competition, but my work/life obligations are, to most everyone who knows me, considered very high. I don't think I have more time to waste than others; in fact, I know I have a lot less time than the majority of the population.

I admire my boss for this too. He is crazily busy in an absolute top job, but if you catch him, he will never give you a sense of being rushed. I know he is! But he is not making his stress anyone's problem.

I see little correlation in real life between how busy people act and how busy they are.

Omg this

YANBU. Waited endlessly for ice-creams the other day as people at the front of the queue stood looking at the board and umming and ahhing about which flavour to choose. The board with all the flavours on was clearly visible from
the queue! And if after a full 5 minutes pass and you then dare to inch closer to the counter turn and look at you as if you’re a slug or something.
Do you live in a small, slow place? I do and mostly it’s lovely but the pace of life in glacial and that has a lot to do with I think. I was in a city for the first time in ages recently and loved the swiftness of everyday life!

It’s not a choice. If you have a busy life, you have to be time efficient. If you let your toddler pay, wasting a part of my very limited free time, I will silently and furiously judge you as a massive, annoyingly entitled faffer. I’m delighted you have time to fanny about. I don’t. Go fanny about somewhere you aren’t holding others up. I work 60 hours a week, have an elderly mother who needs a lot of support and a child to ferry about the place. I don’t find your farting about adorable or mindful, I find it rude and unnecessary.
I would never say this or indicate it to your face.

I'm certainly not as impatient as some here but one thing that does get to me is couples grocery shopping together where they have a conference about every purchase. I can't understand it. If they live together do they not already have a system and preferred brands. It seems unlikely there is a large number of starry eyed new couples moving in together past retirement age in my local area.

SockFluffInTheBath

I was thinking more of the person who said they can walk up get checked in at the airport in a minute etc. They’re all getting on the same plane so for that amount of time there’s no use in being stressed etc, if you know what I mean? But yes I get what you mean!

That’s not the same, you can tell a fuckabouter from a nicedayouter from a person not able to march along. I’m sorry if you feel any of the grr-ing on this thread is directed at people like yourself, it’s really not.

I am not sure I waste all that much time but I certainly consider it my and everyone's right to do so. I believe maximum speed is just that, not something you have to aim for in all circumstances. I believe toddlers can practice with bank cards. I believe slow change in a queue is fine. I believe this obligation of time efficiency is a scrounge in the world. We don't need to go through life efficiently.

I walk very slowly, due to long covid related mobility issues, and I have IBS, lymphocytic colitis and difficulty getting on and off the loo, so I know I am the perfect nightmare to other people. I do try to make sure people can get past me, if I’m walking, and I am as quick as I can be in the loos, but basically I just don’t go out much.

I think the trouble is some people have more on their plate. Yes, we all have the same 24 hours (I hate that trope), but we don’t all have the same list of stuff to get done in that 24 hours. A little consideration that not everyone has the time to waft around goes a long way.

It has probably already been mentioned loads but - people walking slowly and absent mindedly in the airport. Move!!! This really isn't the place to walk around leisurely!

I'm going to sound like a twat but I use it as an opportunity to practise mindfulness. I'll deliberately focus on where I feel frustrated in my body and observe it.

Then when that doesn't work I call everyone twats in my head.

Ps a lot of this thread shows where all the road rage, lack of conversation and general anger that is endemic nowadays in society comes from-the ‘I want it done and I want it done now, what the hell is the matter with those people conversing with the check in lady? ‘

Omg yes! Sunday is definitely man goes shopping day! They leave their trolley blocking a section of the aisle while they wander off to another section of the aisle to spend ages looking at god knows what. Then come back with a handful of food and walk all the way back to their trolley that I have pushed even further away from them so that I can look at the damn items on the shelf where they left their trolley blocking them! Just take the damn trolley with you!! Ffs!
Or they go with their wife/ partner gf and get a trolley each so we have the wife/gf/ partner with a trolley and he also has a trolley of his own… and then proceeds to block the aisle with it and wander off to look for food somewhere else!! Jesus wept!

Life can be frustrating but really the only solution is to not let it bother you. There is literally no benefit in getting wound up. My mum is horrendous for this; any small delay and she starts overflowing with hyperbolic comments about his long we’ve had to wait. I’m all for getting things done quickly if I can but if I am thwarted, I try and chill. It’s the only way.

As a checkout operator can I just say that while people hate the faffers and those slow to pay etc, nothing to me is worse than the person behind who makes faces, keeps looking at the time on the phone or watch and then makes a comment or starts throwing their shopping into a bag angrily, making everyone else feel uncomfortable. Give me an apologetic faffer any day.

And yes someone can be in a hurry with good reason etc etc but at this stage I’ve a number of customers I pray won’t come to my till because I know no matter how friendly I am there’ll be a comment or they’ll stand in someone’s personal space to make them hurry etc etc

Perhaps they have a connecting flight on the one ticket.