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AIBU?

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Original poster

To wonder why people fuck about so much?

510 replies

comeandhaveteawithme · 23/06/2025 14:40

My local skip is a very busy place. There is often a huge queue of cars and once you are in the queue, you absolutely cannot leave, there is no way of driving out of it or turning around due to the way it's structured. You're going through the skip, and that's that.

Today, I was in the queue of doom and a worker walked along the line of cars and told everyone that they just needed to use the crusher before they could let anyone through and to do that, they needed to wait until the cars already parked up and using the skips, had all left, then they could use the crusher and start letting people in again. It was my lunchbreak so I was in a bit of a rush, but nothing I could do.

But watching the people already using the skip was so irritating. They knew there was a line of approximately 20-30 cars waiting, they knew no one else could enter until every car had gone, but they all sauntered back and forth with their stuff from their boots, they stopped and chatted to one another, one guy had a quick cigarette before getting in his car, another sat in the drivers seat and did something on his phone before slowly putting on his seatbelt and leaving...

I just cannot understand people who are so incredibly slow and insist on doing unnecessary things in busy places where people are clearly waiting to use the thing they are using.

The other day, a waitress bringing our food to out table stopped mid-way and chatted to a customer she knew, while holding our plates of food, letting them get cold - why? talk on the way back if you must!

And the amount of people I see letting their toddlers use their debit cards to pay while smiling indulgently as the kids drops the card or taps it wrong with a queue of people waiting, or who stand at the till transferring money, or ask the bus driver an endless series of questions with a whole busload of people waiting, plus the 50 cars behind the bus....

If you are one of these people who fuck about, why? and are you also irritated by the fucking about or am I just far too angry?

OP posts:
nomas · 23/06/2025 21:55

ThisOchreScroller · 23/06/2025 14:45

YANBU. I hate it too. Not so bothered about things like workers chatting on tills and stuff which seems to wind up others (because I know what working in retail can be like), but it's the ones in queues with either absolutely no self-awareness or an extremely high level of selfishness! My pet hate is people who park at Pay at Pump and then wander into the shop to get chewing gum.

Edited

All the local petrol stations near me are 90% Pay at Pump, so you can't really choose to park at a Pay at Till because they're always in demand.

SockFluffInTheBath · 23/06/2025 21:51

CurlyhairedAssassin · 23/06/2025 21:50

My theory is that they know EXACTLY what they're doing and get a sick little thrill from the feeling of control it gives them. I imagine them to be either inwardly or outwardly smirking as they think to themselves "I'll go when I fucking want to."

Show quote history

Oh yes, we call them the people who have no one to talk to at home, out and desperate for some attention.

CurlyhairedAssassin · 23/06/2025 21:50

ohtowinthelottery · 23/06/2025 14:47

Same at the petrol station. Queue of cars waiting to fill up but they go in to pay, faff about choosing sweets, pay then stroll back to their cars then pratt about putting their cards back into their purse/wallet, check their phones, look in their vanity mirrors before finally getting around to putting their seat belts on, starting the engine and moving off the pumps.

Sort your sh*t out elsewhere not at the petrol pump.

My theory is that they know EXACTLY what they're doing and get a sick little thrill from the feeling of control it gives them. I imagine them to be either inwardly or outwardly smirking as they think to themselves "I'll go when I fucking want to."

SockFluffInTheBath · 23/06/2025 21:47

Small co-op in the next village over, tiny car park. Invariably women standing chatting by their cars, holding their shopping, seemingly oblivious to the fact no one else can park. Get in your car and fuck off home, call Betty later, or take her home for a chat, but fuck off out of the parking spaces FFS.

Pedallleur · 23/06/2025 21:47

Self scan. 100 items. Trolley, scan, place in bag. Stop to look at phone. Hold phone in one hand whilst moving item from trolley, scan, place in bag.
Pay at pump? No I will go and pay inside where I might buy some overpriced pop/crisps/milk/bread. Tip? Agree with the op. In shops, card not working, wrong pin. Kids putting things on the conveyor. I try to think it's just people doing what people do but sometimes I feel the rage.

goingroundthebendatthisrate · 23/06/2025 21:46

comeandhaveteawithme · 23/06/2025 21:43

There wasn't a queue when I went in. I went past and thought "great, there's no queue, I'll dive in there and get rid of this shite in the back while it's quiet".

I didn't account for them needing to use the crusher and having to get all the cars gone before they could, that's never happened before.

That's when I noticed every one of those cars contained a faffer, while a huge queue started to build up behind me.

Show quote history

Well you'll know for next time. Onwards & upwards.

Original poster
comeandhaveteawithme · 23/06/2025 21:43

goingroundthebendatthisrate · 23/06/2025 21:39

The waitress part of the story is poor - she should not have waited to bring your food to you. The rest of it is on you, particularly as you start by saying "My local skip is a very busy place. There is often a huge queue of cars" and then told us you chose to go on your lunch break.

There wasn't a queue when I went in. I went past and thought "great, there's no queue, I'll dive in there and get rid of this shite in the back while it's quiet".

I didn't account for them needing to use the crusher and having to get all the cars gone before they could, that's never happened before.

That's when I noticed every one of those cars contained a faffer, while a huge queue started to build up behind me.

OP posts:
ItDoesntHaveToBeASnowman · 23/06/2025 21:40

The defensiveness on this thread is quite funny.

Original poster
comeandhaveteawithme · 23/06/2025 21:40

zigazigaaaing · 23/06/2025 18:48

Wow, I didn’t realise we’re now not allowed to speak to anyone in public now. So an elderly person or a teenager can’t reassure themselves they’re going in the right direction on a bus? You need to lighten up

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You can say "are you going to such-and-such a place" in about three seconds as you get on, if you need reassurance. The driver will give a nod, or say "no, you want the number 5". Done.

Expecting the driver to plan your entire journey for you is rude and unreasonable. The driver gets in trouble if he is late and the passengers have places to be, as does the traffic building up behind the bus.

Maybe it annoys me more because I live in a touristy place and I see this constantly, especially in the summer. People forget that not everyone is on their jollies and people also live and work in this town.

OP posts:
goingroundthebendatthisrate · 23/06/2025 21:39

The waitress part of the story is poor - she should not have waited to bring your food to you. The rest of it is on you, particularly as you start by saying "My local skip is a very busy place. There is often a huge queue of cars" and then told us you chose to go on your lunch break.

goingroundthebendatthisrate · 23/06/2025 21:36

ohtowinthelottery · 23/06/2025 14:47

Same at the petrol station. Queue of cars waiting to fill up but they go in to pay, faff about choosing sweets, pay then stroll back to their cars then pratt about putting their cards back into their purse/wallet, check their phones, look in their vanity mirrors before finally getting around to putting their seat belts on, starting the engine and moving off the pumps.

Sort your sh*t out elsewhere not at the petrol pump.

Alternatively, you could visit a petrol station where the shopping facilities are limited and therefore less likely to have people hanging about. You could also allow more time, based on your lived experiences of knowing home long the process is going to take.

Like you, it is my choice to own and travel by car. Therefore I take full responsibility for parking it, and plan journeys accordingly, to avoid hold-ups, busy junctions, delays at petrol stations etc. I could avoid it all by not having a car - I choose to have a car.

Fundayout2025 · 23/06/2025 21:31

The buggy brigade are the people that irritate me 3 or 4 of them blocking doorways, supermarket aisles etc with their buggies gossiping

Original poster
comeandhaveteawithme · 23/06/2025 21:29

MsTamborineMan · 23/06/2025 21:20

The absolute worse for faffing is men in the supermarket.

Sunday seems to be man goes shopping day in my local supermarket. Apparently these men have never been to a supermarket before. They wander aimlessly, stare blankly at the cheese section with their trolley blocking the aisle. Get out their list, do we need bread for our family of 5?

They have no awareness of themselves, also no awareness of you. And finally when it comes to the check out try and barge you out the way after blocking every single bloody aisle. Only to be confused all over again by the supermarket next Sunday

Absolute nightmare. Genuinely wonder how some people get anything done in life.

A man closed a sliding supermarket fridge door on my arm the other day. Presumably it was in his way, so he simply slid it over without looking, while staring at the cheese (why is it always cheese? can men not buy cheese?)
I loudly said "ow" and he glanced up and gawped at me, then shuffled off.

WTF.

OP posts:
Original poster
comeandhaveteawithme · 23/06/2025 21:25

MsTamborineMan · 23/06/2025 21:13

The other day I was stuck behind an elderly lady I a supermarket, with her daughter and I assume grandson (both adults). She had about £20 worth of shopping, she kept trying her card on the machine and it wanted her to put her pin in. She didn't know her pin so kept trying contactless. She tried about 5 times.

Then the shop worker is trying to help her, does she know her pin. No. Does she have another card. That also doesn't work. She'll just try contactless again. Obviously it doesn't work. She thinks she might know it but can't see the pin machine. Perhaps the shopkeeper could input it for her? It's not the right pin. She's written her pin down somewhere. Does she know where? No. She's found a pin, but doesn't know which card it's for.

At any point did either of the adults with her step into help? No. Did either offer to pay for her shopping? No. You'd think you would know your elderly mother is getting a bit confused and maybe be prepared? The poor shopkeeper was trying so hard and they were just standing their like bloody lemons

I was about a couple people back in the queue, otherwise I would have paid for her shopping. Eventually the woman said "perhaps we could put it on my card mum". Yes perhaps you fucking should ffs

FFS.

I once watched an old woman on crutches get out of her car and fill up with petrol and then hobble into the shop to pay, stand, probably painfully, in a long queue, and then hobble back again. All the while a young adult sat in the passenger seat on her phone.

OP posts:
IpsyUpsyDaisyDoos · 23/06/2025 21:23

comeandhaveteawithme · 23/06/2025 21:21

I do have to defend tradies. They are generally not from the local area (most cover a large area) so probably don't know there's a big, free car park nearby. They also need to sit somewhere. Protocol dictates they can't really sit in the customers house and if they sit in their van outside the customer's house the customer will 9 times out of 10 curtain twitch and then post about them on mumsnet. They'd probably sit in the sandwich shop if it had a few seats but as they often use lunchtime to call customers, GDPR means they can't do that in public, so they need the privacy of their van.
They're generally in a rush to get back to work so won't be there too long.

Show quote history

You know you can ask your satnav (Google maps or similar) to find you a car park or a park or something like that? So with a minute of organisation or forethought they could find that place to sit that isn't stopping a small business get custom.

Edited because autocorrect changed satnav to Santa and as funny as I found it, it made no sense.

Original poster
comeandhaveteawithme · 23/06/2025 21:21

CheeseWisely · 23/06/2025 21:08

The closest nice sandwich shop to my work has 4 parking spaces. The builders (it’s always builders) who park up in their vans, go in to get their sandwiches, and then sit in their fucking van eating it and drinking their tea while other people wait to park! Not just a pain for the people waiting to park, also presumably loss of business for the shop. And all the while there’s a big free public car park and actual park about 2 minutes drive away that they could go have their lunch in Angry

I do have to defend tradies. They are generally not from the local area (most cover a large area) so probably don't know there's a big, free car park nearby. They also need to sit somewhere. Protocol dictates they can't really sit in the customers house and if they sit in their van outside the customer's house the customer will 9 times out of 10 curtain twitch and then post about them on mumsnet. They'd probably sit in the sandwich shop if it had a few seats but as they often use lunchtime to call customers, GDPR means they can't do that in public, so they need the privacy of their van.
They're generally in a rush to get back to work so won't be there too long.

OP posts:
MsTamborineMan · 23/06/2025 21:20

The absolute worse for faffing is men in the supermarket.

Sunday seems to be man goes shopping day in my local supermarket. Apparently these men have never been to a supermarket before. They wander aimlessly, stare blankly at the cheese section with their trolley blocking the aisle. Get out their list, do we need bread for our family of 5?

They have no awareness of themselves, also no awareness of you. And finally when it comes to the check out try and barge you out the way after blocking every single bloody aisle. Only to be confused all over again by the supermarket next Sunday

Absolute nightmare. Genuinely wonder how some people get anything done in life.

TigerDroveAgain · 23/06/2025 21:18

I’m with (most of) you on this.

Can I add: people who hold things up in park and rides because they refuse to use a parking app (my phone is for phone calls ONLY) and then can’t use the machine either so get everyone involved.

and my absolute favourite: the couple in the pub who insist on trying tiny tasters of the landlord’s finest ales before deciding after several minutes on two halves of cider. Just buy the frigging cider!

ItDoesntHaveToBeASnowman · 23/06/2025 21:16

Stop bumping my chair then.

IpsyUpsyDaisyDoos · 23/06/2025 21:15

ItDoesntHaveToBeASnowman · 23/06/2025 20:57

Slightly different. But I get the fucking rage with people on public transport who cannot Sit. The Fuck. Down. For Five. Minutes.

I choose my train seat, grab my water and book and headphones, bag goes up on the rack, and I’m good for the two-hour journey.

But there’s always someone who is up and down like a fucking Jack rabbit. Rummaging in their bag. Toilet. Rummaging. Away looking for the trolley. Rummaging again. Banging your chair and bumping your elbow every single time.

SIT THE FUCK DOWN.

I have bad knees and hips. We have severe arthritis in our family. Sitting for extended periods hurts. So we move.

Sorry my pain irritates you.

MsTamborineMan · 23/06/2025 21:13

The other day I was stuck behind an elderly lady I a supermarket, with her daughter and I assume grandson (both adults). She had about £20 worth of shopping, she kept trying her card on the machine and it wanted her to put her pin in. She didn't know her pin so kept trying contactless. She tried about 5 times.

Then the shop worker is trying to help her, does she know her pin. No. Does she have another card. That also doesn't work. She'll just try contactless again. Obviously it doesn't work. She thinks she might know it but can't see the pin machine. Perhaps the shopkeeper could input it for her? It's not the right pin. She's written her pin down somewhere. Does she know where? No. She's found a pin, but doesn't know which card it's for.

At any point did either of the adults with her step into help? No. Did either offer to pay for her shopping? No. You'd think you would know your elderly mother is getting a bit confused and maybe be prepared? The poor shopkeeper was trying so hard and they were just standing their like bloody lemons

I was about a couple people back in the queue, otherwise I would have paid for her shopping. Eventually the woman said "perhaps we could put it on my card mum". Yes perhaps you fucking should ffs

Vitrolinsanity · 23/06/2025 21:11

CHUTE ffs

NotDarkGothicMama · 23/06/2025 21:11

Notaripoff · 23/06/2025 19:57

😂you win the thread. I am genuinely laughing about this. I'm imagining your face, the dog's face and the shopkeepers face - all different levels of anger and perplexed. I think this is going to make me chuckle for days😂

Show quote history

As if I was going to put my debit card in its mouth! No matter how sad it looked or how bonkers its owner was.

CheeseWisely · 23/06/2025 21:08

The closest nice sandwich shop to my work has 4 parking spaces. The builders (it’s always builders) who park up in their vans, go in to get their sandwiches, and then sit in their fucking van eating it and drinking their tea while other people wait to park! Not just a pain for the people waiting to park, also presumably loss of business for the shop. And all the while there’s a big free public car park and actual park about 2 minutes drive away that they could go have their lunch in Angry

Vitrolinsanity · 23/06/2025 21:05

Nothinglikeagoodbook · 23/06/2025 16:25

Gosh, what a lot of impatient bad-tempered people have agreed with you!

It's life. It's other people. Have some patience. Life is not always about getting things done as quickly as possible.

Why though would anyone want to turn a trip to the tip into a morning out. They fucking stink. Get in, get out. As helpful as the staff are, emptying your boot item by item and discussing which shute to shove it down clearly drives them to beyond doolally.