Invisable

Proceed as if driving when idiot behind drives too close. Give yourself plenty of roof in front.
Use your trolly as a defense barrier behind you accidentally shoving it into annoying customer to create space.
Perfect the scathing withering stare.

Stepping back accidentally is my favourite mode of indicating to people that they’re too close - I move a lot when standing (low bp) and people usually get the hint.

It happens to me a lot and also strangely always in M&S - the cafe is the worst! Their tray rammed against my back! I just step backwards every time and it causes a very pleasing domino effect. I think it is directly linked to the average age of the M&S customer. No understanding of personal space. The same groups of people, (maskless before they were compulsory), reached across my face to grab something in a supermarket during the first proper lockdown in March 2020. I would cough loudly and say (truthfully) I examine people who might have Covid, I’d stay away from me if I were you!

Someone started putting their food down on the small tiny till space at the co op before I’d finished and paid for mine and then they stood directly infront of the card machine so I couldn’t get near it. I said oh it looks as if this lady must be paying for my shopping. She soon moved.

Never noticed anything like this

It’s not just you. Happens to me all the time and I absolutely fucking hate it. I suffer from cPTSD and someone standing so close behind me freaks me out. I try to keep the trolley behind me so it creates a barrier, it looks odd but it works until it’s time to pay and I’ve packed my bags. I go back to the payment machine and inevitably they’ve got in that space

This infuriates me.

I occassionally turn around and say "Please stop touching me." An awkward silence ensues!

This happened to me recently at an event I was at with my toddler. We were waiting in a long Que and these 2 awful chavvy women with their feral kids were behind me shouting and swearing and vaping literally in my face. I kept moving and they kept inching closer actually touching me on a few occasions. One of their kids then pulled a branch off a tree and they were shouting saying “look at them people staring at the kids, fuck em” and encouraging the kid to carry on breaking the tree. They were clearly trying to intimidate me and others around them. People are mental!

I was in a queue at passport control this week with someone who was literally pinned to my back. I then put my carry-on bag behind me to create a barrier and she kept kicking that. For goodness sake, you won’t get through any quicker!

I frequently find people standing too close, it’s like they think the nearer they stand to the checkout the faster they will get served rather than it actually based on the number of people in front of you! I often have my ADHD/ASD son with me who hates to queue so can be fidgety, he not awful like running in circles but he will pace/move his feet around within a small area around me. They give me great evils if he steps on their toes or if I pick him up and his leg catches them but do not realise that they are, in fact, stood entirely in his and my personal space. If they backed up a bit, we’d all be more comfortable!

i think it’s a passive aggressive signal to the person in front to hurry up!

To be fair, sometimes in Tesco I think it’s a response to queues being long when it’s busy and not enough cashiers on. So much so that the queues extend into the aisles but people can’t block the space in between the tills and aisles so some move forwards instead of queuing up the aisles. They have less staff in shops now and it shows!

Yes I was in Lidl recently and the person behind me stood next to the chip and pin machine. Totally in my way and too far forward. Different cultures queue differently clearly!

I had this on a bus once where the person was standing uncomfortabley close behind me. There was no one behind him. I pushed him back and told him not stand so close. When we both got off the bus he called me a weirdo in a very loud voice.

I had this by a little old lady once she just kept doing it 🤣🤣

I have been shunted with a trolley twice in the queue in Waitrose. Waitrose! I don't pay all that money to be bumped into. Honestly I think Tesco customers are better at queuing.😀

I agree. Some people have no idea about personal space. Even putting shopping on a conveyor belt in M &S there are people behind who are desperate to stand up as close behind others as possible. It annoys me greatly too OP.

No what usually happens is the first customers ends up having to pass each item individually from there trolley to the cashier its annoying as hell

I'd quite like to see how that scenario plays out if you just calmly carried putting your stuff on the belt around theirs wiithout saying anything. What do they hope to gain by putting their stuff on the belt not leaving you room for half your stuff? I'd love to see the assistant get half way through scanning, and for the customer to say "Sorry, none of that is mine" and the CF to have to take their stuff off the belt and go to the back of the queue.

I could do Warrior Three and really create some space

I have stepped back onto someone's foot before. They soon move.
What i don't like is when they try to load their shopping on before I've finished mine.
Don't rush me! 😡

Stepping back onto their foot should stop them. Oops!

@Poirot1983 For when you're extremely irritated, I recommend Move by Ludacris. Maybe just to play to yourself in your head rather than out loud though!

Exactly its not intentional its just cultural its different its actually quite funny really 😄

This is one of my favourite things to do in a shop.
Especially when I’m with my kids. The kids move up with the line but I don’t 😂.
Looking at stuff in baskets.
Lunges.
Leaving my basket or trolly in the way but standing in front.
striking up a deranged conversation.
Or singing.
Facing them to queue backwards 😂
Farting is fun.especially quiet ones.
Fake phonecall about Tuberculosis.

@youalright I’m not British, and when I go back home (or elsewhere in Europe) I always notice people standing really close to me! I have to remind myself I’ve just gotten used to the British way of doing things and that they’re not being deliberately rude or weird…