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Original poster

What strange behaviour have you experienced in the supermarket?

118 replies

silverribbonxmastree · 06/06/2021 09:42

Yesterday, I was in Sainsbury's with my teenage daughter. We were walking towards the end of the aisle with a trolley and it was blocked by an elderly woman, her grandson (?) aged about 15/16 and a shop assistant who were talking. The lad. Saw us approaching and wanting to get past but refused to move. I said excuse me and he reluctantly moved. Didn't think much of it.

We were then at the checkout putting the items on the conveyor belt. The lad walked past and the next thing I know is that out trolley is rammed into us. No apologies or anything. So I thought ok maybe it was an accident again and arrived on.

We were walking out of the supermarket and Sod's law they were just ahead of us. The elderly lady was walking very slowly and the lad ahead of her a bit. My daughter tried to overtake him and he blocked her way sidestepping in front of her as she tried to pass. I called her back to me and just said to her to let them get ahead of us as I was beginning to realise by this 3rd incident that it was all intentional by now!

So we walked way behind them. We saw a car slowly reverse out of a parking space and the lad stick 2 fingers up at this person.

As they were taking so long to get to their car and unpack, we held back a bit at the trolley park (as I didn't want him to see where I had parked as I had other shopping to do and thought he might damage the car as 'punishment' to me). He then started staring at us and walked towards us with their trolley to return it. At this point, we just returned to the shop to avoid any confrontation.

I wasn't shaken up by it but felt quite sad that he felt the need to be so hostile and try to intimidate us. I do wonder if he would have behaved like this is my strapping 20 year old son was with us! His gran was completely oblivious to all of this!

Anyone else had this or similar?

OP posts:
accentdusoleil · 06/06/2021 09:45

The kid sounds like a total dick and bully . Has some sort of issue with authority / being told what to do

SmellyBottomHead · 06/06/2021 09:51

Some people are just wankers
A man pushed all my shopping up the belt to get his few bits on. I asked him to leave it alone. He didn't. I pushed it all right back. He didn't like it.
He was a wanker too
I have no patience for people like him

Original poster
silverribbonxmastree · 06/06/2021 09:51

That's what I thought in the end. It's funny though because with hindsight I got a vibe off the lad the first time but gave him the benefit of the doubt until the 3rd incident.

Don't see the point of calling him out on his behaviour as I thought it would just escalate the situation.

OP posts:
barbrahunter · 06/06/2021 09:56

I remember not long after I had divorced and was living alone, I was shopping in the supermarket. Alongside me in one of the aisles I overheard a revolting man bullying and belittling the woman he was with. I so wanted to go up to her and say 'you don't have to put up with this, there is a better life you could choose'. That moment has stayed with me because it confirmed that my decision to divorce had been right.

SmellyBottomHead · 06/06/2021 09:57

Nooooooooo @silverribbonxmastree, you need to have fun with people like that. Do that hand/finger wiggle either side of your head, laugh manically, then skip off
It will terrify him Grin especially if you look middle aged and respectable

MolyHolyGuacamole · 06/06/2021 09:57

Friend of mine was followed round the supermarket by a man taking pictures. This was years ago, she was young and scared so she just left and ran home. She did say that he seemed to be 'not all there'.

TBH OP I expect most 'weird' experiences people have in a supermarket will be at the hands of people lacking in the knowledge of socially appropriate behaviour for some underlying reason, that is not specific to a supermarket setting.

Original poster
silverribbonxmastree · 06/06/2021 10:00

@SmellyBottomHead

Nooooooooo *@silverribbonxmastree*, you need to have fun with people like that. Do that hand/finger wiggle either side of your head, laugh manically, then skip off It will terrify him Grin especially if you look middle aged and respectable
Lol! I'm too much of a coward! Thought he might duff me up. If I'm honest, I'm the least confrontational person I know. However, if I do lose it then I know that I would be completely OTT a la David Banner morphing into the hulk!
OP posts:
Original poster
silverribbonxmastree · 06/06/2021 10:03

@MolyHolyGuacamole

Friend of mine was followed round the supermarket by a man taking pictures. This was years ago, she was young and scared so she just left and ran home. She did say that he seemed to be 'not all there'.

TBH OP I expect most 'weird' experiences people have in a supermarket will be at the hands of people lacking in the knowledge of socially appropriate behaviour for some underlying reason, that is not specific to a supermarket setting.

I did cut him some slack as I thought he might have had some issues. Either that or he lacked respect for anyone as previous poster said
OP posts:
Babyroobs · 06/06/2021 10:07

He sounds like one of these teenagers who think they are top dog and demand "respect". Best to just avoid them if at all possible as they have the potential to turn very nasty if they think they are being disrespected.
Or maybe it's a things about son's being protective of their mums. I was in the supermarket yesterday and there was a man maybe around 50 with his elderly mum who was walking slowly. This guy was talking over loudly to him mum saying things like " you go at your own pace mum" " no need to hurry mum " as people ( respectfully) tried to overtake her in the aisle. It was quite passive / aggressive the way he was doing it.
I frequently see a couple of locals carrying out routines in the supermarket. One woman puts things in her basket then kneels on the aisle floor takes them out again etc. i think she has some sort of OCD and is quite poorly. It's painful to watch, I feel dreadfully for her as shopping is clearly an ordeal. I watched another person just pick up every item of a certain thing off the fridge shelf, look at each packet of chicken, then put it back. I had to report that as it was at the height of covid and he was just touching every pack.
Once saw a poor old lady with diarrhoea trickling down her legs and trailing down the aisle - she was totally oblivious.
A near punch up at the checkout at Lidl the other week because someone wasn't wearing a mask.
I do spend quite a lot of time in supermarkets !!

Mumteedum · 06/06/2021 10:12

I went yesterday. I haven't been for a long time in a busy Saturday. It was full of weird behaviour. Mainly the people on a mission. You know the ones... They stare into the middle distance while charging forward with their trolley at high speed, with people leaping out of their way.

Often I've experienced men doing this but it was women too yesterday. Just bonkers. As if it's some judgement on the slower people. I swear I needed indicators yesterday...was stuck in the wrong side of an aisle wanting'in' at the pizzas when there was a convoy of fast people thundering down the aisle. Of course, I was ok to wait but was all bit aggressive and bonkers generally!

It was like being on motorway in rush hour with people tailgating and doing 100mph in the fast lane and the odd oldie dawdling so if you were a normal, you had to negotiate both. Confused

OP I think many people and perhaps younger people don't understand that saying excuse me please to get past isn't rude, it's just practical and polite. I don't understand people who will just stand there clogging up an aisle without asking to get past.

Original poster
silverribbonxmastree · 06/06/2021 10:16

@Babyroobs - yes, quite sad for those with OCD. I'm not very observant when it comes to spotting patterns of behaviour. However, I do try to be patient with other people and be aware of my own behaviour (ie - not leaving my trolley in the middle of the aisle blocking others, not hovering near people choosing items, not standing too close when people are at checkout...). I guess you come across all sorts at the supermarket! It would make an interesting documentary.Smile

OP posts:
Puffalicious · 06/06/2021 10:19

You need to consider that he may have had SEN. I have a DC with autism and adhd and I think we he's older might be socially inappropriate like that if he's not with an adult monitoring him.

Puffalicious · 06/06/2021 10:19

*when

Babyroobs · 06/06/2021 10:20

[quote silverribbonxmastree]@Babyroobs - yes, quite sad for those with OCD. I'm not very observant when it comes to spotting patterns of behaviour. However, I do try to be patient with other people and be aware of my own behaviour (ie - not leaving my trolley in the middle of the aisle blocking others, not hovering near people choosing items, not standing too close when people are at checkout...). I guess you come across all sorts at the supermarket! It would make an interesting documentary.Smile[/quote]
I find supermarkets fascinating !!

Original poster
silverribbonxmastree · 06/06/2021 10:21

@Puffalicious

You need to consider that he may have had SEN. I have a DC with autism and adhd and I think we he's older might be socially inappropriate like that if he's not with an adult monitoring him.
Yes that crossed my mind too which is why I downplayed the situation. The gran (?) was completely oblivious to what was going on.
OP posts:
MournfulTromboneNoise · 06/06/2021 10:23

He probably wears her clothes at home, proper serial killer vibes. Psycho.

thesunwillout · 06/06/2021 10:24

I live in a town in Devon near a very posh popular holiday sailing destination.

Yesterday in Tesco a family of four were shopping in their life jackets.

They looked so ridiculous.

The supermarket is placed so that they would have had to have driven.

Then I thought, why have you worn them in the car!!?

FuckUcuntychops · 06/06/2021 10:24

I was in my local Lidl and had stopped to look for something on a shelf, out the corner of my eye I registered someone approaching but didn’t think anything of it, he then proceeded to barge into me and tread hard on my foot. I was quite startled as I obviously wasn’t expecting it, he looked at me and grunted “sorry” in a shitty tone.
In shock I said “you startled me.” (Should have said what the fuck?) and all he could reply was “well I said sorry.” In an even shittier tone then walked off.
It felt very deliberate to me as there was absolutely no reason for him to walk near me, the isle was quite big and empty apart from us and one other shopper. I kept trying to convince myself it was an accident but it was just so odd and his tone with just makes me think it was deliberate, it’s not like he was trying to get to something near me on the shelf as he didn’t even stop to look there, just barged into me and walked off! Prick!Angry

thesunwillout · 06/06/2021 10:26

Pahaha @ mournful

Mumteedum · 06/06/2021 10:28

@FuckUcuntychops

I was in my local Lidl and had stopped to look for something on a shelf, out the corner of my eye I registered someone approaching but didn’t think anything of it, he then proceeded to barge into me and tread hard on my foot. I was quite startled as I obviously wasn’t expecting it, he looked at me and grunted “sorry” in a shitty tone. In shock I said “you startled me.” (Should have said what the fuck?) and all he could reply was “well I said sorry.” In an even shittier tone then walked off. It felt very deliberate to me as there was absolutely no reason for him to walk near me, the isle was quite big and empty apart from us and one other shopper. I kept trying to convince myself it was an accident but it was just so odd and his tone with just makes me think it was deliberate, it’s not like he was trying to get to something near me on the shelf as he didn’t even stop to look there, just barged into me and walked off! Prick!Angry
There was an awful thread a while ago about a man who had deliberately hurt the OP in a supermarket. It does happen Angry
SmellyBottomHead · 06/06/2021 10:28

@FuckUcuntychops

I was in my local Lidl and had stopped to look for something on a shelf, out the corner of my eye I registered someone approaching but didn’t think anything of it, he then proceeded to barge into me and tread hard on my foot. I was quite startled as I obviously wasn’t expecting it, he looked at me and grunted “sorry” in a shitty tone. In shock I said “you startled me.” (Should have said what the fuck?) and all he could reply was “well I said sorry.” In an even shittier tone then walked off. It felt very deliberate to me as there was absolutely no reason for him to walk near me, the isle was quite big and empty apart from us and one other shopper. I kept trying to convince myself it was an accident but it was just so odd and his tone with just makes me think it was deliberate, it’s not like he was trying to get to something near me on the shelf as he didn’t even stop to look there, just barged into me and walked off! Prick!Angry
You should have followed him and popped some extra absorbant sanity towels in his basket when he wasn't looking
Original poster
silverribbonxmastree · 06/06/2021 10:29

@FuckUcuntychops

I was in my local Lidl and had stopped to look for something on a shelf, out the corner of my eye I registered someone approaching but didn’t think anything of it, he then proceeded to barge into me and tread hard on my foot. I was quite startled as I obviously wasn’t expecting it, he looked at me and grunted “sorry” in a shitty tone. In shock I said “you startled me.” (Should have said what the fuck?) and all he could reply was “well I said sorry.” In an even shittier tone then walked off. It felt very deliberate to me as there was absolutely no reason for him to walk near me, the isle was quite big and empty apart from us and one other shopper. I kept trying to convince myself it was an accident but it was just so odd and his tone with just makes me think it was deliberate, it’s not like he was trying to get to something near me on the shelf as he didn’t even stop to look there, just barged into me and walked off! Prick!Angry
It does make you wonder if they are just taking their frustrations out on other people.

It was an eye opener for my daughter. She is at the age where she now likes to go out and hang around with her mates. I've told her several times to be aware of other people's body language and avoid dodgy types.

OP posts:
MaMelon · 06/06/2021 10:30

I’ve had a few people in Aldi (only Aldi, nowhere else for some reason) putting their stuff on the belt before I’ve unloaded my jug trolley load - meaning I had nowhere to put the rest of my stuff, the checkout person couldn’t scan anything more and everything ground to a halt. I’m wise now and block the belt with my trolley as I’m unloading.

Another time two young teenage boys were throwing a soft toy belonging to the store around at the entrance area. I bent down to pick it up, told them to stop it and they squared up to me and starting filming me on their phones Angry My 23 year old, 6 foot plus DS saw the whole thing and came charging over to them, shouting at them, and they scarpered. It was horrible to be filmed like that - they just laughed when I told them to stop.

Original poster
silverribbonxmastree · 06/06/2021 10:31

@SmellyBottomHead - sanity towels? I think you are right 😂

OP posts:
TheLightSideOfTheMoon · 06/06/2021 10:31

People don’t say ‘excuse me’ any more. They kind of gesture and roll their eyes. Sometimes they tut.

Weird. Say ‘excuse me’ and I’ll move. If you continue with the silent movie style dramatics I’m going to assume it’s a piece of street theatre.

Weird behaviour: I once saw a lady in Tesco opening up and peering into all of the cauliflowers. She was there for ages. Aren’t all cauliflowers mostly the same?