People who stand too close in queues

[TheMysteryCat]

Just been doing the weekly shop and finishing packing, getting card out to pay etc, when the guy behind me moves up to the packing end of the conveyor belt, so right in front of the card machine. Awkward moments, putting last few bags in trolley with him practically blocking me, and then had to move the card machine around the otherside so i could enter my pin without him standing over me.

I loathe people who stand too close in queues, especially those who just can't wait for someone to finish what they are doing before jumping in.

I wasn't faffing, just taking a normal/average amount of time to do it.

Didn't happen this time, but equally annoying are the counter staff who start serving the next person before you've even put your card away or grabbed your shopping/finished packing.

AIBU to think people should just bloody wait, and wait at a reasonable distance. A couple of minutes being polite really isn't that hard, is it?

MIL always stands too close to me. you start a conversation at normal distance, she starts advancing on you...you think 'please not this time, just stay where you are!'

and find her at your elbow. then step back. and she follows.
at this point i stop talking and find somewhere else to be.
ARG!

OP you must be psychic - I was about to start the same thread!!! I was so pissed off with the woman behind me at the 40 items self checkout the other day. I'd paid, but hadn't put my 2 bags in my trolley and she was edging me out of the way, putting her 2 items through before I'd finished!!! I was too wimpy to say anything - should have said something sarcastic and snappy (but couldn't think if anything! :( ). So bloody rude of her!

Massive personal space issue for us with DS who has ASD and finds tesco traumatising enough. He kicks them when they get too close and I have to tell him off and apologise but they shouldn't be in his space really anyway poor little thing.

Oh I hate this too. Had some woman shoving my shopping along whilst I was still unpacking and she kept bumping/pushing one of my children which was very rude.

When this happens to me and they're in front of the chip and pin machine I turn to them with a huge smile and say 'Oh thank you! Are you paying?'

I can't abide it when this happens, especially when you get one who follows you every time you edge forwards. It makes my skin crawl.

Oh yes this drives me nuts! Many moon ago when I was heavily pregnant with dd1, I was in the basket aisle in Asda (back when Asda actually had basket aisles that were manned). There was an older man behind me with a trolley he kept pushing me up with his trolley, until I ended up bumping the person in front with my bump. After apologising to the person in front, I pushed his trolley back as hard as I could with my arse. He muttered about "stupid fat bitches taking too long." I couldn't actually go any faster as there was 2 people in front of me in the queue. The lady standing behind him helpfully pointed out that he had a trolley that wasn't allowed in the basket queue, and maybe he should shuffle off to a trolley aisle, and also that I wasn't fat I was heavily pregnant. I could've kissed her.

I was extremely rude to someone doing this standing too close/breathing all over me in checkout queue once.

I turned round and said "if you are going to huff and puff all over people, then you should be sure your breath didn't stink so much first. Do you smoke?" Pulling suitably disgusted face all the time.

Huffer was gobsmacked but felt sorry for poor checkout girl who was mortified.

P.S. breath didn't actually stink - just thought it might stop person huffing over people in future- so doing a social service.

If people do this to me, I accidentally step back gently onto their foot, and then add a passive-aggressive 'I'm so sorry, I didn't realise you were standing so close to me'. It works wonders.

I had this in a PO once years ago when I was about 18 - a little old lady was practically breathing down my neck while we were queuing. She was carrying a heavy bag and as we shuffled along it kept swinging against my legs. Being the polite youngster I was, I ignored it - until we moved and the bag swung so hard it knocked me in the back of my knee, which somehow caused my knee to buckle and I ended up on the floor. She just stood there and blinked at me!!!!

I picked myself up, dusted myself off (despite being in pain, humiliated and wanting to cry loudly!) and carried on queuing. Ever since I've wondered what witty thing I could have said to her... . I had a massive bruise and struggled to walk for several days after that

But the people who breathe down your neck - do they do it on purpose or are they just ignorant with no awareness of personal space?