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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

re: woman unpacking my basket yesterday in shop

81 replies

FrozenNorthPole · 15/01/2013 14:14

I can't work out whether she was being unreasonable, or I was ...

I was loading my shopping onto the conveyor belt at Wilkinsons yesterday. I was in a queue of about 3 people - it wasn't busy. Had 2 big packs of nappies, some cleaning supplies and a colouring book for DD1. Shop assistant asked if I wanted a bag, I said yes (had forgotten the one I usually bring) and then shop assistant gave me a tiny bag. I explained that my stuff would not fit in the tiny bag. Shop assistant found me a larger bag and resumed scanning stuff; I resumed packing it.

At this point, the woman behind me in the queue began removing my shopping from my basket and putting it on the conveyor belt by the armful, saying crossly, "I'm in a massive hurry, and it looks like you're going in slow motion". I don't know whether she was talking to the shop assistant or me - we were both moving at a pretty average speed as far as I know. I can understand her being frustrated if she was running late but I can't imagine reaching into someone else's shopping basket and removing all their stuff.

I'm not massively offended or anything, although in her haste she did drop quite a few of my items off the edge of the belt. AIBU to be surprised by this, or was this a perfectly reasonable thing to do in the circumstances?

OP posts:
lottiegarbanzo · 15/01/2013 15:28

How come you were packing before you'd finished unloading?

Your basket must have been in her way, had you just abandoned it at the end of the conveyor (where she should by then have been able to rest hers, while unpacking)? She must, reasonably, have wondered who you thought was going to unload the rest of your shopping, since you'd abandoned / forgotten about the task.

mercibucket · 15/01/2013 16:07

You both need a refresher course in shopping etiquette I'm afraid.
1 unpack stuff
2 put barrier thing across
3 pack stuff
4 pay in a timely manner with purse all ready + vouchers/discount cards etc at hand
Person behind
1 wait for barrier thing
2 start unpacking
3 stand a distance away while person in front pays

mercibucket · 15/01/2013 16:07

You both need a refresher course in shopping etiquette I'm afraid.
1 unpack stuff
2 put barrier thing across
3 pack stuff
4 pay in a timely manner with purse all ready + vouchers/discount cards etc at hand
Person behind
1 wait for barrier thing
2 start unpacking
3 stand a distance away while person in front pays

VivaLeBeaver · 15/01/2013 16:10

What Mercibucket said.

She was rude but you leaving a basket full of stuff would have made me feel twitchy and possibly slightly stabby. But I'd have kept it all in while smiling.

Fakebook · 15/01/2013 16:13

You were slow, she got pissed off. You had help, you both left quicker. Win win situation IMO. Next time unpack all your basket before putting it away. Most supermarket cashiers don't start scanning until you've put all stuff on the conveyor belt to avoid tardiness.

diddl · 15/01/2013 16:13

What difference does it make if OP also did some packing?

Woman behind isn´t going to get served any quicker, is she?

NorthernLurker · 15/01/2013 16:15

I think you should have emptied the basket first before packing BUT she was unspeakably rude. I hope I would have fixed her with a fierce glare and said 'I beg your pardon! What did you just say to me?'

ENormaSnob · 15/01/2013 16:19

I would've gone so slowly I'd have been nearly in reverse.

HDee · 15/01/2013 16:24

How can you have been packing without unloading all of your basket?

Surely it goes, unpack, pack, pay. In that order.

GregBishopsBottomBitch · 15/01/2013 16:26

I woulda gone slower, its the same as being tailgated by some impatient twat, go slower to annoy em some more.

BerthaTheBogCleaner · 15/01/2013 16:29

I'd have given her a big smile and and then spent a very long time carefully examining all the items she'd dropped, and perhaps asked the checkout operator to ring the bell and get some of them replaced. And possibly turned into my Grandma and said "More Haste Less Speed you know".

LadyBeagleEyes · 15/01/2013 16:41

Well, you should have unpacked your basket before you started packing OP.
Otherwise she couldn't have started on hers.
I too get trolley rage, and get irrationally cross about being held up behind someone in the queue, who dithers packing and then looks surprised they have to pay and takes 5 minutes searching for their purse.
Though I wouldn't have unpacked your basket, I would have just quietly seethed.Grin

BupcakesAndCunting · 15/01/2013 17:17

I am torn.

She was rude for definite BUT I bet you were going really slow (I know you said you weren't...) because of the unpacked basket/already packing up debacle. I can understand her annoyance tbh.

whoopwhoopbib · 15/01/2013 18:14

pombear the exact same thing happened to me recently in Aldi!! I still had half if my shopping in my trolley when the woman behind me started putting hers on.

It didn't occur to me to walk out but i may just do that if it happens again (but i would take DD with me) Grin

GregBishopsBottomBitch · 15/01/2013 18:17

I think i'd suffer shop rage if someone was putting things on before i finished, no one is that important.

Sparklingbrook · 15/01/2013 18:22

I am curious about a Wilkinsons with a conveyor. Ours doesn't have conveyors.

saintmerryweather · 15/01/2013 18:23

I wish i had the balls to do that, theres no need to take so bloody long. unpack pack pay, so i can go about my business.

whoopwhoopbib · 15/01/2013 18:26

I am now wondering why i didn't say something to the premature unpacker as I'm not usually that restrained especially whilst shopping.

GlaikitFizzog · 15/01/2013 18:32

Hang on though, isn't Wilkos one of these places you put your basket up and the cashier scans it all from the basket??

I've had a nice old lady unload my trolly for me when I had ds in the sling and her husband then helped me pack. But they asked first and weren't deranged at all.

VivaLeBeaver · 15/01/2013 18:34

Our wilkinsons has a conveyor. Works exactly the same as in tesco. Unpack, then pack.

GlaikitFizzog · 15/01/2013 18:36

Must just be my wilkos then! 5 tills in a row and "cashier number 5" lady barking orders!

QOD · 15/01/2013 18:36

I had to ask someone not so long ago to please move back. She'd moved right up so that SHE was standing next to the card machine.
A red mist came over me for some pathetic English territorial reason and I snapped at her

Only along the lines of "do you mind giving me some space please, I haven't even paid yet" and I glared until she moved. She would have stood there, in clear sight of my pin no as I couldn't stand anywhere mear it. She was expecting me to lean over..grrrrrr

cumfy · 15/01/2013 18:38

Why are you packing stuff while there is still stuff in your basket ?

Were you doing 2 separate "shops" ?

cumfy · 15/01/2013 18:41

If you were doing 2 shops the protocol is to unpack and put a seperator between them.

Marrow · 15/01/2013 18:42

Our Wilkos has conveyor belts but you don't have to unpack your basket. The cashier takes each item out then scans it.

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