To think when you arrive at the supermarket checkout, you have finished shopping

[frogspoon]

I was queuing up at the supermarket checkout this morning, when the lady in front of me (with a small trolley sized shop) disappeared (cashier was still processing person in front of her). She arrived back 5 minutes later with a new full basket of shopping, which she proceeded to dump on top of her existing shopping. This increased the amount of items in her shop significantly.

To give her some credit, she did smile and apologise to me, and also she didn't shove my shopping backwards to fit her additional items onto the conveyor belt.

Now I will occasionally pop back to fetch one or two items that I had forgotten, whilst waiting at the checkout. But never a full basket load. I wasn't in a rush, but I did have frozen food in my shop, and I was anxious about it melting whilst I was waiting.

AIBU to think that when you arrive at the checkout you should have completed the majority of your shopping? Going to get one or two forgotten items is not unreasonable. But I think bringing back an additional full basket of shopping is.

[Voodika]

I wonder if its possible to put the belt into reverse so that her shopping could have been dumped back in the trolley?

[SwishSwoshSwoosh]

Well maybe in future you should put the rest of your shopping on the belt and then skip off to get your ice cream at the last minute. She taught you a new trick today!

[Iseeall]

Not quite the same but I was at at the supermarket checkout today behind a lady who would not stop talking to the cashier, just pack pay up and go, but no, on she went.
No she was not very elderly, I can understand lonely older folks enjoying a bit of chatter,I always like to nod and chat if there is a queue, but she was a similar age to me (mid 40s) and looked like she was doing a normal family shop.

You have my sympathies, theres nowt as strange as folk!

[SirChenjin]

If it was ice-cream then you were definitely NBU, and if you'd hit her about the head with her basket of veg then no-one would have thought badly of you. How very dare she??

[frogspoon]

Ok I confess that the frozen food was actually...

Ice cream

And it did get quite soft by the time I got it home (the barrier out of the car park was broken, causing an additional 5 minute delay)

So whilst it is perfectly safe to eat when refrozen, when it melts it loses the tiny air bubbles that are whipped into it and the texture goes all crystally and grainy instead of smooth and creamy :(

[ShadowStorm]

YANBU.

It's inconsiderate to shoppers behind you to abandon the shopping on the conveyor belt while you go and fill a basket with fruit and veg. It's really not the same as dashing back to get one or two forgotten items.

Okay, the OP wasn't held up too much, as the lady in front returned before the cashier was ready to scan her shopping, but the lady couldn't have known whether this would be the case when she skipped off to fill a basket. Her getting back in time doesn't make her less inconsiderate.

Although I think the OP is being a little OTT to fret about her frozen goods melting.

[SirChenjin]

She was unreasonable - you just don't do this. One item maybe, but a basket worth while the rest of the customers have to wait around while you faff about? That's just being ignorant.

[wigglesrock]

Oh I see what you mean now but I still think you are over thinking it. When judging speed of supermarket queues you always back the slowest - it's the law

[frogspoon]

No, you are missing the point wiggles, she did cause a delay.

I went in a queue behind 2 people with medium sized shops (small trolleys). This was a similar size to all the other checkout queues.

I ended up behind one medium sized shop and one large shop (now approx big enough to fill a large trolley). I reckon the extra amount of shopping was approx half of the original amount she placed on the conveyor belt on the checkout. It did increase the time by approx 5 minutes. The cashier was also rather slow.

[LadyBeagleEyes]

That's my take on it, wiggles.

[wigglesrock]

Just til I get it right the customer infront of you was back before her shopping had gone through? She actually caused no delay to you at all You are just offended by the idea of it? Jesus wept

[thermalsinapril]

I think if someone's more than 2 minutes you're quite within your rights to put their stuff to the back of the conveyor belt (or back in a basket!) and go ahead.

[Laquitar]

how can you forget all your fruit and veg when you pass it as you walk in?

Maybe she was anxious about the fruit and veg going off by the time she did the rest of the shopping?grin

[ChaChaDigregorio]

Sometimes humanity makes me want to weep.

[Oblomov]

Popping back for one, forgotten item, is not the same as this women. She took the mick and Op has every reason to be cross.

[Sunnymeg]

The other thing we have come across is someone queued up at the till on the phone to DP who is still finding items in the shop. We had this the other week and the cashier was ready to scan her shopping, but her husband was still getting items. So we had to wait behind her. Personally I think any of these scenarios show a lack of consideration for other people. It is the same as saying that their time is more important than yours. If I realize that I have forgotten something I pay, take my stuff back to the car and go back in for what I've forgotten. Either that or park my trolley in one of the bays if they have them and nip back. It is only good manners to not inconvenience others.

[cumfy]

Seems like this was a deliberate strategy.

Saves her 3-4 minutes.

Do half your shopping.
Dump behind someone elses large shop.
Do the other half.

[kinkyfuckery]

I'd be more pissed off at the slow checkout assistant tbh, if it takes her more than five minutes to scan a belt of shopping!

[frogspoon]

To clarify, the lady was back at the checkout just in time, we didn't have to wait for her. However, at the checkout next to me another person disappeared leaving their shopping behind, and the cashier actually had to call out for them. So it seems this is a common occurrence.

The items were fruit and veg, which is interesting as they are located right at the front of the supermarket, and just next to the checkout, so perhaps it was pre-meditated. I mean really, how can you forget all your fruit and veg when you pass it as you walk in?

[LRDtheFeministDragon]

I rose above gracefully, line, they're on my table and very nice they look too.

(When I say 'gracefully', I did the 'someone is talking while I am talking' stare of outrage, but mainly because I was away with the fairies and didn't expect it. DH apologized, because he is a wuss.)

[LineRunner]

I just hate shopping.

[LineRunner]

Where did you shove the daffs, LRD?

[LRDtheFeministDragon]

At the opposite end of the spectrum, I got ticked off by someone in the shop the other day because as DH went to unpack the trolley, I went to pick up a bunch of daffs because I like to choose flowers at the end so they don't get all bashed up by DH.

Came back, DH still unloading trolley (what with it not being a trek akin to traversing sub-saharan africa on foot to get to the flower stand and back), and someone tapped me on the shoulder and told me they hoped I'd finished now as other people were waiting.

[LineRunner]

Yes, Jamie, there really are limits. Also anyone who goes back because they've forgotton venison or pine nuts gets short shrift fom me.

[JamieandtheMagicTorch]

Linerunner

OTOH, if it was scallops, duck breasts, peas, creme fraiche and a blow torch I'd do my nut