people who split their food shopping into 'batches' to pay for separately

[BooCanary]

How annoying is that?
Today I went to Asda and BOTH people in front of me at the till did this.

Person one paid THREE different times, one for the majority of the shop, one for a few essentials ( milk, bread etc) and a third time for an item of clothing.

Person two then proceeded to pay for their shopping in two sections.

I was waiting bloody ages, fuming and wondering why these people can't just pay once and then divide it up later based on the receipt if they happen to be buying for other people.

Well, I suppose this thread is a nice change from all the ones complaining about whiny and demanding bratlets, scooters in supermarkets and hopeless parents who can't manage their own children.
YABU OP, and you have had a lot of excellent reasons why someone might need to pay in batches.
I do it on the occasions I'm buying for my parents, who are obsessive about their own receipt and when I'm buying stuff for school that I might have a chance of claiming back. Or to have a separate receipt so that when I do pay with my own money, I can see how much I'm spending on other people's children per month.
Internet shopping, and managing your own children better are the solutions.

I realise I am getting old since I can manage to feel faintly nostalgic about the long waits in supermarket queues/at bus stops/on train stations. It seems like a hundred years since I last had to launch into a fairytale to keep Little Mischief occupied. I think even at the time I did realise it was less hard work than having to shop for 87-yo neighbours. And now I miss it- oh, I do miss it! 13yos don't want to hear stories about the fairy kingdom under the sea. 16yos do their own shopping. Can I borrow somebody's feral 4yo?

I think the children bit isn't particularly relevant TBH. It has just been used to pounce on the OP and have a go at her child rearing skills. It would be annoying with or without children in tow.

kungfupanda :

'I hate supermarkets.
Every single person in them annoys me. The only way I'd enjoy my grocery shopping experience would be if the place was entirely empty, save for rows of silent staff, waiting to predict my every need and usher me to the right aisle.'

OH feels exactly like this, which is why he doesn't do the Supermarket shop. I hate ironing. We traded tasks in the 1980s and never looked back.

What I don't understand is why retired people do their shopping at prime time e.g. on a Saturday. My parents do this and I always ask them why don't they do their shopping in the week when it's quiet. They simply do it out of habit - always done their shopping on a Saturday - crazy really.

"In fairness to the OP she was stuck behind 2 'splitters'."

No, she wasnt. She was behind 4 people getting their shopping done. 2 of them just weren't there.

Dont people judge the amount of items in baskets/trolleys before they join a queue? I never chose my queue based on people in it, but amount of groceries in their trolleys!

PS, OP, sorry you've had a hard time on this thread - never post in AIBU on a Sunday night unless you are up for a fight. There mustn't be anything good on the telly on a Sunday night ;)

I have to do this at least once a week. I buy food items for various groups I'm involved with, and they don't like having to send receipts that have lots of items on that have nothing to do with them to the auditors, even if the amount spent by them and the relevant items are highlighted. Plus, I can only send a receipt to one group, so couldn't claim back from others if I'm buying for more than one of them.

It takes a couple of minutes more. I don't like doing it, but someone has to so I don't apologise for it.

My parents are retired. They go at 8am on a weekday morning. Then my Dad tuts because there's only one cashier on.

I did this last week.

I would also like the following offences to be taken into consideration:

I only get my purse out when I'm good and ready to avoid people pinching it.
I pay with change.
If I get change, I check it.
I put my purse away carefully in the zip-up pocket of my bag, then close the zip and put my bag back under my arm.
I check the receipt before moving off.
During all this I will be chatting pointlessly to the till operator.

Ohh yes.
Old people and mummies with their precious poppets shopping between 12 and 2 when I'm trying to buy my lunch. That's a whole other rant.
Yes, I should make my lunch the day before and put it in the fridge. I know that. But rants are not based on logic.

Oh blimey. I am glad I don't go into supermarkets. Invisible shoppers. Whatever next.

Maybe we can send our robots in one day.

We would be stuck behind malfunctioning robots. What a to-do!

One busy week, the only time we could fit going shopping was after 11pm.

Off we went to Tesco Extra, got our full weekly shop, commenting on the quiet and empty supermarket........

.......got to the tills and we were told we had to put it all through the self serve till while being watched by the security guard !

disclaimer* DH won't do internet shopping, he has to 'see' the meat and veg before he buys it

YANBU. Of course its annoying.
Yes I'm sure there are very valid reasons for doing it blah blah 87 year old neighbour etc. To everyone who does this : "You are still annoying"

Well, there is only one thing for it. If you cant change it, (which you cant because people will still do it), you need to change how you perceive it and how you deal with it.

Annoyment will only only irritate you not the other shopper and their invisible co-shoppers. You just punish yourself when you let yourself be annoyed. Why allow yourself to enter into such a state? You are damaging your own very soul when you do this.

Try shop with serenity and calm. It will do you good.

Well it certainly adds another element to my M&S lunch purchases (me, colleague, staff birthday cake - that's THREE separate payments!!!) To know half the customers in M&S will be getting their knickers in a twist about my activities.

Whatever!

Don't you just choose the till with the least amount of shopping not just the one with the least people? 1 with a trolley load takes longer than 3 baskets.
Yes YABU

I do this if I am shopping for a friend, I put my stuff through and pay on card, then put her stuff through and pay with her cash. Then we both get our own receipt and if and we can each return our own things if we need to.

'Try shop with Serenity and Calm. It will do you good.'

I like Quint's idea. Rename your children and teach them how to chant in a soothing manner.

If you get this worked up about something so inconsequential, how do you cope with the real stresses in life? People shop in different ways for a variety of reasons, none of which are targeted at deliberately frustrating you. Get over yourself.

I find it fascinating to discover that some people have spent far longer faffing about on this thread than they would ever have had to wait in a supermarket queue while someone did a favour for another person.

Off to faff about in the queue at Waitrose now. Anyone care to follow me?

Oh my god, you've got to love this.

Half the thread having a go at the OP for not psychically knowing the reasons why the people ahead of her split their shopping - yet at the same time presuming to know that the OP's 4yo is obviously a little terror and harrassing the whole supermarket.

Only on MN on a Sunday evening...