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Original poster

Supermarket checkouts: This isn't a thing, is it?

273 replies

DeathStare · 02/08/2016 17:12

I've just been to the supermarket. Did full-trolley shop and went to the check-out with the shortest queue. The person at it was having his stuff go through the scanner and there was about half the conveyor empty.

There was also another man just hanging around about 2 feet back from the end of the conveyor - no shopping with him.

So I went to start unpacking my shopping onto the conveyor and the man hanging around said "Excuse me I'm next". So I apologised and moved and indicated to him to put his stuff on the conveyor belt ahead of me. So he said "Oh I'm saving it for my wife for when she's finished her shopping". I looked around - thinking she had maybe just nipped back for something - but nobody was nearby. I asked if she was coming and he said he didn't think she had finished yet. So I said he didn't think he could save the check-out then and started unpacking my stuff.

He started complaining at me that I'd stolen his checkout but I just ignored him. Then when I'd filled the rest of the conveyor belt his wife turned up and he told her I'd stolen his check-out and she demanded that I remove my shopping because her husband had been saving it for her. When I refused (politely!) she shouted "you are so rude" and the pair of them stormed off.

This isn't a thing now is it? You can't save a check-out can you? Or have I just not noticed it before?

OP posts:
primarynoodle · 02/08/2016 17:53

Nothing more dickies than people with a trolley at the self checkout Angry

RhiWrites · 02/08/2016 17:56

I've met these people. Queued up behind a guy with a pint of milk and started putting items down only to have a woman show up with a massive trolley and start trying to shove it past me as though I wasn't there. Guy says "we were next".

I was craven though because I'd only put a few things down and slunk off. Next time I'll be bolder!

DoNotBlameMeIVotedRemain · 02/08/2016 17:56

Of course it's not a thing; they are round the bend. Different if you're unloading trolley then realise you've forgotten 1 item. It's ok to pop that on the conveyor belt if you can race back in time.

DoNotBlameMeIVotedRemain · 02/08/2016 17:58

That's assuming 2 people together of course, you can't stop unloading your trolley completely.

Vinorosso74 · 02/08/2016 17:58

That's a new one on me! Idiots. You just can't save a space in the queue. Once you've finished shopping then you join the queue.
I was in Sainburys recently unloading quite a full trolley and noticed a man behind me with just a few things. I offered he could go in front but he declined....

1AngelicFruitCake · 02/08/2016 18:00

I've had a trolley at self checkout Blush I've made sure I've had less than 10 items but needed the trolley to put my toddler in. Is this ok?

ILostItInTheEarlyNineties · 02/08/2016 18:03

What if you don't have a dh to hold a place in the queue for you? Would some sort of blow up man propped up by the till suffice? Grin

ILostItInTheEarlyNineties · 02/08/2016 18:06

1Angelic, If you are using the 10 items till, the rules are to carry your toddler in a basket. (and have no more than 10 toddlers Wink)

Summerwood1 · 02/08/2016 18:08

You did the right thing.

WankersHacksandThieves · 02/08/2016 18:09

That's okay Angelic. I've taken a trolley through when I've had a few crates of beer that I wasn't going to carry in a basket - we are talking about trolleys packed with random goods, that have to be weighed and then it all doesn't fit on the tiny area you have for loading, and then you have to remove bags, but you can't as you have no trolley to shove them back in cos it's still 3/4s full of shopping...and every time you squidge the bag along a bit, it necessitates the staff member to come and validate it.....that was fun watching that I can tell you. I've never seen so much steam come out of so many ears.

MrsKoala · 02/08/2016 18:09

I've had similar, not so blatant, but someone hanging around and then sheepishly say they are waiting for their wife, and me just ignore them and they slink off. I have also had someone behind me, after i have put all my shopping on the belt, stretch their arm out and sort of walk along the side of the belt shoving my shopping up and piling it all up and knocking loads of stuff off the sides, so they can make room for their shopping without waiting for the belt to move up.

Another time i had such a big shop that i had to unload half the trolley which took up the whole belt and then start packing, when i looked round the lady behind me was unloading her shopping before i could put the rest of my stuff on then huffed and muttered when i told her she had to take it off as i had obviously not finished.

There was the time when i was standing in the queue and loads of people piled into the queue behind me not realising my buggy was full of shopping to unload and thinking i had only a basket then get annoyed and swear and mutter about me using my buggy.

Other times when someone has stood holding one thing with the basket out of view and when i have said do you want to go in front of me retreived the basket.

All of these things happened in my local Lidl. I love it. I leave with a cheap load of shopping and a free helping of indignant outrage.

isseywithcats · 02/08/2016 18:11

they would get short shrift if they tried in aldi local to me , even worse was a woman in front of us last week she had maybe ten items we had a trolley full and she managed to spread her shopping out to fill up most of the conveyor which left us with very little space and then a race to put our shopping on the conveyor once the cashire started putting her stuff through, she then proceeded to pack it into bags at the till, not the done thing at aldi, i could have cheerfully strangled her as i had just finished work and wanted to get home

footphobic · 02/08/2016 18:11

We once had an interesting Grin altercation with a couple in a car park.

It had a one way system all the way around, as we came in we could see an empty space and no other cars heading towards it. We saw another car coming into the car park as we were meandering round the long one way system to it.

When we got to the space, a woman was standing in it. She had been dropped off to go and stand in it and save it whilst her DH drove around.

I don't know if that's a 'thing' either but my DH took the view, first come first served. She refused to move and DH, who is generally a placid sort, was incensed. He told her he was going in the space so she needed to move and he very slowly manoeuvred in while she very angrily shuffled over bit by bit.

Her very well spoken DH arrived and called us a variety of names, peasants being one of the least rude. We walked off and left them to it.

Dontyoulovecalpol · 02/08/2016 18:13

You should've laughed and said "you're taking the piss right?" Call the entitled bully out

shinynewusername · 02/08/2016 18:15

and have no more than 10 toddlers

Actually, if you have 10 toddlers, you're allowed to leave them in a trolley and retire to the Prosecco aisle until they're 21 Wink

ILostItInTheEarlyNineties · 02/08/2016 18:17

Making your wife stand in an empty car park space sounds bloody dangerous Shock

ILostItInTheEarlyNineties · 02/08/2016 18:20

Well actually if you did have 10 toddlers, you would probably be eligible for the special 'harrassed mum' supermarket badge that allows you to jump any queue and receive sympathetic looks from fellow shoppers.

LindyHemming · 02/08/2016 18:21

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

HoobleDooble · 02/08/2016 18:23

I've stood in the middle of the drop off & pick up area before, because I was actually waiting for DH to pick me and DS up, and every idle fucker in the area uses it to park right outside the door while they do their shopping (even if the rest of the car park is deserted, this bit is still always full of empty cars who are obviously not dropping or picking)

TondelayaDellaVentamiglia · 02/08/2016 18:24

I shall be on the look out for this nonsense! I am the least patient person ever, but queueing is what keeps society together

yes...spanish lady in fancy hotel, we were waiting and you will wait your turn

I often do let shoppers with a couple of things ahead, but only if they join the queue without expectation....if you stand there judging all the checkouts and then join mine in the expectation of a "let through" you will be sorely disappointed, no matter how much you jiggle your basket, check your watch or sigh pointedly. And I'll entice the checkout operator into conversation.

ayeokthen · 02/08/2016 18:26

They should speak to the woman who's just gone sweary mental at someone in the supermarket for continually blocking her way (another thread in AIBU), that would have been brilliant!

GabsAlot · 02/08/2016 18:30

what a pair of twats

the closest ive come to it is i walk in front of my dh a bit faster just to see which ones shorter but hes right behind me-hardly saving it for him

TaliZorahVasNormandy · 02/08/2016 18:31

When I worked checkouts at christmas I had similiar to this. Woman comes up with basket, needs something else. Leaves basket on end on belt on the metal bit and wanders off. Another woman comes up and sees an empty checkout (mine) I have no idea how long other woman will be so serve the woman in front of me. Other woman comes back all pissed off. Woman I'm serving takes about 5 mins so this woman didnt have long to wait at all.

Unescorted · 02/08/2016 18:33

I saw 2 people fighting over a parking space by the door to a shopping plazza in MK. I walked past having parked my car further down in the free section. It was fun to see them 30 minutes later in the same spin class.

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