People are unbelievably inconsiderate...or thick or both?

[Fieldsandgrasses]

Had a lovely afternoon apart from I was watching a play next to a woman wearing a wide-rimmed hat. OK, didn't affect me in that I could still see, but what about the people behind her? Isn't it common sense not to wear a hat in those circumstances?

Then I went to the bank and had to wait for ages while cashiers explained to customers that they couldn't fulfil their requests. Surely, most over the counter operations are quite simple and if it is not possible, or your request is unintelligible and the cashier has no idea what is needed, you live away from the counter to let other people be served?

How hard can these things be? Urgh, feel better now I have said that. I just think if you go through life being reasonably thoughtful and intelligent about the way you go about things, life is so much easier for everyone?

I've had two till-related ones today.

A whole family in a toy shop, all standing around coaching the toddler through the process of handing the toy to the cashier (involving standing on a display), asking how much, getting the money from his mum, counting it out, handing it over, getting the change, getting the receipt, putting it into a bag etc etc. The child was probably under two and had no clue what was going on. The queue was halfway round the shop by the time they were done and the cashier was frantically ringing for another assistant.

Then in the supermarket, the world's longest, slowest transaction was taking place in front of me. All the other tills had emptied out by the time I actually got served. I could probably have paid for my things about three times over. The lady on the till knew the customers, so obviously they were chatting. Chatting isn't usually a problem - but the cashier stopped running things through to talk. There was a long pause after every single item. Then they chatted for ages before she ran up the total. Then they chatted before the lady put her pin in. Then they chatted before the couple packed their things. I was desperately trying to think of the least aggressive-sounding way of saying 'could you please, please finish the transaction so the rest of us can get on?' I'd have been more than happy for them to carry on chatting while she ran my things through. I finished up edging further and further forward with my trolley while doing pointed little coughs to try and get the cashier's attention, in the vain hope that she hadn't noticed how long the queue was and would suddenly speed up. She clearly knew I was getting annoyed as she kept shooting me dirty looks. And when I finally did get served, everything she said to me was delivered in an aggressive tone, with an accompanying death stare.
'HELLO' Glare.
'Nice DAY, ISN't it?' Glare
'Do you need a BAG? A BAG I said?' Glare
'THANKYOU. BYE!' Extra searing glare.
Aaaargh. I just wanted to pay for my things and go. I wonder if it would have helped if I'd dissolved into tears, thrown myself on the floor and wailed dramatically 'Whhhhyyyyyy? Whhhhhyyyy can't I just paaaaaaaay? Why do you want me to suffer like this?'

Hate to break the momentum but, Bea Lola why are you so casually talking about people using the disabled toilet just because it's vacant? What if someone disabled comes along and is desperate or incontinent?

Huzzah! I'm with you, Didyou!

I was going to say "Huzzah!" as well, MrsJ, but you beat me to it!

Strike a blow for good manners everywhere, people! Speak out against selfishness and entitlement! If necessary, move their rucksacks, handbags, feet! (Take knuckledusters . . .)

my problem is they are parking half on the road and half on the path. This means I have to walk in a main road with my pram

They are a nightmare - and cause a lot of problems for blind people and wheelchair users, too.

Twunts!

Oh dear etsi

This is very bad for your health, all this rage, Sit down, put your feet up, have some gin use this taser on them squeeze this stress ball.

Haystack

As I understand it, the disabled toilet isn't solely for people with a disability - it is just a lavatory which is large enough to accommodate a wheelchair. I have used the disabled toilet when I have been in a rush, though obviously I wouldn't if there was a wheelchair user behind me in the queue (in fact I would wave them on ahead), or if I could wait a few more minutes.

Francis Crawford I think we would be unbeatable ! I'm just about to leave home now to collect DS ready to travel Upton London to see Santa. So looking forward to it - I have my haughty death stare look ready .... Even cheeky DS reckons theres no getting past Mummy when she looks at you like that !

Wouldn't it be weird (in a good way) if we passed by each other . An d to the other Mnetter I will definitely be going in Peter Jones and to Piccadilly etc etc so rude inconsiderate tears BEWARE !

Some bloke with a nice Merc used to park on the pavement close to a lamp post. It made it virtually impossible to get through with a double buggy and meant often having to walk into a very busy road to get by. Pity about that nasty scratch down the side of his car which I didn't make but I'm sure there were plenty of other people really pissed off with this arse.

The way I see it is if I couldn't get by with my double buggy (slim one) how the hell would someone in a wheelchair have managed? They'd have had to go back about 300/350 metres to the nearest crossing and dropped kerb.

Flappys, disabled toilets are supposed to be prioritised for disabled people - which emphatically is not limited to people in wheelchairs.

Deep

No - I realise that people with disabilities are not all in wheelchairs - but wheelchair users need the extra space

And yet another one involving public transport. I have no problem with someone getting on the back doors of the bus if it is going to be awkward getting through the front (poles in the way,narrow aisle). But I do have a problem with the ones who barge their (usually double) buggy up onto the step before everyone who needs to get off,is off. Being disabled,I am a little slower than most people and prefer to let the masses go first,less risk to myself then,and I'm not holding anyone up. But so many times I find the entire doorway blocked by a buggy. Is it not basic common sense to let people OUT of a door before trying to get IN,especially when there is limited space? Obviously not,to these morons. Sometimes they apologise and back out,but a lot of the time I just get a belligerent glare,and was once told to fuck off when I said 'Can I get past please?'

There are disabilities which necessitate quick access to a toilet. If you're in there "because there was nobody waiting and you'll only be two minutes" then that's potentially two minutes' completely avoidable wait for someone who can't afford to wait. And even if they can wait, why should they have to wait to use their facility so that someone without the entitlement can nip straight in?

Not complicated.

gluteustothemaximus - I snorted with laughter at the image of the 7 foot tall father popping his 6 foot tall daughter onto his shoulders!

I got on a train once where a mother and daughter and taken up four seats for them and their bags

You get this a lot on South West trains on a Friday afternoon/lunchtime in particular.

I just ask them to move their bags. Usually they say they are too heavy to put on the overhead rack. So my usual answer is "oh I'm sure one of the young gentlemen on the train will help you with that" and there is generally a "young gentleman" around with the necessary strength to oblige*.

Nice excuse but doesn't work. Luggage on overhead racks, bottoms on seats.

*yes I know a bit sexist but most young men are stronger than most middle-aged/elderly women. And taller, so they can reach the overhead racks more easily.

Or the people who will see you are filling out paperwork/imputting data onto our online reporting system and assume you're just doing nothing and swan past the queue at the kiosk to just dump their stuff on my (very small) till area while saying "Oh, you're not busy so you don't mind if I get these few things here do you?" ... they get the shocks of their lives when I invariably tell them "Actually, I'm in the middle of something so you just need to join that queue there and the kiosk staff will serve you, or the self scans are just there" (literally 5 ft from our desk)

To be fair, when I worked in my local library for a year, serving customers came first. If you were doing something else and a customer was waiting, you served them - even if what you were doing was for a customer elsewhere eg looking for a book for a reservation for someone in another library. It annoys me too when people busy themselves with paperwork or stocking shelves or whatever when there's a queue. Sorry.

As for directing someone to the self scan [clutches pearls in horror]

Ive not been able to see many a school play, thanks to some idiot in front filming the whole thing on their iPad, at just the right height to block everyone behinds view.

Flappys do you use vacant disabled car spaces as well if you are in a rush?

etskiketsi - your PO experience reminds me of a thread on here some time ago where a poster was most indignant that the man behind her at a pay and display machine had tutted. She had been teaching her child about counting and the child was dropping each coin in and..... I felt for the poor man.

No haystack , I don't.

And if you think that when I am desperate I should pee on the floor rather than use the disabled lavatory, I hope it's your shoes I splash.

(I do suffer from urge incontinence. Although I don't regard it as a disability it does mean that I can't hold my water as long as most women can. I've used the gents' before now, and there probably isn't a grassy knoll between land's End and John O' Groats that I haven't fiddled on at some time or other. When I said I use the disabled when I'm in rush, I meant in a rush to have a pee, not in a rush to get to Tesco's )

Hahahahaha - that should say "piddled on" not "fiddled on".

Oh dear - no wonder I have a reputation!

What if someone disabled comes along and is desperate or incontinent?

Exactly the same as if there was already a disabled person in there who may well take a lot longer!

There does seem to be a domino effect though with disabled toilets. I use the regular toilets if I feel able to (I have a couple of hidden disabilities), but one time I was in a busy venue with 2 kids in tow and was feeling pretty overwhelmed and unable to cope with the noise and bustle so decided to use the disabled toilet.

The first couple of trips the toilet was free so we went straight in, used the toilet and left. The third time someone was in the cubicle so I waited outside. By the time the cubicle became free there was around 5 people waiting to use it, mostly with kids. I don't know if they saw me waiting with kids and thought 'well she's taking the kids in so no one will judge if I take mine too'

kungfu that women serving you in the shop was out of order.

Never attribute to malice that which is adequately explained by stupidity. I am convinced that the majority of offenders are stupidly unaware of the world around them and their impact on it. These are the sudden stoppers, the mobile fixated and the suitcase pullers. I bump into them and apologise profusely. The unaware at the till have to be given a little latitude but then be made aware by a direct comment. The queue jumpers and the entitled have to be challenged fearlessly stat.