Re people loitering and dithering in shoos

[Carbosug]

With one way systems, social distancing, people queuing outside AIBU to wish people would make an effort to move as quickly as possible up and down the aisles.

Standing for ages deliberating between products, phoning your oh to check what brand of marmalade they prefer, or standing for ages checking a shopping list in a narrow aisle where people need to pass is inconsiderate.

These aren't normal times and most people have adjusted the way they shop accordingly.
But you still get the oblivious faffers and delayers.

I shop for an elderly neighbour. They give me a list. That list contains things I am unfamiliar with. They specify certain brands, sizes, etc. It does take me longer to find their specified products than if I was shopping for me as I know what I’m looking for and see it straightaway if it’s my usual. I try not to slow down BUT I’m trying to ensure and elderly isolating human being living in their own through this gets at least some of their needs met.

i went for a walk yesterday, most people were grumpy.
we need less complaints, not more

Yet here you are fedupwiththisshitnow.

No problem with you criticising me, but find your post a little pots and kettles.

No problem with you criticising me, but find your post a little pots and kettles.

I didn't say anything critical of you actually. I stated what made me happier.

YABU.

The one-way systems in the supermarkets are infantilising and unncessary. Fortunately, everyone in my local supermarket ignores the signs and just keeps their distance from everyone else. That seems to work perfectly well. If you don't want to be near someone who's phoning their OH about marmalade, why not go to another aisle and return to the marmalade section later?

There has been a huge rise in community spirit, which I hope remains when we get to our "new normal", but I seem to spend as much time thinking "what happened to the whole be kind movement".

Even without the lockdown, I shop very quickly - because it's a task I hate. I have a list, and go up and down the aisles in order, and can decide on an alternative if there's no stock very quickly. However, at the moment, I'm conscious of stressing out other people, who all have their own worries and heightened anxieties, so take my lead from the people in front of me in each aisle. If that means pausing so they can have time to think, so be it. Most of us have more time on our hands than normal, so does it matter if it takes a bit longer?

Yes but while making a passive aggressive snipe.

Anyhow that's how you came across but maybe you didn't intend to.

If it's a one way system then you have to loiter b/c you can't easily nip backwards for something you forgot. So you have to take your time to be sure.

It may be the one chance/week to get supplies, I fully understand dithering.

Both my main supermarkets reorganised in last 2 yrs & I still haven't figured out the logic of where to find stuff. I'd need to loiter to look at everything, too.

I dither. I mean I dither anyway when I shop, but it is worse than normal at the moment. Even though I have a list.

But then, I get very panicky when supermarket shopping, even in normal times. I simply can't operate without a list - I get in there and my mind goes blank and I have no idea what to buy. So I tend to click and collect, or send another family member. Except at the moment I can't seem to book a click and collect slot, and my husband has decided that he will no longer do any shopping as he hasn't the patience to wait in a queue, so I am stuck doing it.

I do tend to get my meat/veg/bread/milk delivered by local companies, though, so that helps.

I also had to say to a dithery guy behind me..." feel free to overtake" I was picking up fruit and veg for the freezer in farm foods and he was doing an impersonation of a really bad stalker, emergency stopping everytime i had to go into one of the freezers :o

I must say our farmfoods is coping very well atm, I always used them for veg, (and cat litter as it's always on offer in there!) but their frozen fruit is lovely and they also sell those giant bags of those odd little cheesy nib biscuits, like minature cheddars but much easier to cram into your mouth

and they sell pukka pies

A bit late but I simply HAVE to share that yesterday in Morrisons the woman in front of me opened left her huge trolley in the middle of the aisle whilst she opened and sniffed half a dozen fabric conditioners. I use a mobility scooter and could not get past so just had to sit and wait it out!

I am annoyed at our local supermarket there is a sign saying 'one adult to shop wherever possible' but you've still got families having an outing, couples sauntering around picking stuff up.

Idiots

The worst I came across were two couples who obviously knew each other who had stopped for a long cosy chat. Eventually someone pointed out to them that they had a mahoosive great car park outside where they could have their chat without getting in everyone's way.

If someone’s only shopping once or twice a week, I wouldn’t begrudge them being thorough. Better than going to the shops every day/every other day because they’ve forgotten essentials

Our local Morrisons isn't so much a one way system as a series of unexpectedly blocked routes, like a maze. You could easily avoid the people loitering in the middle of the route to fresh pasta and go via fruit juice instead, but no! Blocked. I'm happy to cut ditherers some slack as I have to dither over somebody else's list every time. How the fuck do I know what's an acceptable substitute for denture toothpaste?

Just walk past them

You can't. The aisles are usually too narrow. And there's usually someone else coming the other way as well, or a member of staff with a big metal trolley trying to replenish stock. So you turn round and someone has come up behind you, so you can't go back the other way either.

I think we all need to try to cut a bit of slack because people are finding shopping stressful and no doubt it’s preferable to ‘dither’ a little to make sure they have everything rather than need to come back to the shop more frequently.

Having said that, I’m shopping for my own family plus an elderly relative and an elderly neighbour who is in the shielded group. I was just really clear from the outset that I needed a detailed shopping list, with brands specified if that was important to them. There were some items I wasn’t familiar with and I asked for photos which my relative and neighbour sent. This made it a whole lot easier. I also asked in advance whether they wanted a substitute if their preferred brand wasn’t there. Personally I think it’s ridiculous for anyone to need to be phoning someone else from the supermarket aisle - just have a conversation in advance. The elderly folk I shop for are just enormously grateful to not have to leave their homes and the last thing they’d want is for their shopping to cause any hassle.

YABU and intolerant

Lots of people are shopping for others and so buying things they wouldn't usually buy/anxious to get it right. People are stressed and that can make them dither.

And as pp have said, surely the answer is a) to realise there really is no risk to being momentarily closer than 2m if you need to go past someone and b) saying excuse me can I just get in there if someone is standing in front of the bit you want. There's really no need to be so wound up about it.

It's not fucking hard. Make a list. Stick to list.

Pretty fucking difficult when half the things on your list are out of stock. If only we all had your psychic powers and knew in advance which shelves were going to be empty life would be far simpler.

Yawn, fucking yawn

I’m in and straight out,I know what I need before I go,I don’t want to be in there longer than I need to be

YABU. As long as they are adhering to social distancing they arent doing anything wrong and honestly I'm getting sick and tired of the nitpicking and scolding over inconsequential shit like this.

Ive never been in a supermarket aisle that was so narrow and tiny that you couldn't pass someone looking at something on a shelf- the aisles are usually very spacious so just bloody walk past them, its not that difficult FGS. If the aisles are indeed too narrow then just go to another aisle instead and come back when they've decided, its not the end of the fcking world. Maybe theyre checking the ingredients because they have allergies or intolerances- did you ever consider that?- or do they deserve anaphylactic shock because they spent more than 43.7 seconds looking at a tin of soup?

Good grief.

Tesco is the only shop I’ve been to where people don’t overtake and I will never go again

So stressful

Got gods sake you are not suddenly hugely at risk for walking past someone even if 1 m

2m isn’t as big a distance as people think! People stand miles away

2m is quite short really! Jut bloody walk past!

I’m probably one of those ditherers, however I’m working off 3 shopping list, (ours, my mums and my mil’s) I’ve had to phoned one of them to ask what something was or where I can find it in shop as it’s not one Of my usual buys, I take my time deciding what to take off a shelf as due to greedy people the selection isn’t the greatest And I also have to mark off 3 shopping lists as I go, just say excuse me and walk past quickly! No need to get irritated or angsty!