Queue jumping?

[Sfuandtired]

I’m aware this could potentially sound very entitled however here goes…
When I do my large weekly shop I’m mindful of anyone behind me with only a couple of items and always let them go ahead of me, but I have to say rarely does anyone do the same for me. Today I stood behind a couple with a trolley full which they continued to unload whilst the cashier waited, as I also stood behind them with just one item in my hands, I understand it is by no means a right but AIBU to think it’s courteous to let someone go ahead of you in a situation like this?

Just go to self scan

@SafelySoftly

It’s Aldi. You all queue, that’s part of the deal.

Well apparently there are some aldis and lidls with an express/check yourself section like the bigger supermarkets. Never seen one near me though!

I agree OP I usually always let people with only a few things go ahead of me if I'm doing a big shop; and to be fair often others have done the same for me. The only time I remember not doing so was when I was in a rush and had bought a single lonely croissant from lidl bakery and was stuck behind a woman buying half the shop while competing for the world's slowest and faffiest packer awards. The cashier did comment that she should have let me go first so I think people do often offer.

I have had an awkward moment when I've let one person with hardly anything go in front of me, and then the person behind them had even less, but I didn't want it to get ridiculous, but then I felt bad!

I am usually in my own world and got loads going on in my head and don't notice other people or what they've got in their trolleys or baskets.
I've had people in the past ask me.

Just politely say, "Excuse me, I've only got this and I'm in a rush, would you mind if I just nipped in front"

I said yanbu before seeing it was Aldi . How did you buy only one thing in there , very good restraint 😂

Aldi is normally good for people letting you in when you only have a few items, if someone didn't I would just assume they haven't noticed me.

I don't look at other people's shopping, though if someone asked politely, I would let them go first.

Ask but be prepared to accept the answer might be no.

I never, ever look back. Why would you? I live to a right schedule and don’t have the minute or so to let you barge in. Just follow the rules.

I really, really hate it when people ‘let people in’ on the roads. It’s against the law and dangerous. Like when drivers stop to let me (a pedestrian) cross. Piss off! I’ll wait for a hap in the traffic thanks! I don’t trust you not to ram me.

@GiltEdges

YABU.

A queue is a queue. Creating a bizarre social etiquette around it just makes for awkwardness where there needn’t be any. When you take your place in the queue, accept that’s where you’re going to be served. And stop letting other people in front of you, it isn’t necessary.

How is it bizarre and awkward?! It's just being nice!

Aldi doesn't have any self service or basket only tills so you can easily get stuck in a long queue with a couple of things to buy. If I'm unpacking and my toddler is faffing trying to help I'll always wave someone ahead of me who is ready to pay. Why wouldn't I? It's not holding me up. The other day I'd let two people in front with single items and they'd both paid before I'd even unpacked.

Bit sad when nice gestures to help others are seen as bizarre and awkward

@Sfuandtired

I'm going with YABU. Whilst it's courteous to let someone with only 2 or 3 items in front, (if you have a trolley full,) where do you draw the line? What if there are THREE people behind with only 2 or 3 items? Are you going to let them all through? What if there are 4 or 5 people with only 2 or 3 items??? You gonna let all 4 or 5 through first?

And you do sound a BIT entitled. I have let people in front who only have 2 or 3 items, quite often. BUT if someone asked me to go in front of me I would say no, and I have before. Because it's a bloody cheek to ask.

A woman asked me once (in Morrisons,) to go in front because she had only got 3 items. I only had 5! Only 2 more than her. I said 'I have only got 2 more items than you, so I'm gonna say no' and turned my back. I heard her mutter 'stupid bitch' under her breath and shuffle off in a huff.

She tried it with the man queuing up at the checkout next to me. He had heard what happened and said no too! She was purple with rage, left her 3 items on the floor, and just left the shop.

I have also witnessed a woman with 2 items asking a woman with a big trolley full off 50-ish items, if she could go in front of her. However, 2 other people were in front of the woman asking, so she would have pushed in front of them too. (One had a basket with 6 or 7 items in, and one had a trolley with around 15 items in.)

The woman with the 50-ish items up front (who was about to be served,) said 'umm I suppose so.' As the woman asking to push in front walked forward, the man with 15 items in his trolley said 'Oh no you don't!'

The woman said 'what?! SHE said I could go in front of her.' The man said 'and to do that you will be cutting in front of me and this lady behind me coz we're both in front of you. I don't think so! Wait your turn.'

Again, the entitled queue-cutter left her items and stormed off. Probably embarrassed. (She should be!)

Its first come, first served. However I would have let you in and would hope someone would do the same in return.

yabu, its nice when it happens but its entitled to expect it.

YANBU. Aldi is the best for this and even had staff beckon people forward whilst the person at the front is still unloading their trolley. I always let people go infront if they only have a few things. I don’t mind waiting an extra 30 or seconds rather than the person behind waiting 5 minutes.

It’s Aldi, so the people in front of you probably had to stand about waiting for ages before they could start unloading their trolley. Yabu to think that you should get to waste a bit more of their time just because you only have one or two items.

I shop at Aldi and do pop in for 1 or 2 bits. I let people go know front of me and have had people let me in fro t of them. I've also had to queue with 1 or 2 bits and that's ok too. But it is really nice if you are allowed to queue jump.

I don't almost all my shopping in Lidl and it's like a contest. Everyone wants to let you go in front of them. I always offer and I've been offered loads. The only time I didn't was when someone was making it very obvious they thought I should

Sigh. I do all my shopping in Lidl. I refused to catch the eye of the person making it obvious I should let her go first.

Same here. I always let people go first if they don’t have much.

The worse by far though is when they open a new check out and all the people from behind cut across in-front of you. Last time this happened I had DD crying was about 2 weeks old and DS too. How lovely.

YABU

It’s a queue. You just queue until it’s your turn. It wouldn’t occur to me to look at how many things the person behind me has, and I wouldn’t expect anyone else to do it for me either.

I would usually let somebody with a couple of items in front of me, if I saw them, if I’m in a shop like Aldi/ Lidl that don’t have express lanes. I do feel guilty if another 1 or 2 people with only a few items come up as well, but I”m usually shopping in my lunch hour during work so often don’t have the time to let everyone in front of me.
If it’s a shop with express lanes I will pointedly not let people in before me, as they”re clearly just trying to jump the queues and my time is as important as theirs!

I don't keep an eye on people behind me.

But if I do notice someone, my criteria is: if I'm still unloading my trolley, the person at the till hasn't started scanning because they're waiting for me to finish (Aldi or Lidl), I'm happy to wave them around me because I've still got another minute of unloading stuff and I know they'll be launched through the checkout quickly and probably before I'm done.

Otherwise it's just up to whether or not they ask and I've got extra time on my hands. If we're all just queueing though, no. I'm so glad the localish Lidl has self checkouts now so this rarely happens anymore.

Last week, I let not one, but two, people in front of me! But, tbf, it was in Lidl and the man at the till was so fast I was worried I wouldn’t even have my trolley loaded onto the belt by the time he was flinging my sausages down the bagging area! So I was just buying myself some time 😆

I take no notice of the person behind me in a queue, I wouldn't know if they had one item or a trolley full.

I always allow anyone with just a couple if items to go ahead of me. I have never known anyone refuse so I am surprised at the split of AIBU to AINBU. Makes me think that some people would be more than happy to accept such an offer but think it's unreasonable of them to do the same. At the time of my post 46% of people think YABU yet I can't believe a similar percentage would refuse an offer of going first with a couple of items. Seems to suguest quite a high proportion of people are selfish feeling ...I will take you up on such an offer, but don't expect me to offer a similar courtesy to others.

@muimerp

I didn't realise people looked behind them int he queue to see what the next person was buying!

It would not occur to me to do this.

I can't see how you couldn't be aware of what the person behind you has unless you're wearing some kind of blinkers. Don't you look round when you're waiting, while you're unloading your trolley, while the cashier takes the money from the person in front?

I'm constantly amazed on here at how some people go through life without ever noticing the world around them

OP - I'd ask politely if you could go ahead, you can't end up any worse off.

@KrisAkabusi

They could be in a rush, they may have limited time. I rarely look backwards in a queue, so I have no idea how much stuff the person behind me has.

I always look backwards in a queue.

1. To make internal moral judgments on their diet and social standing.
2. To think 'that looks good I wish I'd bought some of that'
3. To make crass observations like 'Hmm, obviously single with all those individual ready meals but OMG what a lot of wine!'
4. Sh*t just seen their butter and I forgot to get mine.