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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Regret causing a scene in Aldi

311 replies

Liiz92 · 08/02/2026 16:51

I went to Aldi earlier. While I was scanning an item at the self checkout, the price was more expensive than the price on the sticker on the shelf. I asked the assistant if I could quickly go back to swap it. I was away for only about 2 minutes.

When I came back to the till, there was a man arguing with the assistant, saying she had to remove my items so he could use the till. I explained that the items were mine and that I had just gone back to swap something. He started shouting at me, saying I had “jumped the queue” and that I shouldn’t go to the till until I had finished my shopping.

I stayed quiet for a few moments. When he was in the queue, I approached him and pointed my finger, saying, “don’t fucking speak to me like that again, or at any woman.” He shouted at me in response, telling me not to point my finger or swear at him. I said, “You’ve chosen the wrong person to be rude to,” and went back to DD.

We finished paying at the same time, and he was walking close behind me, looking at me. I said, “I didn’t appreciate you shouting at me in front of my child.” He then said, “I’ll see you here at 4pm next Sunday.” I said I wasn't from the area so no chance and continued walking to my car.

As time has passed, I regret my actions and wish I had just stayed quiet.

OP posts:
99bottlesofkombucha · 09/02/2026 00:39

Gotmyoldshoeson · 08/02/2026 16:56

He was a twat.

Having said that two mins is a long time to be holding up a queue to be swapping something.

Personally if there were no staff to swap it, I’d have just left it.

You wouldn’t have just left it if it meant you had to change your whole dinner plan or your kids wouldn’t get breakfast or lots of other reasons though would you? If my husband came home without a necessary ingredient and said oh the price was wrong and I’d have had to go swap it so I just left it, he’d be going straight back to the shop.

Mistyglade · 09/02/2026 00:47

Nah don’t worry about it, scenes like that aren’t rare in our Aldi!

BringBackCatsEyes · 09/02/2026 02:36

Plasticdreams · 08/02/2026 23:14

I overheard a man being really rude to his wife in Aldi about a year ago and I told him that he should be ashamed of himself speaking to a woman like that. He told me to eff off unsurprisingly!

If she was/is in an abusive marriage you may have made things a lot worse for her by making him feel attacked in public.

Marrietothejob · 09/02/2026 02:39

What a knob come back next week snd wait toll he's gone in before letting his tyres down.

PollyBell · 09/02/2026 02:43

If a woman expained thie scenario as something her male partner did she would be told to leave him as it would show red flags and be signs of abuse ans who knows where it would lead when a woman does it they give her the nobel peace prize

Yet we are constantly told there is no double standard

Pardonthegarden · 09/02/2026 03:33

YourWinter · 08/02/2026 16:59

You don’t say how old your child is but regardless, swearing at a stranger is setting an awful example. A better lesson would have been to demonstrate charm in the face of provocation. It’s not exactly classy to use the F word in public. Your child will learn from you.

Exactly this I'm afraid.

Catladywithacat · 09/02/2026 04:00

Yuk to him

Plasticdreams · 09/02/2026 04:02

BringBackCatsEyes · 09/02/2026 02:36

If she was/is in an abusive marriage you may have made things a lot worse for her by making him feel attacked in public.

having been in an abusive marriage, I was grateful for anyone who stood up for me.

Mumtobabyhavoc · 09/02/2026 05:02

He was a misogynist. Who bloody says I'll see you here at 4 next Sunday? That's a veiled type of intimidation. And you had kids with you? What a bully.

ETA no way is he agonizing or posting about being a jerk to a poor woman with her kids at tbe grocery store today

rwalker · 09/02/2026 07:47

The fact the guy had engaged with the shop assistant does imply it took a lot longer than “2 minutes “
that would piss me off if I was waiting

Stressedoutmummyof3 · 09/02/2026 07:58

Emma6cat · 08/02/2026 22:26

grumpy old man syndrome. Used to work in a supermarket, and they are the worst. I refused to serve them if they were rude.

What about women who were swearing, being aggressive and holding up other customers? And how could you refuse to serve them anyway?

Quine0nline · 09/02/2026 08:02

Good for you. Apart from the swearing but how old was the child?

Uppity men and indeed women, the self entitled and arrogant deserve to be put down, and if in front of other who may watch and learn that that behaviour is not acceptable.

Way to go.

BringBackCatsEyes · 09/02/2026 08:06

Plasticdreams · 09/02/2026 04:02

having been in an abusive marriage, I was grateful for anyone who stood up for me.

I’m sorry you were in an abusive marriage.
Sadly what I said is still true.

Liiz92 · 09/02/2026 08:25

This reply has been deleted

Message deleted by MNHQ. Here's a link to our Talk Guidelines.

I got the go-ahead from the till assistant to swap the item, so I don’t believe I was in the wrong. They were busy and it was at a time they were dealing with a man who had stolen alcohol.
It wasn’t a 50p difference, it was £2.75.
I needed to use it that same day, which is why I stopped at Aldi on the way to a friend’s house.
I couldn’t have left it because I had already scanned it, so it was either go and get a new one myself or wait until the assistant was finished so she could remove it, check the price, and thenI she'd get another one for me. If anything, I sped things up by swapping it myself so she only needed to remove it from the scanned list and I scan the new one, pay and leave.
There were other checkouts and mine wasn't the only one. So he was waiting regardless.
Who do I think I am? A woman who stands up for herself. Albeit, I’m not proud of the swearing.

OP posts:
Paganpentacle · 09/02/2026 08:28

I'd be there next sunday as arranged

Liiz92 · 09/02/2026 08:28

rwalker · 09/02/2026 07:47

The fact the guy had engaged with the shop assistant does imply it took a lot longer than “2 minutes “
that would piss me off if I was waiting

I was not more than 2 minutes.
The aisle was the one opposite the till and I knew exactly where the item was.

OP posts:
Ebok1990 · 09/02/2026 08:31

Paganpentacle · 09/02/2026 08:28

I'd be there next sunday as arranged

😆 as arranged!! 🤣

Paganpentacle · 09/02/2026 08:35

Ebok1990 · 09/02/2026 08:31

😆 as arranged!! 🤣

😁

FarmGirl78 · 09/02/2026 08:45

@Liiz92 You seemed to have reached a point where you'd read and digested all the posts, good and bad, analysed your behaviour and decided how you'd handle things differently next time, and Thanked everyone for posting and summed it all nicely.

And here you are, still here arguing with people about points that aren't actually relevant to what you take away from Aldi episode. I think knowing when to let things drop is your stumbling block. You don't need to take everything further. Let it go. Sometimes you can leave stuff unresolved. That's ok. You don't need to have the last word on everything.

abracadabra1980 · 09/02/2026 08:47

I have voted UABU as I applaud your outburst and think your response was fantastically brave. Fuck rude men - give as good as you get and more. And don't feel guilty for it.

ClairDeLaLune · 09/02/2026 08:49

You shouldn’t have gone back to swap something and held up the people behind you! You should’ve paid for your shopping excluding that item then gone back round to buy the replacement separately. Also you shouldn’t have sworn at him.

Having said that, he shouldn’t have shouted at the assistant.

ESH. (Except the assistant. And DD.)

RottenBanana · 09/02/2026 09:17

Liiz92 · 09/02/2026 08:28

I was not more than 2 minutes.
The aisle was the one opposite the till and I knew exactly where the item was.

So in under 2 minutes they dealt with the alcohol thief and had time to engage with this man, yet he didn't see you having the conversation with the staff member about swapping something.

You were the one who escalated by swearing, and again by saying he picked the wrong person to be rude to. You then reengaged with him as you were both leaving instead of just letting it go and getting on with your day and chose hypocrisy about him shouting in front of your child when you had been swearing in front of same child.

Neither of you were great, but on balance, you were worse.

Over40Overdating · 09/02/2026 09:25

MN never fails to bring out the ‘poor men’ and ‘you should be ashamed that you thought of yourself before a shop full of strangers first’ brigades.

The ‘ poor men’s we know are the parents or partners of the vile specimens that deserve to be rounded on, but the ‘think of others first’ lot - are you really so concerned with never inconveniencing anyone else, ever, that you’d put yourself to extra hassle on the off chance someone had to wait 1 minute longer to scan their spuds? I just can’t imagine being so utterly lacking in self esteem.

Autumngirl5 · 09/02/2026 09:40

This reply has been deleted

Message deleted by MNHQ. Here's a link to our Talk Guidelines.

Stressedoutmummyof3 · 09/02/2026 10:15

Over40Overdating · 09/02/2026 09:25

MN never fails to bring out the ‘poor men’ and ‘you should be ashamed that you thought of yourself before a shop full of strangers first’ brigades.

The ‘ poor men’s we know are the parents or partners of the vile specimens that deserve to be rounded on, but the ‘think of others first’ lot - are you really so concerned with never inconveniencing anyone else, ever, that you’d put yourself to extra hassle on the off chance someone had to wait 1 minute longer to scan their spuds? I just can’t imagine being so utterly lacking in self esteem.

Most people have agreed he shouldn't have said anything and was being a twat. Unfortunately shoving your finger in someone's face and swearing doesn't cover the OP in glory. Imagine if it was the man who'd behaved like that.