To be baffled by buyers who won't pay till they have put ALL their shopping into bags at the supermarket checkout? When there's a queue waiting behind them?

[tigermoth]

I am always baffled when people with lots of shopping pack everything first and pay last at supermarket checkouts.

Why are some people totally oblivious to holding up the queue. Is it due to absent mindedness? selfishness? Or some logical reason?

It really slows things down for all those waiting behind them. AIBU to find it annoying?

See my message of 07:49:05 custardo, about how it saves time.

I know it's a small thing in the grand scheme of life, but isn't that what AIBU threads are all about

oh yes i agreere AIBU. all light hearted i agree.

maybe its becuse i have a huge amount of shopping - i dunno - but i am a 'payer'

they ask for the balance and i pay.

but there is still 'lag' whilst i finish off packing my goods so whether one pays and packs or packs and pays i cant see how it makes any mind.

I fucking hate vouchers though.

Oooooooooh i have 5p off lenor........check to see on bill if actually bought lenor

10p or biscuits....check to see ......

aaaaaaaaaaaaaaargh

its not about hanging around at the till, its about making a community again rather than rushing and hurrying people on.

i dont mind waiting if an old person has a conversation with the checkout person, it might be the only person they speak to all day. thats why i miss my old town so much.

where i live now its so rude, everone is in a rush and will almost push you out of the way, its so anonymous and unfriendly, its not a community.

but back to the original question, i pack and then pay and i take my time too!

You shouldn't feel guilty for holding up the queue on a busy day. The queue is there because they don't put more staff on, not because you don't pack quickly enough! The supermarkets could eliminate the queues by opening more checkouts!

why should I rush? what is the panic? If I am spending my money in a shop (and soooo much of my money goes to the supermarket) then I am going to pack my shopping and pay without feeling that I have to rush and hurry and run out of the supermarket with half my shoppping spilling out into the trolly.

there is no other shop where you would be expected to pay before your items are even ready to go - even with queues.

For God's sake - are you really i nthat much of a rush that you can't bear to wait a minute while someone finishes packing. I hate this attitude that is so prevalent these days where people just want to barge others out the way whether it be in Tescos, or on the roads driving. Always seems to be someone in a queue tuttign and huffing.

If I was to pay and then pack, I'd pack your shopping in with mine when your stuff got sent down. .

I always pack away shopping then pay.

It's either that or pay then still have to pack away shopping as 9/10 the cashier won't start putting things through for the next person until you've moved away from the checkout anyway.

'All of you who never pay till your stuff is packed, don't you feel a bit guilty, on busy days, for holding up the queue?'

Why the hell should I?

I'm spending £150 in their shop, people saw I had a lot of stuff on the belt.

If that makes them angry, tbh, fuck 'em.

Find another queue.

Shop online.

Use the express/self-service/cash only lanes.

I'm there doing my business and travelled at least an hour each way to do it.

I'm an efficient packer.

Queues are part of life. Don't like it, get knotted or make enough money to pay someone else to do your dirty work.

I use Ocado

'If I sensed the person behind me was getting impatient, I'd hurry up as much as I could. Why deliberately slow down for no practical reason? I don't want to be hanging around a supermarket checkout just to wind up the person behind me. Isn't that cutting off your nose to spite your face?'

You have issues.

I don't even notice the person behind me and if I noticed their becoming impatient I'd think they were just a git because like I said it's easy to see from how much is on the belt that I'm not there to just pick up a few items.

I never deliberately pack slowly, but my shopping has to be packed well because of the journey back.

I usually place it on the belt in a certain order, because I put all the frozen stuff in coolers as I may have to queue for the ferry on the way back.

So I pack it accordingly.

I use the big Lidl bags so I don't need carrier bags, which makes it go faster.

But honestly, getting anxious that you're 'holding up' random strangers you're never going to see again in a huge supermarket?

my dp does this sometimes if he takes a dislike to the person on the checkout . he's a funny customer..!

i'm personally not on either side of the fence here, really don't give this kinda thing that much thought.

When I worked (as a student) in Asda, we were told about scanning speeds and told off if they were down. Then we sped up a bit, and when customers complained, some staff told them about the scanning speed problem. Supervisor told us off and warned us that this was unacceptable. I realised that as it was a holiday job I would just scan as the customer wanted and stuff 'em!

I like to race the checkout girl, so that I'm getting the stuff in the bags quicker than she can scan it. I consider it a victory if I can stand there with my hand out waiting for the next item.

Am delighted to hear about scanning rates. The faster the better. Makes a good competition out of it!

And my choice of checkout is much more about who's on the till - I want a good fast one. Older women usually much better than teenage boys, obv.

YABU! most people pack and pay it does not make a difference either way and TBH how long do you think it takes someone to pack there shopping since most people pack as items are scanned. You have serious issues if you can't spare a couple of minutes out of your life its hardly like people take hours to pack there shopping.

YABU the items clear too quickly to pack and pay all at the same time. You hold up the queue whatever way round you do it. What annoys me is when the cashier doesn't help and you are struggling to hurry up and they just sit there. However, I tell myself they are in a job they hate and so can't be bothered to help/do that extra little bit of kindness to a struggling buyer. If we all got upset at all the cashiers and shopped soley online or go elsewhere they will be out of a job.

Also the customer could be in agony back/hand/mind take your pick or just plain having a bad day or just plain fed-up of rushing all the time. Or just plain can't do everything all at once.

I don't like it when you get the charity people doing the packing. I have an order, a system which makes it all so much quicker to unpack when I get home. Thinking about it I am anal about my food packing.

What I hate is when the person ahead of you has paid but still hasn't lifted their (packed) bag of shopping off the counter - and then takes ages sorting out change, putting the receipt away inot a special pocket in thier hand bag, putting on lipstick and generally faffing about before getting out of the way.

But I make sure not to show my impatience, before any of you say that they would have been doing it deliberating becasue of that!

Like MissElixabatherBennet, I look on it as a challenge to be faster at packing than the operator is at scanning. becasue I am used to shopping at Lidl, I am usually well ahead of the Sainsbury's till operators!

i pack then pay, cause if u dont the checkout staff, usually star scanning the next customers shopping before ive finnished, can result in mix up .several times iv wondered htf i came home with stuff i dont pick up from shelf. major sorry to the person who was missing their nutty cookies,oops!

I know what you mean, I think.

I always have my credit card ready as I can continue packing whilst it registers, then I put the digits in (and continue packing!!) and I finish about the same time as the cashier.

I am a bit worried that its like OCD though!

there's more than one issue here... I always pack before paying - for aforesaid reason of not wanting cashier to lob a load of someone elses shopping in my direction

I deliberately pack slowly if the cashier is going too fast - and i say something too!

and anyway...

I can't see how packing before or after paying is going to make a time difference. I wouldn't want to barge into packing zone whilst someone else is sorting their shopping out - it's rude

panelat - I do that too! Try to make sure that I lift filled bags intot he troelly as I am going along too.

Because I am used to packing quickly (cost of shopping at Lidl), I get really annoyed at till operators who sacan too slowly - and who don't get the hint with my outstretched hand ready and wating for every item!

Totally agree with prettybird. It's the ones who insist on rearranging their purses, handbags etc before deigning to walk away that do my head in. Why can't they walk away and then sort out their stuff?

Ditto people who insert their card into cash machines and then do maths on their fingers and lengthy muttered calculations re how much money they're going to need to withdraw.

Ditto people who wait in bus queues for ages, only to start digging for change once they've got on and are asked to pay a fare.

Ditto people like MY MOTHER who refuse to even glance at a restaurant menu until a waiter has taken everybody else's order and is standing over them waving their pen as if they want to stab her. I'd testify in the waiter's defence