I love grocery shopping, but I know that many people
dread this task. It can be tedious, time-consuming, and, honestly, the process can
get annoying when other shoppers interfere with or even downright ruin your
experience. In fact, I find that the most draining aspect of food shopping can
be dealing with the “traffic” and behavior of other patrons. Since the grocery
store is where you have so much control over your spending and saving,
concentration is crucial.
Even
if we get annoyed by others, we may not realize we might also be contributing
our own rude or unthoughtful habits at the store. Here are some grocery store
no-no’s to be mindful so that we can all have a peaceful and productive
shopping experience.
· Incorrect
Checkout Behavior: If you’re using the express self-checkout,
be sure to adhere to the item limit. Similarly, if you have five items and line
up knowingly behind someone who has a cartful, you may want to move to another
lane. This can make the big-haul shopper and the cashier feel pressured.
Finally, give the person in front of you plenty of space to finish the checkout
process. It will not make anything go faster if you “pull up” right behind them
while they’re still at the conveyor belt.
· Ignoring
Traffic Flow: It’s one thing to linger and enjoy
shopping, but it’s another to be unaware that there’s a whole people-moving
flow. Keep your cart on the “right side of the road,” pull over if you need to
stop for a bit, and please be mindful of how your slow pace might be slowing
lots of people behind you down.
· Oblivious
Cell Phone Use: Maybe it’s just me, but I’m really trying
to concentrate when I’m grocery shopping. Everyone has the right to talk on the
phone, but perhaps your loud conversation is distracting to others, especially
when you wind up in the same aisles the whole time.
· Hogging
a Spot: I have been guilty of camping out to chat with an
acquaintance I’ve run into, but it’s important to be aware of when someone else
needs the spot you have claimed. If you need to spend ten minutes debating
which hot sauce to buy, that’s not a problem, but being ignorant to someone
patiently waiting to grab theirs is. Pull over, do your thing, but please be
ready to move out of the way as soon as you see someone.
Finally, shopping
etiquette extends into the parking lot too. Be careful not to walk in front of
cars even if pedestrians with carts should have the right of way. Return your
cart to the proper place. When you’re looking to park, don’t stalk someone who is
still in the middle of loading up their car. With these rules, hopefully we can
all have a more pleasurable trip.
