Odd Supermarket Behavior

[The Late Night Gourmet]

I don’t know why this finally got to me today at the supermarket. I’ve seen this behavior frequently, and it never got to me to the point where I thought about posting about it. But, I’m wondering if this sort of behavior happens in other countries. It’s certainly not confined to the Kroger where I normally shop.

1. Banana Bunch Misdeeds. Every few weeks, I see somebody pick up a bunch of bananas, let’s say there are 6 of them. Apparently, they only needed 5, so they break off one banana, and take the rest with them. I guess the extra 5 cents for that 6th banana would have broken the bank.

2. Obstruction Penalty. This one happens quite a bit. Somebody parks their cart in front of something, then goes down the aisle to pick out something else. They’re gone for several minutes, too. I need something behind where the cart is, but I feel it would be rude to move the cart.

I chalk all this up to people not really caring about how their actions impact anyone else. Has anyone else seeing behavior like this? Are there other things you’ve seen at supermarkets that annoy you?

 

[CraigC]

I don’t know why this finally got to me today at the supermarket. I’ve seen this behavior frequently, and it never got to me to the point where I thought about posting about it. But, I’m wondering if this sort of behavior happens in other countries. It’s certainly not confined to the Kroger where I normally shop.

1. Banana Bunch Misdeeds. Every few weeks, I see somebody pick up a bunch of bananas, let’s say there are 6 of them. Apparently, they only needed 5, so they break off one banana, and take the rest with them. I guess the extra 5 cents for that 6th banana would have broken the bank.

2. Obstruction Penalty. This one happens quite a bit. Somebody parks their cart in front of something, then goes down the aisle to pick out something else. They’re gone for several minutes, too. I need something behind where the cart is, but I feel it would be rude to move the cart.

I chalk all this up to people not really caring about how their actions impact anyone else. Has anyone else seeing behavior like this? Are there other things you’ve seen at supermarkets that annoy you?

Don't get started! My real peeve is kids out of parental control! There are so many clueless parents that don't realize that many of their kids just might end up being cart "hood ornaments". Good thing I have great peripheral vision or the grocery isles would be a slaughter house.

 

[Morning Glory]

1. Banana Bunch Misdeeds. Every few weeks, I see somebody pick up a bunch of bananas, let’s say there are 6 of them. Apparently, they only needed 5, so they break off one banana, and take the rest with them. I guess the extra 5 cents for that 6th banana would have broken the bank.

I think that would be normal here. If the bananas aren't packaged up you can break off as many as you want. Same with big roots of ginger (which is arguably more destructive) - you break off the amount you want and its weighed at the check-out.

2. Obstruction Penalty. This one happens quite a bit. Somebody parks their cart in front of something, then goes down the aisle to pick out something else. They’re gone for several minutes, too. I need something behind where the cart is, but I feel it would be rude to move the cart.

That is annoying. I have no worries about moving the cart at all.

 

[Morning Glory]

kids out of parental control!

Hateful. I agree.

 

[Morning Glory]

Good thread @The Late Night Gourmet! You will have us all fuming...

 

[buckytom]

I can't stand the fingernail marks in fruit. Little arcs cut into the skin of the fruit to see how ripe it is.

And I have no problem moving people's carts out of the way. If someone really abuses it, it's been known to have the stranded cart moved to an entirely different aisle.

 

[flyinglentris]

I don’t know why this finally got to me today at the supermarket. I’ve seen this behavior frequently, and it never got to me to the point where I thought about posting about it. But, I’m wondering if this sort of behavior happens in other countries. It’s certainly not confined to the Kroger where I normally shop.

1. Banana Bunch Misdeeds. Every few weeks, I see somebody pick up a bunch of bananas, let’s say there are 6 of them. Apparently, they only needed 5, so they break off one banana, and take the rest with them. I guess the extra 5 cents for that 6th banana would have broken the bank.

2. Obstruction Penalty. This one happens quite a bit. Somebody parks their cart in front of something, then goes down the aisle to pick out something else. They’re gone for several minutes, too. I need something behind where the cart is, but I feel it would be rude to move the cart.

I chalk all this up to people not really caring about how their actions impact anyone else. Has anyone else seeing behavior like this? Are there other things you’ve seen at supermarkets that annoy you?

I see this sort of thing all the time. It is quite [normal]. People often do not think. They just do. Because they don't think, they can hardly be credited with having consideration for others.

The one behavior I find particularly disturbing has to do with the supermarket parking lot. People get in their cars, start their engines, start to back out of their parking space and then, only then, take a look around to see where they are going. I almost had my leg crushed once by one of these fools. After that, I also park so that my front is facing out and don't have to back up. And I always wait on people who are in their cars, not being able to predict anything but the worse.

You aren't going to stop it. Get used to it and be aware .... have that situational awareness that lets you think and take actions that allow you to live with it with some degree of comfort.

 

[Morning Glory]

If someone really abuses it, it's been known to have the stranded cart moved to an entirely different aisle.

Good one. Next time I will do that!

 

[Morning Glory]

Little arcs cut into the skin of the fruit to see how ripe it is.

Horrible!

 

[CraigC]

Today, I was leaving the grocery parking lot, from a one way aisle. This woman (I call them dead drivers) decided to turn into my aisle, completely blocking my exit. I tried my best to let her know she was turning into an aisle opposed to her direction. I used hand gestures to show her she needed to move to the next aisle with the correct direction. She had a dumbfounded look on her face and started honking her horn. I had to roll down my window and yell at the top of my lungs, before she got the message. I can't believe Florida allows the dead to get renewed licenses.

 

[buckytom]

Florida is a terrible place to drive, between the old folks, the rednecks, the transplanted/invading NYers, and the tourists.

 

[medtran49]

I've been known to break up banana bunches. Craig doesn't eat them, other than in banana bread, so I don't buy more than 2 or 3 at a time otherwise.

 

[The Late Night Gourmet]

I've been known to break up banana bunches. Craig doesn't eat them, other than in banana bread, so I don't buy more than 2 or 3 at a time otherwise.

I totally understand if you only need 2 out of 6. But, as it happens, the only ripe bananas I saw at the supermarket were the ones that were broken off of bunches previously. So, I got a bag and collected 6 individual bananas. Even though would help me this time, the practice still annoys me for some reason.

@morning glory and many others: do European shoppers really behave better than American shoppers? Or, are we just a bunch of barbarians?

 

[Lullabelle]

Ok here goes:

Kids allowed to run around unsupervised
Trolleys/carts left whilst shopper is in another isle
Four or five people all standing around together just to decide which potato to buy
Groups of people who stand in the middle of an isle to chat and then glare at you when you try to get by
People who walk in 1 direction but push their trolley in the opposite direction oblivious to others.
People with their headphones on whilst being served and all but ignoring the person serving them.
My list could go on ....

Great thread

 

[buckytom]

Oh, another one is when someone is at the counter to pay and can't seem to bring themselves to stop their conversation on their cell phone for 1 FREAKIN' MINUTE, so they clumsily juggle their money while talking away, pinching their shoulder up to hold the phone.Then they drop the phone, pick it up and apologize to the person on the other end, then ask the cashier how much it was again. And then continue the cell phone conversation, and repeat the process again.