Sad, angry and shocked!

who h, hsve
which, have

do d think.

I do d that the best and quickest way to get through a manned checkout is to place the heaviest items onto the conveyer belt first then the fruit who h would get bruised easily then the lightest items. I would already hsve my debit card and loyalty cards in my jeans pocket ready to whip out.
As the cashier scans the items I load them back into the trolley, heaviest at one end and lighter at the other. I then pay and pack at leisure at the seating area or on an unused till space. If it's good weather I pack outside.
It is not the problem people make it out to be.
Quicker for both me and whoever is waiting behind me plus the cashier isn't waiting for me to pack before paying her/him.

In the past I wouldn't have said anything and DH would still stop me if he could - doesn't like a fuss! However, I have discovered that little old ladies can get away with a lot if they are polite and sometimes add a smile! I've done it twice this week. First time I was waiting near the door of a supermarket for DH and a woman took a trolley past me into a dead end. Fine going in but as she backed out she gave me quite a whack with the trolley and didn't apologise. I said "that hurt" and her response was "you shouldn't have been in the way". Later we passed her and I said to DH "that's the very rude woman who hit me with her trolley and didn't apologise". Second time we were on a late night train in the quiet compartment when a group of girls got on. They were very, very loud so I smiled at them and looked at the notice. One of them apologised profusely. I just hope they stopped to think about it.

Fortunately neither of these was our home town. I'm sure everyone is lovely in Nonnie Town

phoenix, I would have been really upset too. But did you say anything? I would have, I'm afraid, or glad to say.

Had the same situation at our local Coop on Friday- but I am happy to report that although a few glances were exchanged, and smiles - everyone waited patiently. The cashier apologised once he had gone on his way- and everyone said 'it could be my dad- and maybe me one day' or words to that effect.

MamaCaz that's awful, no wonder you were upset!

These impatient customers ought to shop in rural France, where everyone knows the person on the till personally. They discuss all their mutual news while packing etc. And the others in the queue join the discussion.
Takes ages, but no-one minds. Shopping is a social occasion.

These days, I would have told the man in question exactly what I thought of him.

Not so when I was about 22 and had someone like him behind me at the check-out.
As always at the time (there was no alternative), I had my younger son with me while shopping, aged under a year old at the time. He, obviously, was in the trolley.

Because of lack of space, I ended up with the trolley on the shop side of me, rather than the exit side, as I put its contents on the belt.
The cashier started checking things through before I had them all out, meaning that I then had to rush to start bagging them up as soon as possible.

At some point in all this, I discovered that my trolley was no longer there behind me - Mr Nasty had shifted it, with my baby son still in it, back into the shop.
I was gobsmacked, and he had a real go at me for leaving it in his way!
As my things were still being checked through at that moment, I should have refused to pay or move until my baby was returned. In fact, I should have accused him of abduction and called for the manager. These days I would.

Of course, being young and shy, I didn't - I did tell him that he was being unreasonable, but just got more abuse.

I was so upset that I found it very hard not to cry as I made my way home.

Worse, not one person, not even the cashier, said a word!

I find it is very common now, it is used in ordinary conversation and in my opinion, it is not necessary at all.

It doesn't seem to matter what age they are either, teenagers in a shop or on the street just chatting, yummy mummies in cafes or collecting their children, young men walking on the high street chatting away, middle-aged men seem to be the worst around here.

No-one seems to care what they are saying or who can hear them.

Thankfully I've never seen anything like that in my frquent visits to Tesco.
I think I would have said "you wait until you're his age (scowl)".

I’m often rushing around M and S in my lunch hour, and I’m often held up by very elderly people at the checkout. I’m completely tolerant of this, admiring their independence, and knowing it could be me one day!
Full marks to the staff in M and S, they never hurry anyone, and are always kind and helpful

Thank God for self checkouts. I mess about so I am sure I would annoy people.

I really dislike swearing and would have said so and, if you're in a hurry, use self service checkouts.

Febmummaofaboy I think that my DD may have taught Paddington Bear "the stare" but he's not quite there yet .
It works well if accompanied by one word: "Really?"

My husband won't shop in either Aldi or Lidl because he can't cope with the pressure to pack all the stuff as it flies through the checkout He does get frustrated when we stand in a queue and the person in front takes forever or the till operator has to ask for the code but he would never dream of saying anything like that. Some people are just so intolerant of others!

@Callistemon seeing the Paddington stare made my morning!

I'm always too scared to say anything but one day I will shout at one of these compassionless people!

I don't know what happened with my post phoenix - it wouldn't post, now having a quick look again and there it is!

I was at one of those checkouts that has a bar which the operator slides across to separate the items of the previous customer from the one being currently served, IFKWIM.

Anyway, the woman in front of me obviously knew the checkout operator and was talking nonstop to her, all the while she was being served and packing her goods. Then across went the bar and my items started to be scanned through. And what did this bl**dy woman do? She started to pick up my shopping and pack it in her bags, because she simply wasn't concentrating.

The first two occasions she did it I said, quite politely, "that's mine" and she apologised, giggling. The third time, however, I shouted at her, quite loudly, "Will you STOP taking my shopping! If you could just STOP talking, you'd be able to concentrate, and let your friend on the checkout concentrate as well!" She was dumbstruck, picked up her bags, red-faced and mumbling, and left the shop. Her 'friend' on the checkout looked at me with a smile of relief, and said "thanks"

Isn't it infuriating when you think of an appropriate riposte after the moment has passed! I'm becoming braver as I age and do tend, with some trepidation,to comment if I can think of something suitable..
Slightly off piste, but at the supermarket this evening I was still placing my shopping on the belt when the couple behind started to put theirs on and encroaching on 'my' space, so I gradually shoved their stuff back; I tried the Paddington Bear stare- no reaction, so I thumped my bag of spuds on top of their stuff along with a bunch of daffs. The couple then complained to the check out lady that these items weren't theirs. Grrrrgh.

If it was the "Paddington Bear Stare" then you did, Callistemon!

I can't post it! sorry

Practise this:

I agree he was completely out of order.

I would like to have said " And being offensive is far worse", but I wouldn't as it could wind him up and then he may well have vented his anger on me.

In reality, I would probably have just given him a blank stare over his shoulder in response.

As discussed elsewhere, many checkout operators rush people through the checkout process and expect you to pack your items in seconds and have your payment ready immediately.
I thought our checkout operator wouldn't stop talking today - she's a lovely girl but it was me glancing anxiously at the queue behind us!

As a response to the rude guy in line ..