I was at Costco today to pick up a few things -- some Diet Coke, some snacks for the office, etc. I picked the best looking line and got behind four other carts that were all about half full, like mine.
As I moved up the line and was the next up to start unloading my cart, a guy who looked to be about 20 came up to me and said, "Excuse me, ma'am, but do you mind if I get ahead of you in line since I'm only buying 2 things?"
Me: Actually I do mind. Why do you think that just because you're buying fewer items you shouldn't have to wait in line like the rest of us?
He stood there staring at me and finally said: But, I'm only buying 2 things.
Me: I understand that but, why do you feel that entitles you to not have to wait in line?
Him: (Just staring at me still)
Me: If you can give me a good reason why it makes sense to let you cut in line, I'll do it but, you'll have to convince me why you think the number of items that you're buying matters because it really doesn't.
Him: Can't I just get in front of you?
Me: No. Not unless you can convince me.
Him: (Staring)
Me: Well?
Him: So, no?
Me: Correct. No.
Him: (Wandered off to another line presumably to ask others if he could cut in.)
It might be different if he were a 90 year old man or a very pregnant woman or someone who would seem to have a hard time standing in line on a hot, crowded shopping day but, he was a young kid, looked perfectly healthy, etc.
I truly don't understand why some people think that having fewer items entitles them to not have to wait in line. Makes no sense to me.
8 comments:
i personally have let quite a few people go ahead of me in line if they only have one or two things and i have a cartful. i consider it being courteous and after all,that extra 2 minutes isn't going to matter in the big scheme. and hopefully someone else will do me the favor(which they have). so i guess i don't understand your angst. those little courtesies make life tolerable.
When I started reading this I didn't know who wrote it but I COULD GUESS! Ha ha!
Spidey, my take on it is that he shouldn't have asked. I often ask people if they want to go ahead of me too, but I might be annoyed if an obviously able-bodied person asked to go ahead of me. Depends on what kind of mood I was in that day.
With Urbs, you get All Urbs, All The Time, which is part of her charm.
Spidey -- I had no angst whatsoever. I was truly curious about why he thought having fewer items entitled him to cut the long line.
I understand what you're saying and I have let people go ahead of me in line, by invitation from me. And I hear you about reciprocity but, I would NEVER ask that even if I were in a hurry because I would never presume that my time is more valuable than anyone else who is standing in line.
It was really interesting to me because there were about 5 other people behind me and some of them only had 3 or 4 items in their carts so it was the idiocy of his presumption that I found fascinating.
The funny thing is, there was an older fellow with him that I think might have been his father. When I refused to let him in, the older guy said, "See, leave people alone." and the kid shrugged and said, "So?"
Fez :)
I think that in principle, you are absolutely correct. In practice, I'd have probably let him go ahead of me without comment. Because at this point in my life, I'm too lazy to bother with educating people. There are just SO MANY who need it.
if i misunderstood you, i apologize. if someone asked me, i guess i would assume they were in a hurry for some reason and would let them go ahead. that's all.
I frequently offer to let people go ahead of me IF I am the only one or the last one in line.
It is not right to let someone go ahead of you if there are already people behind you. Because then you're inconveniencing several people and not just yourself.
I do think that people who select to use the self checkout lanes in grocery stores (or any store's self checkout lane) should hop to it. Those lanes need to be for people who have the ability to navigate the register, scanner, card reader, PLU enter-er, etc. They are not meant for the people who scan one item, hold it, see it finally pop up on the screen, then finally place it in their bag, grab another item, scan it, you get the idea.
And people need to have their fucking form of payment ready wherever they go. Don't be writing a check anywhere unless you're 90. Use your card or pay quickly with cash, moving out of the way to put the change back in your wallet or purse.
People oftentimes complain about long lines in places, but a lot of that wait is because the shoppers don't think about what they can do to expedite the process.
And why do some parts of the country say 'standing on line' instead of 'standing in line'. You're not standing on a line; you're standing in a line of people. Get it right.
So there.
Costco should have a 7 items or less line. problem solved
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