Another viewpoint regarding people in the express lanes who have more than 15 items...

So I will admit it. Prior to today, if I was in the supermarket and was in the express lane and saw someone with more than the 12 or 15 items, I stood there and gave them stink eye. I stood there and silently cursed them out in my head for being a completely rude and insensitive jerk.

And then today happened.

I left DH home with DS and DD so that I could do the grocery shopping for the week. I lazily made my way around the supermarket checking things off my list, filling up my shopping cart (completely enjoying the time to myself! )

I went up to the check out lanes and got in a line behind 2 people. I had enough room to eventually start placing my items on the belt. Eventually I finished putting my items on the belt. I couldn't even tell you how many it was, but it was a cart full.

I gave the man behind me the thing that separates people's items from each other.

Then as I was happily bagging my groceries, when the cashier was about halfway through my items, she says "just so you know for the future, this is an express lane".



OMG... I was completely mortified. I had NO idea I had gotten in an express lane. I obviously wasn't paying attention. This was not my usual supermarket. I stood there and repeatedly apologized to her. Over and over again. I tried to call out a blanket apology to everyone in line behind me (2 men), but they weren't looking at me... or were avoiding me. I could not apologize enough.

And so I left the supermarket thinking how judgemental I have been in the past.

I left the supermarket realizing that the next time I see someone in the express lane with a tremendous amount more than 15 items, it just might be that they have no idea that they are in the wrong lane and that maybe they made a mistake.



You live and you learn!

Re: Another viewpoint regarding people in the express lanes who have more than 15 items...

Oops!

Re: Another viewpoint regarding people in the express lanes who have more than 15 items...

I was a cashier when I was younger and I always rang up on the express lane. I had SUCH fun messing with people that had more than 15 items. I would ring up 15 things and then tell them that I couldn't ring up any more because it was an express lane .
Like you said...things happen. That's why when I get annoyed at a situation like that, I try to think "What if that were me?". I've developed a pretty high tolerance to things like that though after working in various customer-service related jobs though over the years.

Re: Another viewpoint regarding people in the express lanes who have more than 15 items...

Posted by SoinLove

I was a cashier when I was younger and I always rang up on the express lane. I had SUCH fun messing with people that had more than 15 items. I would ring up 15 things and then tell them that I couldn't ring up any more because it was an express lane .
Like you said...things happen. That's why when I get annoyed at a situation like that, I try to think "What if that were me?". I've developed a pretty high tolerance to things like that though after working in various customer-service related jobs though over the years.

Re: Another viewpoint regarding people in the express lanes who have more than 15 items...

Re: Another viewpoint regarding people in the express lanes who have more than 15 items...

Posted by SoinLove

Posted by jerseypanda
OK, so here's a question... could you tell the people who honestly didn't know they got into an express lane from the people who thought that the rules didn't apply to them?

Oh, without a doubt. Generally people that didn't realize would react just like you did; they'd apologize profusely (even if it was just an item or two over). They were visibly embarrassed or flustered.
The people who intentionally went over and didn't care would refuse to make eye contact with me or would stand there with a kind of smirk on their face like they were a rebel or something .

Re: Another viewpoint regarding people in the express lanes who have more than 15 items...

Posted by DiamondGirl

Posted by SoinLove

Posted by jerseypanda
OK, so here's a question... could you tell the people who honestly didn't know they got into an express lane from the people who thought that the rules didn't apply to them?

Oh, without a doubt. Generally people that didn't realize would react just like you did; they'd apologize profusely (even if it was just an item or two over). They were visibly embarrassed or flustered.
The people who intentionally went over and didn't care would refuse to make eye contact with me or would stand there with a kind of smirk on their face like they were a rebel or something .

I agree with JP....you CAN tell..some people are flagrant about not caring

Re: Another viewpoint regarding people in the express lanes who have more than 15 items...

I know it has nothing to do with your post, but reading this story totally reminded me of going to central park this weekend with the kids and seeing all the woman without kids on line in the kids only bathroom. Made me wonder-are they oblivious to the fact that only people with kids were standing in this visibly shorter line located directly next to the playground, as well as to the big "girls" sign posted outside of the said bathroom or did they just think they were better than all the other people who were patiently waiting in line to the regular woman's bathroom.

I am guessing it's the latter because a few moms with kids came up to the lines inquiring if this is the kids' bathroom and the replies "yes, it is" were loud enough for everyone to hear...

Getting back to your story-too funny! Something like that could totally happen to me, specially if I am alone and enjoying the calm and piece of shopping by myself... I would also probably almost die of embaracment and apologize 50 times to all the others in line... I can be very out of it sometimes...

Re: Another viewpoint regarding people in the express lanes who have more than 15 items...

Yikes...I would have been mortified too. I am surprised no one said anything - people can be so obnoxious sometimes when this was really just an honest mistake.

A couple of times I caught myself on the express lane with one or two extra items but it was an accident. It would be one of those shopping trips where I only want to get a couple of things and see a couple of more and then ooops...12 items when I am on the 10 item line. :oops:


Anya - it would never occur to me that there would be a kids only bathroom anywhere. I doubt I'd notice the sign and if I did notice there were only people with kids on the line I would think it was b/c the rest room was next to the playground not because adults weren't welcome.

Re: Another viewpoint regarding people in the express lanes who have more than 15 items...

oh man. Well... like you said, we live & learn. They'll get over it

I tend to get annoyed with people who go over on the express lane too. When I'm in a hurry and somebody is in front of me with too much stuff, I definitely get p!ssed too. HOWEVER, I do remember one time - me & my husband were shopping and we definitely had over 20 items. We were looking for a regular lane but they all had long lines. The cashier at the express line had nobody and she called out to us "You can come to my lane. I don't have any customers". So we thought that was awesome. We put all of our stuff up and as soon as she began to ring us up, a line began to form behind us. I felt like i needed to explain to everybody "No, it's ok. She TOLD us to come over here" lol. We didn't do anything wrong, but I still felt like a jerk. So now when I walk up to an express lane and see just one person there with more than 20 items, I wonder if they're in the same predicament I was in that time.

I've learned not to judge. lol. Life is too short to worry about what everybody else is doing.

Re: Another viewpoint regarding people in the express lanes who have more than 15 items...