General Etiquette > All In A Day's Work

Spin off of shopping etiquette

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sweedetobee:
I didn't want to hijack that post but I just went to the store at lunch and I'm wondering if I'm cranky, other shoppers are space cadets, the employees weren't doing their jobs, or an unfortunate combination of all of the above.

So I went to Duane Reede - a convenience/drug store in NYC (like CVS, Rite Aid, etc.) and there was one looooong line of people waiting to pay. There were several cash registers and cashiers working at each of those registers. Above the registers there were signs that said "please form a separate line at each register."  So, why is everyone waiting on one long line? I'm not really sure - I think the employees should have said something. Technically it doesnt' save any more or less time, it is just less space being taken up in the actual shopping aisles if you have all the separate lines. But whatever - the sign says to do it, I'm cranky and I want to follow the rules.

So I walked towards one of the open cash registers, turned to the people at the front of the line and said "Are any of you on this line? I don't want to cut in front of you, but the sign says to form separate lines so I'm not sure why you're all standing over there?"   Everyone sorts of looks at me like I have issues (which maybe I do today!) but no one said anything so I repeated myself. I then walked up to the cash register that was open (one with no line) to pay for my stuff and of course at that moment the next person in line says "Oh, but I was next".  I responded, politely, that I had just asked twice and the sign says to form separate lines at each register, paid for my stuff and left. Still no one moved.

I'm not asking anyone to excuse my behavior, which I'm starting to think was a litle passive aggressive actually. But anyway, what would you have done? Stood on the one line with everyone else? Spoken to the cashier or manager to say "Gee, the sign says one thing but the customers are doign another - can you please either have everyone follow the sign or remove them?"  Would you have moved to an open register once I asked if anyone was on that line?

Secret:
I'm a little etiquette challenged so I probably would have done the same thing.  Maybe not have even asked them and pointed out the sign  Once you've pointed out the obvious, why should you be responsible for their decision to stand in line like lemmings?  I really like how you handled the person that said they were next. 

fklwmn:
LOL, I'd have read the sign, looked at the line, shrugged, and went and stood in line behind one of the people checking out. If anyone said anything to me, I would have pointed out the sign and said i was just following instructions. I don't think it was passive aggressive (and what you did was much more proactive than what I would have done!)... It's not my fault if people can't (or don't?) read!

avonlea29:
I would have moved to an empty register without a word. Not my fault that sheeple want to stand in line all day.

Dh had a similar experience last year. It was black Friday and for some inexplicable reason people formed a single file line around the store waiting for the doors to open. There was no sign or anything indicating that they were to form a line, they just did. So he walked over and stood by the door. He got nasty looks and comments, but he is not one to care about that. lol He saw no reason to stand a freakin' mile away for no apparent reason than that people can't think for themselves anymore.

sweedetobee:
When I saw those people on one line I thought of lemmings - aren't those the animals that follow each other even into deadly situations like off a cliff?

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