Spin off of shopping etiquette

[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?

[Rach]

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

Sheeple.Thats fabulous, I'm going to have to steal that!

[artk2002]

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?

Lemmings don't do that, really.  It was an old wive's tale that they did.  A nature photographer for Disney actually staged a shot of them jumping off a cliff, but he did it by herding them towards the cliff.  Snopes has the information here: http://www.snopes.com/disney/films/lemmings.htm

[MadMadge43]

I personally like the one line approach. No one gets Scrw33d because you are waiting in line behind some idiot that forgets to take out their checkbook or has 10 zillion things and coupons for each one. It seems Murphy is always with me when it comes to regular counter lines.

Since I am vocal I would have said something when you asked, probably along the lines of, all the rest of us are waiting in a first come first serve basis we would appreciate if you do the same. But since they didn't I can't blame you for taking advantage.

The one line approach is really the only truly fair way and I don't think the people in line were lemmings for doing it. I think they were being polite of each others time.

[MrsP81]

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?

Lemmings don't do that, really.  It was an old wive's tale that they did.  A nature photographer for Disney actually staged a shot of them jumping off a cliff, but he did it by herding them towards the cliff.  Snopes has the information here: http://www.snopes.com/disney/films/lemmings.htm

They are so cute! I don't know what I was expecting - I guess I always just picture that computer game with the little green haired creatures! haha.

[behindbj]

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.

While I am of the "Think for myself variety," the people in that line were standing in line for two reasons:  fairness and their own safety.  Your DH acted like an ignorant jerk by bypassing everyone else who hauled their butts out of bed to get there early.  They were acting like adult, grown-up, considerate humans.

On an ordinary day, where mayhem would most likely not be on the bill, I would just randomly stand around the door, too.  But not on Black Friday.

behindbj

[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?

Lemmings don't do that, really.  It was an old wive's tale that they did.  A nature photographer for Disney actually staged a shot of them jumping off a cliff, but he did it by herding them towards the cliff.  Snopes has the information here: http://www.snopes.com/disney/films/lemmings.htm

Thank you for the information. I'm glad for the lemmings' sake that they don't just run off of cliffs on their own

[sweedetobee]

I personally like the one line approach. No one gets Scrw33d because you are waiting in line behind some idiot that forgets to take out their checkbook or has 10 zillion things and coupons for each one. It seems Murphy is always with me when it comes to regular counter lines.

Since I am vocal I would have said something when you asked, probably along the lines of, all the rest of us are waiting in a first come first serve basis we would appreciate if you do the same. But since they didn't I can't blame you for taking advantage.

The one line approach is really the only truly fair way and I don't think the people in line were lemmings for doing it. I think they were being polite of each others time.

You give me something to think about. I would not have said anything to the line and walked to an empty cash register if the store didn't post the "please form a separate line at each register" sign above each register.  Perhaps I will say something to the store manager next time - and ask that they either enforce their own policy or take the signs down - just for the sake of clarity.

[fklwmn]

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.

While I am of the "Think for myself variety," the people in that line were standing in line for two reasons:  fairness and their own safety.  Your DH acted like an ignorant jerk by bypassing everyone else who hauled their butts out of bed to get there early.  They were acting like adult, grown-up, considerate humans.

On an ordinary day, where mayhem would most likely not be on the bill, I would just randomly stand around the door, too.  But not on Black Friday.

behindbj

Agreed!!! As a devout BF shopper, Iw as thinking it is people like her DH that cause riots and stampedes on BF. You have 50 people waiting nicely in a line for hours. Some entitlement prince(ss) comes up and walks up to the front b/c there is no sign TELLING them the polite thing to do. A handful of other latecomers do the same thing. Suddenly, EVERYONE is out of line and crowding the door b/c they are upset that they have been waiting so patiently and people who got there much later are going to get the item they have been waiting for. With everyone standing in a mob, when the doors open there is a mad rush to the door...

It seems to me like waiting in line is the polite thing to do. First come, first served being common-sense fairness and all that. In the OP's post there was a sign directing people to form separate lines, and the other customers did not follow those directions. If that sign had not existed, then the OP should have waited in line behind everyone else. Just like that poster's husband should have.

[kingsrings]

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.

In this instance your husband was wrong for doing what he did. Those people were lined up so that their entrance into the store would be safe and orderly and not everyone pushing into the entrance at once and getting into each other's way. If I were one of the people in the line, I would of politely let him know that there was a line to get in and wouldn't he like to join it.

[Quossum]

I agree that the non-line-joining husband was the rude one.

If stores are going to play that Black Friday game of having severely limited amounts of their most fantastic deals, they need to issue numbers to the people waiting outside and carefully manage the entrance.  The people who were willing to wait the hours and hours should get the deals, not the smarty-pants latecomers.

I think it's terrible manipulation and refuse to play.  I don't even shop on that day.

Also agree that the "one long line waiting for next available cashier" is the most fair way to handle queues at most types of stores.  Wouldn't be practical in some situations, but where it is, it works the best.

The sign requesting individual lines makes the OP's situation much more iffy, however.  I probably would have just joined the one long line, figuring that people had taken it upon themselves to actually do things in the more reasonable way.

--Q