Grocery Store Etiquette

[HoneyBee42]

However, on the other hand, when you're in the express lane, *PLEASE* put your stuff on the belt instead of standing there in line with your two items in your hand while the person ahead of you is being checked out, and there's enough space behind their order on the belt for your two items, my five items and the person behind me's three items (and divider thingies between all orders).

[snowdragon]

When crossing in front of one of those electric carts - remember they do not stop on a dime and both you and the person riding  it can be hurt by that thing and a young child could likely be seriously damaged. Be careful to look before  pulling out of a side aisle or stopping in front of them.

[Biker Granny]

Please don't "crowd" the person infront of you at the checkout line.
I have been bumped into with carts, rubbed against and even elbowed while I was trying to either unload my cart or pay.
They usually get the "do you mind" look.

[FoxPaws]

- Be aware of your surroundings when stopping your cart. The front entrance or the middle of a crowded aisle are not good places to stop and hunt for coupons or double check your list.

- On the other hand, it is completely unnecessary to go into full on Martyr Mode (heavy sighing, eyerolling, foottapping, PA comments) if someone happens to be parked where you need to pass or in front of an item you need to reach. A simple, "excuse me" will usually suffice.

- Start with the benefit of the doubt. The woman who cuts at the self serve checkout may not have seen the line. The guy who walked right up to the bakery counter may not have realized this store uses a number system. Informing them politely (again, a simple "excuse me") will usually result in a sincere apology and an immediate switch to the correct action.

[kherbert05]

- Speak up for good employees. I hate it when management thinks good customer service = employees being doormats. It means I as the customer have to put up with horrible behavior from other customers. Will go to management and report customers behaving in an abusive manner.

- When bagging please listen to me. My 6 pack of cokes has a handle that is why I do not need a bag for them. I asked you to put them flat on the bottom of the cart because when you hang them off the side it stretches the plastic rings and the bottles drop out.

-Theft drives up my prices I will report it.

-If an employee is standing where something has spilled it is not going to ruin your day to go get another employee for them. They can't walk away from the spill because someone may slip.

-If you have a problem with the few remaining blue laws take them up with your elected officials. Don't scream at the poor teenage girl working the only open register at  7 am on a Sunday - because I will go into protective teacher mode and let you have it complete with an offer to report you to the cops.

-If you want the old Blue laws back into effect take it up with your elected officials don't yell at me for shopping on your holy day I don't agree with you.

-If your juvenile delinquent kids think it is funny to run full force with a cart into people especially people who are walking using canes or walkers I will call the cops and I hope they are all over the age of 10 so they can spend the weekend in jail. It is Friday evening and juveniles in Texas can't be released till they go before a judge. (Actually had the manager on duty thank me because they weren't allowed to do anything. I encouraged the poor women who where hit to complain that employees were not able to help them when they were attacked. Not even call the cops.

[miss scarlet]

It's not a playground ? But the mom on the Mirena commercial told me it was 

she is a filthy liar and should have gotton mirena sooner because she has more kids than she can keep in line.

on another board there was a discussion on who should put the divider (on the counter/belt) down. some say the person in front some say the person who comes behind. i think the person behind should put it down and i do if i'm the one behind.

Me too. It irritates me when the person behind me doesn't reach for a divider; I fear that if I put it down instead, it is a snub - like "Ugh, get your broccoli florets away from my luncheon meat, filthy cad!" 

[Danismom]

Granted, living in Texas, friendliness is rampant.  I would just place the divider myself with a smile or even "Here, let me get that for you".  The attitude of helping the other patron out and kindness can go a long way.  If they want to think negative thoughts then its on them.  I'm just being a nice person.

[kareng57]

It's not a playground ? But the mom on the Mirena commercial told me it was 

she is a filthy liar and should have gotton mirena sooner because she has more kids than she can keep in line.

on another board there was a discussion on who should put the divider (on the counter/belt) down. some say the person in front some say the person who comes behind. i think the person behind should put it down and i do if i'm the one behind.

Me too. It irritates me when the person behind me doesn't reach for a divider; I fear that if I put it down instead, it is a snub - like "Ugh, get your broccoli florets away from my luncheon meat, filthy cad!" 

Really?  It's never occurred to me that the person behind me could be offended if I put the divider down.  To me, it's simply that the dividers are usually within an easier reach for the "ahead" person.  But I also wouldn't think nasty thoughts of the person behind me if he/she put down the divider first.

[Cosmasia]

IMO and IME the person who has just put their stuff on the item belt is the one who should put the divider down behind their items.
Honestly I'm kinda shocked that there are places where you don't do that (not THAT shocked but, I find it weird).
And I don't get the issue with being offended.. we aren't offended. Those ARE your items and these ARE my items, we pay for our own stuff, thus the divider is needed  nothing offensive there.

And all that aside, everywhere I've ever shopped, the divider is just easier for the person in front to reach. The very few times the person doesn't put it down I feel pretty irritated at them because I have to reach in front of them awkwardly and halfway across the item belt to reach a divider, as they're usually not pushed all the way down to the end of the belt.

And if I'm not long enough to reach it, I have to stand around and wait for the person to move ahead so I can get closer to the dividers, which in turn means that the people behind me also have to wait longer to place their stuff on the belt.  It's just all around really annoying when people don't put it down after their items.

[Elfmama]

Even the dividers don't always work.  I was in line at the grocery store one time, and the cashier was really on a roll, zipping away at the scanner.  He was so much "in the zone" that when he got to the end of that person's stuff, he reached down to the divider, tossed it aside, and started zipping away at MY stuff!  Both the other person and I hollered "Hey!" at about the same time, and you could see him jerk and come out of it. 

[Bijou]

Please do not put your packages of raw meat on the counter unless you have bagged them in plastic to catch any  leakage.

[Ruelz]

My grocery store has great, cheap clothes, but I'm scared to put any clothing on the convery belt because it's so dirty at times. 

Once I did put a top down...and the cashier 'swiped' it through some wet spill on the belt.

I made her take it back.

Cheap or not, I'm not paying full price for something that I would have to immediately wash...

[dks64]

For the cashier:
 - Don't read and comment (or denigrate) a customer's purchases. It's none of your business what I'm buying or why I'm buying it.

In this case it was a fitness magazine. I love them, I read them every month, but I did not appreciate the cashier scanning it and then spending about 30 seconds reading the cover lines and raising her eyebrows at them, and then shaking her head and putting the magazine in my bag.

Yes!! I have no problem with the cashier asking if I've tried a certain product before and liked it (as a recommendation), but making smart bacon-fed knave comments is completely unprofessional and rude. To my recollection, it has never happened to me, but some of my vegetarian friends have posted stories horror stories (when they're buying fake meats, soy products, etc). Someone once teased me about my fake bacon, but I just teased him back. You can't do that with everyone, so it's a bad idea in the first place.



Add one, for the workers:

- Don't speak on issues you don't truly know about. I've heard many stories about employees from health food stores telling people that they need vitamin pills for survival, will drop IQ points without fish oil, that you need a certain food to survive, etc. Often they're not intentionally lying, but acting like a know-it-all when you haven't done your research is a bad idea.

[BeagleMommy]

Keep an eye on your children.  Screeching "JIMMY, WHERE ARE YOU" up and down every aisle in a crowded grocery store because your toddler wandered off while you were chatting sends the store employees into panic mode.  Especially when they find him one aisle away with an open box of cookies.

When you are at the deli please know the brand of lunchmeat you want.  The deli clerks see a lot of people during the day and may not remember what you like.  I was behind a woman who said "I need a pound of the ham you gave me last week, but not the kind you gave me the week before."

[dks64]

Keep an eye on your children.  Screeching "JIMMY, WHERE ARE YOU" up and down every aisle in a crowded grocery store because your toddler wandered off while you were chatting sends the store employees into panic mode.  Especially when they find him one aisle away with an open box of cookies.

When you are at the deli please know the brand of lunchmeat you want.  The deli clerks see a lot of people during the day and may not remember what you like.  I was behind a woman who said "I need a pound of the ham you gave me last week, but not the kind you gave me the week before."

Wait a minute, since when is it not okay to ignore your children in public?! 

I've had customers expect me to know their order when I've never even waited on them before. Yeah, you might be a regular, but that doesn't mean I've been your server or served you enough to know exactly what you wanted.