Checkout capers

Nothing to do with checkouts but last week I was on the bus and a young woman got on with a little girl aged about 8. They sat down without paying or showing a pass. The driver called to the woman and said 'you haven't paid'. So the woman
and child got off the bus. As the little girl was getting off, she turned to the driver and said 'shut your mouth, shut your big fat mouth'.

First world problems Jaxie??

I have lost count of the times this has happened to me. And it always seems to be when I have just a few items and someone with a trolley-load behind me nips round round to the newly-opened till. I am disabled,have quite bad mobility problems and don't always react quickly (enough) to situations like this. It feels to me that many people are all too ready to take advantage of others who are less able-bodied and less fortunate than themselves. What can I do though? The few times I have challenged it,I have received a mouthful of abuse in return. So now I tend not to say anything although I am fuming inside. My DD though,that's another story. If she is with me and anyone tries that,she is like a Rottweiler!

KatyK - your post reminded me of what frequently happens on buses around where I live,that is,getting on via the back doors of the bus,while the driver's attention is on the passengers getting on through the front doors. Occasionally the driver will notice,or someone will draw his/her attention to it. But a lot of the time,the person will be argumentative or downright abusive so the driver will back down,fearing for their own safety. Only a few are brave enough to switch the engine off and refuse to move until the person pays up or gets off the bus.

Actually, I've sometimes been at the end of a Waitrose queue and a member of staff opens another checkout and invites me over.

I often use the two buses (different bus companies) that serve the university. One company has the contract, both companies subsidise fares and I think the students think they own the buses and they do not queue. In town there is a huge crowd round the bus stop, my husband (with walking stick) and I were first in the queue in town and were certainly not the first to get on. Even at local stops on the university route any students waiting after me simply get on first. When anyone arrives at the stop after me I immediately make an iron decision to get on first. And on the bus they have rucksacks (which hit me in the face), enormous suitcases that take up a seat (right through the term not just at the beginning and end), they sit on the gangway side of seats or put a bag down next to them so they occupy two seats - I could go on and on.

Yesterday I popped into our local small Tesco and was just putting the few items I had bought into my bag, (still standing at the checkout), when an arm appeared from behind me to put something down on the counter. When I turned it was an older man - so it is not just the youngsters who sometimes forget their manners! I was so cross with myself later for not having said something to him. If he does it again, I intend to be prepared!!

This is an example of the rush our world has become. So you have to be quick. Obviously that person was alert to what staff were doing and looking for another till to open. As far as I know there are no rules about moving from one till to another. In this case it just happened to be the next one.

Morgana, I don't see the mans behaviour as ill mannered, you had finished your shopping. If he was old he may have found the item heavy or just wanted to get his money ready, he didn't try to push in front of you, It could well have been me, as I often put heavy items down on the counter whilst I wait my turn.

You should try our village shop for a bit of chaos and confusion.

They've just done away with a separate area for the post office counter and have combined it with the shop counter presumably to save on a member of staff.

You're supposed to form two side by side queues - one for the shop and one for the PO but often it's the same woman serving both.

The other day I wanted to pay for a magazine and buy a first class stamp (these are usually sold from behind the counter in the SHOP)

'Sorry,' says the shop lady. 'You now have to buy stamps in the post office.'

There was a shopping queue huffing and puffing behind me but thankfully nobody queueing for the Post Office so I took two paces to my left and she took two paces to her right.

'Good Morning' she says. 'Can I help you?'

I tHink we are very polite and friendly in Durham. I've just never seen this happen( though the students are back now and they come from strange parts )

merlotgran our PO is now a bit like that. I find it amusing when the ex-Postmaster is serving on the shop side and the assistant serving on the PO side gets stuck, so they do a little dance round and change places. I hate going in when he is not on shift as, though it has been there for about 4 months, the other assistants really do not know what they are doing yet. Why, why, why do they have to close village post offices (not to mention that it used to be 50 yards from my office and now it is a 10 minute walk). I suppose the ex-Post Master was lucky the Spar shop took him on.

I am always intrigued by shoppers who seem surprised that they have to pay for their shopping. For example, in our local Aldi this morning there were long queues for the checkouts. The woman in front of me had her trolley piled high. We waited quite a while to be served. When it was her turn, she piled all her goods onto the conveyor and when they had all gone through she stood there and put every item into bags, whilst the checkout operator waited patiently for payment(and the rest of us waited). When all her bags were packed, she rooted in her handbag for her payment card. This happens regularly. People know they have to pay (don't they?) so why not get your money/card out while you are waiting in the queue? A pet hate of mine!!

A few years back now I was in a shop picking up a bottle of juice, it was hot hot hot and I get crabby, ok very crabby, and the shop used a queuing system in a line and the person at the front got served by the next available checkout person.
Well I was next when a lady walked straight in the front door and went to the checkout operator as "she only wanted cigarettes and did not need to go into the shop". I was walking across and the checkout operator was reaching for her cigarettes when I opened my mouth and said to both of them "scuse me there is a queuing system in here that I have stood i for over ten minutes and I am next to be served" They both looked at me as if I was green with two heads. Meanwhile the cigarettes were placed on the counter as I kept walking across. The operator said, "I will just be a minute I will get you next" to me!!!!! Believe me I was served before she was, but I would imagine she would have been after me.
If it had been a older person in a supermarket with a few bits I would happily let them go while I load up my belt full of stuff but sorry dont queue jump me when the weather is hot.

You weren't treated unfairly. You weren't queuing for the till that was about to open. That means you weren't before anyone in that queue. Whoever got there first gets served. Don't know what your moaning about.

I avoid all these till problems by always using the self check out. I love them.

Only abroad, particularly in Tunisia where the men in particular have no concept of queueing at banks or BdC ? iI have otfen said "I believe I was in front of you". They are often so surprised at this coming from a woman they turn round and I nip in front of them. ?

Im with Gaggi3! Lifes too short to worry about trivialities like that. Much more worried avout Trump, Syria, global warming, Brexit etc

I am very worried about all those people who seem to spend their lives worrying about things they can do nothing about. For the sake of their health I'd suggest a limit of no more than an hour a day to be devoted to large scale worrying.

Where I live if another till opens you run, no manners here, every man/woman for himself!