Almost anyone who goes to the grocery store has dealt with at least one shopper who may do something that's annoying.
Yes, there's always one or several shoppers who make something as simple as buying groceries more difficult! Yes, you know who you are! And most of the time, you usually don't realize that what you're doing is extremely annoying and makes the shopping experience at the grocery store a pain.
If you're one of those shoppers but don't know it, here are 10 things that you do at the grocery store that are extremely annoying to other shoppers!
1. Leave Your Cart In The Middle Of The Aisle
Creative Commons Zero / pikrepo
I don't know about you, but this is one of the worst things that you have to deal with when you go to the store. There is always someone who is too lazy to attempt to put their shopping cart back where it is supposed to go. It's one thing to leave it in the parking lot blocking parking spaces, but it's another to leave it in the store wherever you feel like it. At least in a parking lot, you could have an excuse with the weather, but there's no excuse for leaving it randomly in the store.
2. Spend The Next Half Hour Arguing With The Cashier
This is one of my top pet peeves of going to the grocery. You've probably encountered it before when you see that one person spending what feels like hours arguing with the cashier about their item being seen on sale. And I'm not talking about one item, but more like multiple items. Whatever price the cashier runs up is going to be the price you have to pay, and arguing isn't going to change that.
3. Standing And Blocking The Aisle With Their Cart
Something else that's extremely annoying is when people take their cart and block the whole aisle! They're usually either on their cellphone not moving one inch even when they see you trying to go through the aisle to get an item, or they're staring at the same item for 20 minutes. If you see someone trying to grab an item, you should at least try to move your cart out of the way so they can get through.
4. Going Way Above The Item Limit On An Express Lane
Almost anyone who shops has most likely encountered this at the grocery store! It's that one person who visibly sees that there's an item limit of 10 items but purposely brings a full cart to the expressway. And I'm not cutting down the people who go over the limit with one to eight items. But it's a little ridiculous if you go over the limit with 10 or more items.
5. Bringing Way Too Many Coupons
I understand trying to save money, but when you hold up the line with the cashier needing to scan or put in the codes for 10 or more coupons after they scan the 20 items in your cart, everyone else is a little peeved.
6. Moving Your Cart Like You're In The Parade
There are always those occasional shoppers who move their cart at a slow pace of a half a mile per hour. I get that you want to browse the items, but you should do so without holding up a huge line of shoppers behind you trying to get what they need and check out as soon as possible.
7. Leaving Your Cart At The Checkout Lane To Hold Your Spot
There are often some people who will try to leave their cart behind at the checkout lane to grab an item and hold their place. I'm not talking about the shoppers who run to get an item while another person they are shopping with checks out for them or waits in line. I'm mostly mentioning the people who think they can leave their cart and hold up the entire line to run back and get an item they forgot.
8. Ordering More Than 20 Deli Meats At The Deli Section
If there's a deli section in your grocery store where you can order lunch meat, this is one of the most annoying things a shopper can do. There always seems to be someone who tries to get more than 20 deli items. I get that you may be hosting a party, but if you are, there's a way to call ahead of time and get it prepared beforehand rather than do so right then and there at the store!
9. Having An Hour Conversation With The Cashier
Jamie Tubers / wikimedia commons
It's fine if you have a small conversation with the cashier while in line. I do it all the time myself when I'm shopping. But please, don't make the conversation a half an hour to an hour where you're holding up the entire line. I know that you want to be friendly, or maybe you know the cashier, but you need to realize that there are other shoppers behind you who haven't had their items checked out yet.
10. Acting Aggressive By Trying Run Other People Over With Your Cart
This is especially the case with every Kroger and Walmart store that I've shopped at. There are always those few shoppers who try to run over anyone who gets in their way! It's extremely rude when you're just trying to grab a can of soup and suddenly watch someone act like they're going to run you over if you don't move out of the way. And if this is how they drive with a cart, imagine what they're like on the road!
As you can see, there are plenty of things that you may or may not do at the grocery store that annoy other shoppers. So if you're going to the grocery store, try to keep some of these things in mind. Most of us shoppers just want to get to the grocery store and get out with the items we need without having to deal with other shoppers that make the process more difficult.