Express line etiquette?

Bird · Jul 11, 2010

Does it REALLY matter THAT MUCH to you ?
Only she knows what her previous 24 or 168 hours were like.
I don't know what makes people do that, or what makes you object to it, but if that is your "gripe du jour" I'd say your life is pretty good.
So PLEASE just ENJOY it will Ya ?

Maybe he, or she, had a reason to be in a hurry; it happens. But no matter what her previous 24 or 168 hours, or 20 years was like, she was a very rude, inconsiderate person. Unfortunately, there are plenty of such in our society.

I have come to a express lane with just a couple of items. The person in front of me offers to let me go ahead because they have several more items than I do. Depending on how much of a hurry I am whether I take the offer or not. When I can I like to make the same offer to others.

That happens fairly frequently. Since I'm very seldom in a hurry anymore, I often make that offer.

jmc · Jul 11, 2010

Hello again, original poster here-

Thanks, everyone, for their comments. As mentioned originally, the reason for the post was kind of a reality check to see if I was as clueless, in my own way, as she seemed to me. I can see the point of almost every post (I don't know what Duffster's first one was saying). As far as the appropriate response to this incident, I don't think there is a "right" answer.

John

Mousefield · Jul 11, 2010

jmc said:
Hello again, original poster here-

Thanks, everyone, for their comments. As mentioned originally, the reason for the post was kind of a reality check to see if I was as clueless, in my own way, as she seemed to me. I can see the point of almost every post (I don't know what Duffster's first one was saying). As far as the appropriate response to this incident, I don't think there is a "right" answer.

John

I agree with your "I don't think there is a "right" answer".
I too was puzzeled by Duffster's first post. :confused2::confused2:
Not sure if we want to find out. :laughing::laughing:

riptides · Jul 11, 2010

The right answer is the express line rule - xx items OR Less.

Enforcement and etiquette are open for debate.

Sigarms · Jul 11, 2010

riptides said:
Enforcement and etiquette are open for debate.

I have the answer!

We have the state police and local LEO's stand by the checkout to write tickets for those who break the rule. If they can do seatbelts, surely this wouldn't take too much time

eepete · Jul 11, 2010

jmc, what you did was just fine. Everyone will have their own range of responses to a situation like that.
Most times when I have a lot of stuff, and someone walks up before my checkout process has started with an item or two, I'll offer for them to go in front of me. It's as simple as that's what I would like someone to offer to me.

Same scenario, two stores: People in line at a checkout register, about 4 deep, and they open a 2nd register.

Wally World: Mad dash by two people at the rear of the line to get to the newly opened register :thumbdown:.

TSC: I was 3rd in line, and told the lady in front of me that she is next, stepped to the side. The people in back of me did the same thing :thumbsup:.

So I'm just glad the people at TSC were civilized about it, and hope that the lives of the people at Wally World get better so they are not compelled to compete for every little moment of life as tension breads more tension.

Maybe some people were not raised reading "Highlights for Children." Sounds like a classic "Goofus and Gallant" panel.

Pete

mjarrels · Jul 11, 2010

As a retired Navy Chief... Sometimes the retired Chief comes from me... I don't tolerate these people or the the folks who park in fire lanes.

mark

RadarTech · Jul 11, 2010

mjarrels said:
As a retired Navy Chief... Sometimes the retired Chief comes from me... I don't tolerate these people or the the folks who park in fire lanes.

mark

I hear ya... I can't remember where I was a few weeks ago, but I saw a LEO and several tow trucks pulling the folks away in a fire lane..

and then of course there are the folks that park there and a fire happens and they complain about the damage to their cars!!! :laughing:

J

Willl · Jul 11, 2010

Everybody forgets, he didn't just deal with ordinary people, this was a female.

Case in point, once held a door open for a Lady and she come back with a verbal "What ?, don't you think I'm capable of opening the door for myself ?".
So I came back with "didn't hold it open cause your female, held it open cause of your age"

Glad I was going the other direction. :laughing:

RadarTech · Jul 11, 2010

Willl said:
Everybody forgets, he didn't just deal with ordinary people, this was a female.

Case in point, once held a door open for a Lady and she come back with a verbal "What ?, don't you think I'm capable of opening the door for myself ?".
So I came back with "didn't hold it open cause your female, held it open cause of your age"

Glad I was going the other direction. :laughing:

That is when you need flame proof underwear, a kevlar shirt and a jock strap for a little protection..

some ladies just go for the gold......

J

txdon · Jul 11, 2010

Duffster said:
Am I the only one that thinks if a store was doing a good job of keeping up at the checkouts there would be no need for the express lane?

Exactly! I usually take longer to check out than to shop. The managers are not managing their stores to customer service. At HEB the checkers always ask if I found everything. I tell them no, I didn't find a short checkout lane.

dmccarty · Jul 12, 2010

JMC,

I don't think what you did was wrong or rude. It is not rude to point out that someone else is being rude.

Will the "lady" do it again? Who knows. There are many people that it won't make a difference. Then there are others that it will change her behavior. I would bet she drove home "complaining" about you and that may make her think twice next time.

But people are pigs.

Later,
Dan

J_J · Jul 12, 2010

People are people, and as such, you should expect anything. I have been on both sides of the equations, staying in the long line with 15 items, while watching 10 customers go through the 10 item checkout line. The cashier rang up about 100 items in the quick line. So I watched new customers come and go, finishing their shopping, while I waited in the long line. I have also jumped in the quick line with more than 10 items. You do want the cashier to earn their money. I hope that some of you understand that life is not always great, and you do what you have to do to make it easier on yourself and everybody.

LBrown59 · Jul 12, 2010

Bird said:
I've also seen the old joke, many times, of the person going to the express line with a cart full of groceries and the clerk asking, "Which 15 items do you want?" It may make a good joke, and I'd love to see it done, but I doubt any store would ever do it because they don't want to antagonize
*that customer.

*If I was that customer I'd simply walk out of the store with out saying a word leaving the cart setting right there.
That's probably why stores don't or won't do that.

DocHeb · Jul 12, 2010

Happened just today - a woman with a half-full cart was waved over by the express line cashier that had no customers. She came over, and 20 seconds later a <15 item person came to the line and was buckin' and snortin' and carryin' on. He looked pretty foolish.

Life is to short to get your boxers all wedged up.

LMTC · Jul 12, 2010

If they're going to have "express" lanes, then they should adhere to the guidelines. However......my resolution has always been this....just like banks used to use in the lobby....ONE line. Period. One line feeding the checkout area, no matter how many registers are open. As any given checkout becomes available the next person in line goes to it. No penalty for picking the line with the slow cashier, or the line with the person who cannot, after looking 5 times, find the credit card they want to use. Everybody gets the same odds and chances. When an additional checkout opens, everyone gains the same advantage as the single line moves quicker. If someone with 10 items wants special treatment, let them go to the corner convenience store and pay the high prices. Why should someone spending $25 get better/faster service than my wife who is spending $150.00?

Seems just obvious to me, but no one does it. I suppose the appearance of 30 people in line would just send some people to the exits, even if the line was moving well.

jayste · Jul 12, 2010

DocHeb said:
was buckin' and snortin' and carryin' on. He looked pretty foolish.

Life is to short to get your boxers all wedged up.

This thread is gettin' me to buckin' and snortin' and gettin' my boxers all wedged up! :laughing:

No, actually I'm the guy who, if I've got a basket full and you've got a few items in your hands, I'll let you go first. Be warned though, if I've got 10 items I'm going through the express lane. Heck, I've even gone through the "self-checkout" lane before! :shocked:

dave1949 · Jul 12, 2010

LMTC said:
If they're going to have "express" lanes, then they should adhere to the guidelines. However......my resolution has always been this....just like banks used to use in the lobby....ONE line. Period. One line feeding the checkout area, no matter how many registers are open. As any given checkout becomes available the next person in line goes to it. No penalty for picking the line with the slow cashier, or the line with the person who cannot, after looking 5 times, find the credit card they want to use. Everybody gets the same odds and chances. When an additional checkout opens, everyone gains the same advantage as the single line moves quicker. If someone with 10 items wants special treatment, let them go to the corner convenience store and pay the high prices. Why should someone spending $25 get better/faster service than my wife who is spending $150.00?

Seems just obvious to me, but no one does it. I suppose the appearance of 30 people in line would just send some people to the exits, even if the line was moving well.

That all makes a lot sense. I have seen that system used somewhere besides banks and don't remember where. Could it have been a BX/PX ?
Dave.