lisa 1.3.14_12Grocery shopping has become a pesky errand; one I don’t enjoy much anymore. For those of us that enjoy cooking, shopping for grocery items is not an option, but we can plan out a less busy time to go. I mention this because people in the stores lately are just plain rude, and I’m not referring to the checkout clerks; though they have plenty to deal with themselves.

So what is grocery store etiquette? The easiest ways to explain this… is treat others the way you would like to be treated. So let’s discuss what takes place once we arrive at the checkout counter, this is pertaining to the lines we must stand in and wait; this actually requires patience. I say this as there are many similarities to road rage, believe it or not. It seems that everywhere we go… people just don’t want to wait. They want to be first in line; “Hence, the Line Jumper story I wrote.” Let’s begin with the similarities between road rages and the agitated shopper which is all about waiting. In the stores, this type of person will roll their cart so close to the back of your legs… I swear you can feel them breathing down the back of your neck. Most likely the shopper is becoming impatient and does not want to wait any longer… so they begin to glance at other open lanes on each side of them. Sound familiar?  Yes it does, as it is the same behavior of a person with road rage; though maybe not as aggressive. Pushing your grocery cart close to the one standing in front of you, to the point where you can’t even turn around, is rude and simply unjust, not to mention they probably need to swipe their card in the machine in order to pay for their groceries; located closer to the register by the clerk… and more times than not you will find the person behind you so close that they will need to back up. I bet many of you can relate to this scenario.

Etiquette has somewhat taken a backseat to much of our everyday living; how unfortunate. If you are one who watches movies from the 60’s era (and older), you will notice quite a bit of etiquette between individuals, including the younger generation. So etiquette used in your local stores would be as simple as a smile, a nod, and leaving enough space for the person in front of you to load their groceries on the belt, while staying far enough back so they may also retrieve their receipt which the clerk hands to you. Also, for those of you with children… please teach them to leave some space between yourselves and the person in front of you in line. Children are happy to see the candy by the checkouts; no doubt it poses a problem when parents tell them “no” so work on it before you take them inside.

If problems persist at the stores, I don’t doubt that they too will post those larger signs that ask you to stay behind the sign, in order to give privacy for their current customer. These signs are already in medical facilities as well as discount stores such as TJ Max, Marshalls, Ross’s and more. If we cannot learn to be more congenial of others, these signs will most likely be everywhere… “Yes I’m talking about grocery stores.” Be kind, and be patient… the world needs more smiles.

Make your week count.