When you get done unloading your groceries into your car at the supermarket, what do you do with the cart? Some people always return it to a cart corral in the parking lot, or take it back to its proper place at the store, while others just leave it where it is and drive away without giving it a second thought. The shopping cart situation is just one of many opportunities grocery shopping gives us to decide to be our best or worst selves.
Some people believe that cleaning up after ourselves is the right thing to do and that we should try, when we can, to make other people’s lives easier. They’re always going to take their cart back to its proper place, but a lot of people don’t. Those folks are the ones who need a reminder that these are some of the other ways we can decide to not be jerks at the grocery store.
- Hang up your phone while shopping - Not only do we not want to hear your personal conversation as you stroll through the aisles pushing a cart, when you’re on the phone, you’re distracted and that slows you down and makes it harder for you to order cold cuts at the deli. So just call back later, please.
- Touching food with your nasty hands - You’re gross, the rest of us are, too, which is one reason we don’t like to think about all the random people who have touched the very apple we’ll soon be eating. But there are some places at the supermarket where you should never touch food directly, like the salad bar, self-serve soup station and bakery case. Please use the serving utensils, for all our sakes.
- Stay on task in the checkout line - We all want to get in and out as quickly and easily as possible. So we need you to pay attention to what’s happening, like putting your reusable bags up first so the bagger has them when your food is scanned.
- Watch where you’re pushing your cart - Take it easy with that thing and be aware of other shoppers before you whip your cart into an aisle intersection.
- Let employees go home - Anyone who’s worked in a service industry job knows the pain of a customer who’s keeping you from closing. That means you shouldn’t show up to buy three weeks of groceries 15 minutes before the store closes. Pay attention to store hours so those employees have a chance of getting home at a decent hour.
Source: The Takeout
Scott's Thoughts:
- There are really just two kinds of people in the world - those who return their cart and a-holes.
- I can be seen organizing and straightening the carts in the return bins all the time. Why are people so lazy and careless! They should get a job having to gather those carts for awhile. I did it some at Wades Supermarket back in the day.
- Get off the phone while shopping!
- Don't have a reunion in the isles.