View Full Version : [Merged] Supermarket checkout etiquette
Whose responsibility is it to place the little block to separate your shopping?
Is it yours to stop you having to accidentally paying for the person-behind-you's shopping? Or is it the person-behind-you's responsibility to place it to indicate the start of their shopping? Maybe you place it after your shopping to be polite and courteous? Perhaps you stubbornly refuse to place it as it is up to the person-behind-you to show the assistant when their shopping beginsââ‚Ã⠀šÃ‚¬Ãƒâ€šÃ‚¦.
I know it doesn't really matter so long as the demarcation is made but I'm interested in social behaviour and wondered what your take is on this?
gaffer_gump
24-07-2006, 16:00
I place it myself to give the person behind a clear indication that I have finished loading the conveyor and that no it's not right for you to push all your goods right up the **** of mine to save 10cms of space. :p:
I usually put one after me and get the hump when I have to lean over to grab one because the person in front didn't bother!
MovedGoalPosts
24-07-2006, 16:02
Another in depth issue of the day :p:
Simple really, the checkouts are usually that compact that the bod behind could never reach to get the "block" without barging past. As I don't want to pay for their shopping (paying for mine is bad enough), I'll put the block in place.
homealone
24-07-2006, 16:04
funny enough I find this varies with the store, in Aldi I find people will do it for you, then you do it for the person following, wheras in Tesco people seem a lot more insular. I will do it for myself, in that case - and for the person following, but don't often get a thankyou...
It is also noticeable that in Aldi people will ask if you want to go first if they have a trolley full & you have just a couple of things - that has never happened to me in Tesco....
liamboyle06
24-07-2006, 16:05
i only ever put the block at the front of the shopping so as not to pay for the person in front. Never actually thought about placing it at the back I assumed because who ever comes behind me would usually do it themselves.
I tend to make sure there is one both sides. Mainly because I did once have some bloke behind me try and pass his shopping off as mine..
funny enough I find this varies with the store, in Aldi I find people will do it for you, then you do it for the person following, wheras in Tesco people seem a lot more insular. I will do it for myself, in that case - and for the person following, but don't often get a thankyou...
It is also noticeable that in Aldi people will ask if you want to go first if they have a trolley full & you have just a couple of things - that has never happened to me in Tesco....
Tesco also have those special wide parking spaces for Parent with small children, BMWs and Mercs.... :rolleyes:
orangebird
24-07-2006, 16:09
I always put one behind my shopping once I've put all my stuff on the conveyor. Sometimes it's difficult for the person behind you to reach for the divider, so I do it as a matter of course. :shrug:
I tend to make sure there is one both sides. Mainly because I did once have some bloke behind me try and pass his shopping off as mine..
He'd have been gutted if he did that to me - he'd have had to go back into the store and get it all again, 'cos I'd have had whatever gear I'd paid for ;)
As for the block - I always put it at the back (if there's someone behind me), and put it at the front if required :)
I always put it behind my shopping, but then I am a nice kind thoughtful person :D
Wicked_and_Crazy
24-07-2006, 17:52
funny enough I find this varies with the store, in Aldi I find people will do it for you, then you do it for the person following, wheras in Tesco people seem a lot more insular. I will do it for myself, in that case - and for the person following, but don't often get a thankyou...
It is also noticeable that in Aldi people will ask if you want to go first if they have a trolley full & you have just a couple of things - that has never happened to me in Tesco....
its a class thing:D your spot on though about Aldi customers allowing the 1-2 item person to jump the queue even though it takes about 1/2 the time to get through an Aldi checkout
---------- Post added at 17:52 ---------- Previous post was at 17:49 ----------
As for the block - I always put it at the back (if there's someone behind me), and put it at the front if required :)
surely the 2 foot band of beer is demarcation enough;)
surely the 2 foot band of beer is demarcation enough;)
Is Nug cutting down? ;)
I will put the divider up behind my shopping especially if someone is waiting except when I do my monthly shop at ASDA as I am so busy trying to get a huge amount of shopping packed away (frozen stuff in the freezer bag sort of thing) that I don't have time and cos it is a huge amount most folk try to find another checkout anyway. :rofl:
Always put one behind me, and one in front if it hasn't been done. Doesn't really bother me too much, but if the person in front places a block after their shopping I'll acknowledge with a polite 'Thankyou'.
I've noticed that people are, generally, rushing about all the time; just a consequence of modern life I guess, and this is certainly true of people in supermarkets. You can hear the sighs, as the customer at the till asks for a replacement to a damaged product - just think, those few minutes make all the difference.
And don't forget the really important people who just have to make mobile phone calls whilst in the check-out queue - even while still packing/paying.
Is it too much to say to your caller "I will call you back later"?
I always put it behind my shopping, but then I am a nice kind thoughtful person :D
Me too.:) sometomes I even put it behind someone else's shopping if they have forgotten.I've even been known to go to the nearest empty till and steal another(what are they called?) if the till I'm on is short of them. ;)
Me too.:) sometomes I even put it behind someone else's shopping if they have forgotten.I've even been known to go to the nearest empty till and steal another(what are they called?) if the till I'm on is short of them. ;)
And then you help the person behind you put their shopping on to the revolving rubber belt, and that is when they call the police.
Me too.:) sometomes I even put it behind someone else's shopping if they have forgotten.I've even been known to go to the nearest empty till and steal another(what are they called?) if the till I'm on is short of them. ;)
And then you help the person behind you put their shopping on to the revolving rubber belt, and that is when they call the police.
No not me..I hate shopping and I've enough trouble stacking my own pile as it is without doing someone else's for them..;)
surely the 2 foot band of beer is demarcation enough;)
Is Nug cutting down? ;)
Well, it is only Monday ;) :D
timewarrior2001
24-07-2006, 20:16
Tesco also have those special wide parking spaces for Parent with small children, BMWs and Mercs.... :rolleyes:
I htink thats just a non sexist way of saying women park here, theres nothing in miles you can hit.
Tesco also have those special wide parking spaces for Parent with small children, BMWs and Mercs.... :rolleyes:
I htink thats just a non sexist way of saying women park here, theres nothing in miles you can hit.
:banghead::banghead::banghead::banghead::bsmack:
Always put one behind me, and one in front if it hasn't been done. Doesn't really bother me too much, but if the person in front places a block after their shopping I'll acknowledge with a polite 'Thankyou'.
I've noticed that people are, generally, rushing about all the time; just a consequence of modern life I guess, and this is certainly true of people in supermarkets. You can hear the sighs, as the customer at the till asks for a replacement to a damaged product - just think, those few minutes make all the difference.
Interesting how you say "thank you" to the person in front indicating that you think it is your responsibility and they have helped you, yet you place one behind you which contradicts the "thank you".....unless you percieve that the placement of these markers are everyone's responsibility....
Wicked_and_Crazy
25-07-2006, 13:13
Interesting how you say "thank you" to the person in front indicating that you think it is your responsibility and they have helped you, yet you place one behind you which contradicts the "thank you".....unless you percieve that the placement of these markers are everyone's responsibility....
I think it's accepted that either person can perform the action and as a result the person accepting the role performed for them will in the main show some sort of appreciation.
Interesting how you say "thank you" to the person in front indicating that you think it is your responsibility and they have helped you, yet you place one behind you which contradicts the "thank you".....unless you percieve that the placement of these markers are everyone's responsibility....
I find a 'Thankyou' goes along way these days, as often it is left unsaid, and a little manners does seem to help :) To explain my views upon whose 'responsibility' these things are, perhaps an analogy:
If I need to get to the other side of a door, and someone is holding it open for me, I would say 'Thankyou'. When I look behind, after passing through the door, and there is someone behind me I will hold the door open for them.
The other option would be to ignore the first person, and let the door slam in the face of the second. I know how I wish to be treated, and I'm sure you've heard the old saying. :)
I think I am just following the traditions of politeness, as I said if when I get to the till, a block is not placed, this does not make any difference - as I understand people may not agree with my position on block placing etiquette.
I must add, most of my shopping is now done on the internet. so the block placing incidents are few and far between these days. :p:
Good manners often cost nothing, bad manners can cost a lot (imho)
Pay It Forward! :angel:
If I need to get to the other side of a door, and someone is holding it open for me, I would say 'Thankyou'. When I look behind, after passing through the door, and there is someone behind me I will hold the door open for them.
Interesting analogy...in that scenario, there is a split second where you have to decide if you stay and hold the door for the person behind who is just that little bit too far away to make you want to stay holding it....or let it go and carry on....
Along these lines...
Don't you just hate it when you hold the door open for someone - and they walk through, making no attempt to hold it open for the person behind them. So they squeeze past you, while you are left holding the door for yet another person...
Along these lines...
Don't you just hate it when you hold the door open for someone - and they walk through, making no attempt to hold it open for the person behind them. So they squeeze past you, while you are left holding the door for yet another person...
No. I would rather be well-mannered (intentionally towards the first person, then accidently towards the second), than be the ignorant gyt who just walks through without holding it.:D
Being well-mannered doesn't mean that you have to enjoy it! I'll still hold the door open for my boss, even when she has just given me an ear-bashing...
Being well-mannered doesn't mean that you have to enjoy it! I'll still hold the door open for my boss, even when she has just given me an ear-bashing...
If I'd just got an ear-bashing, there's no way I'd hold the door open for the boss. Slam the door repeatedly on their head maybe, but never hold it open ;)
Wicked_and_Crazy
25-07-2006, 17:08
If I'd just got an ear-bashing, there's no way I'd hold the door open for the boss. Slam the door repeatedly on their head maybe, but never hold it open ;)
thats not what mrs Nugg says ;) ohhhh you didnt mean the boss of the household :D
thats not what mrs Nugg says ;) ohhhh you didnt mean the boss of the household :D
Of course I didn't - I'd never slam Baby Nugs head in the door :)
Wicked_and_Crazy
25-07-2006, 17:14
Of course I didn't - I'd never slam Baby Nugs head in the door :)
ohh i didnt realise you were bottom of the tree ;)
ohh i didnt realise you were bottom of the tree ;)
I haven't even made it that far - even the bloomin cats have got more say than me :disturbd:
Aww poor Nug, welcome to the world of domestic bliss :D
Aww poor Nug, welcome to the world of domestic bliss :D
Well, it's definitely domestic ;) :D
Isn't that what you pour down the toilet?
Theodoric
25-07-2006, 21:26
If you can get one, that is. Theodoric's First law of Checkouts:
N = P - 1,
where P = the number of people in front of you and N = the total number of blocks at the checkout,
except for the special case of P = 0, where N approaches infinity.
If you can get one, that is. Theodoric's First law of Checkouts:...snip...
Did the Ostrogoths have supermarket check-outs in the 5th and 6th Century AD?
Theodoric
26-07-2006, 19:42
If you can get one, that is. Theodoric's First law of Checkouts:...snip...
Did the Ostrogoths have supermarket check-outs in the 5th and 6th Century AD?
Quite possibly. They weren't savage barbarians, you know. Now, the Lombards, on the other hand . . .
Back to the checkout....I now find myself mildly obsessed by who is doing what with the separators. :erm:
I found myself in a tizzy this morning. The lady in front of me had the only separator, in front of her shopping. Then came a gap, then my shopping (two items), then a gap, then someone elses shopping. The lady in front obviously felt the gap was too narrow, so she pushed her items forward, as if she had something against my semi-skimmed milk and bottle of apple and kiwi fruit juice. Cheek! Well, she then put her debit card in the reader the wrong way around, which delayed her transaction. Serves her right!
It was all too much. I rushed into work for a little lie down. Phew!
Poor you, in this weather doesn't take a lot does it?:luv:
I found myself in a tizzy this morning. The lady in front of me had the only separator, in front of her shopping. Then came a gap, then my shopping (two items), then a gap, then someone elses shopping. The lady in front obviously felt the gap was too narrow, so she pushed her items forward, as if she had something against my semi-skimmed milk and bottle of apple and kiwi fruit juice. Cheek! Well, she then put her debit card in the reader the wrong way around, which delayed her transaction. Serves her right!
It was all too much. I rushed into work for a little lie down. Phew!
You should have done what I do...nick one from another unoccupied till.That soon calms everyone down. :D
Action Jackson
23-04-2007, 15:34
My pensioner thread appears to have gone down like and old woman on an icy road, so here's hoping I have better luck with this one.
You are in the supermarket(like I just was earlier) and you start loading your shopping onto the conveyor. There is someone in front of you with their shopping already on the conveyor.
Whose responsibility is it to put the divider in-between the shopping? Yours? The person in front?
I've always been confused as to the etiquette I should adopt with respect to this, and this has sometimes led to moments of awkwardness when both me and the person in front go for the divider at the same time.
Can anyone help?
SMHarman
23-04-2007, 15:39
Yours, but if the person in front is nice they may want to do it (or a control freak).
But then again if the barrier thingy is out of your reach, perhaps there is only one and it is near the front of thebelt and you are at the back of it again, back to them really.
Civilised societies don't need to have these conversations, these things just work.
craig5320
23-04-2007, 15:40
I always find it polite to place the divider behind my shopping to show I am finished spacing out my apples along the belt, and give the person behind me the green light to proceed...
EDIT: I think I just got labelled a control freak... Damn
Mr_love_monkey
23-04-2007, 15:41
We've discussed this before :
http://www.cableforum.co.uk/board/22/50354-checkout-etiquette.html
TheBlueRaja
23-04-2007, 15:41
I find that a good toke on the old wood burner clears out anyone in front of me; leaving the necessity for dividers as an obsolete point.
Assuming of course you get you goods through before security arrive.
I must applaud the fact that you still feel we are in a civilised society, from cash for honours to lots of folks who are unable to say thankyou for any polite act..... well here in long eaton any way.that goes for all age groups!
soup dragon
23-04-2007, 15:51
i never fail to be amused by this when i am in a supermarket. i never use the divider thing and i always time the person in front or behind me to check how long they will wait before separating their stuff from mine! some people can be quite put out by it! rofl.
superbiatch
23-04-2007, 16:00
I think I just got labelled a control freak... Damn
Me too :erm:
Action Jackson
23-04-2007, 16:06
What if there is a divider at the front of your shopping but there isn't another one to place at the back? This is common in places like Lidl and Aldi who are usually low on luxury store items like dividers.
Do you leave it to the checkout assistant to slide it down the rail and the person behind you places it between your shopping, or do you move it back yourself when you get to the front?
It is your responsability as you are the one that wants to make sure you don't pay for the next person's goods.
Action Jackson
23-04-2007, 16:23
It is your responsability as you are the one that wants to make sure you don't pay for the next person's goods.
Could I not just use my hand to signify where my shopping stops?
Or maybe verbally indicate this e.g. "mine ends at the tube of jock itch cream luv".
SMHarman
23-04-2007, 18:07
I must applaud the fact that you still feel we are in a civilised society,I never said that - in fact, quite the opposite!
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