Am I a Glutton For Punishment ?
Thursday, December 1st, 2005 -- J. DoeI might be. Not only did I go the Supermarket near my house, but I went in the morning, which is, so to say, the rush hour.
Every person over age 50 for miles around seems to come to this little supermarket.
This morning I entered the supermarket. It was packed like I expected. I grabbed a basket and proceeded to look at the fresh vegetables. While my attention was focused on some green peppers, a woman who obviously wishes she were on the race course for the Formula Uno instead of at a lousy supermarket, grabs a shopping cart and running at the speed of light enters the vegetable aisle and plows right into me.
I, of course lost my balance and nearly tumbled into the vegetables.
Did she excuse herself ?
No. Of course not. I always have said that the people in Italy are rude, and everyone seems to prove me right.
After a few minutes of being hit by nice looking granny figures who also turn into wannabe racecar drivers when you put a shopping cart in their hands, I said to myself “Enough!” and decided to leave. I decided to go to the checkout area.
One thing that annoys me is the customers who place their loaded shopping cart or basket in line and then leave it behind to do more shopping.
Not to grab a few items that they see, but to return to the aisles and do a full-on shopping trip.
My thought is that if you are not ready to pay for everything and leave, don’t use the check out line as a holding station.
I don’t think I’m the only one who feels this way either. I have witnessed many arguments when people cut in line in front of these abandoned shopping carts when the owners return.
Back to my story, sure enough when I went to the line there was a basket full of food sitting on the ground with no owner in sight. I waited behind it.
All of the other lines were much, much longer and I wanted to go home. Finally as the cashier started to check the food items of the man in front of this abandoned basket I cut in front of it and put my own selected food items on the belt.
There were only 3.
3 measly items.
Just as I was done placing the third item on the belt, the owner of the abandoned food, an old man, showed up with a bunch of food stuffs in his arms.
“Can’t you see my basket ? I’m next in line!” he yelled at me.
Normally I don’t argue with old men who look like they are in their 60s, but I was mad and still hurting. I yelled back.
“YOU weren’t here! The cashier is not going to wait for YOU !” and then he shut up.
So did the man in front of me who was talking to the cashier.(at least for a few seconds which is practically the same)
Perhaps over-aggressive aggression is what you need to survive in Italy.
Have you guys ever been to Fairway in Manhattan….? Get ready for the REAL race car drivers with shopping carts!
I love it when they leave the “line” to do more shopping, WHILE THEY’RE BEING CHECKED-OUT. Then the check-out person has to wait and there’s nothing the rest of us in “line” can do. I find this quite infuriating. Good for you for being assertive.
Hi Laurie,
I guess Wannabe racecar drivers visit supermarkets everywhere-but in Italy the carts are bigger and seem to weigh more than their American counterparts. Being hit with one is not pretty.
Thanks for comment
Cant Sit Still,
It seems people in Italy are assertive. That doesn’t always work. I was OVERLY assertive. It got results.
I would say borderline assertive/agressive, at the supermarket and behind the wheel. Or there’s there “other” getting checked out at the grocery store, by a member of the opposite sex, who thinks he’s the next best thing to sliced bread.