SHOPPING CART & SHOPPERS

For those of you who have been following the pond blogs , thank you. For those who have been reading my friend's blog "If the Creek Don't Rise", you know Mark got hit by a truck on his way home. For years I have known where these types of drivers have received their driver education. When they were young in the grocery store with their parents, they learned.

How many times have you gone to the store and been pushing your cart down the aisle, when somebody(male or female), coming in the opposite direction just bangs into your cart as if you were not even there. Do they say excuse me, or I'm sorry?. No they either give you a dirty look or continue blithely on their way as if nothing has happened.

There is also the "This is my aisle shopper". This person is the one who goes down the middle of the aisle, stopping every two feet to see what is on each side of them. Are they short-sighted? When you say excuse me, they move their carts two inches to the right. Hello! My cart is not that narrow. These people are next of kin to the ones who put their cart on one side of the aisle and then stand directly across from it, shopping from the shelves on the other side. These are the people who do not move and don't seem to mind holding up twelve other people while they decide if they need one can of peas or two. This is the " I don't care about anyone shopper".

You also have the " Get of of my way, I'm coming through shopper". We all know this person. The one who is in a rush and so important, they cut you off to get to the next spot, usually three feet away, before you. They then become a "This is my aisle shopper" or the " I don't care about about anyone shopper".

The next type of shopper is the "Traffic Jammer". This one is usually found in the fruits and vegetable section. They park their cart in the middle of an aisle (usually cross-ways) and then wanders off to shop for their fruits and veggies. You don't even have someone to ask to "please excuse me". They are there somewhere but who knows where?
This shopper not only jams up one aisle but a whole section of one department.

When you do finally get to the check-out, you come across the " I forgot something shopper". This is the one who gets in line and starts to unload groceries. Then , coming out of their "I'm from a different planet daze" remembers that they forgot to pick up a jar of pickles and simply can't leave without them. How many times have you heard " I'll be right back"? Hey! Pickles are at the other end of the store. Because they have already started through the cash, the poor cashier is also stuck waiting for "The Return".

The absolute worst shopper is the "I can't count shopper". We all know this one. The check-out clearly states- 12 items or less. It is the express line. The "I can't count shopper" usually has two to three times that number. Their reasoning is that if the cashier says anything they will threaten to take their business elsewhere. My wife hates it when I stand and count someone else's items. This shopper is also the one who wants to pay by check and then can't find the check book.

I know we have all made some of these faux-pas. The way you to tell if someone is really one of these shoppers is easy. You keep meeting them in every aisle and at the check out. Maybe we could borrow some lights from " The QwerkyTurkey. Now that is another great blog.

Maybe we could get the government to issue Shopping Cart Driver Permits. Nope. Just like on the road, these people would still be free to roam the world.