Grocery store "etiquette"

amother

↑ Dahlia

Wed, Sep 25 2024, 11:13 am

imaima wrote:

Unbelievable
It’s entitled to act like there is no line full of frum people standing right behind you and waiting for you. Nothing will change drastically in your life from paying attention to cashiers. If you need to talk, don’t start paying

My mil is Hungarian and ever since being married I remember her saying “ok I need to put the phone down- I’m at the cashier, I’ll call back after”
It was mind blowing. When people have the cognizant awareness of others and are able to put others needs before theirs or even just care about being polite, it makes all the difference.

amother

Waterlily

Wed, Sep 25 2024, 1:21 pm

ittsamother wrote:

If it's an important call, I can't imagine if you pick up and say "Hi, I'm so glad you called, I know this is a really important call, would you mind waiting just one moment so I can give you my full attention?" and then mute them for that one moment as you finish paying, that they're gonna angrily slam down the phone.

And how often does it happen that someone very important and crucial calls JUST as you're in middle of checking out? Let's be honest, 98% of the time people were already mid-conversation by the time they got to the cashier. (And even then, what exactly will happen if you tell the person on the line "excuse me for just one moment!" and mute them!)

I can imagine because I've just dealt with this. I was dealing with a critical situation and you are absolutely dependent on the professionals' timelines. You speak to them when they call YOU, and if you don't, you will need to wait again for whenever they have time to call you again. And they aren't agreeable to be placed on hold. They just respond that they will try you again another time and you go back to the bottom of their queue.

With that said, this is not a common situation and should be occurring very infrequently. But I just wanted to put this out there so that you have the understanding that this type of scenario does indeed exist.

flowerpower

Wed, Sep 25 2024, 1:37 pm

amother Dandelion wrote:

I think having loud phone conversations in public is weird no matter where.

This. I took it upon myself as a kaballah not to talk on the phone in public. It is so annoying to those around you. I found out so many personal info from the loud shmoozers in stores.

↑ ittsamother

Wed, Sep 25 2024, 1:50 pm

amother Waterlily wrote:

So if let's say they caught you on the street, and as you're talking a train starts rumbling by, (if you've ever walked on Mcdonald Avenue in Brooklyn you know it's absolutely impossible to hear a word over that) instead of waiting for 30 seconds as the train passes, they'll hang up on you?

amother

↑ Outerspace

Wed, Sep 25 2024, 1:56 pm

I was at the grocery store this morning. I was minding my business when some bumped aggressively in to my cart, pushing it in to me. A women was having a very animated phone conversation and didn't even realize her surroundings. She seemed rushed and just pushed her wagon wildly without looking out for people. As if people aren't around.

DrMom

Wed, Sep 25 2024, 3:56 pm

I try to give people the benefit of the doubt.

Maybe her son or husband is in the army and had a few moments to call davka when she was on line at the supermarket.

Maybe she's a single mother and is juggling shopping, a job, taking care of kids, and her babysitter called to tell her that her child has a fever.

You never know.

↑ Cheiny

Wed, Sep 25 2024, 4:08 pm

Ihatepotatoes wrote:

On the other hand, I've had store owners tell me they didn't mind. I gather because that meant that they would get my business. What I never got were the people who take "just one" grape..

Yeah, that’s outright geneiva.
That’s nice that the store owner allows you to pay after but I imagine most people who open the snack for their child to eat while they’re still shopping, haven’t paid yet and haven’t asked the store owner. So just something for people to keep in mind…

amother

Marigold

Wed, Sep 25 2024, 4:58 pm

amother OP wrote:

What is so important that you need to be on the phone when checking out at the grocery store?
I'm waiting behind you while you unload your cart with one hand, ask the cashier to repeat his question 3 times, take forever to fill out your check because you're not focused, and I'm standing there waiting.
Can you not tell the person on the other line to hold on for a few minutes while you check out?

I do this, and I'm aware that it might bother people in line, but my adult child's situation is such that they can only call at certain times and usually only for a brief time, and it is very important to maintain a connection with them. I take that call no matter where I am or who I'm with, and yes, it has happened more than once that I am checking out at the grocery when they called. We don't talk about anything unusual, they are just calling for the connection, so anybody listening just hears the usual mundane, but the actual situation is so much more than that.

I don't explain my child's situation to the other people in line because it's not their business what my child is doing, and I will bli neder never miss the call if this child reaches out to me. When the cashier speaks to me, I do tell my child to "hold on for one second because I'm checking out at the store," but that's it as far as not mainatining the conversation. If I put this child on hold for more than a bit, they say good-bye, and I need to maintain that connection with them.

I trust that those in line know how to be dan l'chaf z'chus as we should all strive to.

amother

↑ Pumpkin

Wed, Sep 25 2024, 6:31 pm

amother Marigold wrote:

The PSA is for people who don't say 'hold on I'm checking out '
None of us care if you are talking on the phone whilst waiting in line as long as you are ok with us eavesdropping....

amother

Hotpink

Wed, Sep 25 2024, 7:10 pm

ittsamother wrote:

Yes. They will say, "It's a bad connection. I'll try you back another time." Sometimes you hear it, and sometimes you don't and they're just gone. Asking for a minute automatically gets you an "That's ok, I'll try you back later" and they're gone before you can answer. It's rotten.

From their POV, they have an overload of cases and need to use all their time, so instead of holding for you, they call someone else and call you back eventually.