Grocery store peeves

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Southern Cookin'

Assistant Cook
Joined
Jun 18, 2008
Messages
18
Location
Alabama
AOL had an interesting article posted this morning about the 20 most annoying things at the grocery store. There were some pretty interesting "peeves" listed.

Just this week I was shopping and a woman with a little girl (by appearances I'd say she was about 4) in her cart who screamed her little uncombed blonde head off for at least 45 minutes --- she was still screaming when the mother finally finished her shopping and checked out. She wanted a toy and she wanted it NOW. I passed this clueless mother a number of times up one aisle and down another. She'd just smile and keep on walking while the little one continued her rant. That's my number one peeve - out of control children. (And not just in the grocery store!)

Number two is the fact that they have row upon row of candy, cookies and chewing gum at the checkout. Even if your child (or in my case grandchildren) has been good as gold this is a lot of temptation for them while you to check out, which often takes longer than it took to select the items to begin with!

What bugs you the most?
 
1. People who block the aisles with their carts while they stare at a shelf trying to decide what to buy.

2. Supermarkets that keep moving products around from aisle to aisle so you will have to walk around more looking for stuff and, they hope, you will buy more. I respond by going to the manager when this happens and make him show me where the items are.

3. Supermarkets that take shelf space from brand names for store brands. Eventually eliminating brand names.

I'll be aback later for more.
 
I agree with Andy M's number 1.... and they act like nobody else is in the store! I just sit there quietly until they look up and move.

Folks talking on cell phones and shopping... just as bad as yappin on the cell phone and driving.

Smelly fish counter

And yes... children that lack adult supervision or attention.
 
1. People who block the aisles with their carts while they stare at a shelf trying to decide what to buy.

I was going to say this.

I've also been in a situation where I was waiting in the checkout line. The person in front of me had all their groceries scanned, then decided that they couldn't afford the total bill, so they made the cashier deduct one item at a time until the price was low enough for them.
 
1. People who block the aisles with their carts while they stare at a shelf trying to decide what to buy.

2. Supermarkets that keep moving products around from aisle to aisle so you will have to walk around more looking for stuff and, they hope, you will buy more. I respond by going to the manager when this happens and make him show me where the items are.

That's funny Andy because usually I'm blocking, off to the side as much as possible, staring because the store has moved stuff around. I generally know what I want but the store keeps moving the shelves around. What used to be one place two weeks ago is inevitably some place else this week. Same area, just rotated around.

My pet peeve is that check out personnel won't say anything to people who come through the 20 items or less line with a full basket and I'm not talking about the guy that walks up with 50 bottles of Gatoraide that is only one swipe across the scanner, I'm talking about people who pull up with full carts and then play the "no speak English" game when you know dang well they know they shouldn't be in those lines. I just really think the check out person should be able to say something. I mean, what's the person going to do, complain? They are in the wrong.

My other peeve is items that have two sizes and they are always out of the smaller, less expensive size.

Excuses for being out of things. "The town has grown and we haven't been able to keep up" is not an excuse for you to always be out of things.

I'm sure there are more.
 
I have tried really really hard to adjust my grocery/supercenter store shopping attitude.

Now, I call it an adventure! A study in the clueless! A foray into questionable food marketing! Stress management training! Stupid people watching time!

My pet peeve is the incredible thoughtlessness of shoppers. It is all about them. Carts in
the way, push past you to get to the item, drop unwanted items anywhere (frozen food in shoes.... milk in the cosmetics....), did I mention carts in the way, inability to operate self-checkout machines, did I mention carts in the way?

As for the stores, I enjoy their strategic pricing.... Black olives $3.75 a can.... store brand $1.39. Cheese, $6.75 a brick, store brand $2.79... Raise this, lower that, pay me to showcase your stuff, try to herd me like cattle... mooooo

Biggest issue: Not enough clerks manning the checkout lanes. For goodness sakes I WANT TO GIVE YOU MY MONEY!!!
Can you PLEASE not make me wait 20 minutes????

I actually enjoy groco shopping usually.
 
My supermarket pet peeves:

1) Uncontrolled children. Now granted, you might not be able to control the behavior of a child in a cart, but at least the child is IN the cart. My peeve is the folks who bring their spawn in & allow them to run unhindered throughout the store - pulling things off shelves, sitting on the floor, racing around playing games, & otherwise annoying &/or hindering everyone else.

2) The cellphone morons, who, unfortunately are taking over society more & more. I have no issue with the poor guy who's dialing up the wife to find out if they're out of milk. My problem is with the neanderthal nitwits who are strolling along having a long-term serious discussion with Lord knows who while completely oblivious to the fact that "cart traffic" is backing up behind them. Good Lord people - pull the **** cellphone out of your ear & have your chatty conversations at home where they belong!!!! PLEASE!!!!

As far as some of the ones in the above posts, I don't consider several of them "peeves". If a supermarket is constantly out of the specific item, brand, or size you want, just go to another supermarket. As for being behind someone who unfortunately finds out they don't have enough money & needs to remove items from their order, can you imagine just how humiliating that must be? I definitely would not consider that a "peeve", no matter how "inconvenienced" I was by having to wait. I'd definitely feel tremendously sorry for that person & have no problem waiting.
 
I'll try to keep it geared towards the store and how the store is run. As far as rude people, I could go on for hours.

I hate whaen a store is out of an ordinary product. For instance, I went to my local supermarket for a few things I needed for a specific recipe and they were out of fresh basil. I was PO'd. I had to pick every single leaf from my plants.

I don't understand why supermarkets can not have fresh seafood. And why do they only offer shrimp from foreign countries, what the heck is wrong with American Shrimp?!

And stop slicing the racks of lamb into chops! Some people (like me) actually like to cook the whole rack.

....and get Marvin the cart guy to bag some groceries once in a while to speed up the checkout.
 
As far as some of the ones in the above posts, I don't consider several of them "peeves". If a supermarket is constantly out of the specific item, brand, or size you want, just go to another supermarket.
Easier said than done when there is only one or two stores where you are and the other one is way over priced. We're talking $3.50 for milk verses $4.75 and the expensive one is farther away so more in gas too.

More:
*Kids with "Heelies" those annoying shoes with wheels in the heels. Why is it the grocery store is the primo spot for using these things and why do parents let their kids run amok through the store with them on?

*People who make comments when I'm looking at my BlackBerry while shopping. Do they not have a clue that I'm just reading my shopping list and saving a tree by not writing it down on paper? Why the snarky remark? I'm not talking, I'm briefly paused to the side to make sure I have everything on my list. What's the difference between paper and electronics?

*When two people block the aisle and have a conversation so no one can get past them on either side.

*Families that spread out across the aisles so no one can get past. Why do you need that many people to go shopping?

*BlueTooth users. Seriously, if you are going to talk on your cell, at least hold a handset so we know you're talking on the phone and not to us.

*Those "kid" carts and the parents that let them push them but don't watch them push them. I got news for you, your child isn't a "shopper in training" they're just annoying other customers and getting in the way.
 
I'll try to keep it geared towards the store and how the store is run. As far as rude people, I could go on for hours.


Good point Jeeks....

When they sack my groceries.. they just chunk stuff in there without rhyme or reason. (I usually help bag most stuff since I use the cavas bags and they are a pain), but when they throw canned stuff on top of chips and bread, or put meat in with veggies... .grrrrrr!
 
Good point Jeeks....

When they sack my groceries.. they just chunk stuff in there without rhyme or reason. (I usually help bag most stuff since I use the cavas bags and they are a pain), but when they throw canned stuff on top of chips and bread, or put meat in with veggies... .grrrrrr!

A trick to that is to put the groceries on the conveyor how you want them packed. LOL

Cans first, eggs last.
 
blue tooth BORG from a Star Trek re-cast session or a **** lot of psychotics talking to themselves!!

Now, why not make all the aisles accessible to wheelchairs, moms with strollers etc?
 
Just this week I was shopping and a woman with a little girl (by appearances I'd say she was about 4) in her cart who screamed her little uncombed blonde head off for at least 45 minutes --- she was still screaming when the mother finally finished her shopping and checked out. She wanted a toy and she wanted it NOW. I passed this clueless mother a number of times up one aisle and down another. She'd just smile and keep on walking while the little one continued her rant. That's my number one peeve - out of control children. (And not just in the grocery store!)

I know there are some extreme situations, but give the families with grumpy kids a break. It's tough to get to the store between kids nap and mealtimes and everything else that goes on. They are bound to be hungry/tired/bored on some of the shopping trips. Today I was the mom with the kid screaming in the cart through the store. He needed a nap and lunch but it was the only time I could get to the store before we leave for a trip and there wasn't much I could do about it. That mom was probably ignoring her child because her efforts weren't working or were making it worse. You do what you gotta do.

*Families that spread out across the aisles so no one can get past. Why do you need that many people to go shopping?

Sometimes it's fun to go shopping with your family. (I agree they should not block the aisles and run wild throughout the store though).

That being said, the other day I was shopping at a thrift store and the same employee asked me to move 3 times in three different places so he could stock the shelf I was trying to buy something off of. When I worked in a store the rule was "let the shopper shop, stock it later". The shelf was by no means empty, it could have waited! And the aisles were about 2 feet wide so I had to walk clear to the end and back around with my 2 kids to get out of his way so he could stock it. I was extremely annoyed.
 
not much bothers me but the 2 that really get me have been said

#1 people blocking my way; taking up the aisle etc..... MOVE!!!!!
#2 Not being able to bag my own. I have my shopping planned out. I knwo the store better then half the employees. I know how my fridge, pantry and freezer are set up. I put my stuff in my car in a certian order. They are on the belt in a certian order. I unload them in a certian order and I put them away in a certian order.

my order is basiclly taking care of my protiens, that are more sensitive to temp changes and etc....
 
Sometimes it's fun to go shopping with your family. (I agree they should not block the aisles and run wild throughout the store though).
I don't mind a large family that's shopping at a mall or something else, but the grocery store is not the place for a family outting. Besides, it generally costs a family more when kids go along to the grocery store.
 
That being said, the other day I was shopping at a thrift store and the same employee asked me to move 3 times in three different places so he could stock the shelf I was trying to buy something off of.

Ahhhh heck no!!!!! I would have told him "I'll move when I'm done!" Once is one thing, but to do it 3 different times... no no no!!! We gonna be sparring in the asile!

Yea, I understand about irritable kids... and having multiple kids and trying to juggle that and day to day needs. It happens and I by no means fault that.
 
i rarely go into a grocery store anymore. i order groceries on line and they are delievered to my kitchen.

so pleasant, no hassle with kids, carts, phones or any of the things that tick most of you off.

i can take my time, go back and change order if i want, now if i can just teach the shopper that bigger is not better in onions or other vegs. lol

i spend a lot of time on an order for a month, but do it in the comfort of my home.

babe:cool:
 
Yup, rude shoppers would be my #1 also.
#2 Has to be when they run out of sale items. When I make my grocery list, I always look through the sale papers to see what the specials are. If they have an item featured on sale that week, why don't they order accordingly?
#3 is mis-representation. I've ranted on this before (and I know that I really should let it go:ermm:), but just how in the world can they sell you county style ribs that are cut from a pork shoulder? I don't know about you, but the last time I smoked a shoulder, I sure didn't find any ribs in it!
Recently I bought a bag of frozen flounder fillets. Front of the package said "American Fish Company" complete with a picture of our flag. Got the darn bag home, laid the darn thing on the counter face down and there in small letters on the BACK of bag, at the BOTTOM was product of china...... Give me a break.:glare:
 
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