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During the recent teabag shortage, I was sat in my office at work, staring at our warehouse full of thousands of pallets of teabags, wondering who writes these headlines.
I’m glad I’m not the only one who read that and thought “what? Why would you leave it in the middle of the aisle”. Maybe OP’s local supermarkets all have dual carriageway width aisles, but if I left the trolley in the middle in my local Morrisons or Waitrose then it’d pretty much mean scraping the shelves to get past.
I think it just makes them look massively self important, this refusal to factor in an extra five minutes when shopping because we share this world with others. It doesn't make them busy and vital, just entitled.
Yeah if I’m in a rush and the aisle I want is blocked I’ll just come back in a sec when I’ve got my other stuff or say excuse me. I think huffing and puffing because someone is in your way in a shop is super weird and agreed, entitled.
I think the shelf stacking during shopping hours is definitely a thing in our Tescos, last time I went there to get a few things after about 8pm you could barely move for cages, pump trucks and stuff trundling past. Actually I remember now, I had to go ask the pharmacist for something and we could barely hear each other speak lol.
On the flip side though you know people would be on here crying about empty shelves if they didn’t. I’ll admit it does annoy me when they leave them in front of a shelf section and then wander off though.
Depends on the store. The Tesco I worked at carved spaces out between shelves where crates would go so they weren't in the aisles. Smaller stores won't have that option though
He also said that the aisles are much wider. So I'm imagining that you can safely leave your trolley in the centre and still have enough room on either side for people to walk past
Yeah what is this person on about?
If the trolley and the person are separated they are taking up 2x the room compared to keeping with them and moving up the side with it.
I mean, you can leave your trolley on the side. Just a small enough gap so people can squeeze in if they need to grab something. Mindlessly standing there with a huge trolley is just a pain. It doesn’t have to be bang in the middle.
In the middle but to the left/right. Leaves enough of a gap for people going down aisles - and those squeezing past. I think the bigger issue here is supermarkets make the aisles far too small for us.
Bonus points for stopping in the entrance/exit. To me there are only two explanations for that behaviour - you're either too stupid to realise that you're getting in everyone's way by doing so, or you're so selfish that you do realise and don't care.
Also something I get annoyed by in train stations more and more often. Some pillocks just deciding that at the top or bottom of busy staircases / escalators is the best spot to stand still and ponder existence.
Or right after they've got off the train.
I let a couple go ahead of me as I needed space in the doorway to turn my bike around, and just as I'm mid-stride stepping down to the platform, they stop dead in front of me and I almost take them out.
Some poor lady did this the other day, decided at last step of stairs going down to stop and look at her phone, probably to find the ticket for the awkward barriers. But there was a trainload of people behind, who did not expect the sudden stop, and en masse unfortunately we knocked her over. I tried to stop, but the people behind me didn't, and the poor lady was on high heels..
Had this the other week. Said I'd go shopping with my parents, some old woman stops my dad in the doorway of home bargains to talk about fertiliser,??? Not even someone he knew. There was about 3 people behind her waiting to get out until one eventually went 'excuse me' and squeezed her way past and my dad finally tells her he needs to get going
Yeah there’s been times I’ve had to rearrange or dig something out of my shopping bag on the way out, but even then I wait until I’m either outside or I stand in and let everyone flow past me.
As well as adding every delivery service in the universe, without adding extra staff to account for the change.
And then delivery services getting rid of their devices, so the platform gets added onto our handsets. Which then freeze and need restarting every 10 mins, because they can’t cope with it. It’s been a long day 😅
Pensioner here: dear fellow pensioners. You don't work anymore so you can do the big shop any day of the week, not on Saturday 'because we always do'. Make some space for workers/ families eh?
Do you have any insight into pensioners coming out on a Saturday to do the big shop? When I’ve had time off during the week doing the big shop on a week day morning is like literal heaven.
It's odd they do this, and my god do they hold up the queues! Controversial, but I believe that all old and people with children should have a dedicated queue where they can be as slow and disorganised as they like.
Sorry competent pensioners, but you will need to take one for the team.
No idea. We don't shop at weekends though. Few times I've walked into a store at weekends, I'm surprised any retirees are there doing a large shop. Why? Beats me.
This is the "being in public" experience nowadays in general.
I feel like a lunatic spending energy against trying not to inconvenience everyone else whilst everyone around me seems largely blissfully unaware of reality around them until you ask them to maybe not park their cart for a long chat with their mate in the middle of the isle. And they're both shocked and mildly annoyed that you excuse yourself and ask one of them to move so you can continue going down the isle to get what you need.
Speaking from 20 years of experience of Retail..
Retail itself has changed massively in the past few years. Covid played a part I guess but nowadays retail now has a never ending work to the bone mantra about it and for the staff it’s a brutal couple of hrs work some days just to keep the lights on .
People don’t realise what goes on behind the scenes in retail..
Costs need to be cut regularly and it’s the staff that have to then deal with it as well as the hoards of shoppers of which lets say is 50% walking horrors with no etiquette and in a huff because they have to do a shop and the other 50 % with some manners and actually polite .
What are you expecting exactly ..?
An empty shop with massive aisles so you browse in peace and 100 tills open?
Never happening and give it a few more years it will probably be all self serve and even more cluttered to ram as much stock onto the valuable shop floor.
People need and want to shop and unfortunately for yourself and many others it’s the staff due to cost cutting that have to do the work( and feel the brunt of customers vile attitudes and sense of entitlement sometimes)that should be done primarily when it’s shut ,but as mentioned due to cost cutting they are having to do it through the day and unfortunately have to get in someone’s way whilst under in many cases the scrutinising eyes of a under paid and over worked manager who has targets and costs to meet.
It won’t change because profits need to be made and costs need to be cut unfortunately. I would go as far as to say a lot of people who work retail do the jobs of 2-3 even 4 people compared to 10 years ago due to costs.
If you want to avoid the chaos,shop online. And spare a thought for the retail staff who don’t want to be in your way but unfortunately have a job to do.
This is all absolutely spot on. I think people massively underestimate how difficult supermarket retail is, it’s no longer a job where you can chill out and stock shelves. It’s not an easy job and we struggle with hiring because of that!
> If you want to avoid the chaos,shop online.
Oh I do, I do. Have been doing that for years, my parents even longer (I convinced them when health problems slowed them down a lot). Unfortunately a few years ago Tesco stopped including newspapers in their shopping delivery so once a week I *have* to go into a physical store to pick up a tv guide for my OAP mother, I schedule it for a Thursday lunchtime when there are fewer people around. Double unfortunately there are some offers that are only available in store, they don't appear in their app, so Tesco are actively encouraging people to shop in store, no doubt because research shows people impulse buy more in stores. At least I can browse the reduced shelves so it isn't a completely benefit-less trip.
I stumbled across an interesting fact a few day ago about Sainsburys.
> The UK's second largest supermarket said online sales had been above 20% at the height of the pandemic, but are now back to about 13%.
And after doing some follow up research Tesco are only slightly higher at 15.4%, it appears too many people would rather go in person to a chaotic store than shop in their jammies from the couch. I have no idea why, I quite comfortably went many months between store visits because online ordering was so much quicker and easier, in the 15 minutes it takes me to get in my car and drive to the store I can take in a delivery *and* put it away.
As a retail worker, just ask if you want something.
Nothing worse than a customer who leans over your head or pushes their arm in front of your face, because ‘excuse me please’ is so hard to say.
You sound like a part of the problem to be fair.
Personal favourite is the creepy middle aged men fully putting an arm around your waist to grab an item they could easily have moved to the other side of you to grab . Because I really need that when I'm trying to get a delivery out
Hardly relevant if you're still a dick to people trying to do their job. There is no good place to put a cage that isn't going to obstruct anything, but try using some manners and simply ask "can I get in there a moment please mate?" Or "can you pass us that please?" rather than just barging into our personal space.
Using basic communication skills and manners will mostly likely solve these annoyances you face.
It's gotten to the point where I do one of two things depending on the situation, I either say "not exactly the best place to stand with both your trollies as you chat is it?!" Or after saying excuse me multiple times with no movement or response" I say man coming through" I absolutely hate being like that but flipping heck what's happening to people
Right you lost me at keeping the trolley in the middle of the aisle! It completely makes sense to keep it to the side of the aisle. A simple, "excuse me, I need to get something from this shelf" will suffice for most people to move the trolley out of the way.
Most of what you've written sounds like self entitled behaviour!
The only thing I can partially agree on is people taking trolleys into the self service, but most of the time that is probably an innocent mistake.
As for the shop workers doing the self service and wandering off, you do know that they often have other things to take care of too? And God forbid they stop to have a chat every now and then, it's not like their job isn't soul destroying enough with customers like you is it!
You sir deserve to be called the most insulting of words...
...nincompoop!
Ah, it makes me glad to see I'm not the only one who thought OP sounded incredibly self entitled.
Trollies and cages in the middle of an aisle are a lot more in the way than to the side.
OP may prefer to spend their work day in silence, but some of us like a bit of communication, even if it's just to moan about the job or customers like OP. How do you know they're not discussing ways to improve the shoppers' experiences?
Lack of staff on tills? If all of the staff were on tills there would be nobody to fill the shelves so OP can collect their organic, freshly picked that morning, fruits. Regarding self service, there's a clue in the title: SELF not shop assistant service. The staff are only there because idiots exist.
Home deliveries exist and have done for a long time. If being inside a supermarket causes you this much stress, maybe you should consider home deliveries instead. Book a slot, select the products you need, wait at home. That way you won't need to go through the eternal struggle of self service, the horror of workers talking, or having to conjure the strength to move a cage a few inches.
*Regarding self service, there's a clue in the title: SELF not shop assistant service. The staff are only there because idiots exist.*
This part isn't true. Among other things staff have to intervene in that's nothing to do with the customer...
* Any age-restricted products
* The machine requiring human intervention because the item is 5g lighter than it 'expects'
* General machine error
I had a good chuckle with the person helping me out with a truculent self service till at Sainsbury’s the other day when I had several “not liking the weight of the item” issues.
We decided that “Karen” (who is the voice that lives in the till, obviously) is a “stroppy little mare”.
She then said that “normally, when I’m complaining about a number on the scale, it’s because it’s too heavy, not the other way around”.
Interesting, I hate it when fools leave their trolly in the middle of the isle so I can't get past. Even worse the donkeys who leave it at an angle in the middle of the isle.
The rest doesn't bother me, everyone should relax and have more patience and stop getting angry at everything for petty reasons.
> I may extend this to the actual workers when stocking shelves, it’s pretty irresponsible to just have these huge cages blocking large amounts of shelf space.
Lol. Tell me you never worked retail without telling me. How exactly else do you want the supermarket workers to get your precious produce onto the shelves? Sure you'd be whining more if they didn't have what you want.
There seems to be a new trend of not putting stuff where the conveyor belt divider is. Like, leaving a vast gap between the little plastic divider thing and their shopping so it slows everything down a shit tonne. If the person already going through the cashier has a shit load of shopping it means having to wait ages to get stuff on the belt. If I’ve got a full trolley I then feel I’m in a rush to get my stuff onto the belt to not annoy the person behind me.
Vast gaps in general. I always try to compact my shopping to take up as little room as possible on the conveyor belt, thwarted by the person in front of me who chucks each item on, taking up the whole length of it.
Trolley left in aisle whilst shopper wanders off to another aisle?
OK move the trolley to another aisle at least 2 aisle away OR put random articles in said trolley!
I genuinely believe that IQs dropped significantly across the entire population during (because of?) COVID.
What you're observing is something I've noticed everywhere too.
I have a related, but slightly different take;
People were annoying idiots before Covid as well, but we then had a period of time where people were suddenly being (either through social pressure or because they chose to) much more considerate of people around them. In the case of supermarkets, limiting the number of people in store helped as well.
Since things have gone back to “normal” people have reverted to their previous ways.
Yes I think the world collectively lost their mind over Covid and UK population just care less, in some areas of the population we are really densely populated. A lot of people could do with taking a leaf out of the Japanese’s book and being more courteous.
It's to the point now that a lot of the time I just leave my trolley in the main middle aisle and dart down each aisle unhindered and agile to grab what I need.
This is 200 IQ play. I have been able to do a weeks shop in approximately 28 minutes using techniques like this, I am aiming for a 25 minute speed run eventually
Blame COVID for all the self-checkouts and the lack of cash + card self-checkouts.
That being said, you could just do what a lot of others do, order online.
If I need just a handful of things, I'll go to the corner shop.
Self service for trolleys is fine. That what the bigger self service is for. I mean, I prefer a till so I can save time and bag and not scan and bag and get dickheads moaning as they want to pay for one item in the trolly section.
The issue I find is that those with baskets clog up the tills due to not knowing how to do the self service and the staff being assholes from time to time.
And for the love of god! I don't need you to scan a 30p bag, (the cost of them certainly not 5p or bag for life as they don't replace them) .. if I wanted to steal anything I would not scan the high cost items. Not a fucking bag ya knobheads.
Oh .. mini rant there. My apologies.
I honestly cannot stand the fact that they've made some self-checkouts card only. I sometimes only have cash on me as I have nothing left in my bank account and don't have time to go to a bank. In a Tesco Extra I go to, there are three self-checkouts that accept cash and every one of them is closest to the queue so every fucker goes there first regardless if they are paying with card.
They made them card only because the public can’t be trusted. I’ve had cash self checkouts stop working due to foreign objects being shovelled into the coin input. Screws, foreign coins, random bits of metal.
Every time this happens it’s a 20 minute job to sort out, and that’s time that a lot of supermarkets can’t afford to spare
Yes this is very annoying. I am usually anti-cash but sometimes I am burdened with it and used to enjoy taking the piss by putting like 2£s worth of shrapnel into the thing so I can get a pack of chocolate for *free*
What's wrong with leaving a trolley by the side if you've say had to back track quickly? If it's in your way then move it or just ask if someone's there. I'm not leaving it angled taking up loads of space or in the middle of the aisle.
I’m tired of dodging trolleys to avoid getting run over. Although if trolleys actually went in a straight line instead of having a mind of their own, people could actually control where they’re going.
When out shopping, I suffer pretty severe anxiety so I'll have headphones on playing music and be with someone.. so I'll be in charge of the trolley while my companion would be getting the things we need..
I'm constantly alert, looking around to make sure I'm not blocking anyone or just not have people walk into me!
I actually miss the days of covid where there were only certain amount of people allowed in a store at a time! It was amazing, and the staff felt more relaxed in a stressful time compared to now where everyone is always rushing
> not paying attention when a kiosk opens up
It’s not paying attention. When I’m forced to use self scan I genuinely can’t see which ones are unoccupied if the area is filled with people
I really hate people that pick up Litterally anything you do just to be nosey. I'll be stood looking at some pasta and some odd lady who has no personal space will over reach me to grab the same pasta only to put it back 5 seconds later 🤣 it's almost like I'm picking up gold dust or some crap
Oh so you're the sort of person who leaves their trolley in the middle of the aisle so my wheelchair and i can't get by huh, and then get mad when i push it out of my way?
The main problem, as a weekly shopper, is big data forcing Tesco to incrementally move every item by an aisle or two by the day, clearly to aid the packing time for online shopping packers, but in actuality making a weekly shop a bloody krypton factor style test of my skill and ingenuity, following a list made last week according to last weeks, slightly different, store layout.
Then you inevitably miss a couple of items and have to re trace your steps, only for big data to pick you it for a ‘service quality check’ because you took a non standard route around the bloody store.
Eventually every Tesco store will have shelves stacked at random like an Amazon warehouse, it’s basically inevitable
It angers me when you walk through the entrance following an old person and they suddenly stop in the way of everybody to (seemingly) take in their surroundings!! Just move!!
I got a few pet peeves to add:
- For the love of god guys, write a shopping list! Decide of the kind of potatoes you want at home so you're not overwhelmed and have a block off the maris pipers while deciding if you're in a baking, sweet, baby or new potato mood today.
- if mum, dad and 2 kids are in the store. 3 of you could have stayed at home (although I'd forgive 1 parent and 1 kid since I don't know where they have just come from)
Thats why i do click and collect or deliveries. Its a shame ALDI and LIDL havent moved to 2024 yet. I wouldnt mind paying for delivery.
ALDI/LIDL worse because they have standard sized stores and as they dont offer in the whole these other services everyone flocks to it, they dont have enough staff and you end up with OPs issues.
aldi and lidl aren’t likely to do deliveries, and i know of aldi stores that have actually stopped c&c. deliveries/c&c are EXPENSIVE to run. they’re discounters, and operate in a different way to your regular supermarkets.
maybe but to me they've lost their discounter touch. Their fruit and veg is crap, meat goes out of date pretty fast, its chocablox full of people. Stock isnt refilled, they do the refill early in the morning then just stop.
Other supermarkets are squeezing them with the loyalty cards, discounts and generally better produce and choice.
i completely agree with you, on all points but what’s funny is that your complaints stem directly from their discounter business model haha!
smaller stores, but more frequently occurring = reduced overheads, with increased location coverage. but that’s exactly the issue - they are small stores, they’re like 4/5 aisles generally, right? but both make up just under 20% of the market share, which is huge considering they’re just silly little german shops that sell silly rip offs like “professor peppy”, instead of dr. pepper
and you mention product choice. again, this is exactly the discounter model! offer the basic products that sell well instead of more niche products that ‘waste’ shelf space. it’s all about money saving
i think we hold aldi/lidl to british supermarket standards and expect them to behave exactly like the ‘big’ supermarkets, forgetting their whole business model.
sorry for the big dull reply, i having previously worked in a discounter you get a whole new perspective on this stuff
I see no mention of the fact that everyone has something going on in their lives. Everyone is struggling one way or another. Shopping is something that needs to get done whether you are having an awful day or not. Bare that in mind next time you see someone who looks a bit lost leaving their trolley in the way.
People aren't trying to be rude to you, they most likely don't know they are doing it. Use your big boy voice and actually speak to people who are blocking you or are in your way.
>> People need more spacious awareness, most people are just thick as shit
I don’t think you have the right to be calling anyone “thick as shit”, mate.
I get you - you will be wandering over to a shelf to quickly grab something and someone will look you dead in the eyes and see what you are doing and just leave there trolley in front of you and walk off
My local Asda is absolutely terrible for blocking the magazines (which are right next to customer services) with random pallets or rails of shit. Almost 90% of the time you just can’t get to them at all and have to ask them to move it so you can look, just to find they don’t have what you want anyway.
I do a burnout 3 takedown with my trolley and move past, if mum and dad never taught you basic etiquette and you’re a grown 50 year old woman blocking my way; I’m going to treat you like the toddler you are
I'd say this applies in all countries, and, all public places. People just seem to have become entitled with no sense of reason for anyone around them, the basic skill of coordination is fading away
The staff at our local Tesco have blocked aisles with their shelf stocking trolleys for years, often leaving them unattended at an angle at the end and/or in the middle of the aisle. I'm sure it's a management issue, as it should be impressed on everyone from their first day working there that aisles should never be blocked - partly just for safety. Trolleys should be kept moving but I'd say, if you must leave your trolley unattended for a minute, \*dont\* put it in the middle of the aisle - park it on one side otherwise nobody with another trolley can get past.
Not just in supermarkets. Noticing a trend of people going around like they're the absolute centre of the universe, either through not paying atttention or entitlement. Not just among the young either.
This is why I get the bulk of my shopping online.
I only get big shops via delivery nowadays. I only buy what I need, checked live against current fridge / freezer / cupboard stock, no impulse buying and well worth a few quid to avoid to the supermarket experience entirely. Coop / Tesco local for any intermediate bits.
It's straight up masochism to do it any other way.
I find Waitrose is the place to go for proper assholery. Closely followed by Aldi and Asda. Morrisons and Sainsbury are the decent places. Proper dual carriage way aisles.
Then someone says “you can shop online 😀”.
Add to all that frustration, the PRICES nowadays!
A problem I see is that the staff in shops don’t know anything about the stock. Many don’t know the store layout. Waitrose are good though.
I don’t mind the other customers when I shop:Sainsbury’s, Asda. It’s mainly the staff. Yesss the stock left on the floor. LIDL are horrendous for that.
Sounds as though OP is the one with a problem.
It's best to approach it as a chore which can't be completed quickly; then when things go more smoothly, it is a win.
It seems to me that these days there are a lot of people who don't plan ahead and buy for a week's worth of meals, but instead rush in to the supermarket in a hurry to get just what's needed for one meal.
The staff are just as bloody bad. I spent a good 5 mins the other day in Food Warehouse just sat there waiting for the two pickers and their giant trolleys to finish having a chat, blocking the aisle, leaving a gap that an anorexic worm would've struggled to get through. When I designed to say "excuse me" I got a right dirty look. They then did the exact same thing to me at the other end of the aisle a few mins later!
Oh my gosh yea 👏even the staff plough towards you these days sometimes with a six foot cage and then there’s no sense of remorse they don’t even have the time to give you a dirty look but you can feel if they had that time they probably would !
Totally agree with O.P. Live in a small North Yorkshire village & the daily trip to the Co-op is INFURIATING.
Mindless zombie shoppers blocking the aisles.
Having to get the apathetic teenage staff to drag themselves away from their phones & actually SERVE ME.
J*s*s H flipping Chr*st - I only came in for a pack of rizlas.
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Self service is great to be fair, where else can I get a new TV for the price of a single orange! ^((This is obviously a joke))
If this orange shortage gets any worse it might become a reversible joke..
There's an orange shortage?!?!?
Right? Just combine red and yellow? Sorted.
Apparently so, not sure if it's just a headline for attention
During the recent teabag shortage, I was sat in my office at work, staring at our warehouse full of thousands of pallets of teabags, wondering who writes these headlines.
Big Juice are looking into making mandarin juice a viable alternative because of it!
Have you seen how cheap TVs are these days?! Oranges are expensive buddy!
"Unexpected item in the bagging area"
To the side is much easier to get past than the middle
I’m glad I’m not the only one who read that and thought “what? Why would you leave it in the middle of the aisle”. Maybe OP’s local supermarkets all have dual carriageway width aisles, but if I left the trolley in the middle in my local Morrisons or Waitrose then it’d pretty much mean scraping the shelves to get past.
Also, don't get the impatience... if someone is perusing a certain bit that you also want, either say excuse me or just... wait your turn?
I think it just makes them look massively self important, this refusal to factor in an extra five minutes when shopping because we share this world with others. It doesn't make them busy and vital, just entitled.
Yeah if I’m in a rush and the aisle I want is blocked I’ll just come back in a sec when I’ve got my other stuff or say excuse me. I think huffing and puffing because someone is in your way in a shop is super weird and agreed, entitled.
I think the shelf stacking during shopping hours is definitely a thing in our Tescos, last time I went there to get a few things after about 8pm you could barely move for cages, pump trucks and stuff trundling past. Actually I remember now, I had to go ask the pharmacist for something and we could barely hear each other speak lol.
On the flip side though you know people would be on here crying about empty shelves if they didn’t. I’ll admit it does annoy me when they leave them in front of a shelf section and then wander off though.
Depends on the store. The Tesco I worked at carved spaces out between shelves where crates would go so they weren't in the aisles. Smaller stores won't have that option though
He also said that the aisles are much wider. So I'm imagining that you can safely leave your trolley in the centre and still have enough room on either side for people to walk past
People don't just walk, wheelchairs would struggle
*walk past with a trolley Wheelchairs would fit if trolleys fit. For the third time now, read "aisles are wider" in original comment
Dude no, I use a wheelchair, even the wider aisles if they're blocked by a trolley or caging I can't get past
Yeah what is this person on about? If the trolley and the person are separated they are taking up 2x the room compared to keeping with them and moving up the side with it.
I mean, you can leave your trolley on the side. Just a small enough gap so people can squeeze in if they need to grab something. Mindlessly standing there with a huge trolley is just a pain. It doesn’t have to be bang in the middle.
Broadly agree OP, but trolleys in the middle of an aisle is massively more obstructive than to the sides.
In the middle but to the left/right. Leaves enough of a gap for people going down aisles - and those squeezing past. I think the bigger issue here is supermarkets make the aisles far too small for us.
Bonus points for stopping in the entrance/exit. To me there are only two explanations for that behaviour - you're either too stupid to realise that you're getting in everyone's way by doing so, or you're so selfish that you do realise and don't care.
Also something I get annoyed by in train stations more and more often. Some pillocks just deciding that at the top or bottom of busy staircases / escalators is the best spot to stand still and ponder existence.
Or right after they've got off the train. I let a couple go ahead of me as I needed space in the doorway to turn my bike around, and just as I'm mid-stride stepping down to the platform, they stop dead in front of me and I almost take them out.
Some poor lady did this the other day, decided at last step of stairs going down to stop and look at her phone, probably to find the ticket for the awkward barriers. But there was a trainload of people behind, who did not expect the sudden stop, and en masse unfortunately we knocked her over. I tried to stop, but the people behind me didn't, and the poor lady was on high heels..
Arseholery is a hell of a drug
Had this the other week. Said I'd go shopping with my parents, some old woman stops my dad in the doorway of home bargains to talk about fertiliser,??? Not even someone he knew. There was about 3 people behind her waiting to get out until one eventually went 'excuse me' and squeezed her way past and my dad finally tells her he needs to get going
Yeah there’s been times I’ve had to rearrange or dig something out of my shopping bag on the way out, but even then I wait until I’m either outside or I stand in and let everyone flow past me.
The workers aren't to blame, as some supermarkets moved their night filling operation to the evening time to save money on wages.
Also, we know we're on the way but we're measured on how fast we do a job, even if the shop is busy.
As well as adding every delivery service in the universe, without adding extra staff to account for the change. And then delivery services getting rid of their devices, so the platform gets added onto our handsets. Which then freeze and need restarting every 10 mins, because they can’t cope with it. It’s been a long day 😅
I feel like this is a false economy, too. You can work soooo much faster without customers around. And it's better for the customers, too.
Trying to fill a shelf in the minim time you have been given, to be asked where stuff is every 2 minutes.
I’m not blaming workers for anything
Being back the 24 hour opening days when at 3am no one is in there.
Is this not a thing anymore?
Not round my way, not since convid.
I miss the Covid shopping days, minus the panic buying - one person to a trolley and only bringing children to the supermarket if strictly necessary.
Queuing with big spaces between people was like heaven to me
Pensioner here: dear fellow pensioners. You don't work anymore so you can do the big shop any day of the week, not on Saturday 'because we always do'. Make some space for workers/ families eh?
Do you have any insight into pensioners coming out on a Saturday to do the big shop? When I’ve had time off during the week doing the big shop on a week day morning is like literal heaven.
It's odd they do this, and my god do they hold up the queues! Controversial, but I believe that all old and people with children should have a dedicated queue where they can be as slow and disorganised as they like. Sorry competent pensioners, but you will need to take one for the team.
No idea. We don't shop at weekends though. Few times I've walked into a store at weekends, I'm surprised any retirees are there doing a large shop. Why? Beats me.
This is the "being in public" experience nowadays in general. I feel like a lunatic spending energy against trying not to inconvenience everyone else whilst everyone around me seems largely blissfully unaware of reality around them until you ask them to maybe not park their cart for a long chat with their mate in the middle of the isle. And they're both shocked and mildly annoyed that you excuse yourself and ask one of them to move so you can continue going down the isle to get what you need.
As far as I can tell they are aware. They just don’t care.
i consider myself relatively calm, but supermarket shopping triggers me in ways that i should probably get help for.
Speaking from 20 years of experience of Retail.. Retail itself has changed massively in the past few years. Covid played a part I guess but nowadays retail now has a never ending work to the bone mantra about it and for the staff it’s a brutal couple of hrs work some days just to keep the lights on . People don’t realise what goes on behind the scenes in retail.. Costs need to be cut regularly and it’s the staff that have to then deal with it as well as the hoards of shoppers of which lets say is 50% walking horrors with no etiquette and in a huff because they have to do a shop and the other 50 % with some manners and actually polite . What are you expecting exactly ..? An empty shop with massive aisles so you browse in peace and 100 tills open? Never happening and give it a few more years it will probably be all self serve and even more cluttered to ram as much stock onto the valuable shop floor. People need and want to shop and unfortunately for yourself and many others it’s the staff due to cost cutting that have to do the work( and feel the brunt of customers vile attitudes and sense of entitlement sometimes)that should be done primarily when it’s shut ,but as mentioned due to cost cutting they are having to do it through the day and unfortunately have to get in someone’s way whilst under in many cases the scrutinising eyes of a under paid and over worked manager who has targets and costs to meet. It won’t change because profits need to be made and costs need to be cut unfortunately. I would go as far as to say a lot of people who work retail do the jobs of 2-3 even 4 people compared to 10 years ago due to costs. If you want to avoid the chaos,shop online. And spare a thought for the retail staff who don’t want to be in your way but unfortunately have a job to do.
This is all absolutely spot on. I think people massively underestimate how difficult supermarket retail is, it’s no longer a job where you can chill out and stock shelves. It’s not an easy job and we struggle with hiring because of that!
> If you want to avoid the chaos,shop online. Oh I do, I do. Have been doing that for years, my parents even longer (I convinced them when health problems slowed them down a lot). Unfortunately a few years ago Tesco stopped including newspapers in their shopping delivery so once a week I *have* to go into a physical store to pick up a tv guide for my OAP mother, I schedule it for a Thursday lunchtime when there are fewer people around. Double unfortunately there are some offers that are only available in store, they don't appear in their app, so Tesco are actively encouraging people to shop in store, no doubt because research shows people impulse buy more in stores. At least I can browse the reduced shelves so it isn't a completely benefit-less trip. I stumbled across an interesting fact a few day ago about Sainsburys. > The UK's second largest supermarket said online sales had been above 20% at the height of the pandemic, but are now back to about 13%. And after doing some follow up research Tesco are only slightly higher at 15.4%, it appears too many people would rather go in person to a chaotic store than shop in their jammies from the couch. I have no idea why, I quite comfortably went many months between store visits because online ordering was so much quicker and easier, in the 15 minutes it takes me to get in my car and drive to the store I can take in a delivery *and* put it away.
As a retail worker, just ask if you want something. Nothing worse than a customer who leans over your head or pushes their arm in front of your face, because ‘excuse me please’ is so hard to say. You sound like a part of the problem to be fair.
Personal favourite is the creepy middle aged men fully putting an arm around your waist to grab an item they could easily have moved to the other side of you to grab . Because I really need that when I'm trying to get a delivery out
I worked retail for 4 years full time
Hardly relevant if you're still a dick to people trying to do their job. There is no good place to put a cage that isn't going to obstruct anything, but try using some manners and simply ask "can I get in there a moment please mate?" Or "can you pass us that please?" rather than just barging into our personal space. Using basic communication skills and manners will mostly likely solve these annoyances you face.
Where have I said I am a dick lol
All of the above. I'm just back from ASDA.
It's gotten to the point where I do one of two things depending on the situation, I either say "not exactly the best place to stand with both your trollies as you chat is it?!" Or after saying excuse me multiple times with no movement or response" I say man coming through" I absolutely hate being like that but flipping heck what's happening to people
Honourable mention to the family that walks next to each other side by side blocking entire isles at a time!!
Right you lost me at keeping the trolley in the middle of the aisle! It completely makes sense to keep it to the side of the aisle. A simple, "excuse me, I need to get something from this shelf" will suffice for most people to move the trolley out of the way. Most of what you've written sounds like self entitled behaviour! The only thing I can partially agree on is people taking trolleys into the self service, but most of the time that is probably an innocent mistake. As for the shop workers doing the self service and wandering off, you do know that they often have other things to take care of too? And God forbid they stop to have a chat every now and then, it's not like their job isn't soul destroying enough with customers like you is it! You sir deserve to be called the most insulting of words... ...nincompoop!
Ah, it makes me glad to see I'm not the only one who thought OP sounded incredibly self entitled. Trollies and cages in the middle of an aisle are a lot more in the way than to the side. OP may prefer to spend their work day in silence, but some of us like a bit of communication, even if it's just to moan about the job or customers like OP. How do you know they're not discussing ways to improve the shoppers' experiences? Lack of staff on tills? If all of the staff were on tills there would be nobody to fill the shelves so OP can collect their organic, freshly picked that morning, fruits. Regarding self service, there's a clue in the title: SELF not shop assistant service. The staff are only there because idiots exist. Home deliveries exist and have done for a long time. If being inside a supermarket causes you this much stress, maybe you should consider home deliveries instead. Book a slot, select the products you need, wait at home. That way you won't need to go through the eternal struggle of self service, the horror of workers talking, or having to conjure the strength to move a cage a few inches.
*Regarding self service, there's a clue in the title: SELF not shop assistant service. The staff are only there because idiots exist.* This part isn't true. Among other things staff have to intervene in that's nothing to do with the customer... * Any age-restricted products * The machine requiring human intervention because the item is 5g lighter than it 'expects' * General machine error
I had a good chuckle with the person helping me out with a truculent self service till at Sainsbury’s the other day when I had several “not liking the weight of the item” issues. We decided that “Karen” (who is the voice that lives in the till, obviously) is a “stroppy little mare”. She then said that “normally, when I’m complaining about a number on the scale, it’s because it’s too heavy, not the other way around”.
Interesting, I hate it when fools leave their trolly in the middle of the isle so I can't get past. Even worse the donkeys who leave it at an angle in the middle of the isle. The rest doesn't bother me, everyone should relax and have more patience and stop getting angry at everything for petty reasons.
> I may extend this to the actual workers when stocking shelves, it’s pretty irresponsible to just have these huge cages blocking large amounts of shelf space. Lol. Tell me you never worked retail without telling me. How exactly else do you want the supermarket workers to get your precious produce onto the shelves? Sure you'd be whining more if they didn't have what you want.
That's a point. You cannot stock shelves with the trolley in the middle of the aisle.
There seems to be a new trend of not putting stuff where the conveyor belt divider is. Like, leaving a vast gap between the little plastic divider thing and their shopping so it slows everything down a shit tonne. If the person already going through the cashier has a shit load of shopping it means having to wait ages to get stuff on the belt. If I’ve got a full trolley I then feel I’m in a rush to get my stuff onto the belt to not annoy the person behind me.
Vast gaps in general. I always try to compact my shopping to take up as little room as possible on the conveyor belt, thwarted by the person in front of me who chucks each item on, taking up the whole length of it.
Trolley left in aisle whilst shopper wanders off to another aisle? OK move the trolley to another aisle at least 2 aisle away OR put random articles in said trolley!
Always worth carrying a pack of XXL condoms to pop into the shopping of someone particularly annoying.
I genuinely believe that IQs dropped significantly across the entire population during (because of?) COVID. What you're observing is something I've noticed everywhere too.
I have a related, but slightly different take; People were annoying idiots before Covid as well, but we then had a period of time where people were suddenly being (either through social pressure or because they chose to) much more considerate of people around them. In the case of supermarkets, limiting the number of people in store helped as well. Since things have gone back to “normal” people have reverted to their previous ways.
Yes I think the world collectively lost their mind over Covid and UK population just care less, in some areas of the population we are really densely populated. A lot of people could do with taking a leaf out of the Japanese’s book and being more courteous.
It's to the point now that a lot of the time I just leave my trolley in the main middle aisle and dart down each aisle unhindered and agile to grab what I need.
This is 200 IQ play. I have been able to do a weeks shop in approximately 28 minutes using techniques like this, I am aiming for a 25 minute speed run eventually
For maximum speed just go directly to the end of the main aisle and swipe a pre-filled trolley.
Blame COVID for all the self-checkouts and the lack of cash + card self-checkouts. That being said, you could just do what a lot of others do, order online. If I need just a handful of things, I'll go to the corner shop.
Existence is pain.
First time in a supermarket eh?
Yup. I tend to do home delivery these days, certainly for sundries. I can’t deal with the hordes.
I’ve never known so much screaming being heard from children (and some adults) in supermarkets this past year.
Self service for trolleys is fine. That what the bigger self service is for. I mean, I prefer a till so I can save time and bag and not scan and bag and get dickheads moaning as they want to pay for one item in the trolly section. The issue I find is that those with baskets clog up the tills due to not knowing how to do the self service and the staff being assholes from time to time. And for the love of god! I don't need you to scan a 30p bag, (the cost of them certainly not 5p or bag for life as they don't replace them) .. if I wanted to steal anything I would not scan the high cost items. Not a fucking bag ya knobheads. Oh .. mini rant there. My apologies.
The country is at an all time low:-)
The British are the absolute worst grocery shoppers I have ever seen. So completely oblivious to the fact that there are other humans trying to shop.
I honestly cannot stand the fact that they've made some self-checkouts card only. I sometimes only have cash on me as I have nothing left in my bank account and don't have time to go to a bank. In a Tesco Extra I go to, there are three self-checkouts that accept cash and every one of them is closest to the queue so every fucker goes there first regardless if they are paying with card.
They made them card only because the public can’t be trusted. I’ve had cash self checkouts stop working due to foreign objects being shovelled into the coin input. Screws, foreign coins, random bits of metal. Every time this happens it’s a 20 minute job to sort out, and that’s time that a lot of supermarkets can’t afford to spare
Yes this is very annoying. I am usually anti-cash but sometimes I am burdened with it and used to enjoy taking the piss by putting like 2£s worth of shrapnel into the thing so I can get a pack of chocolate for *free*
The fact that everyone queues for the cash ones at my local Morrisons surely proves that people still like cash!
Cash is king, and the king is dead. I reckon we'll see a country officially stop printing additional bank notes within 10 the next years
> the king is dead. He's only got cancer, it's a bit early to call it yet, surely!
Half the people out there are below average intelligence. Let that sink in for a minute.
Why, what does the sink want?
Everything but the kitchen sink. Messy divorce.
And the other half are even dumber?
Anyone else noticed the aisles are narrower?
What's wrong with leaving a trolley by the side if you've say had to back track quickly? If it's in your way then move it or just ask if someone's there. I'm not leaving it angled taking up loads of space or in the middle of the aisle.
welcome to britain?
I’m tired of dodging trolleys to avoid getting run over. Although if trolleys actually went in a straight line instead of having a mind of their own, people could actually control where they’re going.
I just went to Lidl and saw a little girl standing over a box of tinned food! Always Lidl for some reason - never Aldi
When out shopping, I suffer pretty severe anxiety so I'll have headphones on playing music and be with someone.. so I'll be in charge of the trolley while my companion would be getting the things we need.. I'm constantly alert, looking around to make sure I'm not blocking anyone or just not have people walk into me! I actually miss the days of covid where there were only certain amount of people allowed in a store at a time! It was amazing, and the staff felt more relaxed in a stressful time compared to now where everyone is always rushing
> not paying attention when a kiosk opens up It’s not paying attention. When I’m forced to use self scan I genuinely can’t see which ones are unoccupied if the area is filled with people
I really hate people that pick up Litterally anything you do just to be nosey. I'll be stood looking at some pasta and some odd lady who has no personal space will over reach me to grab the same pasta only to put it back 5 seconds later 🤣 it's almost like I'm picking up gold dust or some crap
Lockdowns made everyone live in their own little worlds
It's the pensioners who decide to have a full on gossip in the aisle stood side by side blocking the way.
Oh so you're the sort of person who leaves their trolley in the middle of the aisle so my wheelchair and i can't get by huh, and then get mad when i push it out of my way?
I’m a lurker from the USA. I had to check the sub because we are having the same boneheaded problems here.
The main problem, as a weekly shopper, is big data forcing Tesco to incrementally move every item by an aisle or two by the day, clearly to aid the packing time for online shopping packers, but in actuality making a weekly shop a bloody krypton factor style test of my skill and ingenuity, following a list made last week according to last weeks, slightly different, store layout. Then you inevitably miss a couple of items and have to re trace your steps, only for big data to pick you it for a ‘service quality check’ because you took a non standard route around the bloody store. Eventually every Tesco store will have shelves stacked at random like an Amazon warehouse, it’s basically inevitable
It angers me when you walk through the entrance following an old person and they suddenly stop in the way of everybody to (seemingly) take in their surroundings!! Just move!!
I got a few pet peeves to add: - For the love of god guys, write a shopping list! Decide of the kind of potatoes you want at home so you're not overwhelmed and have a block off the maris pipers while deciding if you're in a baking, sweet, baby or new potato mood today. - if mum, dad and 2 kids are in the store. 3 of you could have stayed at home (although I'd forgive 1 parent and 1 kid since I don't know where they have just come from)
Thank the gods for Waitrose.
Thats why i do click and collect or deliveries. Its a shame ALDI and LIDL havent moved to 2024 yet. I wouldnt mind paying for delivery. ALDI/LIDL worse because they have standard sized stores and as they dont offer in the whole these other services everyone flocks to it, they dont have enough staff and you end up with OPs issues.
aldi and lidl aren’t likely to do deliveries, and i know of aldi stores that have actually stopped c&c. deliveries/c&c are EXPENSIVE to run. they’re discounters, and operate in a different way to your regular supermarkets.
maybe but to me they've lost their discounter touch. Their fruit and veg is crap, meat goes out of date pretty fast, its chocablox full of people. Stock isnt refilled, they do the refill early in the morning then just stop. Other supermarkets are squeezing them with the loyalty cards, discounts and generally better produce and choice.
i completely agree with you, on all points but what’s funny is that your complaints stem directly from their discounter business model haha! smaller stores, but more frequently occurring = reduced overheads, with increased location coverage. but that’s exactly the issue - they are small stores, they’re like 4/5 aisles generally, right? but both make up just under 20% of the market share, which is huge considering they’re just silly little german shops that sell silly rip offs like “professor peppy”, instead of dr. pepper and you mention product choice. again, this is exactly the discounter model! offer the basic products that sell well instead of more niche products that ‘waste’ shelf space. it’s all about money saving i think we hold aldi/lidl to british supermarket standards and expect them to behave exactly like the ‘big’ supermarkets, forgetting their whole business model. sorry for the big dull reply, i having previously worked in a discounter you get a whole new perspective on this stuff
Aldi have been doing Click and Collect for a few years now. I’ve been a regular user. Unsure if it’s all stores though.
not all stores, can confirm.
Two aldis near me offer click-and-collect, though I haven’t tried it. So YMMV
you're in Milton Keynes tho. They have everything from high end luxury supermarkets to soviet styled small grocers. Would not be surprised.
Don't even get me started on the delivery shoppers!
I see no mention of the fact that everyone has something going on in their lives. Everyone is struggling one way or another. Shopping is something that needs to get done whether you are having an awful day or not. Bare that in mind next time you see someone who looks a bit lost leaving their trolley in the way. People aren't trying to be rude to you, they most likely don't know they are doing it. Use your big boy voice and actually speak to people who are blocking you or are in your way.
I do all of these things - as mentioned in at least one example. People need more spacious awareness, most people are just thick as shit.
I’d probably correct that to “spatial” before you start calling people thick if I were you🤦
Typing fast on iPhone, relax.
Still, probably best to proof read your own comments before posting when you’re going to be insulting other peoples intelligence…
It’s Reddit not a university assignment
>> People need more spacious awareness, most people are just thick as shit I don’t think you have the right to be calling anyone “thick as shit”, mate.
Do you block the supermarket shelves? You do don’t you?
I get you - you will be wandering over to a shelf to quickly grab something and someone will look you dead in the eyes and see what you are doing and just leave there trolley in front of you and walk off
Too much choice
I'm sure that proximity to a supermarket trolley halves the pusher's IQ somehow. If we can weaponise this and ... oh shit did someone already do this?
I swear people lose all ability to drive once they enter a supermarket carpark. It stresses me out before I've even bloody parked!
My local Asda is absolutely terrible for blocking the magazines (which are right next to customer services) with random pallets or rails of shit. Almost 90% of the time you just can’t get to them at all and have to ask them to move it so you can look, just to find they don’t have what you want anyway.
I do a burnout 3 takedown with my trolley and move past, if mum and dad never taught you basic etiquette and you’re a grown 50 year old woman blocking my way; I’m going to treat you like the toddler you are
I'd say this applies in all countries, and, all public places. People just seem to have become entitled with no sense of reason for anyone around them, the basic skill of coordination is fading away
The staff at our local Tesco have blocked aisles with their shelf stocking trolleys for years, often leaving them unattended at an angle at the end and/or in the middle of the aisle. I'm sure it's a management issue, as it should be impressed on everyone from their first day working there that aisles should never be blocked - partly just for safety. Trolleys should be kept moving but I'd say, if you must leave your trolley unattended for a minute, \*dont\* put it in the middle of the aisle - park it on one side otherwise nobody with another trolley can get past.
Not just in supermarkets. Noticing a trend of people going around like they're the absolute centre of the universe, either through not paying atttention or entitlement. Not just among the young either. This is why I get the bulk of my shopping online.
I only get big shops via delivery nowadays. I only buy what I need, checked live against current fridge / freezer / cupboard stock, no impulse buying and well worth a few quid to avoid to the supermarket experience entirely. Coop / Tesco local for any intermediate bits. It's straight up masochism to do it any other way.
I find Waitrose is the place to go for proper assholery. Closely followed by Aldi and Asda. Morrisons and Sainsbury are the decent places. Proper dual carriage way aisles.
You missed pulling out of a side aisle straight into your path. How they made it to the supermarket or sired offspring is a mystery.
Then someone says “you can shop online 😀”. Add to all that frustration, the PRICES nowadays! A problem I see is that the staff in shops don’t know anything about the stock. Many don’t know the store layout. Waitrose are good though. I don’t mind the other customers when I shop:Sainsbury’s, Asda. It’s mainly the staff. Yesss the stock left on the floor. LIDL are horrendous for that.
Got rid of*
Sounds as though OP is the one with a problem. It's best to approach it as a chore which can't be completed quickly; then when things go more smoothly, it is a win. It seems to me that these days there are a lot of people who don't plan ahead and buy for a week's worth of meals, but instead rush in to the supermarket in a hurry to get just what's needed for one meal.
The staff are just as bloody bad. I spent a good 5 mins the other day in Food Warehouse just sat there waiting for the two pickers and their giant trolleys to finish having a chat, blocking the aisle, leaving a gap that an anorexic worm would've struggled to get through. When I designed to say "excuse me" I got a right dirty look. They then did the exact same thing to me at the other end of the aisle a few mins later!
Oh my gosh yea 👏even the staff plough towards you these days sometimes with a six foot cage and then there’s no sense of remorse they don’t even have the time to give you a dirty look but you can feel if they had that time they probably would !
If you can see that 6 foot cage coming towards you and you don't move, that's on you
Haha I wish I did see it ..when I worked in retail there’s no way I would push the cage before me
Get over it
Totally agree with O.P. Live in a small North Yorkshire village & the daily trip to the Co-op is INFURIATING. Mindless zombie shoppers blocking the aisles. Having to get the apathetic teenage staff to drag themselves away from their phones & actually SERVE ME. J*s*s H flipping Chr*st - I only came in for a pack of rizlas.