Master Index of Archived Threads


Adventures in line-cutting:2022

batmagadanleadoff Jun 16 2022 10:58 AM

I feel like I write this same post every year. So I'm on a supermarket checkout line yesterday and I notice that the woman directly in front of me on the line has no groceries. Not even a supermarket wagon or her own cart. Nothing. But she's on the line. I notice all of this but don't connect the dots yet because I'm in my own thoughts and not thinking at all about how odd for a person to be on a checkout line without a single grocery item. She's not holding anything in her hands at all. And then it happens. As we get to the front of the line, the woman signals to her daughter to come over from another line. And the daughter starts heading over to where we're standing -- but with a supermarket wagon filled to the top -- about 40 or 50 items. I've seen this movie before and I know what's gonna happen. I inch up closer to the woman in front of me, tactically positioning myself where I need to be because I know I ain't letting the daughter cut in front of me. And the mother tells me that she's standing there and that I shouldn't get too close to her. And then daughter arrives and tries to cut in front of me, (and everybody behind me on that line) and I don't let her. I block her with my wagon. Mom tells me that she (mom) is on the line. I tell her that she's right. She is on the line. But her daughter isn't. She was on another line. I tell mom she can't reserve a spot for somebody else. And blah blah blah. We've had this discussion before on this forum. I have the right to know and see who's on the line and how many items they have so that I myself can then make an informed decision as to which line I wanna get on. She's an idiot. And insists that she's in the right. We go back and forth for a little bit, but I get tired of this circular argument and so I tell the cashier to get the manager. I continue my blockade and the mom won't back down. She tells her daughter to go around and to come to the front of the line from the cashier's side. Now I'm trying to figure out how to block this maneuver because I'm not gonna let the daughter cut in front of me. But then, all of a sudden, there's some supervisor cashier who saw what was unfolding, opened up the adjacent closed register, and told me to come on her line. I was checked out very quickly while the line-cutters were still loading their items on the conveyor belt on the adjacent register. Mom gave me the finger and said something that I'm sure was not so nice but I couldn't hear what. One day, I'm gonna get killed fighting these scumbag line-cutters. I should change supermarkets.

batmagadanleadoff Jun 16 2022 11:10 AM Re: Adventures in line-cutting:2022

Oh, the reason I was initially distracted to the point where I didn't immediately figure out what the mom right in front of me was up to was because there was a loudmouth on that line a few people ahead, having a loud conversation with the person right in front of him on the line about politics. He was bashing Biden and repeating all of the stupid and lying dishonest FOX News talking points and I hadda muster up all of my powers to keep my mouth shut. My great consolation was that this is New York State and he could go and vote for Trump till he orgasms for all I care, and so Trump'll lose NY by 43 points instead of by 44. What a supermarket. QAnoners and scheming line-cutters.

Ceetar Jun 16 2022 01:20 PM Re: Adventures in line-cutting:2022

so glad I almost never use the checkout lines anymore.

whippoorwill Jun 16 2022 01:29 PM Re: Adventures in line-cutting:2022

The only thing that would make this worse would be if the supervisor checked out the line butterers People like that probably drive along the berm in a lane merging area until some dumbass upfront leaves them in

batmagadanleadoff Jun 16 2022 01:52 PM Re: Adventures in line-cutting:2022

=whippoorwill post_id=96162 time=1655407799 user_id=79] The only thing that would make this worse would be if the supervisor checked out the line butterers

Two things:



One -- that's exactly what happened the first time I wrote this kind of post about three years ago.



Two -- I wasn't satisfied with yesterday's outcome. The line cutters got away with it and as far as I know, nobody from the supermarket reprimanded them for it or tried to correct their behavior for the future.

kcmets Jun 16 2022 02:29 PM Re: Adventures in line-cutting:2022

This is reason #26 they won't give me concealed carry permit.

batmagadanleadoff Jun 16 2022 03:05 PM Re: Adventures in line-cutting:2022

You know, if NYS had laxer gun laws, I probably would have conditioned myself already to just let the incident go without doing or saying anything. Our gun culture is insane.

whippoorwill Jun 16 2022 05:14 PM Re: Adventures in line-cutting:2022

=batmagadanleadoff post_id=96169 time=1655409150 user_id=68] =whippoorwill post_id=96162 time=1655407799 user_id=79] The only thing that would make this worse would be if the supervisor checked out the line butterers

Two things:



One -- that's exactly what happened the first time I wrote this kind of post about three years ago.



Two -- I wasn't satisfied with yesterday's outcome. The line cutters got away with it and as far as I know, nobody from the supermarket reprimanded them for it or tried to correct their behavior for the future.

Batmags, what happened was inexcusable and a sign of the times that ‘the customer might not be right but might be batshit crazy'



Even in my little (sadly but true) drug crazed rural cove, I fear the oddly acting people in stores. But saving places in two lines is just wrong.

kcmets Jun 16 2022 05:29 PM Re: Adventures in line-cutting:2022

This would never happen in my regular Shop-rite. I'd give a head nod to the cashier-line supervisor and a non-verbal point out of what was going on with a wtf face and cutty-in-liney's game would be over 1-2-3. I'm good at head nods, point outs and wtf faces.

batmagadanleadoff Jun 16 2022 05:42 PM Re: Adventures in line-cutting:2022

=whippoorwill post_id=96189 time=1655421272 user_id=79] But saving places in two lines is just wrong.

Yeah. It drives me nuts that they think they're in the right. I mean, that means she could go shopping with two brothers and two sisters and reserve spots on five lines. Or what if everybody did that? Then the person in front of mom could let someone hook up with him. And the person in front of that person could also do the same. On and on and on.

whippoorwill Jun 16 2022 05:57 PM Re: Adventures in line-cutting:2022

It's wrong. The supervisor should have stopped this . I like self checkout too but when you have two 20 pound jugs of litter and a 90 lb box of bottled water and they don't have a scanner it stinks. I'm not decreped (sp?) but flinging that around is a pain You know what? I've gotten to the point where I think people suck. Love you though batmags. I think we have a bit in common

MFS62 Jun 16 2022 07:53 PM Re: Adventures in line-cutting:2022 Edited 1 time(s), most recently on Jun 16 2022 08:51 PM

I'd like to see a "Got Your Shit Together" Lane Rules: 1) Money Ready 2) Not on your phone 3) Coupons not expired 4) Not writing a check 5) Aware that other humans exist Later

Johnny Lunchbucket Jun 16 2022 08:05 PM Re: Adventures in line-cutting:2022

=batmagadanleadoff post_id=96152 time=1655398731 user_id=68] I feel like I write this same post every year. So I'm on a supermarket checkout line yesterday and I notice that the woman directly in front of me on the line has no groceries. Not even a supermarket wagon or her own cart. Nothing. But she's on the line. I notice all of this but don't connect the dots yet because I'm in my own thoughts and not thinking at all about how odd for a person to be on a checkout line without a single grocery item. She's not holding anything in her hands at all. And then it happens. As we get to the front of the line, the woman signals to her daughter to come over from another line. And the daughter starts heading over to where we're standing -- but with a supermarket wagon filled to the top -- about 40 or 50 items. I've seen this movie before and I know what's gonna happen. I inch up closer to the woman in front of me, tactically positioning myself where I need to be because I know I ain't letting the daughter cut in front of me. And the mother tells me that she's standing there and that I shouldn't get too close to her. And then daughter arrives and tries to cut in front of me, (and everybody behind me on that line) and I don't let her. I block her with my wagon. Mom tells me that she (mom) is on the line. I tell her that she's right. She is on the line. But her daughter isn't. She was on another line. I tell mom she can't reserve a spot for somebody else. And blah blah blah. We've had this discussion before on this forum. I have the right to know and see who's on the line and how many items they have so that I myself can then make an informed decision as to which line I wanna get on. She's an idiot. And insists that she's in the right. We go back and forth for a little bit, but I get tired of this circular argument and so I tell the cashier to get the manager. I continue my blockade and the mom won't back down. She tells her daughter to go around and to come to the front of the line from the cashier's side. Now I'm trying to figure out how to block this maneuver because I'm not gonna let the daughter cut in front of me. But then, all of a sudden, there's some supervisor cashier who saw what was unfolding, opened up the adjacent closed register, and told me to come on her line. I was checked out very quickly while the line-cutters were still loading their items on the conveyor belt on the adjacent register. Mom gave me the finger and said something that I'm sure was not so nice but I couldn't hear what. One day, I'm gonna get killed fighting these scumbag line-cutters. I should change supermarkets.

Not 4 nothing but at least you got a good story out of it- also agree it's only a matter of time before similar behavior triggers a murder in a red state.



The Trumpies in the line will blame a move to pay hourly workers a higher wage for causing the delays they face while also complaining about them

Fman99 Jun 17 2022 06:56 AM Re: Adventures in line-cutting:2022

=batmagadanleadoff post_id=96152 time=1655398731 user_id=68] I feel like I write this same post every year. So I'm on a supermarket checkout line yesterday and I notice that the woman directly in front of me on the line has no groceries. Not even a supermarket wagon or her own cart. Nothing. But she's on the line. I notice all of this but don't connect the dots yet because I'm in my own thoughts and not thinking at all about how odd for a person to be on a checkout line without a single grocery item. She's not holding anything in her hands at all. And then it happens. As we get to the front of the line, the woman signals to her daughter to come over from another line. And the daughter starts heading over to where we're standing -- but with a supermarket wagon filled to the top -- about 40 or 50 items. I've seen this movie before and I know what's gonna happen. I inch up closer to the woman in front of me, tactically positioning myself where I need to be because I know I ain't letting the daughter cut in front of me. And the mother tells me that she's standing there and that I shouldn't get too close to her. And then daughter arrives and tries to cut in front of me, (and everybody behind me on that line) and I don't let her. I block her with my wagon. Mom tells me that she (mom) is on the line. I tell her that she's right. She is on the line. But her daughter isn't. She was on another line. I tell mom she can't reserve a spot for somebody else. And blah blah blah. We've had this discussion before on this forum. I have the right to know and see who's on the line and how many items they have so that I myself can then make an informed decision as to which line I wanna get on. She's an idiot. And insists that she's in the right. We go back and forth for a little bit, but I get tired of this circular argument and so I tell the cashier to get the manager. I continue my blockade and the mom won't back down. She tells her daughter to go around and to come to the front of the line from the cashier's side. Now I'm trying to figure out how to block this maneuver because I'm not gonna let the daughter cut in front of me. But then, all of a sudden, there's some supervisor cashier who saw what was unfolding, opened up the adjacent closed register, and told me to come on her line. I was checked out very quickly while the line-cutters were still loading their items on the conveyor belt on the adjacent register. Mom gave me the finger and said something that I'm sure was not so nice but I couldn't hear what. One day, I'm gonna get killed fighting these scumbag line-cutters. I should change supermarkets.

These people suck. They literally teach line etiquette in kindygarten. Maybe it's time for a refresher course.

nymr83 Jun 17 2022 06:57 AM Re: Adventures in line-cutting:2022

What the line-cutters did is wrong, but the store did the right thing. they don't care who is right and who is wrong they just want to get people on their way WITHOUT a fight htat results in them having to call the police and fill out incident reports with upper management.

Frayed Knot Jun 17 2022 07:10 AM Re: Adventures in line-cutting:2022

Yeah, that's pretty much it ... although ultimately who got screwed were the peeps in line behind BatMags as they all wound up getting line-cut by the tag team and their over-sized cart.

kcmets Jun 17 2022 07:44 AM Re: Adventures in line-cutting:2022

https://i.imgur.com/kRsBlCp.jpeg>

batmagadanleadoff Jun 17 2022 11:21 AM Re: Adventures in line-cutting:2022

EPILOGUE: I stopped by the supermarket today and while in there, decided to go on the customer service line to ask about that line cutting incident. I had noticed that the person serving customers in that department was the same employee who had opened up a register the other day to check me out. And you know what happened? While I was waiting on the customer service line, someone cut in front of me on the line. Here's what happened: there were only two people on the customer service line - me and a man right in front of me. And then the man in front of me permits another woman to get in front of him. She had a receipt for bottles and cans that she redeemed at those machines that crush the returnables and she wanted to turn in her ticket for its cash value. So, fresh from the line cutting of the other day and with that on my mind since that's why I'm on this line in the first place, I tell the guy politely that it's not up to him and he doesn't get to decide if she can cut in front of him because there are people behind him and she's cutting me as well and she needs my permission as well to cut in front. So the man tells me that the woman is elderly, which was true and the other truth is that I didn't really care if she cut in front because she was attended to and done in less than 30 seconds. But it was the principle and the line cutting from the other day was on the mind. Anyways, when it was finally my turn, I reminded the employee about what happened and she explained, like Nomar said, that it's the store policy to try and satisfy all involved, including the line-cutters. They take the position that they don't know who's in the right and who's in the wrong. I guess the moral of all of this is to just line cut all you want because the stores won't do anything about it and probably reward you. You just have to decide if there's some big violent person on the line who might take matters into his own hands.

Johnny Lunchbucket Jun 17 2022 01:41 PM Re: Adventures in line-cutting:2022

I need to know what supermarket this was. I no longer follow them professionally but might have insight as to how their philosophy influences their approaches to such crises

kcmets Jun 17 2022 02:35 PM Re: Adventures in line-cutting:2022

Life was simpler when you could just call 'no cutsies' and the cutter got it.

Ceetar Jun 17 2022 03:14 PM Re: Adventures in line-cutting:2022

this would all be resolved by companies open their pockets a tiny bit and actually staffing checkout lines and having enough self-checkouts. It's been ages before I was behind even more than one person in a checkout line, and that's usually only because I can't figure out what the plu code is for some poorly labeled/packaged produce and want to make someone else do it.

Johnny Lunchbucket Jun 17 2022 05:47 PM Re: Adventures in line-cutting:2022

Having enuf self checkouts and investing more in staff is like, opposing forces. Expect a future with more of the former, less of the latter. Nobody is investing in both.

batmagadanleadoff Jun 17 2022 06:06 PM Re: Adventures in line-cutting:2022

Johnny Lunchbucket wrote: I need to know what supermarket this was. I no longer follow them professionally but might have insight as to how their philosophy influences their approaches to such crises If that really is their policy, they probably didnt come by it willy-nilly. They likely have tons of data and experience. Maybe they figure that if they reprimand a customer, they'll end up losing that customer. I dunno. It makes no sense to me because it encourages line-cutting and that'll eventually lead to bad outcomes. But maybe their data sez it won't. Or they balanced the costs of losing customers vs.the costs of bad outcomes like injuries and lawsuits and made a purely financial decision, like pretty much all big companies do.

whippoorwill Jun 17 2022 06:12 PM Re: Adventures in line-cutting:2022

I don't mind self checkouts but the ones at my supermarket feature a bitch on wheels telling you to either move faster or slower and thus requiring a staffer to come unlock the problem every. Single. Time. Once I got the whole way to the end and when I said no I didn't want to round up to help some cause I've never heard of it said ‘help is required'. The staffers there know me by name and can read my lips when I talk back to this electronic bitch

kcmets Jun 17 2022 06:33 PM Re: Adventures in line-cutting:2022

Johnny Lunchbucket wrote: Having enuf self checkouts and investing more in staff is like, opposing forces. Expect a future with more of the former, less of the latter. Nobody is investing in both. I often do what I've branded as self-checkout-plus. I scan and bag stuff quickly and ask for help a half dozen times and they gladly do stuff for me because I'm a handsome and lovable old guy who pulls off acting clueless to a tee.

Frayed Knot Jun 17 2022 06:44 PM Re: Adventures in line-cutting:2022

My problem with self checkouts is that they often don't take cash ... and, yes, I'm old and so still carry and use cash. I tend to food shop more often for fewer things; I don't plan ahead very well so I'll spend $25 four times a week rather than $100 once. So as a result of culling the number of cashier aisles, the old fashioned 'Express Lanes' are becoming a thing of the past. That made the self-checkout lane the equivalent of the express lane for guys like me who often actually buy 10 items or fewer and either don't want to wait on lines behind those with over-stuffed carts and still hate breaking out the credit/debit card for small purchases.

Ceetar Jun 17 2022 10:21 PM Re: Adventures in line-cutting:2022

Johnny Lunchbucket wrote: Having enuf self checkouts and investing more in staff is like, opposing forces. Expect a future with more of the former, less of the latter. Nobody is investing in both. works fine around here. Stop and Shop and Wegmans mostly. Very few lines at the cashiers, 8-10 self checkouts, even when it's busy. Both have U-Scan systems. employees everywhere, shelves being stocked, carts being returned, 6-feet apart stickers being scratched up off the floor.. Wegmans is good too, because they're typically much better with the produce. They'll sticker things like watermelons, or other per-item not per-weight items so you're not fumbling trying to look it up.

Edgy MD Jun 18 2022 06:22 AM Re: Adventures in line-cutting:2022

We have a local name Eddy's of Roland Park. They have an old-skool seventies avenue location, and Whole Foods type wood-and-glass box with a sweet location and parking lot. They have staff crawling out of the woodwork. All wearing ties or something. Somebody's holding the door for me. Somebody's packing my bags. Somebody's at every counter with no wait time. It's like something out of Back to the Future, except everyone seems a little off. Teenagers who can't quite get social cues down, ladies at or near retirement age with hairdos out of a John Waters movie, dudes who've seen some shit. I don't mean this as a turnoff. Not necessarily. The shelves are stocked well, the counters are producing good fresh fair, they have their share of oddball vanity brands on the shelf, the lines are brief, and the service is friendly. Their staff may otherwise be not particularly employable, but they're trained and committed and eager to get you through. They generally get you back with Whole Foods-level prices, so I don't go much, living on a budget as I do, and there aren't really any club discounts. But sometimes it makes me feel great. This local institution serving their community two ways, providing goods and employing some of their more peripheral folks productively. Sometimes it makes me feel creepy, like I'm living off some sort of exploitation game. I don't know. I do know nobody's trying to play line-cutting games.

MFS62 Jun 18 2022 06:53 AM Re: Adventures in line-cutting:2022

A new Amazon Fresh supermarket is coming to Brookfield (a town 5 minutes away from ours). You sign up as a store member. The carts have scanners and when you put your items in, the scanner captures what you bought. When you are done shopping and you leave the store, the amount of your purchases is transferred to your credit card on file. No lines. No checkout. https://www.amazon.com/fmc/m/30003175?almBrandId=QW1hem9uIEZyZXNo There will be regular checkout lines for those who are guests/ non-members but I'm not sure how those will work. The store is due to open soon. I'll let you know how it is. Later

Johnny Lunchbucket Jun 18 2022 08:35 AM Re: Adventures in line-cutting:2022 Edited 1 time(s), most recently on Jun 18 2022 10:02 AM

There's one near my mother-in-laws place. I tried to use the Dash Cart, but for whatever reason it didn't get along with my phone's Amazon app. (That works fine for me in the Amazon Go stores in NYC). I have been in and examined hundreds of food stores -' it was my job for a long time-- and can say Amazon Fresh is an interesting store, but to me, not really a good one, at least not yet. They are approaching physical retail the same way they do virtual retail which of course learns over time what sells, what to offer, how to present it--all AI. And I think they are starting with their virtual data. What its AI needs to learn still is how virtual and physical differ in the mindset of the consumer, so at least when I visited, things seemed "off"-- the selection wasn't quite "right" in terms of my expectations as a shopper, which makes sense because, although Amazon foresees a future where there is no difference between the virtual and physical worlds, we're not there yet. I don't know if or when that comes into being, but they generally have a very long horizon on questions like these, and they're also probably the only company in the world with the financial wherewithal to wait that out. So, for now, it's weird. It almost "feels" like you're in an app and not a store. They have also made some choices when it comes to service and selection that place them closer to the low-cost, low-price, low-service end of the food store spectrum (like a big Aldi) than the high-touch, high-service end (like a Wegmans or Whole Foods). So, fresh departments are kinda eh (there is a pretty good prepared food/deli). You wouldn't get custom meat cuts. The brand array and pack-size selection is shallow, vs. a normal supermarket. They know all this and are counting on customers being dazzled by the tech--and attracted by the benefits of Prime (like Costco, you pay for the value)--until they figure out what's optimal. It's very much a work in progress-- and like regular Amazon us customers are free data providers and experiment subjects. Amazon Go stores were sort of a way to test the Just Walk Out tech (sensors and cameras, all pretty spooky, but it works) in a small store without much inventory. The stores themselves are like, worthless in every other respect-- NYC has great delis with fresher food and very fast, if not superfast service. I might use Go if I wanted a cold bottle of water, but the food is assembled at some offsite commissary and packaged. Why? It doesn't really solve a consumer problem, it demonstrates that certain problems stores have, like paying for cashiers, is a solvable problem.

MFS62 Jun 18 2022 09:59 AM Re: Adventures in line-cutting:2022

Thanks for the heads up. I'll let you know how this one is. Maybe they will have learned enough by when it opens to enhance what shoppers faced in their earlier stores. Later

Edgy MD Jun 18 2022 10:17 AM Re: Adventures in line-cutting:2022

I blanche at being a pile of AI data, and avoid it if I can.

Fman99 Jun 18 2022 10:45 AM Re: Adventures in line-cutting:2022

Edgy MD wrote: I blanche at being a pile of AI data, and avoid it if I can. You need the new New Era Mets cap constructed out of tin foil. Highly recommended. It'll also keep the blue state Illuminati from changing your vote to Joe Biden again unknowingly.

Edgy MD Jun 18 2022 11:12 AM Re: Adventures in line-cutting:2022

Edgy MD wrote: I blanche at being a pile of AI data, and avoid it if I can. You need the new New Era Mets cap constructed out of tin foil. Highly recommended. It'll also keep the blue state Illuminati from changing your vote to Joe Biden again unknowingly. Thank you. I feel seen and validated.

Frayed Knot Jun 18 2022 11:31 AM Re: Adventures in line-cutting:2022

Yeah, I don't want some 'bot telling me what I should be buying.

Ceetar Jun 19 2022 08:11 AM Re: Adventures in line-cutting:2022

Someone's always telling you what you should be buying. They've been using an algorithm to do for years. But instead of specifically YOUR data, it's broader and less accurate sales and poll data. 20 years ago this was just random office worker looking at the printouts of what was selling, now it's tabulated by a machine. I mean, if you use a CC or a store card they're mining all the same data on you. And then they're selling it to Amazon/whoever anyway. Honestly it's about time they use it for something for the customer rather than just the store. If you're a middle aged white guy but you DON'T like IPAs, without personalized algorithms you're gonna be pitched them endlessly.

MFS62 Jun 19 2022 09:30 AM Re: Adventures in line-cutting:2022

That is called data mining. The first company to be known for it was NCR (developers of Terradata systems). (I used to work for them) Their first success (now taught in Business Schools) was the analysis that determined that in 7-11 stores you always saw the Pampers near the cold beer. Their research found that when it was dad's night to watch the children, he would want to settle down with a cold one when they were asleep. Another of their customers is Walmart. They have acres of computers that analyze three billion line items daily from all their stores to identify consumer buying patterns and product affinity (e.g.- beer/ Pampers) and re-stock specific stores or regions accordingly. Later