The grocery store is my happy place. I know I know, but it’s true. As soon as I push through the revolving door, there’s a sense of calm that comes over me — like the door is a gateway from the chaotic outside world to the pleasant predictability that lives inside my grocery store.
Things there are just how I like them: the temperature is spot-on, the music is playing at the perfect level, and I’m surrounded by glorious stacks of delicious food. It’s a good spot for me and my mental health, at least most of the time.
Recently I’ve noticed an influx of people seeking to destroy my happy place, doing things they obviously don’t find disrespectful (or think twice about). I know many of them aren’t doing it out of spite, but nonetheless, it’s time we address the concerning behavior and hopefully squash it.
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1. Don’t leave the produce section a mess.
The people who work in the produce section of my grocery store are amazing. They create the most beautiful displays and work constantly to ensure the shelves are stocked. It has to be rough watching customers aggressively grab, squeeze, shake and even peel it all with what feels like reckless abandon.
I have witnessed several people peel off corn husks and leave them on the floor (ditto for onions and lettuce). Rather than piling things on the floor, take a few extra moments to pick out your produce. If you’re looking for that perfect avocado and you think it’s buried under all of the others, don’t wreck the tower so that you can find it. On that note…
2. Do put back things you don’t want where they belong.
I really dislike food waste, so when I see someone pick up a perishable item and then set it down in a totally different part of the store because they changed their mind, it bugs me. Just a few weeks ago I found a big package of meat someone must have ordered from the butcher counter just sitting in the refrigerated section by the cheese.
Yes, it was at least refrigerated, but regardless, once that meat leaves the counter, it can’t go back, so it’s wasted. Let’s not contribute to the food waste problem any longer. Stick with what you ordered and if it’s produce or any other packaged food, put it back where you found it.
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3. Don’t leave your cart in the middle of the aisle.
This one might not annoy everyone, but it bothers me. The scenario goes like this: The cart offenders leave the cart, centrally placed in the aisle. They travel to the shelf and then stand in front of it to look closer. Meanwhile, everyone else in the aisle is left to wait for those shoppers to either make a decision or move their cart.
We all need to move and get around so that we can go home and unpack our groceries. Please make that easier by moving your cart to a less-trafficked spot or wait until the aisle isn’t so crowded to grab what you need.
4. Do hang up the phone when you’re checking out.
I get it, you need the “tea” from Macey, but couldn’t it wait until after you’re done shopping? I can’t imagine that you want to spend more than 15 to 20 minutes in the store and I bet the gossip is better when you can actually focus on what your friend is saying. If you need to have that call, do it somewhere in the corner away from everyone else (and definitely don’t use speaker phone).
Manners go a long way and having a conversation on a phone while — especially when someone is ringing up your groceries — is rude. Why not greet the person working in the aisles and talk to them instead? I’ve learned so much from the employees stocking the shelves and working the registers. You could too.
5. Don’t drink while you shop.
I think it’s fun that my grocery store also sells wine and beer that you can sip while shopping. But just like driving a car, you need to drink responsibly. It’s not okay to attempt steering one-handed with a full beverage in your other hand.
This makes your moves erratic and unpredictable, which can lead to accidents with fellow shoppers, workers, and even inanimate objects like end-cap displays. My advice? Take a sip every once in a while, choose to do it in a place where you won’t be in the way. Oh yeah, and please take your glass back to where you got it.
6. Do make sure your cart finds its way back to the corral.
You’re done shopping! Yay! The next best move is to leave your cart in a random spot in the parking lot or push it close to the cart corral, but definitely not in it!
All kidding aside, I bet you have a few extra minutes to put your cart away. Or, if you need assistance it’s perfectly OK to ask a fellow shopper or store employee for help. Everyone wins when you’re a team player!