WWYD: Annoying the Other Shoppers

In this installment of “What Would You Do,” inconveniencing people at the grocery store:

I was at the grocery store this weekend and spent $200 on STUFF because I have family in town this week and I want my house to be stocked. As the grocery store clerk was ringing up my items, I realized I had forgotten to grab a case of sparkling water, which is what my mom likes to drink.

“Oh, I forgot to get something,” I told the clerk. And to the guy standing in line behind me: “Do you mind if I run and get it?” He smiled and said it was fine.

The case of water ended up being too heavy for me to carry to the register, so I had to find an employee to help me. When I finally got back to the clerk, there was a line of people and they were all glaring at me. I apologized to the clerk and the man for taking too long. They told me it was fine, but I could tell the man was exasperated and just wanted me to go. I feel terrible about it. What would you have done in this situation? — S.

This one sounds like a no-brainer to me: After (unintentionally) making a 30-second run for a forgotten item into what I’m guessing is at least a five-minute run and annoying a line of people, the only thing you can do in that situation is to finish that transaction as quickly as possible and get the heck out of there.

I wouldn’t beat myself up too much over it if I were you. Dashing for a forgotten grocery item is common. The only way to avoid this next time is to not dash. If you forget something, finish your transaction. You can then go back and grab the thing you forgot and get back in line again. That way, the only time you’re taking up is your own.

Email me your WWYD experiences to me with “WWYD” in the subject line. See previous installments.

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