Today's Moan.

[SparklyKid]

Morrisons earlier, very quiet but limited number of checkouts.

Old chap at till meticulously putting items in separate bags, took ages, fumbled in wallet for store card, then fumbled for payment, then chatted to till girl.

Oblivious to queue behind him. I just put shopping back in trolley and pack up at my car.

Why does it come as a surprise when some old people have to pay. Fumbling about for cash, frantically searching through every section of purse/wallet for 10p.

[teacake44]

^^ I didn't say you couldn't have fun .

[windywillow]

I prefer to use the self-service tills too, but there aren't any in Aldi, where I do the bulk of my shopping.

[brainiac]

Both Aldi and Lidl whizz all items through at breakneck speed (they're told to), so it's almost impossible to pack one's bags as fast as the items come. They want everyone to finish packing at the long shelf by the front window. But at least they always open another till when it gets busy.

[bookbinder]

I'm glad that you mentioned, SparklyKid, a shopper meticulously putting items in separate bags. In the Netherlands, and in Germany, lone shoppers put all their items, as they come down the checkout slope, straight into their trolley, not into their separate bags. They then pay, and wheel their trolley to one side, and only then do they put their items into separate bags, thus clearing the checkout for the next customer. Incidentally, that is why Lidl supermarkets have a long, wide shelf fixed next to the outside wall/window of the building. I sometimes wish that all our supermarkets could put a sign up to encourage lone shoppers to put it all in the trolley, and then move to one side.

[windywillow]

That's what they're supposed to do in Aldi, but some shoppers choose not to.

[teacake44]

It is a better way to shop in Aldi with a trolley and Lidl due to the speed they serve you, and then pack on the shelf. I think the sticking point is that some people just can't be bothered messing about with a coin to get a trolley, and then take it back to mess about getting your coin back. Lidl seem to have cracked that problem to a degree with a much smaller pull along trolley that you don't need a coin for, however some still ignore those for some reason?

[margarettom]

Don’t get in the queue behind me SparklyKid. I once got my card out ready to pay and put it on the little ledge by the till, clumsily, and it slipped down a gap, and the till operator had to fetch someone to take out the till.
I regularly drop my card when paying, as my arthritic fingers don’t grip well, and then I can’t pick it up easily either!
I’m your worst nightmare.

[windywillow]

"I regularly drop my card when paying, as my arthritic fingers don’t grip well, and then I can’t pick it up easily either"

I'm sure no-one minds in such circumstances. What irked me is the lady in front of me (whose shopping came to nearly £100) happily packed the shopping in separate bags within her trolley, while the till operator paused every so often to let her catch up.

I don't know if till operators are asked to explain the procedure to the customers (there's a big poster explaining it in the shop) but this till operator happily had a little chat while allowing the customer to pack her bags as she wanted to, with no regard to the big queue building up.

This has happened twice over the last few weeks, albeit the first time the customer didn't have such a large load.

I am aware of the dangers of catching/spreading the dreaded CV, especially as I'm of a certain age. I like to be in, out and back home as quickly as I can. Customers who don't care about others really annoy me.

[campbellking]

That wouldn't annoy me.What frustrated me yesterday was having done a six day week on intensive care yesterday ( got asked to go in again at 7.30 yesterday morning due to staff sickness), tired post shift went to get a treat for tea at Marks and Spencer's, queue outside with several couples of all ages, mainly younger. Man at door correctly enforcing number of people in store policy, but why can't these people shop on their own ? (Not a single disability in sight)