A week or two ago, I walked into my local grocery store to do some shopping. I was barely 2 steps inside the front door with my cart when my progress was stopped by two women and a male teenager, along with two carts. A few things seemed clear from the get-go:
1) The people appeared to be related (my guess is mother, daughter and grandson).
2) They were not originally from this country (my guess is Russia or thereabouts).
3) They are not aware that there is anyone else shopping in this grocery store.
In my local store, you walk directly into the produce department. From the front door to the SECOND aisle (the one next to the produce aisle), I had to ask these women to move (in order for me to be able to pass by them with my cart) FOUR times. They constantly stopped either at the mouth of an aisle or in the middle of it and stood discussing what to buy while blocking the entire aisle for anyone else with a cart.
I was surprised and appalled that these women did not get the clue to move their cart over before stopping or at least become more conscious of other people after the first time or two. Is this a case where they just don't give a shit? Or because they aren't from this country, they aren't aware of their rude behavior? But how can you not BECOME aware after being asked to move your cart four times in 5 minutes?
Thankfully, I lost them after the first few aisles. About midway through the store, I found them again. This time, the teenage son saw me coming and, embarassed, nudged his mother (who was again in conversation with HER mother about what to buy) and asked her to move over before I had to. I appreciated that.
I want to be clear that I'm not saying that because these people were from Russia (or from anywhere outside the U.S.), they were rude or dumb or badly behaved. I have had the same situation (though never one repeated as often as this one) with people who appeared to have been born here. I had just never seen a situation where people were so completely unaware of what was going on and who refused to learn anything from being asked over and over and over to move.
I am a student of human psychology and am fascinated with why people do the things they do so, after this had happened half a dozen times in one store visit with the same family, I was dying to ask them "Do you not understand why I keep asking you to move?" "Do you understand that you're supposed to move your cart over before you stop so that you don't block the aisle?" "Do you realize there are other people shopping in this store?" and so on.
But I didn't. Because that would be rude. (smirk)
The joy of anniversary
10 years ago
