Is this rude or not? Opinions please...?

Question

I was just at a large retailer. The lady in front of me (call her Anna) let her friend (call her Mary) place 2 extra items on the belt. I thought Mary was just adding those items to Anna's order, no big deal, right?

...But when the checkout clerk goes to check those two items, Anna says that it is a separate order from Mary's.

...After finishing Anna's checkout, the clerk takes Mary's membership card and runs it through. Her order comes to $28.19 - she gives him 2 $20 bills and then spends about two minutes rummaging through her purse for 19 pennies...

I mean - come on - it's bad enough you cut in front of me, but then you have to count out 19 pennies...is it just me, or was this another example of rude behavior?

Answer 1

You know it was rude. But more than rude, it is a symptom of an epidemic in American society these days called me-first-and-the-Hell-with-you thoughtlessness. It never crossed these women's minds what you might have felt about being cut in front of. Or that you were even there. Or that you were a human being. So rude? That's an understatement.

Answer 2

In France, it's even worse. People have no sense of what we think of as manners here. For example, on the train, you have to buy a ticket and that ticket assigns you to a certain seat. You will often find someone else sitting in your seat simply because they felt like it. Another French example is the lack of congeniality amongst strangers. In America, when running across someone, even if we don't know them we often say "Hello, how are you?" and respond with a friendly "Fine, thanks". That kind of imitacy with someone you don't know is very strange to French people. It's not just in France that our manners don't apply. In the crowded metro in Spain my toe got smashed by an old lady with a cane =( She was so busy shoving out of the door she didn't seem to notice she stabbed my toe and then proceeded to babble at me disapprovingly in Spanish for being in her way somehow I guess. In other countries this behavior isn't considered rude, it's just ordinary. Or perhaps it IS still rude, but it's just acceptable to them as a social norm. Growing up in America but having European heritage, I find it just bizarre how people could have no disregard for others.

Answer 3

This is not only rude, but gross behavior (can't think of an appropriate word). I wish that there was a way to handle these types of people. Although I think there some cultures that tolerate this behavior as norm.

Answer 4

Precisely the reason I always place a large salami in my cart every time. Should I not need to whack some rude person senseless with it, I merely ask the cashier if she could put it in the returns cart.

Answer 5

Almost as bad as when people who have like 38 items get in the 10 items or less line.

Answer 6

Yes, it's rude. I'm often not sure if these people are just quite rude of oblivious to the world around them. Either way, just stay cool and eventually they go away!

Answer 7

It was rude that she cut in front of you but....people dont want to give $40 and then get the last dollar in like 789877656676777 cents! Thats why the lady was looking in her purse for 19 cents!

Answer 8

Crude & Rude. You should have immediately asked the first piece of crud if she was paying for that second load. If not remove it immediately!

Answer 9

Yes, just another example of rude behavior :(

Answer 10

Very rude. But my question is why on earth didn't the sales assistant comment on it.