Does it drive you nuts to wait in long lines at the grocery? If so, what do you suggest for entertaining impatient line-waiters?

I have a suggestion! Why not call some random customer service rep? I'm sure you have some banking, billing, purchasing, or complaining to do. You could kill two birds with one stone!

I'm sure the checker won't mind you talking to me when they clearly need your attention for less important matters like showing ID, caring for your wild children, and paying. As your customer service representative, I certainly can say that I find all this confusion lighthearted and fun.

If only all customers were like you.... Your multi-tasking brilliance blows my mind.

Yes, long lines bother me to no end. I line hop, going to the shortest or fastest moving line I can see. If I'm stuck in a slow line, I make noise, kick the bottom of the cart so it clangs, etc. If I'm behind someone who is unreasonably slow, I roll my eyes/look at the ceiling.

Yeah it does. I have walked out of or decided not to shop at a store upon seeing a long line. I especially hate when I have to go into a regular, non-natural foods market for something because they seem to have the slowest moving lines. I detest their choices of counter magazines (grabbed to look over so as to keep me from walking out) -- the difference between Whole Foods' selection of mags and ordinary markets is a big one -- the latter tends towards mags with mostly celebrities on the cover, like "People" or those tabloids, or Reader's Digest, or one of those ancient women's mags, with the occasional Newsweek or Prevention. Whole Foods has much more interesting and relevant mags but then THEIR lines move much faster too so I don't get as frustrated. I'd like to see one of those huge-screen TVs on a wall just beyond the checkout counters, tuned to a news station with captions to read (instead of adding to the noise in the store). Like when I go to the eye doctor this wall- TV with news is to keep people entertained whilst waiting - ditto for my bank branch. One can wait in lines easier if there is something to look at. In a fantasy-ME world, I'd have colorful psychedelic moving video art on the walls to look at. Maybe some interesting free health-oriented brochures and mags or free samples to look over and take that are at the checkout line area.

HAH ! I line-hop TOO. I constantly look at the cart contents in various lines to see if one has a bit less than another. I do all these things you mention and more! What gets me is that I think "a-ha -- here's a fairly short line," then it turns out it's a very slow elderly person with a lot of change -- mainly pennies -- and oodles of coupons. Or they have to return something or have a price dispute. At Whole Foods if you have a price dispute or need to return something after you've already bought it, you go to their info booth and it's promptly taken care of -- instead of holding up the line. Whole Foods sometimes has coupons you can redeem but there aren't as many, and they do things quicker there (and also at Trader Joe's), than at the regular markets. Safeway's pretty good though-I have no complaints about Safeway at all when it comes to checkout lines.

Waiting in lines really doesn't bother me.

Do what people in Hong Kong do: talk on your mobile and/or SMS.

Television at all the checkouts stand there and watch television

Maybe they should have a tanning booth at all the checkouts complete with televisions

Most supermarkets are now open 24 hours a day. I can't remember that last time I went shopping and was stuck in a queue behind more than two people.

If it really bothers people, why not install overhead TVs showing scenes from a selection of DVDs available at the checkout?

I suggest observing everything around you.

I'd go for minstrels on unicycles with ukeleles, rolling around the front of the store. They could have jars on their hats, and you try to throw change in the jar while they are moving, if they are any good.

A little, but I have no suggestions. Just try to be more patient.

Yes, and I suggest reading their magazines while you wait

Well, having the gossip magazines up there helps a bit.

> I'd go for minstrels on unicycles with ukeleles, rolling around the
> front of the store. They could have jars on their hats, and you try
> to throw change in the jar while they are moving, if they are any
> good.

Or yes a little of both worlds at the checkouts complete with sofas and chairs and oh yes some computers to
occupy the minds

Hi, I'm logged in from the end of the line at checkstand 5.

Waiting in line at the grocery store checkout does not bother me. Unless I am not feeling well and I have to set my head on the cart (eww) I am perfectly fine with spending a little down time where I do not have to do anything.
My suggestions for entertaining impatient line waiters? They couldn't afford me.

*snortand a muffled guffaw*

Can you tell I needed to get something off my chest?

Yes, it does but, I have no suggestions at this time. I'll get back to you later.

> Hi, I'm logged in from the end of the line at checkstand 5.

hee hee I am here at Customer Service with my binoculars and my bifocals yet i cannot see you???? Linda
oh Linda come to Customer Service right now

Totally of this subject sweety .......... but, I can't for the life of me figure out what your picture is. Is it abstract art?

BTW how have you been woman? Are you still working from home? I wish I could do something like that. I'm tired of my job already!! Hope all is well in your neck of the woods. Here in Cali we are going through 90 plus degree heat wave. *fans herself*

Geeeze! Where is everybody? You know............

Sue Bee
Dino
Miaow
Lilly333
Randy
Wolfchik9 (Stephanie)
Lovelight
Joe (Nthensome)
Caviartaste
ABS/ABST
Skylark
Dora
Jemmy
Cuteasabutton
Maria
& some others?

> Well, having the gossip magazines up there helps
> a bit.

I do that ............. I catch up on alot of smut while standing in line.

Unless I'm in a hurry, sick, or in a really bad mood, waiting in grocery lines doesn't bother me. I pass my time by eating the food and reading up on celebrities - Britney, you so crazy. Note that this is the only time I actually go out of my way to find out about celebrities. Any other time, I'm trying hard to ignore any news about them because I don't care.

free lollipops

You get some music playing and have some TV's showing funny shows or commercials. It's either that or the dancing clowns......... and trust me.... I don't like the clowns....

LOL I second that!

Juggling the canned goods, reading the magazines out loud and passing comedic commentary, taking groceries out of one persons cart and putting into anothers, commenting on what the persons buying , making running commentary on the check out girls aptitude (or lack thereof).

If you are really feeling bold, you could always scream "FIRE!"

I don't really do grocery shopping at the moment - one of the benefits of moving back in with my parents. When I was doing all my own food shopping, I rarely encountered long queues.

Yes indeed I did

nice one

I want to stand in long lines with you

Thanx. I hate clowns...........
*shivers*

I suggest you keep asking the people around you what's in their carts.."What's that? What's that? What's that?"

My mom does most of the grocery shopping, but sometimes I go with her. Long lines suck.

I just read the tabloids while Im waiting.

I start up conversations

Doesn't bother me unless I see the cashier is going really slow. I look at the rags like National Enquirer for entertainment or I watch the other people.

Hi :D

Sorry I'm slow to respond.... I lose replies and forget about them pretty often.

First.... It's a Blind Melon. I found the picture on http://www.worth1000.com. It's my favorite band.

I'm doing pretty great. Yeah, I'm still working at home. My userpage links to my myspace if you want to check out my family pictures. The only one I can really answer for is my sister and her husband. They are doing well. Planning to start a family soon. We lost a really close family friend to suicide in 2006. ASB's been having a really hard time with it. He was the man she dated from the time she was like aged 12-22. They were still best friends.

So... since then, we've all been trying to pick up and move on... and accept death. It's a pretty new concept to us as a family. We were pretty lucky until Eric.

I've never had to wait in what I would consider "a long line" at a grocery store. I usually glance at the tabloids, wonder who the people are... I have no idea... daydream...

The longest I've had to wait in line at a grocery store, in recent memory, is maybe three minutes. Not a big deal.

I like that there's a Simon Delivers ad above this survey.

Conversation.

Waiting in lines at the grocery does not bother me.

I am so socially deprived I actually find going to the grocery store a day out on the town. Great opportunity to flirt with female shoppers, and people watch, or get free food samples that I count as lunch. Yup I look for the longest line so I can savor the experience.

> Yes, long lines bother me to no end. I line
> hop, going to the shortest or fastest moving
> line I can see. If I'm stuck in a slow line,
> I make noise, kick the bottom of the cart
> so it clangs, etc. If I'm behind someone
> who is unreasonably slow, I roll my eyes/look
> at the ceiling.

I totally visualize that!

> You get some music playing and have some
> TV's showing funny shows or commercials.
> It's either that or the dancing clowns.........
> and trust me.... I don't like the clowns....
>

That is fudging freaky!

hehee. I don't really do all that. I must have been in a mood to exaggerate my impatience or something.

Nah! You don’t get off that easy, I totally saw you in that situation. I don’t want to seem unfriendly but I have talked to you and you are always on a mission, and God save anyone that gets in your way.

Yeah, even if my mission is to stop and smell the roses. It's still a mission, nonetheless.

Ok God save the roses!

I'm not always on a mission though. Where did you get that?

It scares me! Like the MacDonalds clown (Ronnie) laughing as he watches you eat a Big Mac.

that's so damn scary to imagine!!!! *shivers* Ronald is so dang evil!!!

Do you know what he puts in his hamburgers?

O.o .............................do I want to??

I just got back from the store. I wanted the line to move slower. The guy behind me. oh my word. O.o yum.

...and he was looking at me.

Nope!