An Open Letter to Grocery Store Shoppers
Dear Grocery Store Shoppers,
I have something important to address with you all today. It is something that has been a thought of mine for a while. The Grocery Divider. You may recognize it from its regular use as a separator on the conveyor belt which move your groceries from one end of the belt to the other. I think we as grocery shoppers are relying too heavily on this small plastic item.
Listen, if there is enough room on the conveyor belt between my groceries and yours for me to get up and dance a jig, the bar is NOT NECESSARY. I know, it is hard to imagine but truly, it is possible to separate your groceries from the persons in front of you without using this bar.
The Checkout clerk has enough common sense to see where the groceries start and stop. I think that if the clerk sees a giant, empty space and me standing near that giant empty space that they will put two and two together.
It's not that I have an aversion to this bar, I just feel that sometimes it is unnecessary. To the man at Sobey's today with the Yule log and the Chicken pies: there was enough space between your log and my orange banana strawberry juice for Veronica (the clerk) to figure out what was what. You did not need to slam the bar down behind your groceries, leaving enough space between it and mine for me to do the Macarena.
So you know what I did. Veronica picked up his last item and scanned it and the bar made the conveyor belt stop. So I moved it. I put it back. I stared him straight in the eye (he wasn't really looking at me but for dramatic effect...) and put it back in its slot daring him to challenge by radical thought.
Here is my challenge. Let us all ease up on the use of this bar. We as citizens and smart shoppers have come to rely on it too much and doubt the sensibilities of the grocery store clerk. Give open space a chance.
5 comments:
I am a long-time bar user, sorry, I am on the other side.
I'm with you, PCK. The bar is unnecessary and I always refuse to use it, as a point of rebellion!
I enjoy picturing you doing the Macarena though!
You know... you could have very politely offered to insert said bar into his pooper. Speaking of poop... I have made my triumphant return to the world of blogging tonight. You have inspired me...
Today at the Superstore I decided to take your advice and not use the 'bar'. It was the express lane and we only had 6 items. The clerk announced my total. As I was paying her I noticed that the lady behind me was also buying the same milk that I was (or was she?).
We started to leave and the lady behind got a bit huffy and said 'oh no, that's not my milk'.
Aha, I guess it was MY milk. Next time I WILL use the bar. Lesson learned.
Barry, I thought of you today in line at the grocery store. I have to say that I am also a bar user. Generally the most satisfying is when a not-so-efficiently-inclined individual is in front of me, casually loading the conveyor just in time for the cashier to pick up the last item they loaded. Listen. I am in the grocery store to get in and get out. If you can't load up the belt quickly, and move forward so that I can unload my stuff, you will get a huffy bar-drop. Also, pack your damn things onto that belt! Don't load your bread lengthwise, then add the eggs lengthwise, and pretend that that's all you can fit on the belt until the cashier rolls the belt forward. Load that sucker up. These people get the bar. Alicia
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