At the grocery store this week, I got really annoyed with a fellow customer who was obviously annoyed with me. We had not been in the store long. One girl was in the cart the other was walking. We were talking about what we needed to get and of course were doing the grocery game. Whoever was walking was lagging behind looking at the bananas. I said something about going to see which bread we got free this week. The customer, a man in probably his 60s looked at another male customer and muttered "Jesus!" in a really annoyed, I can't believe her, tone of voice. I assume that he assumed we were getting "free" bread due to government assistance - we were not, and was offended by this and the fact that I was announcing we were getting "free" bread.
If you are annoyed enough to mutter things where I can hear you, then actually say it to my face. I would have been happy to explain that my free bread was due to a store coupon that reimbursed me for sliced cheese and bread when I bought a certain brand of lunch meat. I would have been happy to inform him that I was paying for my groceries but that I do watch my budget and am teaching my children to do so as well. I would have further explained that I completely understand that government assistance is not free and that maybe he should stop making so many assumptions when he didn't have the facts.
I almost turned around and told him these things. But I decided I really didn't care what he thought of me and my family because I had made my share of assumptions about him based on the one word he had said and none of my assumptions were favorable either!
And just so you know, I got $160 worth of groceries for $130. As far as I'm concerned, that is worth a few ugly looks.
Jenn
Remember the day you had your first migraine at the grocery store and the lady thought you were being rude because you told me you did not feel like doing something I asked you to do? Same feeling, but you handled it better than I did.
ReplyDeleteI guess I could have used my cart to pun him to the meat counter :)
ReplyDeleteThat would have worked...while you had his attention, you could have "read him his rights"!
ReplyDeleteYou would not believe how many times I have almost gotten more people...some of them are not even old. Am deadly when I am looking in one direction (behind me) and pushing the cart forward. Not a good idea.
Sounds like a grumpy old man! We had a run in with one of those at a restaurant recently. He got within inches of my husbands face and asked if we were going to "clean that mess up" (Hello 1 year eating finger food...messy!) We weren't done with dinner, we hadn't really thought about it yet to be honest, but really What business was it of his anyway. ugh. I made lots of assumptions about him too....not good ones either.
ReplyDeleteGoodness! You handled the situation so well (can't say as though I would have done the same).
ReplyDeleteCIC, I actually feel a bit bad for him, to be so angry and grumpy at the world. That must be a horrible place to live.
I guess our comments made it sound like I pinned the lady to the meat counter with my cart!! Only we know that was another lady, another day and purely an accident. Guess your readers think you have a really angry old lady for a Mother!!
ReplyDeleteHad to laugh when I went back and read the comments as that is surely what I would have thought.