The other night while I was waiting in line at Costco (Sheldon wandered off somewhere), I noticed that the person in front of me had left his cart and the line was moving forward. I looked around and didn't see anybody close by so I decided to move in front of the cart. The abandoned-cart guy came back and noticed I had moved in front of him. I kindly said that I didn't know how long he would be, if he was coming back, and instead of holding up the line I decided to move up. I was expecting him to be a gentleman and let it be but he looked really put out, and I mean really put out! I made the conscious decision to be extra-nice and polite to this guy to see if it would change his mood so I moved my cart out of the way and said he could have his spot back.
At this time, Sheldon came back and in my mind, I was thinking he was going to jump in and make a scene but he didn't (thanks, sweetie. I can fight my own battles). He said he wanted to but something told him to let me handle it in my own polite way.
The abandoned-cart guy had the nerve to lean closer to me and whisper, "Next time, you should just move the cart up." I kindly apologized to him again and said that I didn't know how long he would be gone for. I waited for him to move his cart up to take his spot but he stood there like an idiot. I repeated myself that he can have his spot back a few times. Finally he moved up.
A couple seconds later, Sheldon noticed that the lineup a couple cashes over was shorter so we changed lines. By the time we paid and was ready to leave the store, abandoned-cart guy had not moved at all in his lineup because the person in front of him was having issues with her items.
I'm not for gloating but I can't help to think that if abandoned-cart guy would have been more of a gentleman instead of a jerk, Sheldon and I wouldn't have been laughing our way out the store.
Anyways, I've put together a little list of what I think is line-up etiquette. Let me know if you have any more tips or any experiences to share.
If you're standing in line and realize you forgot something...
- Take your cart with you.
- Ask somebody that came with you to stay with your cart.
- If you're alone and you want to keep your spot in line, let the person behind you know that you forgot something and you're coming right back. Chances are they are more than happy to let you keep your spot in line.
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