# 12 items or less... **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [December 17, 2011, 10:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/12-items-or-less/606588 "2011-12-17T22:57:30Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![tomcar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7993a0/32.png) [@tomcar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tomcar)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2011, 10:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/12-items-or-less/606588/1 "2011-12-17T22:57:30Z")
In my humble opinion, people who have more than 12 items should not be in this queue. I’ve seen it twice in the last week. WT women with way more than 12 items in the line. I understand you are 45 and have dentures and leathery skin, but please read the sign. ---
**Author:** ![chela](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chela/32/21582_2.png) [@chela](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chela)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2011, 10:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/12-items-or-less/606588/2 "2011-12-17T22:59:37Z")
dude you’re dyslexic that sign reads 21. ---
**Author:** ![Joey\_P](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@Joey\_P](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Joey_P)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2011, 11:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/12-items-or-less/606588/3 "2011-12-17T23:08:18Z")
I have double vision from the vodka and though it said 1212 items and was like “duuude, I only have 17 items…awesome.” ---
**Author:** ![Catfood\_Purrito](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c6cbf5/32.png) [@Catfood\_Purrito](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Catfood_Purrito)\ **Post date:** [December 17, 2011, 11:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/12-items-or-less/606588/4 "2011-12-17T23:55:07Z")
I had more than 20 items in the Walmart 20 items or less checkout a couple days ago, but I was there by personal invitation of the cashier. So there!😛 ---
**Author:** ![Terraplane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/74df32/32.png) [@Terraplane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Terraplane)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2011, 12:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/12-items-or-less/606588/5 "2011-12-18T00:33:31Z")
> [@Catfood\_Purrito](#): > > I had more than 20 items in the Walmart 20 items or less checkout a couple days ago, but I was there by personal invitation of the cashier. So there!😛 I’ve done this before too. You show up with a basket full of stuff and there aren’t any other customers so they invite you over to their lane. Inevitably, as soon as they start to ring up your stuff some other guy with like 2 items comes in behind you and looks at you like you’re the biggest asshole in the world. ---
**Author:** ![Smeghead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f1d935/32.png) [@Smeghead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smeghead)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2011, 12:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/12-items-or-less/606588/6 "2011-12-18T00:34:56Z")
Wow. Way to go out on a limb with that controversial opinion, dude. What next? “War: bad”? “Puppies: good”? ---
**Author:** ![thelurkinghorror](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7c8e57/32.png) [@thelurkinghorror](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelurkinghorror)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2011, 12:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/12-items-or-less/606588/7 "2011-12-18T00:48:11Z")
> [@chela](#): > > dude you’re dyslexic that sign reads 21. Dyscalculia. If he were dyslexic, it would be “12 ietms or lese” \ And on that note, I always bring in a cart full of 60 individual water bottles. You see, it specifies 12 or less, not “fewer,” and water isn’t countable as discrete objects, so I only have one item. ---
**Author:** ![Alice\_The\_Goon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ed8c4c/32.png) [@Alice\_The\_Goon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alice_The_Goon)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2011, 12:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/12-items-or-less/606588/8 "2011-12-18T00:52:28Z")
I’m 43 and yet to have dentures\* or\* leathery skin. The next couple of years must be going to be rough. ---
**Author:** ![tomcar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7993a0/32.png) [@tomcar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tomcar)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2011, 1:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/12-items-or-less/606588/9 "2011-12-18T01:06:57Z")
I knew the less vs fewer grammatical point would be brought up 🙂 The whole 12 items or less lane is a mirage anyways. Usually the slowest most inept cashier is stationed there. ---
**Author:** ![tomcar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7993a0/32.png) [@tomcar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tomcar)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2011, 1:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/12-items-or-less/606588/10 "2011-12-18T01:14:27Z")
Smeg, you would think this is a clear issue, but as you see in this thread, it isn’t. Several Dopers are fine breaking this rule. I am not a stickler generally. This is one situation where the rule is important. ---
**Author:** ![Frank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Frank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frank)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2011, 1:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/12-items-or-less/606588/11 "2011-12-18T01:18:10Z")
> [@tomcar](#): > > The whole 12 items or less lane is a mirage anyways. Usually the slowest most inept cashier is stationed there. Yes. That’s why I scan my own groceries if I only have a few. Plus then I can make sure that the canned goods don’t go in the same bag as the bread. I’ve actually stopped going to the closest Safeway (when I only need a few items) because they don’t have self-scan lanes. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2011, 1:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/12-items-or-less/606588/12 "2011-12-18T01:22:58Z")
> [@tomcar](#): > > The whole 12 items or less lane is a mirage anyways. Usually the slowest most inept cashier is stationed there. Yup. The short time I worked as a cashier when I was in high school they put me there because I was so lousy. It was even harder because I had such an incredibly long line of people glaring at me.😃 ---
**Author:** ![RaftPeople](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/6f9a4e/32.png) [@RaftPeople](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RaftPeople)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2011, 1:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/12-items-or-less/606588/13 "2011-12-18T01:33:18Z")
> [@tomcar](#): > > In my humble opinion, people who have more than 12 items should not be in this queue. I’ve seen it twice in the last week. WT women with way more than 12 items in the line. I understand you are 45 and have dentures and leathery skin, but please read the sign. If you have 3 bananas - is that 1 item or 3? Does it make a difference whether they are connected or not? What about 1 green pepper and 1 red pepper - 2 items? 6 pack of beer? 2 six packs of the same beer? and a 12 pack? ---
**Author:** ![thelurkinghorror](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7c8e57/32.png) [@thelurkinghorror](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelurkinghorror)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2011, 1:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/12-items-or-less/606588/14 "2011-12-18T01:40:23Z")
> [@RaftPeople](#): > > If you have 3 bananas - is that 1 item or 3? > > Does it make a difference whether they are connected or not? > > What about 1 green pepper and 1 red pepper - 2 items? > > 6 pack of beer? 2 six packs of the same beer? and a 12 pack? 1. Correct me if I’m wrong, but those are sold by weight, so it doesn’t matter if they’re separated. One amorphous item. 2. Peppers are 2 items. They usually have different price codes. 3. This one is contentious, but usually 2 6 packs is 2 items. 1 12 pack is 1 of course. But of course, only a dick cashier would get mad if you had 14 items. The sign is directed towards people with 25 items who think they can sneak in. ---
**Author:** ![CanvasShoes](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/74df32/32.png) [@CanvasShoes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CanvasShoes)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2011, 2:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/12-items-or-less/606588/15 "2011-12-18T02:04:59Z")
What is a “WT woman”? ---
**Author:** ![Xema](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/9de053/32.png) [@Xema](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Xema)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2011, 2:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/12-items-or-less/606588/16 "2011-12-18T02:19:26Z")
> [@thelurkinghorror](#): > > But of course, only a dick cashier would get mad if you had 14 items. The sign is directed towards people with 25 items who think they can sneak in. The cashiers usually don’t care. In many cases, they’ve been instructed not to mention the limit, or at least not to enforce it. The customers behind you, on the other hand, are likely to be annoyed - and with full justification, since you are selfishly inconveniencing them. I think this is a rule that must be strictly construed. Clearly a six-pack is one item, and 3 apples (of the same type) can quite reasonably be considered one as well. But 13 isn’t 12 - and 18 sure as hell isn’t. ---
**Author:** ![tomcar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7993a0/32.png) [@tomcar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tomcar)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2011, 2:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/12-items-or-less/606588/17 "2011-12-18T02:24:18Z")
12 should be a loose guess. The exact number isn’t important. WT means white trash 🙂 Yeah I know, a bit harsh. ---
**Author:** ![UltraVires](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/ecccb3/32.png) [@UltraVires](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UltraVires)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2011, 3:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/12-items-or-less/606588/18 "2011-12-18T03:03:28Z")
> [@Xema](#): > > I think this is a rule that must be strictly construed. Clearly a six-pack is one item, Sure, and then when the six-pack goes across the scanner, the thumble dick cashier looking at the 104 year old man purchasing the beer must ask for his picture identification. Then, 4 minutes later when he produces it, the cashier cannot enter his birth date in the computer without mistyping it 4 times causing a manager to have to override the code by typing the highly secret birth date of 1/1/1980. So, I take my jar of mustard and loaf of bread to the self-checkout where there are four lanes, two of which are out of service, one contains a woman buying 3 cartloads full of groceries and the other one is occupied by the 104 year old man’s 102 year old sister not returning her item to the baggage area. I go to the regular aisle behind the extreme couponer. I get out of the store faster. ---
**Author:** ![Hilary\_Algar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hilary_algar/32/4282_2.png) [@Hilary\_Algar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hilary_Algar)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2011, 3:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/12-items-or-less/606588/19 "2011-12-18T03:26:29Z")
> [@Xema](#): > > The cashiers usually don’t care. In many cases, they’ve been instructed not to mention the limit, or at least not to enforce it. > > The customers behind you, on the other hand, are likely to be annoyed - and with full justification, since you are selfishly inconveniencing them. Methinks you hit this one right on the head. ---
**Author:** ![notfrommensa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/f14d63/32.png) [@notfrommensa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/notfrommensa)\ **Post date:** [December 18, 2011, 3:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/12-items-or-less/606588/20 "2011-12-18T03:40:08Z")
There should be a line for debit card only, no cigarettes from behind the counter, no coupons. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/12-items-or-less/606588.md?page=2)