I go for groceries, one cart, one kid in tow. I run into this family, with mom, dad, one kid in the cart, and TWO more pushing carts!!!
Thats 4 people walking with THREE FUCKING CARTS!!!
I keep meeting them in every row. You cant get past them, cus the stupid kids are all in a rowand the parents are in the lead, not even watching who the little inbreds cut off, like there is nobody else there on a SATURDAY AFTER-fucking-NOON!!!
I finally gave up and went in the same direction, even though it meant I had to go back and get stuff I missed.
Honestly, am I wrong??? wouldnt it have made more sense for the dad and the kids to wait in the fucking car?? Its not a stroll in the damn park! People dont want to be there all day! I left a sick kid at home to go get juice, gingerale etc, I dont feel like strolling along after this group as they chat and browse.
And furthermore, if you need a minute to look at the shelves, go for it, AFTER YOU PARK YOUR FUCKING BUGGY ON THE SIDE OF THE AISLE!
Maybe they’re buying a lot of food? When I lived in the runaway shelter, we’d go shopping once a week and we’d use three carts. 'Course we were feeding 11 people 3 meals a day.
Buying a lot of food, perhaps–but why do people have to go down the aisle three abreast like some invading army? It’s the equivalent of those families with three or four pushchairs who walk in a long line taking up the whole of the sidewalk. “Never mind no one else can make it past, I want to be able to talk to everyone else at the same time!” ARRRGH!
The local supermarket where I live has an area for kids, with play equipment, a VCR, and games n’ stuff. This is to keep kids quiet and in an area where they can’t do any damage. So, does anyone use this? Of course not.
Don’t get me wrong; I like kids. I just don’t like going into public places to find Mom in line at the Starbucks counter and her doughy brat’s over in the cookie aisle screaming her fool head off. Kids may need to be kids, but more than a few of them need to be taught some manners.
(a note of dissent from a fellow poster-with-an-avian-inspired-name) I don’t know if you have any children yourself, but I am not in the habit of turning my children over to the care of complete strangers. I would never use such a service.
I will agree, though, that many of the children I encounter could do with a good lesson in manners. I spend quite a bit of time reminding my 5 year old to stay to the side while we shop, as there is just enough room for 2 carts to pass. If she walks beside me she is in the way. She, of course, is oblivious to this, so it is up to me to be aware of who might want to get past. Putting one’s cart to the side while one peruses the shelves seems obvious, yet I am constantly having to squeeze past people who park in the middle of the aisle while they compare labels.
I will now offer an apology to my fellow shoppers. My 2 year old has recently developed a pattern of throwing a fit at the check out. She does wonderfully while we shop. I keep her occupied with a bakery cookie and bagels; she looks at the various boxes I select. But when we get to the check out, she seems to sense that we are done, and if the line moves too slowly she starts fussing just when I am trying to scan my debit card and give the cashier my coupons. The cashiers and baggers are always sympathetic and try to ply her with offers of stickers, but I am inevitably worried that I am ruining someone’s afternoon.
Dont apologize!!
I would share an aisle with you anyday!!
As for your tyke acting up in the checkout… we have all been there, done that. I try to smile at the kids doing that and talk to them,“are you having a rough day little buddy” (that sort of thing) they usually snap out of it, or I chat with the mom over the weather etc, and the kid will shut right up to listen.
When mine were smaller, 2 & 6, I would get them each a small choc milk and let them sip on that while I whipped through the store (kept them quiet) Now they have to follow behind me, not beside me, behind. You have to remind them constantly, but I gain the satisfaction of knowing I did it.
Your little one will turn out fine - you sound like a great Mom.
If it ruins someones afternoon - piss on them.
(not actually PISS on them, its just an expression)
No, I don’t have kids. I can see how something like that could be worrisome, especially if it’s a store you don’t visit often.
However, when I shop during the day, I see a LOT of dangerous things kids do. They stand up inside the basket, ride under it (on the little platform for soda where the wheels attach), make noise for attention, and develop immediate cases of the “gimmies”. I also see kids in carts whose mothers are nowhere near them.
If I did have kids, I’d rather leave them in an area that’s supervised and (relatively) safe than have them hurt themselves, or worse yet, taken from an unwatched cart. The kids area at my supermarket has a plexi-glass and mesh enclosure, so the kids can see out, and people could see in.
When my best friend had her second child, we wondered what the hell to do with them when grocery shopping (now 1 yr & 3 yrs).
Two solutions we have found- some carts are a little wider with TWO seats for little ones with safety belts. Also, some carts at my Ralphs have a funny plastic attachment that is a seat for two bigger kids, with safety straps, attached to the back of the cart where you push. So you can get one kid in the cart seat, and two more on the extra seat-attachment-thingie.
I too will give my son just about anything to keep him quiet in the cart. When he was younger, I once had to push my cart full of groceries over to an employee, apologize, and ask him to return all the items to the shelves, because the baby had had enough. I felt that this was a much quieter option than trying to quiet his SCREAMS in the store and continue shopping. I don’t need that look, lady…
kellibelli- nothing worse than being behind/near people that annoy you. A simple solution for the future…Whenever I get stuck behind or near a bunch of non-curteous, non-knowledgeable shoppers I will head to the other end of the store and shop “backwards”. This way I only have to cross their paths once or most of the time, not at all. The only drawback is you may have to go at a slightly faster pace to keep the ice cream from melting.
FYI, our local Wegmans grocery has a fully supervised 1 hour limit day care type center. They have very tight security, and fully trained staff. All kids and parents are “braceleted” with matching tags of some sort (numbered, I assume) so no kids can go home with the wrong person. Wegmans is pretty much only in Upstate NY and PA right now, though so you all will have to wait!
The area at my local store is. The door is one of those Dutch doors, where the bottom half is locked from the inside, and the top half is open. Obviously, it’s not open 24 hours a day, as the rest of the store is, but during most prime shopping hours, it is always staffed.
I think the key word here is “relatively.” I’m really not worried abut molestation, intentional injury or abduction. I assume all these places have good visibility and all that. I’m more concerned about whether the person in charge is capable of keeping an eye on a large number of children at once and monitoring their safety. I’m also concerned about the condition/type of toys that are available. Are cracked or broken toys discarded immediately? What about toys brought in by other children? Are they screened for small, chokable pieces? What are they showing on the VCR? (I was one of the few parents who did not allow my children to watch Power Rangers.) I might leave an older, verbal child in such an area, but not an infant or toddler. My children have been bitten and scratched too many times by friends! And the thought of my child mouthing toys that have been recently handled by hundreds of children is just too much. (Yes, I’m the person with the cloth diaper draped over the front of the cart so my infant won’t chew on it.)
Really, it’s not that difficult to shop safely with a child. You simply don’t allow them, ever, to stand in the cart. I used a sling when mine were smaller because it kept them happier longer. You don’t, ever, walk away from the cart. Children who make it a practice to whine and throw tantrums for things do so because it has proven effective in the past. I don’t see how handing them to a stranger is a better option.
kellibelli, thanks for the support! and the giggle! ("don’t actually piss on them…tee hee…)
