# If someone in front of you in the express aisle had more than the maximum items.. what would you do? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [October 22, 2013, 1:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-someone-in-front-of-you-in-the-express-aisle-had-more-than-the-maximum-items-what-would-you-do/671896 "2013-10-22T01:55:49Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![not\_what\_you\_d\_expect](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/not_what_you_d_expect/32/3246_2.png) [@not\_what\_you\_d\_expect](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/not_what_you_d_expect)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2013, 1:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-someone-in-front-of-you-in-the-express-aisle-had-more-than-the-maximum-items-what-would-you-do/671896/41 "2013-10-22T13:36:02Z")
I think evil thoughts about them. Plus I don’t smile at them if they look at me. I’m tough like that. ---
**Author:** ![elbows](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/b3f665/32.png) [@elbows](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elbows)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2013, 2:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-someone-in-front-of-you-in-the-express-aisle-had-more-than-the-maximum-items-what-would-you-do/671896/42 "2013-10-22T14:35:47Z")
When all the other checkouts have lines, but the speed lane is empty, at my grocer they just waive over the next person, regardless of how many items they have. Why wouldn’t they, to do otherwise is pretty poor customer service. Murphy’s law says several shoppers, with only a few items, will immediately line up behind that ‘over the limit’ patron, I should think. People who roll eyes at every perceived slight or rule breaking, strike me as among the saddest of creatures. Shallow, judgmental and clearly lacking imagination. I can imagine several good reasons to give someone a pass, for almost any small thing, at any given moment. So I avoid getting miffed over stupid crap, which seems to absolutely fill some peoples lives. (But then I’m a Canadian so maybe we’re all just too understanding and polite.) ---
**Author:** ![Anaamika](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Anaamika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anaamika)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2013, 4:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-someone-in-front-of-you-in-the-express-aisle-had-more-than-the-maximum-items-what-would-you-do/671896/43 "2013-10-22T16:15:44Z")
> [@not\_what\_you\_d\_expect](#): > > I think evil thoughts about them. Plus I don’t smile at them if they look at me. > > I’m tough like that. Yah, pretty much. ---
**Author:** ![DCnDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dcndc/32/2842_2.png) [@DCnDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DCnDC)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2013, 6:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-someone-in-front-of-you-in-the-express-aisle-had-more-than-the-maximum-items-what-would-you-do/671896/44 "2013-10-22T18:21:05Z")
> [@kiz](#): > > Back in my cashiering days we could call somebody over with a large order if we weren’t busy. Back in my cashiering days we had the same policy, which I hated, because inevitably as soon as I started scanning their order, someone with 4 items would come up and start complaining, and at the time the registers didn’t yet have the “suspend order” feature. ---
**Author:** ![Moonlitherial](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4bbf92/32.png) [@Moonlitherial](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moonlitherial)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2013, 6:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-someone-in-front-of-you-in-the-express-aisle-had-more-than-the-maximum-items-what-would-you-do/671896/45 "2013-10-22T18:29:13Z")
When they redesigned my local supermarket they made the express lane the 2nd lane with the first being wide enough for a wheel chair and connected to the customer service desk for lottery purchases. Being capable of reading I used this lane for full loads of groceries and suffered through several of the **Cat Whisperer** type overloud conversations behind me. Reactions when I pointed out that the express lane was actually RIGHT beside them they ranged from an apology or denial that was possible because the first lane is always express. After 2 months they changed it up so now that is the express lane. ---
**Author:** ![Icarus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/icarus/32/72_2.png) [@Icarus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Icarus)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2013, 6:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-someone-in-front-of-you-in-the-express-aisle-had-more-than-the-maximum-items-what-would-you-do/671896/46 "2013-10-22T18:34:47Z")
In this, and many other public frustrating situations I remain stone-faced, which perceptive people can interpret as un-friendly, and (while not dis-approving) not exactly approving. Inside, I remind myself that whoever the offending party is - is inferior to me and must do these things to enhance their own feelings of self-worth. To be pitied, really. ---
**Author:** ![Shodan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Shodan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shodan)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2013, 6:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-someone-in-front-of-you-in-the-express-aisle-had-more-than-the-maximum-items-what-would-you-do/671896/47 "2013-10-22T18:37:39Z")
If I were the person with the 25 items, I would ask you to go ahead of me. If I were the person behind the person with 25 items? Gunplay. Regards, Shodan ---
**Author:** ![pulykamell](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pulykamell/32/3166_2.png) [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2013, 6:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-someone-in-front-of-you-in-the-express-aisle-had-more-than-the-maximum-items-what-would-you-do/671896/48 "2013-10-22T18:45:46Z")
I’d ignore it, but the cashiers around here are pretty good at catching it before it becomes a problem. At least the few times I’ve seen it. ---
**Author:** ![msmith537](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d9b06d/32.png) [@msmith537](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/msmith537)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2013, 6:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-someone-in-front-of-you-in-the-express-aisle-had-more-than-the-maximum-items-what-would-you-do/671896/49 "2013-10-22T18:45:49Z")
> [@Mighty\_Mouse](#): > > I picked option #2 but all I do is politely remind them that this is the express lane. In every case they have sheepishly moved. > [@Alessan](#): > > Damn right I tell them. But then, express lanes here are still 6 items or less, so violations are even more egregious. Yeah…I’m still going to use this line anyway.😃 > [@Alessan](#): > > They do here too. Bigger guns, in fact. So what? I guess you guys can shoot the extra cans. ---
**Author:** ![bup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/6bbea6/32.png) [@bup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bup)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2013, 7:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-someone-in-front-of-you-in-the-express-aisle-had-more-than-the-maximum-items-what-would-you-do/671896/50 "2013-10-22T19:08:00Z")
It so much depends. If I was in a hurry, I’d probably ask the person if I could go ahead of them. Is that ‘confronting?’ Once I got pulled into an empty express line by an employee whose line was empty. Then someone showed up behind me. I explained what happened, but maybe not everyone would. Although I’m not great at behaving this way, the world seems to go better if you assume others had some good intention or reason before you get angry. ---
**Author:** ![Shodan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Shodan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shodan)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2013, 7:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-someone-in-front-of-you-in-the-express-aisle-had-more-than-the-maximum-items-what-would-you-do/671896/51 "2013-10-22T19:27:14Z")
> [@bup](#): > > … the world seems to go better if you assume others had some good intention or reason before you get angry. Oh, you’re no fun. Regards, Shodan ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2013, 8:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-someone-in-front-of-you-in-the-express-aisle-had-more-than-the-maximum-items-what-would-you-do/671896/52 "2013-10-22T20:14:25Z")
> [@Biotop](#): > > If you start here where does it stop with correcting the rest of the human race for their perceived lack of awareness? If you do choose to confront such individuals in a trivial situation such as this, are you also prepared to accept it when people are vocally annoyed by some minor inconsiderate foible of your own? It should never stop until all people are obeying the rules all the time, not just when someone is forcing them to. > [@GusNSpot](#): > > 99% of the people can dish it out but not take it … Yup. > [@DCnDC](#): > > Back in my cashiering days we had the same policy, which I hated, because inevitably as soon as I started scanning their order, someone with 4 items would come up and start complaining, and at the time the registers didn’t yet have the “suspend order” feature. If you called me over and then suspended my order, you’d now have two angry customers. 🙂 > [@bup](#): > > \ > Although I’m not great at behaving this way, the world seems to go better if you assume others had some good intention or reason before you get angry. I assume others are trying to get away with things because of all the people trying to get away with things. To all of you saying this isn’t worth getting upset about, you’d be right, if this was the only thing like this we ever encountered, or we only encountered it once in our lifetimes. When you add a little thing like this to the pile of little things that entitled assholes try to get away with every day (and that other people put up with thousands of times in their lifetimes), it starts to look like a whole mountain of entitled asshole behaviour. ---
**Author:** ![Mrmanface](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9de0a6/32.png) [@Mrmanface](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mrmanface)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2013, 8:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-someone-in-front-of-you-in-the-express-aisle-had-more-than-the-maximum-items-what-would-you-do/671896/53 "2013-10-22T20:57:15Z")
I’d ring sheldon cooper, but then he’d probably advise me that there is no universal standard for what constitutes an “item”. In other words I wouuld care so little that thinking about it would possibly make me cry. Honestly… there are more important things to worry about aren’t there? ---
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2013, 8:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-someone-in-front-of-you-in-the-express-aisle-had-more-than-the-maximum-items-what-would-you-do/671896/54 "2013-10-22T20:59:35Z")
I always confront them with “You know, one-third of all Americans can’t read or count… And they are all in the express lane.” ---
**Author:** ![elbows](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/b3f665/32.png) [@elbows](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elbows)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2013, 12:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-someone-in-front-of-you-in-the-express-aisle-had-more-than-the-maximum-items-what-would-you-do/671896/55 "2013-10-23T00:27:47Z")
> [@](#): > > …it starts to look like a whole mountain of entitled asshole behaviour. That’s because you will always see what you’re watching for, assume everyone is an entitled asshole and you’ll never be disappointed. Not really seeing the advantage in assuming everyone is trying to take advantage of you. Not a world I want to create for myself but, hey, whatever floats your boat. ---
**Author:** ![wonky](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wonky/32/393_2.png) [@wonky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wonky)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2013, 12:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-someone-in-front-of-you-in-the-express-aisle-had-more-than-the-maximum-items-what-would-you-do/671896/56 "2013-10-23T00:38:44Z")
I rarely go through the express lane. When I do, I pay attention to me and my things rather than caring what other people are doing. They’re just trying to get through their day, same as I am. Other people are people, not just obstacles in my life. ---
**Author:** ![CanvasShoes](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/74df32/32.png) [@CanvasShoes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CanvasShoes)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2013, 5:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-someone-in-front-of-you-in-the-express-aisle-had-more-than-the-maximum-items-what-would-you-do/671896/57 "2013-10-23T05:29:36Z")
> [@elfkin477](#): > > I wouldn’t say anything. Unless I was behind them the whole time, how would I know that they didn’t speak to the cashier about if it was okay that they have too many items? I’ve heard cashiers with no line invite people with a few too many items to come to their registers often enough not to assume that the person’s just being a jerk. This. I’ve been one of the ones a clerk brought to his/her counter regardless of the number of items I had. A clerk will come over and basically get my cart and say “here, I’m open”. And if I say “oh, but I have more than 15” they always tell me it’s fine. Generally the clerks just want to keep people moving through. Though I don’t know if they’d grab a cart that was chock full of stuff to the brim. Around my neck of the woods the signs say something to the effect of “about 15 items”. ---
**Author:** ![msmith537](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d9b06d/32.png) [@msmith537](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/msmith537)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2013, 10:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-someone-in-front-of-you-in-the-express-aisle-had-more-than-the-maximum-items-what-would-you-do/671896/58 "2013-10-23T10:58:52Z")
> [@Biotop](#): > > If you start here where does it stop with correcting the rest of the human race for their perceived lack of awareness? If you do choose to confront such individuals in a trivial situation such as this, are you also prepared to accept it when people are vocally annoyed by some minor inconsiderate foible of your own? Maybe it’s the part of the country where I live. But if you confront someone in the supermarket line the manner people in this thread are recommending, you best be prepared to be told to “shut the fuck up”. ---
**Author:** ![don\_t\_ask](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e68b1a/32.png) [@don\_t\_ask](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/don_t_ask)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2013, 11:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-someone-in-front-of-you-in-the-express-aisle-had-more-than-the-maximum-items-what-would-you-do/671896/59 "2013-10-23T11:07:30Z")
A few years ago I was behind a young couple in the express aisle. They had a trolley with way more than the number of items allowed. They were happy and chatting away and I was in no hurry so I just ignored it. When they actually got to the point of putting their stuff on the conveyor belt I heard muttered complaints behind me. I looked around and loudly said, “It’s OK folks, I’ve checked their trolley and they only have 3 items - food, cleaning products and other stuff.” Everyone laughed and the crisis was averted. ---
**Author:** ![QuickSilver](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quicksilver/32/7832_2.png) [@QuickSilver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/QuickSilver)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2013, 11:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-someone-in-front-of-you-in-the-express-aisle-had-more-than-the-maximum-items-what-would-you-do/671896/60 "2013-10-23T11:15:32Z")
> [@msmith537](#): > > Maybe it’s the part of the country where I live. But if you confront someone in the supermarket line the manner people in this thread are recommending, you best be prepared to be told to “shut the fuck up”. Oh no! Anything but the dreaded “shut the fuck up”. :eek: That said, I can’t be arsed to get overly upset about stuff like this. Not like I’ve never shown up with 15 items in a 12 item limit isle. I generally assume if there’s someone ahead of me with a full cart, it’s because the cashier called them over to ease the wait in another isle. If anyone wants to complain about my 15 items, I generally offer an insincere smile and an “I’m so sorry I’ve inconvenienced you. How can I make this up to you?” But I live south of the Mason Dixon line. We make the time for nicities like this. 😃 [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-someone-in-front-of-you-in-the-express-aisle-had-more-than-the-maximum-items-what-would-you-do/671896.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/if-someone-in-front-of-you-in-the-express-aisle-had-more-than-the-maximum-items-what-would-you-do/671896.md?page=4)