# Is this a dickish move at the grocery store? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [February 17, 2018, 11:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-a-dickish-move-at-the-grocery-store/809028 "2018-02-17T23:59:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Manlob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/96bed5/32.png) [@Manlob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Manlob)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2018, 3:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-a-dickish-move-at-the-grocery-store/809028/21 "2018-02-18T03:14:00Z")
What if an individual parked his cart in one line and stood in another, then picked the line he wanted to use until later? That slightly less dickish than what the couple was doing because it is the same thing except it takes up less space than 2 people in the queues. ---
**Author:** ![needscoffee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/needscoffee/32/1076_2.png) [@needscoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/needscoffee)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2018, 3:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-a-dickish-move-at-the-grocery-store/809028/22 "2018-02-18T03:26:04Z")
> [@Jophiel](#): > > They could also be buying something from the checkout line, with the person in front of them or buying stamps, etc from the cashier. Well, then they’d be waiting in the express line. ---
**Author:** ![Chessic\_Sense](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/7c8e57/32.png) [@Chessic\_Sense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chessic_Sense)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2018, 3:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-a-dickish-move-at-the-grocery-store/809028/23 "2018-02-18T03:28:53Z")
> [@pulykamell](#): > > Surprised by the responses here. Definitely on the side of dickish here. Not as dickish as someone immediately finding a place in line while the other person shops (and just letting one person after another go by until the shopping is finished), but a bit of gaming the system. Some people find it clever. I find it annoying. Surprised by the responses here, and annoyed by sentences that don’t start with a subject. Definitely not dickish, as the only thing they’re doing wrong is existing in public. There are two of them. They’re using two people’s time. They’ve paid the social cost. Plus, it helps with overall efficiency. It gets them out of the store faster, and therefore out of the way of follow-on customers. They’re detecting the fastest line and assigning workload to it instead of stacking that workload on an already overburdened line. Ever sit in traffic, wishing you could compel the driver in front of you to go faster? So that they’re out of your way sooner? This is the foot traffic equivalent of that. The only way this could be considered dickish is if you think you’re somehow entitled to a fast lane, and you’re mad that they’re balancing the lines. ---
**Author:** ![Chessic\_Sense](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/7c8e57/32.png) [@Chessic\_Sense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chessic_Sense)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2018, 3:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-a-dickish-move-at-the-grocery-store/809028/24 "2018-02-18T03:32:36Z")
> [@Manlob](#): > > What if an individual parked his cart in one line and stood in another, then picked the line he wanted to use until later? That slightly less dickish than what the couple was doing because it is the same thing except it takes up less space than 2 people in the queues. Then there would be only one person occupying the space of two. That’s dickish. It’s rude when someone on the train puts their bag on an open seat, but not their child on the open seat. It’s rude when someone puts their feet on an available barstool, but not their husband on the barstool. Your comparison betrays the _real_ reason you don’t like the strategy. There are two people in the store, which is worse than one, which is worse than zero. Your real gripe is that other people exist. ---
**Author:** ![Jophiel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jophiel/32/66_2.png) [@Jophiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jophiel)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2018, 3:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-a-dickish-move-at-the-grocery-store/809028/25 "2018-02-18T03:45:21Z")
> [@needscoffee](#): > > Well, then they’d be waiting in the express line. Eh, not necessarily. Sometimes the express line is longer, etc. In any event, my job isn’t to play Slylock Fox with each person in line and determine their motive for being there. ---
**Author:** ![Rhiannon8404](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rhiannon8404/32/17929_2.png) [@Rhiannon8404](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rhiannon8404)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2018, 3:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-a-dickish-move-at-the-grocery-store/809028/26 "2018-02-18T03:50:00Z")
Not dickish. Does the OP think it’s something new? It’s really common. I can remember my mom and I doing it when I was a kid. I have noticed other people doing it and it doesn’t bother me at all. ---
**Author:** ![justanothermike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/c2a13f/32.png) [@justanothermike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/justanothermike)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2018, 3:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-a-dickish-move-at-the-grocery-store/809028/27 "2018-02-18T03:55:36Z")
Dickish. If I walk up to get in line now my perception is skewed by their move. I may not know if that lady is just standing with someone else in line or what. I pick that line, think I’m just a couple people deep, and then somebody wanders over with a fat cart full of stuff right in front of me. Dickish. ---
**Author:** ![kopek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kopek/32/337_2.png) [@kopek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kopek)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2018, 3:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-a-dickish-move-at-the-grocery-store/809028/28 "2018-02-18T03:58:36Z")
To me its situational. Two or three lines of say 4-5 people and no big deal. Eight check-outs open and ten people per line and its a little more understandable but more bordering on dickish. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2018, 4:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-a-dickish-move-at-the-grocery-store/809028/29 "2018-02-18T04:06:08Z")
The main reason I can see it as dickish is how inconvenient it will be if the husband then has to bring the cart over to the other lane. If someone is behind either (or both) of them, that makes things very inconvenient for them, having to back up and get out of the way to let the person with a cart out of one line into the other. . Inconveniencing everyone else so you can get through faster counts as dickish, in my opinion. (Unless people are assuming they just have a basket and could hand it over. I guess that might be okay.) ---
**Author:** ![Deanna\_D](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e495f1/32.png) [@Deanna\_D](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Deanna_D)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2018, 4:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-a-dickish-move-at-the-grocery-store/809028/30 "2018-02-18T04:20:18Z")
I voted dickish. I chose the line I got into based on a quick scan of who’s in line ahead of me. I would avoid getting in line behind someone with a cart brimming with groceries, and instead choose to get in a the line with those who aren’t going to take forever to get checked out. I would be a little annoyed if someone then moved over to my lane with a year’s worth of groceries. That kinda gives me the vibe that they’re saving their time in line at the expense of my time in line. ---
**Author:** ![guizot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guizot/32/3636_2.png) [@guizot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/guizot)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2018, 5:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-a-dickish-move-at-the-grocery-store/809028/31 "2018-02-18T05:06:15Z")
> [@Deanna\_D](#): > > I voted dickish. I chose the line I got into based on a quick scan of who’s in line ahead of me. I would avoid getting in line behind someone with a cart brimming with groceries, and instead choose to get in a the line with those who aren’t going to take forever to get checked out. I would be a little annoyed if someone then moved over to my lane with a year’s worth of groceries. Exactly. If you have a lot of groceries, you should be straightforward about which line you’re in, because other people behind you will choose a line based on that. It’s like those people who send someone to wait in line even before they have all their stuff, and then when they get to the cashier, they make everyone wait because the other person hasn’t even gotten there yet–or keeps coming and going for more stuff. Jesus fucking Christ–why can’t you just wait your turn like everyone else? What makes you think you’re better than everyone else? ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Strangelove](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr.strangelove/32/6613_2.png) [@Dr.Strangelove](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Strangelove)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2018, 5:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-a-dickish-move-at-the-grocery-store/809028/32 "2018-02-18T05:07:10Z")
Dick move, at least potentially. Any situation that adds items in front of you is a dick move. Likewise, sending someone ahead to wait in line, while their partner comes in later with a full cart, is a definite dick move. Though obviously this is scale-dependent–sending the partner off to pick up a single forgotten item isn’t going to move the dickishness needle. ---
**Author:** ![needscoffee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/needscoffee/32/1076_2.png) [@needscoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/needscoffee)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2018, 5:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-a-dickish-move-at-the-grocery-store/809028/33 "2018-02-18T05:12:02Z")
Hmm, I’m starting to reconsider my earlier opinion… ---
**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:** [February 18, 2018, 5:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-a-dickish-move-at-the-grocery-store/809028/34 "2018-02-18T05:16:44Z")
It’s funny because I would never do it in a grocery store but a friend and I did it routinely at the racetrack when there were queues at the tote windows. Whoever got to the window first put both bets on. ---
**Author:** ![Biotop](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/biotop/32/321_2.png) [@Biotop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biotop)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2018, 5:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-a-dickish-move-at-the-grocery-store/809028/35 "2018-02-18T05:35:19Z")
I have always found “wait until it is your turn” a good motto for living with others. ---
**Author:** ![Jake\_Jones](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e0b2c6/32.png) [@Jake\_Jones](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jake_Jones)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2018, 5:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-a-dickish-move-at-the-grocery-store/809028/36 "2018-02-18T05:37:28Z")
> [@don\_t\_ask](#): > > It’s funny because I would never do it in a grocery store but a friend and I did it routinely at the racetrack when there were queues at the tote windows. Whoever got to the window first put both bets on. That’s not dickish based on what most people are saying. At the track, you don’t know if the guy in front of you is making one bet or a dozen bets, so there is no chance for misperception. At the grocery store, one assumes that the person in front of them has everything that they’re checking out with. When their partner rolls up with a cart full of groceries at the last minute, that is in fact dickish behavior, in my opinion. If you think of it as a game (which it kind of is) there is luck and skill involved with choosing the fastest checkout lane. Splitting up increases your odds of faster checkout, but more importantly it misrepresents your presence in the game, which is unfair to other players. ---
**Author:** ![Novelty\_Bobble](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/a3d4f5/32.png) [@Novelty\_Bobble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Novelty_Bobble)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2018, 8:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-a-dickish-move-at-the-grocery-store/809028/37 "2018-02-18T08:45:31Z")
This is why i always use the self-service or scan as you shop. I hate queuing with a passion and though i think what they did is mildly annoying I reckon I’d possibly do the same if I had to queue. ---
**Author:** ![Mr\_Shine](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mr_shine/32/464_2.png) [@Mr\_Shine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr_Shine)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2018, 10:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-a-dickish-move-at-the-grocery-store/809028/38 "2018-02-18T10:06:43Z")
Definitely dickish. The people coming after will be trying to minimize their time queueing by analysing the state of the lines. The potential to turn a “nothing” purchase into a trolleyload is very jerkish behavour. Pick a lane and wait your turn. ---
**Author:** ![kiz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/7feea3/32.png) [@kiz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kiz)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2018, 11:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-a-dickish-move-at-the-grocery-store/809028/39 "2018-02-18T11:43:44Z")
Dickish as described upthread (thank you Deanna D) but not as dickish as going through the self scan WHILE I’M BAGGING MY ORDER THANK YOU VERY MUCH ASSHOLE WAIT YOUR GODDAM FUCKING TURN. And yes, I will not be afraid to say this to your face if you try it on me. [sub]The front end people at our local supermarket thank me whenever I have to employ this. I’m not quite as harsh IRL but I can turn on a dime depending on how dickish the person is.[/sub] ---
**Author:** ![jz78817](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jz78817/32/1028_2.png) [@jz78817](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jz78817)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2018, 12:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-a-dickish-move-at-the-grocery-store/809028/40 "2018-02-18T12:00:28Z")
> [@Biotop](#): > > I have always found “wait until it is your turn” a good motto for living with others. unfortunately, everyone else seems to think “I’m the only person in the world” is a good motto for living. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-a-dickish-move-at-the-grocery-store/809028.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-a-dickish-move-at-the-grocery-store/809028.md?page=3)