# 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:** 6
**Author:** ![Roy\_Batty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/4af34b/32.png) [@Roy\_Batty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Roy_Batty)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2018, 5:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-a-dickish-move-at-the-grocery-store/809028/101 "2018-02-21T17:36:35Z")
> [@Annie-Xmas](#): > > Store cashier here. Definitely not cool, and borderline dickish. If they have four children, can the kids each wait on a different line? Can the shopping cart be left unattended in line while they do a little more shopping, or wait on another line? Or let the children wait on line and put up the items, and the cashier has to wait for the grown up to come back and pay for the items? I’ve seen all of these things, and I don’t like them. > > The line is for people who are ready, willing and able to pay. Agreed, and Thanks for the feedback. The opinion of a store cashier (who has to deal with this type of thing on a regular basis) carries more weight here than that of entitled shoppers who selfishly only care about their own convenience & don’t care about all of the other people in line(s). ---
**Author:** ![Doctor\_Jackson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doctor_jackson/32/32_2.png) [@Doctor\_Jackson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doctor_Jackson)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2018, 6:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-a-dickish-move-at-the-grocery-store/809028/102 "2018-02-21T18:40:31Z")
> [@Roy\_Batty](#): > > Doing this is _unquestionably_ a dick move. Since the OP is phrased as a question, your premise was proven incorrect even before it was posted and, therefore, the remainder of your thesis is rejected. Better luck next semester! :p:D ---
**Author:** ![CookingWithGas](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cookingwithgas/32/485_2.png) [@CookingWithGas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CookingWithGas)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2018, 6:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-a-dickish-move-at-the-grocery-store/809028/103 "2018-02-21T18:57:17Z")
Dickish but not rising to the level of “notify store security.” It doesn’t really inconvenience anyone but it disrupts the point of having separate lines–you get in the shortest line. They are making one line look longer than it really is. One purchase should take up one spot in one line. Which, by the way, is an argument for a single line for all registers, which would be the fairest system, although grocery stores generally don’t have the space for this. ---
**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:** [February 21, 2018, 7:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-a-dickish-move-at-the-grocery-store/809028/104 "2018-02-21T19:09:21Z")
> [@CookingWithGas](#): > > Dickish but not rising to the level of “notify store security.” It doesn’t really inconvenience anyone but it disrupts the point of having separate lines–you get in the shortest line. They are making one line look longer than it really is. One purchase should take up one spot in one line. > > Which, by the way, is an argument for a single line for all registers, which would be the fairest system, although grocery stores generally don’t have the space for this. As you point out, the only point of separate lines at the supermarket is that a single line doesn’t work. So the next best thing, in my opinion, would be that you have a placeholder in each line. ---
**Author:** ![Roy\_Batty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/4af34b/32.png) [@Roy\_Batty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Roy_Batty)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2018, 7:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-a-dickish-move-at-the-grocery-store/809028/105 "2018-02-21T19:15:23Z")
> [@Doctor\_Jackson](#): > > Since the OP is phrased as a question, your premise was proven incorrect even before it was posted and, therefore, the remainder of your thesis is rejected. Better luck next semester! :p:D You’re sadly mistaken, but that’s OK! It’s alright to be wrong! Obviously & as you can see from the responses, at least some people have agreed that this is a dick move on here. However, I appreciate the feedback! Keep it coming! You sound extremely intelligent, and I’m glad that you’re posting on this board! I’m not going to read any more of your posts & will ignore you from now on, but that’s OK! Keep your intelligent comments coming for those who are interested! I’m sure you have a lot of followers! ---
**Author:** ![Randolph](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e5b9ba/32.png) [@Randolph](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Randolph)\ **Post date:** [February 21, 2018, 9:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-a-dickish-move-at-the-grocery-store/809028/106 "2018-02-21T21:08:04Z")
After all, they are emotionally inexperienced, with only a few years in which to store up the experiences which you and I take for granted. ---
**Author:** ![Doctor\_Jackson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doctor_jackson/32/32_2.png) [@Doctor\_Jackson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doctor_Jackson)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2018, 1:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-a-dickish-move-at-the-grocery-store/809028/107 "2018-02-22T13:52:06Z")
> [@Roy\_Batty](#): > > I’m not going to read any more of your posts & will ignore you from now on, but that’s OK! It’s more than OK, it’s a requirement in the user agreement. ---
**Author:** ![Jasmine](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jasmine/32/2964_2.png) [@Jasmine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jasmine)\ **Post date:** [February 22, 2018, 2:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-a-dickish-move-at-the-grocery-store/809028/108 "2018-02-22T14:05:08Z")
> [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](#): > > “You stay here”, says the man, “I’ll wait in that line”. He slides over, and they each occupy a place in a line, each ready to jump ship when it becomes clear which line is more desirable. If there was no cart full of groceries, I would see no problem. However, only ONE of them can have the cart at any one time. So, what if the person WITHOUT the cart has the best line? The other person has extricate him or herself from one line in order to roll over there and squeeze the cart into the new line, thus causing a delay and forcing the people behind them to back up and make room. That is what makes it “dickish” to me. Question: Why are undesirable people called “pricks” and “dicks” and undesirable conduct called “dickish”? Somehow, the penis became a much maligned organ. ---
**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:** [February 22, 2018, 2:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-a-dickish-move-at-the-grocery-store/809028/109 "2018-02-22T14:47:40Z")
So I’m waiting on the “10 items or less” line behind a woman who has exactly 10 items. Then her companion shows up with four more items. I complain, and he says “Well, it’s for two people.” Then they tell the cashier they want 4 packs of cigarettes, meaning the cashier has to call the person with the key to open the case where they keep the smokes. Express line my butt. And yes, I did complain to the manager. ---
**Author:** ![CookingWithGas](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cookingwithgas/32/485_2.png) [@CookingWithGas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CookingWithGas)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2018, 2:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-a-dickish-move-at-the-grocery-store/809028/110 "2018-02-23T02:13:28Z")
> [@Jasmine](#): > > Question: Why are undesirable people called “pricks” and “dicks” and undesirable conduct called “dickish”? Somehow, the penis became a much maligned organ. OK, it was nasal behavior. 😃 > [@wonky](#): > > As you point out, the only point of separate lines at the supermarket is that a single line doesn’t work. So the next best thing, in my opinion, would be that you have a placeholder in each line. OK, so next time we go shopping let’s all bring 6 friends, and get one person in every line and then jump into the line where a friend gets to the front first. Now instead of having 3 people in each of 6 lines, we have 18 people in each of 6 lines, or 108 people in lines. And all hell breaks loose. Now I know this is the variant of the “everybody” argument: “If _everybody_ did this…” “But _not_ everybody does it so it’s OK.” But it does show that there is a disruption when people team up to get in multiple lines, and it becomes blazingly obvious when scaled up. ---
**Author:** ![Roy\_Batty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/4af34b/32.png) [@Roy\_Batty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Roy_Batty)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2018, 2:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-a-dickish-move-at-the-grocery-store/809028/111 "2018-02-23T02:25:08Z")
> [@Jasmine](#): > > If there was no cart full of groceries, I would see no problem. However, only ONE of them can have the cart at any one time. So, what if the person WITHOUT the cart has the best line? The other person has extricate him or herself from one line in order to roll over there and squeeze the cart into the new line, thus causing a delay and forcing the people behind them to back up and make room. That is what makes it “dickish” to me. Exactly. Again, glad at least some people get why those who do this are assholes. To me, this is not quite as bad as “line skipping” - but it’s close. If this is the way you shop, do a favor to the rest of us & STAY THE FUCK OUT OF RETAIL STORES. Do all of your shopping online, where you won’t be disrupting people. Fucking entitled piece of shit douche-bags. ---
**Author:** ![Riemann](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/riemann/32/3133_2.png) [@Riemann](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Riemann)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2018, 2:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-a-dickish-move-at-the-grocery-store/809028/112 "2018-02-23T02:28:06Z")
Based on the “what if everybody did it” test of whether something is ok, I plan to drive on the left side of the road tomorrow. ---
**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:** [February 23, 2018, 2:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-a-dickish-move-at-the-grocery-store/809028/113 "2018-02-23T02:33:40Z")
> [@CookingWithGas](#): > > OK, so next time we go shopping let’s all bring 6 friends, and get one person in every line and then jump into the line where a friend gets to the front first. Now instead of having 3 people in each of 6 lines, we have 18 people in each of 6 lines, or 108 people in lines. And all hell breaks loose. Now I know this is the variant of the “everybody” argument: > > “If _everybody_ did this…” > “But _not_ everybody does it so it’s OK.” > > But it does show that there is a disruption when people team up to get in multiple lines, and it becomes blazingly obvious when scaled up. Actually, no. It shows the lines get longer, but it dosn’t show that there’s disruption. The lines are longer, but they do not move more slowly. ---
**Author:** ![Riemann](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/riemann/32/3133_2.png) [@Riemann](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Riemann)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2018, 2:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-a-dickish-move-at-the-grocery-store/809028/114 "2018-02-23T02:37:59Z")
> [@wonky](#): > > Actually, no. It shows the lines get longer, but it dosn’t show that there’s disruption. The lines are longer, but they do not move more slowly. There’s disruption because some people are penalized against expectation. It’s not just a question of what the net overall effect is. If you stole $5 from half the people and gave $10 to the other half, how do you think that would work out? It’s not just working out that a different system is equal or faster on average. The system must be agreed upon and understood by all, so that everyone follows the same etiquette and has correct expectations. ---
**Author:** ![Roy\_Batty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/4af34b/32.png) [@Roy\_Batty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Roy_Batty)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2018, 2:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-a-dickish-move-at-the-grocery-store/809028/115 "2018-02-23T02:43:16Z")
> [@wonky](#): > > Actually, no. It shows the lines get longer, but it dosn’t show that there’s disruption. The lines are longer, but they do not move more slowly. There is definitely disruption if two people do this in two grocery lines. Go & read the previous posts to see why there IS disruption to others in the line that the two people ultimately choose. ---
**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:** [February 23, 2018, 1:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-a-dickish-move-at-the-grocery-store/809028/116 "2018-02-23T13:05:00Z")
> [@Riemann](#): > > There’s disruption because some people are penalized against expectation. It’s not just a question of what the net overall effect is. If you stole $5 from half the people and gave $10 to the other half, how do you think that would work out? > > It’s not just working out that a different system is equal or faster on average. The system must be agreed upon and understood by all, so that everyone follows the same etiquette and has correct expectations. If you have fewer people agreeing with you, wouldn’t that mean that you are the one trying to establish something without it being agreed upon and understood by all? (Though if the standard is to be “full agreement and understanding,” there would never be any system of anything anywhere.) I don’t find your argument persuasive, especially if it tries to rely on universality of support that it doesn’t actually have. ---
**Author:** ![Asimovian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/asimovian/32/172_2.png) [@Asimovian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Asimovian)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2018, 1:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-a-dickish-move-at-the-grocery-store/809028/117 "2018-02-23T13:06:12Z")
> [@Roy\_Batty](#): > > Exactly. Again, glad at least some people get why those who do this are assholes. To me, this is not quite as bad as “line skipping” - but it’s close. > > If this is the way you shop, do a favor to the rest of us & STAY THE FUCK OUT OF RETAIL STORES. Do all of your shopping online, where you won’t be disrupting people. > > Fucking entitled piece of shit douche-bags. This is over the top for this forum. Dial it back. A lot. ---
**Author:** ![DesertDog](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/desertdog/32/11503_2.png) [@DesertDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DesertDog)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2018, 2:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-a-dickish-move-at-the-grocery-store/809028/118 "2018-02-23T14:22:03Z")
> [@Jack Batty](#): > > Dick move because I always shop alone so there’s no way I could possibly take advantage of it. Ditto for grocery shopping. I just resign myself to the fact that no matter what line I get into will be the slowest one, to the point where I warn people getting in line behind me. Now, the dollar theater by us has the odd feature that the same cashiers sell tickets and concessions both so you can’t tell by length which line will be faster. The line with two people in it will be the one where they both have three kids and have to load up on sodas, popcorn, and candy while the line with six want tickets only. DesertRoomie and I will get into adjacent lines and whoever arrives at the front first gets tix while the other bails. ---
**Author:** ![Kyrie\_Eleison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kyrie_eleison/32/7682_2.png) [@Kyrie\_Eleison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kyrie_Eleison)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2018, 8:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-a-dickish-move-at-the-grocery-store/809028/119 "2018-02-23T20:26:04Z")
I voted for the “depends” option, before seeing the OP’s clarification that there was no cart involved. Because to me, that’s the dependency. Not dickish if there’s no cart, dickish if there is. If there’s no significant change to the size of the order, it’s fair. Otherwise, though, the people in line behind the placeholder are put out because they based their line choice on what proved to be unreliable information. If the guy in front of me with five items suddenly has ten instead, no big deal. If the guy in front of me with one full cart suddenly has two, yeah, that guy’s a dick. > [@CookingWithGas](#): > > But it does show that there is a disruption when people team up to get in multiple lines, and it becomes blazingly obvious when scaled up. It’s not blazingly obvious to me, unless you’re just objecting to the overall crowd size. Disregarding the needless placeholders, this is exactly equivalent to the single line, multiple register system that I’ve seen at every TJ Maxx & Marshalls. ---
**Author:** ![phreesh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/9fc29f/32.png) [@phreesh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/phreesh)\ **Post date:** [February 23, 2018, 10:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-a-dickish-move-at-the-grocery-store/809028/120 "2018-02-23T22:13:45Z")
I skipped most of the comments, so apologies if I’m repeating something, but to me you have to think about the net effect. If they stay in one line, they put out only the people in line behind them. If they split lines, they now impact two lines - arguably dickish. However, at some point they return to one line. This annoys the people behind them, but the people in the line they moved from are now happier because someone up front left. Overall, there’s no change, so I’m okay with it. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-a-dickish-move-at-the-grocery-store/809028.md?page=5) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-this-a-dickish-move-at-the-grocery-store/809028.md?page=7)