# Rude woman at the grocery store **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [November 25, 2011, 4:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rude-woman-at-the-grocery-store/604022 "2011-11-25T04:12:04Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Azeotrope](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/0ea827/32.png) [@Azeotrope](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Azeotrope)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2011, 3:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rude-woman-at-the-grocery-store/604022/21 "2011-11-25T15:36:25Z")
At the store I shop at they give few a few cents credit (maybe 3 cents) per reusable bag that you bring in. If it were me I wouldn’t care if the checker forgot to credit me because it’s such a low amount but several times I’ve gotten stuck behind some tool making an ungodly stink because she didn’t get her 6 cents for her reusable bags. So not only did the bag harpy hassle the OP, she probably made the checker’s life miserable in the bargain. Some people just spread joy and sunshine wherever they go :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![Man\_With\_a\_Cat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/cab0a1/32.png) [@Man\_With\_a\_Cat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Man_With_a_Cat)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2011, 3:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rude-woman-at-the-grocery-store/604022/22 "2011-11-25T15:55:32Z")
“but it’s so much harder to suffocate busybodies with those reusable bags, isn’t it?” ---
**Author:** ![El\_Kabong](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/el_kabong/32/496_2.png) [@El\_Kabong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/El_Kabong)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2011, 4:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rude-woman-at-the-grocery-store/604022/23 "2011-11-25T16:04:06Z")
> [@hazynlazy](#): > > Then, just as I was about to leave the store, she said, “You know you really shouldn’t use plastic bags.” My reply would have been, “Why not? They work much better than the reusable ones for suffocating kittens.” Aw, who am I kidding? I’m never that quick on the uptake. ---
**Author:** ![YogSothoth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/8edcca/32.png) [@YogSothoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/YogSothoth)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2011, 4:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rude-woman-at-the-grocery-store/604022/24 "2011-11-25T16:24:08Z")
You should have said: “Well how else am I supposed to suffocate my victims? With a cloth bag?!” ---
**Author:** ![MeanOldLady](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/meanoldlady/32/10737_2.png) [@MeanOldLady](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MeanOldLady)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2011, 4:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rude-woman-at-the-grocery-store/604022/25 "2011-11-25T16:27:24Z")
> [@hazynlazy](#): > > Then, just as I was about to leave the store, she said, “You know you really shouldn’t use plastic bags.” “And you shouldn’t be a nosy bitch.” ---
**Author:** ![Larry\_Mudd](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/f14d63/32.png) [@Larry\_Mudd](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Larry_Mudd)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2011, 5:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rude-woman-at-the-grocery-store/604022/26 "2011-11-25T17:00:57Z")
The ironic thing is that despite common perception, poly bags actually have _less_ impact on the environment than any other alternative, by nearly every metric. For a long time my wife used to drive me a bit batty by insisting on using the “green” bags (green only in colour,) and encouraging me to do the same when I shopped - so we’d frequently run out of poly bags, which we use for our under-the-sink trash, on which is designed for them. She would rather use Glad bags (which, lacking handles, don’t fit there and fall on the floor) than endure “people looking at her” using poly bags. :smack: Even if you don’t repurpose all of your poly bags, is still takes more than three hundred uses of a reusable cotton or heavy plastic before you start to see an advantage, and they don’t have that long of a service life. Besides which, they quickly become fairly filthy. Happily, my wife has relaxed on that point and understands the absurdity of it. ---
**Author:** ![Moonlitherial](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4bbf92/32.png) [@Moonlitherial](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moonlitherial)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2011, 6:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rude-woman-at-the-grocery-store/604022/27 "2011-11-25T18:22:36Z")
I have washable canvas reusable bags that I love. Their handles are long enough to loop over my shoulder so it’s actually easier to carry groceries. That said, nosy bitch should look after her own issues and leave others the hell alone. ---
**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:** [November 25, 2011, 8:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rude-woman-at-the-grocery-store/604022/28 "2011-11-25T20:30:55Z")
> [@jjimm](#): > > Yes. Yes I did. I had a feeling you did. 🙂 Maybe the right response to a busybody like that is to smother them with sweetness; “Thank you for your concern - I wish everyone was as concerned about The Environment as you are,” and smile and walk away. ---
**Author:** ![FlyByNight512](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/82dd89/32.png) [@FlyByNight512](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FlyByNight512)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2011, 9:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rude-woman-at-the-grocery-store/604022/29 "2011-11-25T21:29:33Z")
> [@hazynlazy](#): > > I turned to her and said, “I walked here”. That sure shut her up. Nice! I rarely get a chance for a comeback, and usually fumble when I do. So congrats. (The most recent was a complete stranger walking the other way on a public sidewalk who said ‘Hm, time for a haircut!’ as he went past. He was gone too quickly for me to say anything. Asshole.) ---
**Author:** ![Hari\_Seldon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hari_seldon/32/5173_2.png) [@Hari\_Seldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hari_Seldon)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2011, 10:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rude-woman-at-the-grocery-store/604022/30 "2011-11-25T22:55:07Z")
Actually, net bags are probably the most environmentally friendly since you make them out of string and can wash them. I have a canned response for such people: Shut up lady or I’ll call your keeper. ---
**Author:** ![Rigamarole](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/77aa72/32.png) [@Rigamarole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rigamarole)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2011, 11:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rude-woman-at-the-grocery-store/604022/31 "2011-11-25T23:24:19Z")
> [@hazynlazy](#): > > In case you are not aware, or in case it’s different where you live, stores here charge 5 cents for plastic shopping bags. This is in an effort to limit their use, as the bags end up in large numbers in landfills and so there is a push for people to bring reusable bags. I should note that I always bring reusable bags when I’m coming from home, but I wasn’t coming from home and didn’t have a reusable bag with me. The correct response here is “noted”. And if I read that correctly, she was _also_ getting plastic bags? Talk about chutzpah! ---
**Author:** ![Sudden\_Kestrel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecd19e/32.png) [@Sudden\_Kestrel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sudden_Kestrel)\ **Post date:** [November 25, 2011, 11:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rude-woman-at-the-grocery-store/604022/32 "2011-11-25T23:54:29Z")
> [@Larry\_Mudd](#): > > For a long time my wife used to drive me a bit batty by insisting on using the “green” bags (green only in colour,) and encouraging me to do the same when I shopped - so we’d frequently run out of poly bags, which we use for our under-the-sink trash, on which is designed for them. She would rather use Glad bags (which, lacking handles, don’t fit there and fall on the floor) than endure “people looking at her” using poly bags. :smack: One of the most important skills I’ve gained in life is the ability to endure “people looking at me” for any number of things. ---
**Author:** ![jjimm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba8739/32.png) [@jjimm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jjimm)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2011, 1:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rude-woman-at-the-grocery-store/604022/33 "2011-11-26T01:39:37Z")
> [@Smeghead](#): > > Well, don’t worry. It’s not like that was central to the story. Thank goodness for that. At least it wasn’t like the time God was handing out brains and I thought He said drains, and asked for mine to be as small as possible and full of shit. ---
**Author:** ![BoBettie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/4af34b/32.png) [@BoBettie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BoBettie)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2011, 1:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rude-woman-at-the-grocery-store/604022/34 "2011-11-26T01:50:29Z")
OP needs one of these: > **[Mean Green Totes](https://www.trendhunter.com/trends/mean-green-totes-my-reusable-bag-makes-me-better-than-you-bag)** > > \- Showing off how eco-friendly you are is cool, but only if it’s in a 'friendly' way. > > This shopping bag, called and labelled “My Reusa... ---
**Author:** ![Chimera](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Chimera](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chimera)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2011, 3:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rude-woman-at-the-grocery-store/604022/35 "2011-11-26T03:33:06Z")
> [@hazynlazy](#): > > So I was at the grocery store yesterday. As I was checking out, the cashier asked if I would like any bags, and I answered two. This prompted the woman behind me in line to snort in contempt. “Make it three. Put one over her face.” ---
**Author:** ![Mighty\_Girl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7bcc69/32.png) [@Mighty\_Girl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mighty_Girl)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2011, 2:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rude-woman-at-the-grocery-store/604022/36 "2011-11-26T14:52:08Z")
Here in the boonies of the Caribbean supermarket chains switched to biodegradable bags at the same time that they started selling and promoting reusable bags. I use all three types. The small regular supermarket bags I use for the garbage, so one out of ten times I do not bring my reusable bags. For the large trash can I buy a brand of biodegradable bags. And we recycle (it’s voluntary here). Are you still using regular plastic bags? And by the way the correct answer to that lady is “kiss my ass!”. ---
**Author:** ![alice\_in\_wonderland](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alice_in_wonderland/32/176_2.png) [@alice\_in\_wonderland](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alice_in_wonderland)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2011, 3:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rude-woman-at-the-grocery-store/604022/37 "2011-11-26T15:47:57Z")
> [@Hari\_Seldon](#): > > Actually, net bags are probably the most environmentally friendly since you make them out of string and can wash them. > > I have a canned response for such people: Shut up lady or I’ll call your keeper. I actually have a knitting pattern to knit a reusable bag out of the poly bags you get at the store. The resulting bag is damn near indestructible. ---
**Author:** ![elbows](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/b3f665/32.png) [@elbows](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elbows)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2011, 4:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rude-woman-at-the-grocery-store/604022/38 "2011-11-26T16:01:38Z")
You provided her the opportunity to feel superior, she should be thanking you! Then you seized an opportunity to feel superior to her, you should be thanking her! Seems like a wash to me. I’ve always believed that there is a direct relationship between how judged you feel, by others, and how judgmental you are, _of_ others. ---
**Author:** ![singular1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ba9def/32.png) [@singular1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/singular1)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2011, 5:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rude-woman-at-the-grocery-store/604022/39 "2011-11-26T17:04:53Z")
> [@BoBettie](#): > > OP needs one of these: > [Mean Green Totes: ‘My Reusable Bag Makes Me Better Than You' For Fierce Shoppers](http://www.trendhunter.com/trends/mean-green-totes-my-reusable-bag-makes-me-better-than-you-bag) I have this bag because I thought it was funny. I will never understand the stinkeye I occasionally get from a cashier when using it. It baffles me. ---
**Author:** ![Shirley\_Ujest](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/45deac/32.png) [@Shirley\_Ujest](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shirley_Ujest)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2011, 5:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rude-woman-at-the-grocery-store/604022/40 "2011-11-26T17:15:09Z")
> [@Ibanez](#): > > Should of said your mother’s a slut. Very close and what I dream of saying: " I’m sorry that your relationship with your Mother is horrible and she is a slut and you take it out on mundane non-issue points like paper vs. plastic with complete strangers. You may want to consider therapy." But what I usually say, " There’s medication to help with your kind of problem. Mential Dysfunction." [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rude-woman-at-the-grocery-store/604022.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rude-woman-at-the-grocery-store/604022.md?page=3)