Social Etiquette Tip of the Week - “Shopping with Manners - Don’t be THAT Holiday Shopper”

[Maria Brady]

I was shopping in a department store the other day and there were three people in the line. Only one register was open…I'm second of three. Behind me is a woman with an armload of items…I have one!

Another sales clerk arrives on the scene…opens a new register…and says the usual "may I help the next person in line." The woman in front of me, who technically was next in line, starts to move toward that register, but the one behind me, with the armload of stuff, makes it there first.

After that I stop at the grocery store...same thing….the person in front of me goes for the new open register, but the person behind me dashes for it first. Then another register opens, same thing. The one behind me bolts for the new opportunity.

Why do some people think the new line is for the last person in line? When did good manners go out of style? The woman and I, who were in the original line, were still standing there, long after the two behind us were long gone.

Sometimes shoppers get cranky and they forget that a busy store is not their personal space. It happens every year around the holidays, when non-shoppers are forced to venture into the stores. Just remember that having good manners is essential. Behavior out in public is remembered whether it is good or bad. ..but especially if it’s bad.

Here are some situations to help you, and those around you, have a positive experience as you ho-ho-ho it through the stores this week.

Don't yell at sales associates.
You are crabby, your feet ache, and the stores are sold out of what you want to buy. It's not their fault. ..you should have bought it in October. And remember, an associate can only help one person at a time…be as patient as possible. And don't forget…their feet hurt, too.

Avoid bargaining over price.
This is acceptable at a garage sale. Asking for a discount when customers are strung out in line behind you is a shopping infraction.

Don't sing along to the holiday music in the stores.
No one wants to hear your off-key version of "Santa Baby."

Bring a receipt to return a purchase.
The rules are usually crystal clear, not only during gift season. Having no receipt makes returns a lengthy procedure. Think about the line of people behind you … with receipts … they are not happy.

Don't talk loudly on your cell phone.
This is a ‘don’t’ all year, but it is especially annoying in a packed store as the cell user goes through a gift list with a caller. Nobody cares what size Uncle Harry wears and what his favorite shade of blue is!

Don't cut in line through other shoppers, then grab the last item on a shelf.
This is a time to remember the manners you were taught in kindergarten.

So, as you finish up your holiday shopping this week, remember that the perfect gift is displaying good manners, and having consideration for others.

[Fran A. Wood]

Add to this list the people who think it's okay to jump in the "fewer than 20 items" line when they clearly have about 48 items in their cart. And, here's a little grammar lesson as well, it's "fewer than" not "less than." "Fewer" is quantitative (as in, "He has fewer packages than she,"and "less" is qualitative (as in, "That item is of less value than this one"). I congratulate Publix on correct grammar. Their signs read "fewer than" while so many stores sport signs reading "less than."

[Sonia Morissette]

Thanks Maria for sharing this information.

It's sad that people have to be reminded to be civil with one another. Another one is when you are waiting to take someone's parking space, after they move out, and someone zooms into it, fully aware that you've been waiting with your signal so all are aware... but like the people in line, they don't care.