Crowded supermarkets

[Alex]

Today I went shopping and usually it's quiet as it's Sunday, and it's easier to get around. While it was a little busier, the aisles were crowded with husband and children hanging around blocking everywhere while the women picked up items. It was so annoying and I did push a few out of the way because they just stood there blocking everyone getting through and not being able to look at things on the shelves.


It could be more the case as I was in Aldi (a discount store) and that's one reason I don't enjoy going there. Often the parents let the children run riot and you can't move in case you knock them over or they mess with thing on shelves that you want to buy. It puts me off shopping and usually I will leave, or buy only want I need and get out as soon as possible.


I wonder if these people ever think about others at all?

 

[kgord]

I actually love going to the grocery store, but I like a big supermarket with not too many people. I don't know I love food, and I love being in a pleasant environment It is kind of like being in the world, but not really a part of it. I haven't had any issues at Aldi's but I avoid Walmart so I don't run into the issues like you have described. It is hard to have fun when you feel like you are under duress, or at least your senses are.

 

[DylanRowan]

Happens a lot at Costco in Sundays especially. Well, it is often full everyday, but Sunday is the day I feel it is the most full. I am pushing the cart, and people are just standing eating from the test-food stand. Or, they are just at their cellphone. I don't know about other big market that happens that. Sam's Club has wide passages, so it is easy to move around. 

 

[kelden]

I got used to it. Crowded supermarkets are not that bad since people usually ignore you. Is like being completely alone, but with more annoying noise and such.

 

[Fae]

Crowds in stores can be annoying, but I tend to get more worked up about the atmosphere of the store. My sister avoids shopping in her local Aldi because everyone else in there has the expectation to shop faster than she wants to, and the aisle structure makes it easier for people to get held up. Where crowds can be bad in any store is the checkout line, and having to negotiate everyone else jockeying for the freshly opened lanes.


I personally dislike stores with nosy shoppers and clerks, though. Even when I've been in Walmart on a slow day, some clerks or customers will get wind of what I'm buying and make comments to themselves or to me. I did not come into the store to be judged or strike up a conversation, thank you. And it even happens with perfectly mundane things in my cart sometimes...

 

[Alex]

I don't mind it being crowded if people are moving and not blocking the aisles or if the cashiers are efficient. In some ways it's less stressful to shop at upmarket places where people don't shop as a family of six and and the checkout is well organized like Trader Joe's or Waitrose. Waitrose in the UK maybe a little more expensive, but I never have to wait too long to checkout and I come out a lot less stressed and irritated.


I just get more annoyed at people who hog a whole shelf and don't realize that other people want to look at and buy things. You shouldn't have to say excuse me, and sometimes I have found myself waiting behind them until they move. That's more of a British thing, and some people apologize and get out of the way and others are so oblivious.

 

[fuzyon]

I hate crowded places a lot. There is one advantage that people are so busy doing stuff so they don't approach me but just the thought of having to push people away so I can continue buying groceries make me angry. I know how upsetting Aldi can be, they seem to be busy a lot.

 

[Choochoo]

I also try to schedule my supermarket visits at off peak hours because I also dislike the behavior of most people and when it's crowded the chances of running into multiple types of the same kind of people increases. It does bother me when they block the pathways and don't even think of others, but i am not mad at them because that's just the way some people were raised and I don't think it's entirely their fault so instead I just shop when there are less people since I am able to anyway. 

 

[Alex]

I also try to schedule my supermarket visits at off peak hours because I also dislike the behavior of most people and when it's crowded the chances of running into multiple types of the same kind of people increases. It does bother me when they block the pathways and don't even think of others, but i am not mad at them because that's just the way some people were raised and I don't think it's entirely their fault so instead I just shop when there are less people since I am able to anyway. 

True, that is the best way to do things, but I admire your patience. While some people may have been brought up that way it doesn't make it 'right' but yes, we work around them. I know it shouldn't bother me, but it's common sense and when people lack it I can't help but get irritated.


Maybe it's something I need to work on, but I choose to put things back and walk out. The unnecessary stress it causes isn't worth it to me.

 

[Choochoo]

True, that is the best way to do things, but I admire your patience. While some people may have been brought up that way it doesn't make it 'right' but yes, we work around them. I know it shouldn't bother me, but it's common sense and when people lack it I can't help but get irritated.


Maybe it's something I need to work on, but I choose to put things back and walk out. The unnecessary stress it causes isn't worth it to me.

It's completely understandable. If I didn't have the option to just go during off peak hours and I had to put up with it regularly too without a choice, I'd get annoyed too. I don't think I'm patient, to be honest, but in this case, I think it's mostly just because whenever I see someone acting in a way that I think is not correct, my mind goes straight to their upbringing rather than the person itself, so it causes me to be more annoyed at the culture of the family they were brought up in rather than just that person alone because I know for them to have reached that point at the age they usually are was probably a very long path of wrong decisions and ignorance. 

 

[DDNatureLover]

I have to admit, I do tend to schedule everything around traffic and crowds. There's one road in and out of where I live, and I try not to go out around rush hour or lunch. I do the same with the grocery and other stores, because there are certain times when there are more people shopping. I go to Kroger more than Walmart these days, which has cut down on the stress somewhat, but there are ignorant and rude people everywhere. One of the worst times I've found is Sunday mornings on game days. I don't follow sports, so it took me a while to figure out what the issue was...I remember years ago, Sunday mornings were a good time to shop, because most people were in church or sleeping, but these days, it seems everyone is off shopping for food to make for the game day crowd. 

 

[sidney]

That's why you should never shop on a weekend if possible, because there would be way too many people crowding the supermarket. If I were you you should shop only on weekdays so that it would be less crowded. Mornings when the store just opened is the ideal place to shop, that is the time where the people are less and you can walk freely and don't have to turn your body sideways because other people are walking too close to you.

 

[Azelma]

I hate crowded supermarkets with a passion, as I've had some bad experiences with them and anxiety before.


I guess for me the reason is that too many people around restrict my choices to move freely. I don't like crowds in any situation, but in a store I usually just want to pick up what I came for and get out and if the aisles are crowded with people I can't move as effectively as I would like.

 

[lexinonomous]

I have an Aldis in my neighborhood and find that it's the worst place to go on a weekend. People tend to bring their kids with them on weekends, since they are not currently in school. It blows my mind how many parents allow their children to run around the store, reigning chaos. It's amazing how parents can allow their children to play fight in the aisles, while running into numerous carts without apologies. I don't think I've ever experienced a good trip to Aldis without dealing with children running a muck.


Walmart is another store that makes me feel as if everything is wrong in the world, ha ha. Crowded supermarkets drive me absolutely insane and cause me to have major anxiety. It's hard to deal with multiple people trying to shop-especially when there are children involved.

 

[Alex]

I have an Aldis in my neighborhood and find that it's the worst place to go on a weekend. People tend to bring their kids with them on weekends, since they are not currently in school. It blows my mind how many parents allow their children to run around the store, reigning chaos. It's amazing how parents can allow their children to play fight in the aisles, while running into numerous carts without apologies. I don't think I've ever experienced a good trip to Aldis without dealing with children running a muck.


Walmart is another store that makes me feel as if everything is wrong in the world, ha ha. Crowded supermarkets drive me absolutely insane and cause me to have major anxiety. It's hard to deal with multiple people trying to shop-especially when there are children involved.

Each time I go in, I have to brace myself and try to whizz around to get what I need. I shop for my dad who isn't so mobile and he would get knocked over in there so I go in. Seriously, it is a major stress event and when I go to Morrison's (a bit like Walmart) I actually get so stressed I forget things because I can't wait to get out. Sadly, my parents like the store because it's cheaper and so I reluctantly go in to help them, but make it very clear it stresses me out because the type of customers are rude and just not pleasant to be around. To some it may sound snobby, but I rarely get stressed these days, and only a visit to Aldi on a weekend (it's like going to Ikea on a Saturday!) or Morrison's fills me with dread. I rarely leave calm, and never look forward to going there.


Aldi does have some good specials, and I make a deal with my dad that I will only go on a weekday in the morning, and refuse to go on a weekend. That way I can try to avoid some stress, but never entirely.

 

[LionTurtle]

I find crowded grocery stores or any crowded place in general to be really stressful.  I hate people blocking the aisles and getting in my way, and it's irritating when people are standing in front of something I need to look at.  Parents let their kids run around and don't watch them. I generally try to shop at the store closer to me, mostly old people shop here and it's not crowded at all later on in the afternoon. 

 

[x0xLikeMex0x]

I avoid crowded supermarkets. 


Since I already work in retail, my standards on customer service is higher. Where I work, we have a rule that when you have 3 persons waiting in line, you have to call someone else to the cashpoint as well. So now, when I go to a supermarket to get some groceries and I see that there's more than 3 persons waiting in the line to check out, I leave before even entering the main shopping area and go to another store. Sometimes I'm too lazy to go to another store, so I end up going to the same supermarket later when there's no rush hour.

 

[amy88]

I tend to try and hit the grocery stores at the quietest possible time.


Weeknights, at about 9/10pm tend to be virtually empty - and as a result I actually find doing my groceries to be a relatively calm experience. I really don't like crowds myself -- and when there are crowds I feel like I either have to rush through to avoid getting stressed, or sometimes I'll literally turn around and go home if it's not a super urgent trip. So trying to time it for when it's quiet is a useful thing for me.

 

[Aree Wongwanlee]

A deserted supermarket? No, that's no fun. When I go shopping, I do more than just buy things. I enjoy pushing my cart along the aisles and watch other people doing the same thing. Of course, I don't stare too long but I can watch from a distance. If you are observant, you can see so many different things going on. One common scenario would be that of a husband dutifully following the wife while she shops. Another would be a young couple who are using the supermarket as an excuse to walk together. I haven't seen anything like this, though.

 

[djanx]

You know sometimes when I enter a place and it's not that crowded, I feel great. But, just then, a ton of people suddenly walk in and all of sudden I feel lost in the crowd. It's a strange feeling.