Planning a trip to the supermarket? Avoid these 5 behaviors that shoppers find most annoying

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Texas student-run grocery store aims to curb food insecurity

Feeding America estimates more than 50 million Americans became food-insecure during 2020 due to COVID-19 pandemic

Grocery shopping is something we all have to do — seemingly all at the same time. Here's how to make the experience better for everyone involved.

Leaving your cart in the parking lot

Leaving your cart in the parking lot is not only lazy, but it’s also annoying for anyone trying to pull into a parking spot, only to discover there’s a shopping cart in the way. And it’s downright dangerous since stray shopping carts can scratch cars and injure pedestrians. So, it’s not surprising that 72% of responders in Treadmill Review’s survey on grocery store etiquette said leaving your cart in the middle of the lot is a big no-no. And don’t try to justify the behavior by saying you’re leaving it for the next guy. Remember, carts now get sanitized after each use. So, that "next guy" probably isn’t going to want your stray cart, knowing it hasn’t been cleaned.

(iStock)

Leaving the checkout line to grab another item

This is even worse than leaving your shopping cart in the parking lot. Leaving your shopping cart in the checkout line while you grab another item is a move 80% of shoppers consider rude. So, do your best to finish all your shopping before lining up to check out. And definitely don’t purposely line up and leave to save time — everyone’s on to you. 

Abandoning essential items at checkout

Throughout the pandemic, stores have had to limit the number of essential items that customers can buy. And while it may be frustrating to walk away with only one pack of paper towels, you absolutely shouldn’t load up your cart with more, only to have to abandon the excess at checkout. Not only are you trying to cheat other people out of their fair share, but you’re also making it harder for them to find those items.

Blocking the aisle with your cart

Nine out of ten shoppers surveyed find it rude when your cart gets in the way of their own trip down an aisle. Obviously, in a store with narrow aisles or on a particularly busy shopping day, it’s harder to keep your cart out of other people’s way. But bear in mind that 90% of people seriously dislike dealing with aisle traffic jams.

Surprise, surprise: Most supermarket shoppers agree that blocking the aisle is super annoying. (iStock)

Not following the arrows on the floor

Sure, it’s inconvenient when you have to backtrack in order to go down an aisle you need in the direction indicated. But those arrows taped to the floor are there for a reason: to make grocery shopping safer for everyone. So, when you decide to disobey those directions, you’re essentially declaring that your time is worth more than everyone else’s health. It doesn’t get much ruder than that.

For 10 more things you're doing wrong at the grocery story, continue reading the original article at Reader's Digest.