Please be considerate of those around you.

Ladies and gentleman I would like to take this opportunity to remind you to please be aware of the people around you and how your actions affect those people. The following story will help illustrate my point of being considerate of those around you.

I was at lunch today and stopped at Ralph’s to pick up a few things, I thought I was going to quickly get in and out but oh was I wrong. I was only buying 2 items but out of principle I refused to use the self-checkout (those machines are taking people’s jobs while making ME do that job!), so I jumped in the express lane, 15 items or less. After a moment in line I realized that there was a woman in line that had a cart full of items, I myself have made the mistake of getting in the express lane with a full cart before so I didn’t say anything, it's an honest mistake. When she reached the cashier he told her that she was in the express lane, however he would let it go this time but to be more careful next time. She said that she didn’t realize she was in the express lane and again, I was OK with it. At this point she turned and looked at the woman in front of me, who only had a loaf of bread, and myself, I only had two items, and made no gesture to let us go first since she had a full cart in the express lane. She was now aware of how her one mistake was going to inconvenience the rest of the people waiting in her line (who all had the required 15 items or less) and yet still pulled out a stack of coupons, one for almost every item. Then when it was time to pay she reached into her bag, pulled out her checkbook, and just then started to fill out the check. If you are going to pay with a check at least start filling it out while waiting in line. Now here was the tipping point for me, while she was filling in her check, the bagger was bagging up her items and was almost done when she noticed that he hadn’t use her bags that she brought from home. She asked him to please re-bag ALL of her items, this time using the bags she brought from home. So lets recap, full cart in express lane, two people behind here with a total of three items (no attempt to let us go first), paying with a check that she doesn’t start to fill out until her groceries have all been scanned, and having her items re-bagged in her own bags, all without a single apology or acknowledgment of consideration for the people around her.