Grocery store drama: Coupon-stealing old man!

[prolesunited]

I was shopping today and to make a quick trip, I had the sale ad with the items I wanted circled and several coupons laid out on the seat where kids sit. I hate manuevering around people, so I always park my cart at the front of the aisle and grab my items and return to the cart.

My prize coupon for the day was for a *free bag* of chocolate chip cookies. I grabbed my cookies, returned to the cart and my coupon was GONE!

I spend a few minutes looking around and then spot this old man in front of the cookies with something in his hand. I walk over and sure enough, it was my coupon.

"Excuse me, where did you get that coupon?" I asked.

He stammered a bit, then pointed to my cart. He said he didn't see anyone there, so he thought someone just left it and he could take it.

I grabbed it out of his hand and said, "That's my coupon. Thank you very much." and shook my head in disgust.

(And before you jump all over me, this is a store in an upscale part of town and he was in no way groomed or dressed like he needed my free cookies or I would have let him have them. I had seen him earlier with his well-appointed wife, who was then nowhere in sight, which leads me to believe that she didn't approve of his tactic and left in case of fallout.)


So, what is the boldest move someone tried to pull on you in a store? Take items out of your cart? Push you for a sale item?

[Blue-Jay]

1. YOU STOLE COOKIES FROM AN OLD MAN!!!

And I just ate a few of them. Yum!

[CaliforniaPeggy]

2. My dear prolesunited.......

Nobody has ever done this to me, ever......

And I think you handled it just right!

Props to you!

:applause: :applause:

[FILAM23]

3. Lets see;

coupon left in cart,no one around, I don't see where
the elderly gentleman did anything wrong?

[Blue-Jay]

4. I wanna go shopping with YOU!

You fucking ROCK, dude! If nobody is watching, just take some shit!

[prolesunited]

5. I don't know about you

but I don't walk around taking things out of shopping carts in a store.

I had stuff in the cart and I had only walked halfway down the aisle so it was unattended for all of about three minutes if that. Coupons and a circled sale ad were carefully laid out. It didn't look like an abandoned cart. It looked like someone was shopping.

And if he really was so innocent, why was he stammering? My initial inquiry was made in a polite, calm tone.

When confronted, he looked like a kid with his hand in the cookie jar — literally.

[LeftyMom]

7. That mentality is why I have to bring my bag with me everywhere I go

The one thing that's certain in that situation is that the unattended item does not belong to the person who happens upon it simply because they saw it.

[Name removed]

8. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[LostinVA]

22. How is that not wrong?

Just because someone left there cart for a minute doesn't mean stuff in it is up for grabs. Ewww.

[Blue Gardener]

23. Are you kidding?

It was very rude of the "gentleman" to take the coupon. He doesn't need to worry about what other people have in their carts.

[arwalden]

6. Ya Big Cookie Bully!!

He was probably homeless and that was going to be his only "meal" of the day. I hope you're proud of yourself! How could you be so heartless?? You must be a Rovian plant!!

[prolesunited]

11. I know, I'm such a meanie

Did I tell you about the time I stole candy from a baby?

[Haole Girl]

9. lol

And, here, I thought I was the only one who can't go to a grocery store without incident!

:rofl:

[Jamastiene]

10. The nerve of that guy.

I have found that most of the people in small town USA use the grocery stores and other stores as well as social gathering spots when they are not in church gossiping about people. They always stand around in groups of 6 to 8 (sometimes more) people and look at you as if YOU are the RUDE one if you need to push your buggy through their little get together. Even if you say, "Excuse me" rather politely (or in my case faking it to appear polite at this point), they cop a 'tude. I used to be pretty polite about it, but now I just go completely back down the aisle or stand there and lean on the buggy waiting patiently. I have given up on the normal polite "excuse me" because all I got was hateful looks. My new tactic seems to work better. Eventually, one of the gossipers will notice that I am not going away and feign concern that they are the ones being rude. That really annoys me. It takes time out of my day and raises my already high anxiety level about being in a store, plus they are faking the concern.

Ok, here goes another Wal-Mart story. I despise not having a choice at Christmas but that place. I remember the "Tickle Me Elmo" craze. I wasn't after one, but I remember security had to be called over at one point and I happened to walk past the gawkers that stood around shaking their heads. They mentioned that it was another case of a fight erupting over the last one of those obnoxious red dolls. Like I said, it didn't happen to me personally, but what if I had been in the area at the time looking for a puzzle or model boat kit or something? I have been known to pick up one of those every now and again. It would not have been nice, because if someone was swinging at someone else and accidentally hit me, postal would be polite compared to the melee that would have ensued. I have lost most of my patience with red state America. I just hope I don't end up on the national news over it. Although, if I do, I would hope that someone here would recognize me and help me find some decent lawyers. Like I said, I'm perturbed with these people, but I won't strike out unless one of them strikes me first. In that case, it's awwwwnnnn. I have a lot of rage built up. Damn, I wish I was rich so I could shop online and have everything delivered. I hate grocery stores and department stores to the max.

Away from there, at regular grocery stores, granted I am a Dr Pepper addict, that one guy didn't need to make rude comments because I was buying a lot of 2 liter Dr Peppers. I asked him if he wanted some of them and he said he liked Pepsi, didn't drink DP at all. :eyes: So why was he making such rude comments about me buying "all the Dr Peppers" when he didn't even want any? Duh. Btw, I didn't buy all of them, just 12, to last all week.

[prolesunited]

12. I loathe going on Saturdays

and avoid it at all costs. I just needed to make a cheesecake and had some other things to pick up. I stocked up already at Costco.

I work nights, so I like going after I get off. I have the store practically to myself. The only problem is that my brain sometimes goes dead and I wander around aimlessly half asleep.

[Jamastiene]

14. Lol, I do that in the daytime...

wander around aimlessly half asleep, that is. Wallyworld is open all night here I believe, but I try to only go there if the grocery store doesn't have something. The prices come out about the same, so it is only necessity that I go there for the few items I buy there. The grocery stores here are usually jam packed full of people every day although it is worse on Sundays than Saturdays, believe it or not. They close at 10:00 p.m. most days and most other places here roll up the sidewalks at 5:00 pm sharp and forget weekends altogether. It's weird how dead this place is even when it is busy, yet the grocery stores are full of gossiping loud shoppers. It's just strange. Where do they all come from, I wonder? Why do they socialize in grocery stores and department stores? It's just so weird to me.

[colinmom71]

15. From one Dr. Pepper lover to another...

Have you ever treated yourself to old fashioned cane sugar Dr. Pepper? My husband bought me a case as a present a few years ago, and we both thoroughly enjoyed "old style" DP! Here's their web site that you can order from... ;-)

http://www.dublindrpepper.com/

Sorry if I'm tempting you, but it truly was a nice, (relatively) inexpensive treat. In fact, it's time to remind the husband that I'd enjoy such another gift! :9

[Jamastiene]

17. Think maybe you could share one with me?

I sure would love it if I could afford to try some of that. I have heard of it before and it looks absolutely divine.

[YellowRubberDuckie]

26. When the biddies here start gathering in the aisle I need to go down...

And they're standing in front of my cheetos or something, I say pretty loud, Haven't you people ever heard of a telephone? And then I grab my item, after squeezing thru whatever space is there, then walk away. I don't give a shit if they talk about me. My mother won't go shopping with me because I don't care. They tell me I don't have a filter between my brain and mouth, and I kind of like it this way.
Duckie

[BrotherBuzz]

13. I'm a mean ornery S.O.B. in a store and nobody messes with me

but I once swiped a shopping list carelessly left in another cart after I lost my list prepared by "She who must be obeyed". I would have gotten away with it, but the other party were cat owners, and I couldn't explain the damn kitty litter.

[RebelOne]

16. May I ask why you left your coupons in the cart?

Why didn't you just take them with you? Leaving them out like that is an open invitation for someone to take them.

[trof]

18. Grabbed tattered blanket remnant from my nephew.

Ronnie was 3 or 4 and WOULD NOT part with the last scrap of his baby blanky.
He was in the kiddy seat as his mom rounded a corner.
A woman approached them, total stranger, in a loud voice said "How did you get my little dog's blanket?", snatched it away from Ronnie, and disappeared around the corner.

My sister-in-law was absolutely flabbergasted.
Ronnie's eyes were big as saucers, but he didn't complain.
Not a whimper.

A few minutes later the woman peeked around the corner and beckoned to my s-i-l.
Out of sight and earshot of Ronnie she said "I hope I didn't scare you. I had a terrible time trying to wean my little girl from her ratty old blanky and then one day a lady in the super market did the same thing to me. It worked."

S-i-l said something like "Thanks...I guess." She was still kinda shocked.
Later she asked Ronnie what he thought about what had happened.
"I don't want an old dog's blanket."
End of story.
;-)

[Misunderestimator]

21. That's hilarious!

Odd and hilarious... and apparently effective.

[YellowRubberDuckie]

27. That is the best story.

Some kids just need to be shocked out of stuff like that. That lady did your sil a huge favor.
Duckie

[NewWaveChick1981]

19. Geez, that was rude!

One time I was grocery shopping and only had two or three things in my cart early on. It was a busy time at the grocery store (Sunday afternoon), and dodging aisle-blockers was not a lot of fun. I needed to grab something from a shelf which was being blocked by a group of people socializing, so I stopped my cart as close to the shelf as possible, then said, "Excuse me" as I reached over to get it. I turned around, and another shopper was emptying my cart and putting her stuff in it. I said, "Sorry, but that's my cart." She turned beet red and said, "I didn't think anyone was using it." Nope? Then why were you taking my stuff OUT of the cart, bitch? :grr: She mumbled something about no more carts at the front of the store (which was a lie---the carts had just been brought back in before I got there, and there were plenty). She was just too freaking lazy to get a cart from the front of the store when she discovered her arms were full. :mad: I saw her later near the check-out stands, and she had managed to find a cart somehow...:eyes:

[Gormy Cuss]

20. Express checkout lines are rich.

I had some one try to tell me I was exceeding the express limit because I had a 12-pk of toilet paper (all shrink-wrapped together, mind you) and a few other items. I just laughed at her.

Once my boyfriend was about the tenth customer back in a slow moving express line on one of those days when he was behind schedule. There were at least 5 customers behind him. A woman started working her way up the line behind him by batting her eyes, smiling innocently and asking if she could go ahead because she had only one little item. It worked until she reached him, and he said no, very politely but firmly without explanation. She huffed and puffed behind him the rest of the time that they were in line.

Carts left in the middle of the aisle are annoying, as are the shoppers who fret because someone had the nerve to move their carts.

[greatauntoftriplets]

24. Good for you!

I also leave the cart at the head of the aisle and for the same reason.

Someone once walked off with my cart, and it could not be found. So I had to go back, get a new cart and re-shop.

:evilfrown:

Edited for typo.

[skygazer]

25. Have I got grocery store stories!

I work in a grocery store - I see 'em all.

Just today, I had some customer steal my cart that I was using to put my empty cardboard boxes in. There were just a couple in it, broken down and lying in the bottom. I went in the back room for another load of product and came out just in time to see this woman take my cart. I said, "Excuse me, I'm using that cart." She seemed somewhat affronted and said, "Can't you go outside and get one?" I said, "I already did" and took the cart back. Lazy bitch.

I had another guy try to pull a rain check scam on me. I run the wine and liquor department. I had a certain wine on sale for a good price and he asked me for a rain check because I didn't have a full case of it. So I gave him one. Turns out he then went to every single checker in the store and got a rain check for a case of that wine. He came in for several weeks brandishing rain checks until we finally realized what he was doing. He wanted that great sale price for an unlimited amount of time. My manager took his rain checks and threw him out.

I had a lady one day who came to the express lane when I was working it and proceeded to pile about $400 worth of groceries on the belt. "You WILL check me out," she informed me. "I'm not waiting in line." (there were not long lines at the regular checkstands) I calmly signed off my register and walked away. "No, I won't," I told her. My manager backed me on that one, too.

People are like animals in a grocery store. They try to get something for nothing, lie about what the sale sign says (so you have to either take their word for it - which they're counting on - or go check it which holds up the whole line). They try to buy booze after hours and try to bribe you into selling it to them (I could lose my job, face a stiff fine and even go to jail - why would I do that for someone I don't even know?). We had one lady who would fill up her cart with fancy albacore tuna and a couple of cans of cat food - she'd put the cat food on the belt and say, "Oh, I've got 45 of those" when the rest were expensive tuna! We finally threw her out, too.

People try to use coupons that aren't even remotely close to being for the items they're buying. They will argue about 3 cents for half an hour. We had one guy who'd come in, grab something off the shelf then come to the checkstand and try to return it, saying he'd lost his receipt - he hadn't even left the store with it!

If you ever want to see human nature at it's strangest, work retail.