It’s a grocery store showdown! From arguments started by crazed customers to just being flat-out rude, these shoppers spill the most unhinged things they have witnessed at a grocery store. Content has been edited for clarity.
“I Have Now Been More Alert Of My Surroundings Whenever I Shop”
“I have lived my entire life as a deaf individual. There are times I will choose not to wear my cochlear implant device and shop at a grocery store in silence.
One time while I was shopping, I was in an aisle looking for a specific item. Suddenly, I felt a shopping cart ram repeatedly into the back of my legs. I nearly fell over, and I had to catch myself by clinging to a nearby shelf.
I turned around to see what happened, only to find a small elderly woman with tight white curls in fuzz on top of her head. She was holding the handle of her shopping cart with white-knuckled fury and screaming at the top of her lungs. Even though I wasn’t wearing my cochlear implant, I could tell she was screaming at me.
I knew how to read lips, and I could tell the old woman called me dumb for ignoring her calls to move out of the way. I was blocking the entire spot she needed access to.
She could have used the other side of the aisle, maneuvered around me, or even said, ‘Excuse me,’ but she didn’t.
I said to the woman as calmly as possible, ‘I can’t hear, I’m deaf. Why did you think it was okay to assault someone with a shopping cart?’
The woman screamed again and further hurled insults at me. I decided to hobble away and consult a manager to deal with the insane old woman.
The woman proceeded to follow me to the service desk, still screaming at me the entire time. The manager heard my side of the story, and then hers.
The manager then consulted the security cameras recording in the aisle. Lo and behold, the cameras caught the woman ramming her cart into my legs. The police were called, and the woman was taken away in handcuffs. I was given a fifty-buck gift card for my grief and troubles while shopping there.
I have now been more alert and aware of my surroundings whenever I shop. My legs and heels haven’t forgotten how it hurt when the metal shopping cart hit them.”
The Supermarket Meltdown
“Now and then, I load up on essentials, both food, and non-food items, at the grocery store. My girlfriend and I went to the store, and we filled two carts, piled high with items. I unloaded one cart reasonably quickly, and I was about to start on the second when the cashier ran into a problem.
The cashier was a new hire, and she was having trouble with the cash register. She called out for assistance, and my girlfriend and I waited for someone to come help her. We didn’t mind waiting, as we knew the registers could give the cashiers trouble at times.
Meanwhile, another young woman pulled her cart into line behind ours. This woman only had about twenty items in her cart.
She began texting back and forth with someone, then she looked up and said, ‘This cashier is a useless piece of garbage.’
When there was still no sign of help for the cashier, the woman looked at the cashier and demanded, ‘I need you to cancel their groceries. You need to check me out instead.’
The cashier apologized and explained, ‘I am having a problem with the register, I’m sorry.’
The woman replied, ‘These old people in line are worthless, and waiting for their transaction to work is ridiculous. Just take their groceries off the conveyor and void their transaction.’
I laughed, which only seemed to further anger the woman. She called me a few names, and I responded by pointing out there were other registers she could go and use.
“You need to go to another register,’ the woman chided, ‘This register is mine!’
Then, the woman began screaming for the manager.
When a manager arrived, the woman began explaining, ‘I went to this lane to check out, but this man,’ she pointed at me, ‘is making it to where I cannot. The cashier needs to be fired. Now!’
I tried to defend the frightened cashier, but the woman went insane. She began stomping her feet and throwing her items on the floor before storming out threatening to sue everyone. The fit the woman threw could have rivaled a toddler.
I felt bad for the cashier, but honestly, the woman’s entitled fit was hilarious. You can’t always get what you want.”
The PriceSmart Scammer
“Where I lived, our local version of Costco was called PriceSmart.
When I was at PriceSmart one afternoon, there was a woman in front of me in line to check out. The woman thought she was more clever than me and all the fine people employed at PriceSmart and decided to try and scam her way into getting her groceries.
To shop at PriceSmart, you had to first be a member. To become a member, you needed to purchase a subscription card, which allowed one year of membership. The subscription card was only around two hundred bucks, but the savings on groceries made up for the cost.
I was a fairly economical shopper, and I only purchased the bare necessities. I treated myself to something nice only once in a blue moon.
The woman in front of me had a cart piled with groceries, and also several treats. The treats ranged from frozen salmon burgers, chocolates, smoked almonds, and ribs. This woman was not poor.
When the woman and I began to near the cashier, she turned around and stared me in the eyes.
The woman questioned, ‘You don’t mind if I use your card, right?’
‘Um, for what?’ I replied.
‘To check out,’ she explained, ‘I don’t have a membership.’
I asked, ‘You don’t have a card?’
‘No, I can’t afford it,’ the woman responded.
I stared at the pile of groceries in her cart. She picked the priciest items in the store, totaling over three hundred bucks. There was no way she couldn’t purchase a membership. If she had the money to purchase expensive groceries, she had money to purchase a membership.
I shook my head and told the woman, ‘It is only two hundred bucks for the membership. It only takes a minute to sign up.’
I saw her face suddenly transform into a look of complete irritation. It was as if I was asking her for a favor.
The woman angrily said, ‘I don’t have the money for a membership right now like I just told you. People need to help each other.’
‘Well, sorry. I am not lending you my card. I don’t even know you,’ I told her.
The woman scoffed and asked, ‘You need to know me to help me?’
At this point, I decided it would be best to remain silent. I didn’t want to call her out for attempting to use a random stranger for financial convenience. I didn’t want to argue about how I spent my hard-earned money on my membership, and this woman needed to make the sacrifice, too.
Instead, the woman went to the man in front of her and gave him a sob story about how she just lost her card, and the items were for her mother. Of course, the man took the bait and lent her his card.
The woman then stared at me as if to say, ‘Got anything to say now?’
This wasn’t the first time she did this. It definitely would not be the last, either.
This woman was awful. She was selfish and a cheap opportunist. She was a leech on PriceSmart, and on the good people around her who made necessary sacrifices for the greater good.”
Grocery Bag Debacle
“As a cashier, I always have terrible customers.
One time, a lady in her fifties, and her daughter in her thirties, came up to my check stand and unloaded their cart. They bagged every single item in their cart in those produce bags shoppers usually put fruit in. It was a pain for me to scan everything with the crumpled plastic bags in the way.
Before I started checking out their order, the mother snapped at me and told me not to start yet, as she wanted to decide whether she wanted cream hair dye or regular. She couldn’t pick which one, so she asked me.
I replied, ‘Um, I have no clue. I don’t know much about hair dye. But I suppose the cream sounds nice?’
The mother responded, ‘Okay, well I have a coupon for it, and it’s free anyway. I’ll pay the tax on it, though.’
The woman paid the tax, and I moved on to the rest of the groceries in her cart. It wasn’t just a couple of things in the cart, it was serious grocery shopping. The woman handed me every single item before I scanned it, making sure everything rings up at the right price. She even made me recite the price after I rang each item up.
Normally, things like this wouldn’t irritate me. People are particular about strange things, I have learned to roll with it.
However, her daughter began scowling at me when I was bagging and rebagging their items. I put two loaves of bread in one bag, and the daughter began to throw a fit.
The daughter screamed, ‘Gah! You’re going to smash my bread! Why are you bagging it with another loaf?’
I calmly explained, ‘Ma’am, the loaves are standing upright. As long as they go on top of all the other groceries, the bread will be perfectly fine.’
The daughter wasn’t having it. I had to double-bag everything, even after the items were already bagged in produce sacks.
The daughter, no lie, wanted me to put a single item into every grocery bag, then double bag each singular item.
I finally told the woman, ‘I am not going to double-bag singular items. It would be a waste of plastic.’
Meanwhile, the daughter continued giving me the stink eye for not bagging her groceries correctly. She claimed the bags were too heavy for her when the items weren’t double-bagged.
It usually only took me five minutes or less to check someone out. It took me thirty minutes to wrap the mother and daughter’s order up, and at the end, they asked for more bags. No way! There was no reason the women needed so many bags.
People are truly ridiculous.”
“Your Son Is Torturing The Store With His Crying”
“One day, I was at the supermarket with my one-year-old son, running ‘just one more errand,’ when he began to have a meltdown.
I knew what it was.
My son patiently accompanied me through my morning while I tried to get all of my errands done. He was at his limit. He was hungry, and he wasn’t at his best when he was hungry. My son went into tantrum mode, and there wasn’t anything I could do to control it.
I was sitting on the floor, holding him tight, when an older woman walked by. I glanced up and gave the woman an apologetic smile.
The old woman glared at me and snarled, ‘If he was my kid, he would be punished! He is torturing the whole store with his crying!’ and moved on.
I sat there almost crying myself when along came a young woman who worked at the supermarket. I thought the other woman had complained, and the employee walked over to ask me to leave.
Instead, the employee knelt beside me and said, ‘How can I help?’
Now, I was almost crying with gratitude. I told her my son was tired and hungry, and if she could just bring me a carton of milk and straw, he would be fine in a few minutes.
The employee did just that.
When I told her I would pay for the milk, she just smiled and said, ‘On the house. Anything else I can do for you?’
I told her no and thanked her, and she left.
When I am in public and someone’s child is having a meltdown, I now approach the parent and do the same thing. If the mom is stressed out because the kid is being ‘too noisy,’ or ‘too rambunctious,’ I smile at the mom and say something kind.
I usually say something like, ‘I remember those days! Hang in there,’ or, ‘Your child is so happy!’
I want the mothers to know I am not insulted or perturbed by ordinary kid behavior. I can see them visibly relax and soften, and they also look at their child with exasperation, but also with love.
I will always remember the angry woman who judged me in the store. She made me feel less than others, and I immediately wanted to leave the store.
But I will also always remember the young woman who showed compassion for me and my son. Such a small act of kindness that still seems so big, after almost thirty years.”
“Buzz Off You Crazy Lady”
“A couple of years ago, I was at the grocery store in the town I lived in. The store was usually pretty busy, and sometimes, the lines to check out were relatively long.
On this particular day, the lines to check out were longer than usual. I searched, and I finally found the shortest line I could. Then, I proceeded to get in line and stood behind a basket. Not a person, just a basket. Right on the floor.
There were maybe three other people in line in front of the basket. The first person left, and I nudged the basket forward and stood dutifully behind it.
The next person left, and once again, I slid the basket forward. Another person left, and the cashier motioned to me. I looked around, and nobody seemed to be coming for the basket. So, I began unloading my groceries onto the conveyor. Suddenly, I heard someone screaming at me from across the grocery store.
“No way, I was next!’ a woman yelled.
I politely told the woman, ‘I have waited here as long as I could, but it’s my turn now. You weren’t even standing in line.’
The woman launched into a nice, long, hissy fit. She told me I was a piece of garbage, and she only needed to purchase one item (which was an obvious lie, her arms were full of groceries).
By now, it was time for me to pay for my groceries. I tried to swipe my card, but the lunatic woman kept reaching over and smashing the buttons on the keypad every time I tried to put my pin in. I patiently kept trying to pay, and the young cashier looked completely terrified.
Finally, I turned to the woman and asked, ‘Would it make it better if I paid for your stuff too?’
I saw a glimmer of hope in her eye when she asked, ‘Are you serious?’
I responded, ‘Nope. Buzz off you crazy lady.’
Before she could start yelling again, I was able to punch my pin in and pay for my items. I picked up my bags, so satisfied with myself that I didn’t even mind when she started throwing her produce at me.”
“How Dare You Steal My Cart Away”
“This incident occurred last winter. The forecast claimed we were going to experience a ‘snowstorm,’ but it never ended up happening. However, it caused enough panic for people to stock up on groceries at the store.
I was at a Winco, and people were fighting over shopping carts. The line to check out had wrapped around the store, and back to the entrance.
While I was picking out oranges, I happened to look up to see a man walk in with a cart. As he stopped in the apple section, I saw a woman grab his cart and begin pushing it away. I couldn’t believe the woman took his cart right out from under him!
The man ran up to her and said, ‘Hey, you just took my cart!’
‘You’re harassing me,’ the woman responded, ‘I’m afraid of you!’
Being a witness to all of this, I approached them and told the woman, ‘I saw you take his cart, and I even watched him walk into the store with the cart.’
The woman rolled her eyes and said, ‘Oh, so you’re in on his plan, too? You both are immature! How dare you try to steal my cart away!’
The man began laughing out of disbelief and responded, ‘Fine, just take the cart then! You’re welcome!’
He left to find another cart, and I glared at the woman as she took out her cell phone to call someone.
The woman called her friend and explained, ‘A man and a woman are trying to take my shopping cart at the store. They yelled at me for stealing their cart. Can you believe it? Over a shopping cart!’
Sure, lady. Believe whatever you want.”
Don’t Dish It If You Can’t Take It
“One evening, my husband and I went to the grocery store. I was mulling overproduce, while my husband went to get some ground beef.
The next thing I knew, I heard shouting coming from his direction. I began walking over, and I spotted a woman in a motorized scooter screaming at him.
As my husband was checking the weights and prices of the ground beef, he was taking too long to make a selection. The woman in the scooter rudely told my husband to move and get out of her way.
My husband replied, ‘I’m sorry, I’ll be done in just a moment,’ but it wasn’t good enough for the woman. She ran into him with her scooter!
When my husband objected and told her she could wait her turn, she called him a derogatory slur.
Taken aback and upset, my husband replied, ‘Oh, you want to start calling me nasty names? Well, I have a couple I could call you!’
The woman had her two grown children backing her up, and all three were in his face when I finally stepped between them. I wasn’t going to calm the situation down, either. I was going to protect my husband!
The woman stood up from her scooter and yelled, ‘My leg is hurt! I almost broke it!’
I looked her dead in the eye and replied, ‘You need to sit down unless you want your other leg broken, too.’
The woman lost it. She started screaming for a manager about how I had threatened her. I told her I would do more than threaten her if she didn’t mind her own business and leave my husband and me alone.
My husband and I walked away and continued our shopping while the woman told the manager she had been unjustly attacked and had her life threatened. My husband and I? Never! We were just peacefully and innocently shopping.
Don’t insult my husband and use derogatory language if you can’t take the heat back.”
“It Was Absolute Madness”
“At the time of this incident, I was disabled. I usually walked with a walker, but I had to use a scooter when grocery shopping.
At the grocery store, the scooters were set up with a big basket on the front of the large, heavy, scooter. Since I was on disability and couldn’t work, I had to shop efficiently and effectively, and I could only go to the store once per month. Being stuck on a scooter, I had to have a friend or family member accompany me at the store to help me reach items. Even getting to the grocery store was an accomplishment on its own.
One time, I was at the store when a woman began complaining to me about how I was taking up too much room in the aisles. The woman went as far as finding the manager and bringing him over to watch me shop. When the manager came over, he saw my scooter close to the shelves, and how people had room to pass us in the aisle. He also saw my son shopping with me, reaching to the tops of the shelves to get items down for me.
The manager questioned, ‘Is this the way you always shop? Your son is a good man for helping you. I had very few words for the woman complaining about your scooter. If she doesn’t like it, she can leave.’
The next thing I knew, I heard screaming coming from the front of the store. It was the woman, upset about not getting her way. I simply laughed, and my son and I continued doing our monthly shopping.
The woman eventually found me again on the other side of the store where she continued berating me. I don’t know why she thought she could get a disabled person kicked out of the store simply for using a scooter. It was absolute madness.”
“It Took Two Cops And A Paramedic To Remove Her”
“I previously worked as a manager in a grocery store for years. Every conflict in the store was sent directly to me.
I have seen a lot of disrespectful things in the store. Surprisingly, mean customers weren’t even at the top of the list. However, bizarre behavior was.
I have seen people feed themselves with tongs at the salad bar. I have had people pull weapons on my staff and me. I have seen loads of harassment, fights, and every kind of bodily excretion left in inappropriate places. I have even had food thrown at me!
I believe the most memorable incident was with a well-dressed, middle-aged blonde woman who drove a Lexus.
The woman locked herself into a restroom stall and drank an entire bottle of mouthwash. Then, she proceeded to lose her mind. She was screaming while vomiting all over the women’s restroom. It took two cops and a paramedic to remove her from the store.
I never understood why she did it, but I hoped she was doing well afterward.
The cleanup was enough to make me quit my job, though.”
