Grocery-Store Ethics 549.2
You can tell a lot about a person’s character by how he or she acts at the grocery store.
I remember being in a crowded store that had a shortage of shopping carts. A prosperous-looking fellow and his wife were pushing a cart when another man stopped them. "Excuse me," the second man said, "but that’s my cart."
The first guy looked annoyed and, instead of apologizing, protested, "But someone took my cart." His wife glared at him, and he reluctantly relinquished his ill-gotten gain.
He had ignored the age-old wisdom: "Two wrongs don’t make a right" in favor of a distorted version of the Golden Rule: "Do unto others as others have done unto you."
Then there are the folks who change their mind about buying an item and put it on the nearest shelf, rationalizing that the store hires people to put misplaced things back. Schools employ custodians to clean the halls, but does that mean it’s okay for kids to throw their candy wrappers on the floor?
Finally, there are the express-line cheaters who enter the "10 items or less" line with 14 items because they’re in a hurry or they love having a competitive edge. They count on the fact that no one will call them on such a moral misdemeanor. And if someone does, they’re ready to play lawyer: "It depends on what you call an item. These melons are part of the fruit group so I count them as one."
Being considerate, playing by the rules, and setting a good example are important, even in the grocery store.
This is Michael Josephson reminding you that character counts.
Comments
Great post. You should also add returning the grocery cart to its proper place instead of leaving it in the middle of the lot....
Posted by: Geri | January 17, 2008 5:30 PM
Yes, and another indicator is how the customer interacts with the check out person - with pleasantries (greeting, and thanks) or with grunts? If the check out person is a learner, and is a bit slower than the others, or makes a mistake, how does one react?
Posted by: John F. | January 17, 2008 11:17 PM
Another part of ethics would be the 'wrong change' situation. Doesn't happen often, but when a clerk gives you back the wrong change (in your favor) - you should inform her and give it back to her. That extra money back to you is not a gift - it is a mistake (in more ways than one).
Posted by: Grace | January 18, 2008 3:42 AM
We have a member in our church's congregation that is a greeter at our local Walmart. The man sees people coming and going all the time. He recently told my husband, who is his pastor, that he has learned all kinds of things about the individuals in our church by the things they buy thinking no one will know.
Posted by: Marie | January 18, 2008 8:18 AM
Yet another indicator would be when a new line is opened. I see so many people at the end of the line feel entitled to go first in the new line! Furthermore, if they are confronted about their bad manners they are rude to the person who confronted them.
Posted by: Jan | January 18, 2008 9:45 AM
Isn't it interesting that people's true character seems to appear when they are doing simple tasks, such as grocery shopping. I would also like to point out those folks who park in the handicapped spots near the door and justify this illegal act by saying that "I am only going to be in the store for a minute to get one or two items." This is not only illegal, I feel that it is immoral, too, by using a designated space for those people who truly need to be close to the door, the handicapped and the elderly.
Posted by: Ron | January 18, 2008 10:45 AM
I like seeing families in the grocery store when the parents engage their children in the shopping experience, rather than allowing them to run lose, sometimes creating dangerous mischief.
Posted by: anna lozano | January 19, 2008 4:26 PM
I believe you wrote long ago that there were two kinds of people in this world, "People who return the grocery cart to the store and people who leave them in the parking lot." I think of it every time I am tempted to leave my cart in the parking lot.
Posted by: Steven McKInney | January 21, 2008 10:09 AM
Unloading the grocery cart into my car I noticed a bag of groceries that were not mine. I sent my 7 year old son back in the store to return them to the checkout but the clerk admonished him for not keeping it anyway.
Posted by: jj | January 22, 2008 12:13 PM
I liked this post.
Another indicator is how the customer interacts with the check out person - with pleasantries (greeting and thanks) or with grunts?
I always talk to the checker & am usually very cheerful & jesting with him/her. When I bought the first season of Gomer Pyle on DVD I made comments such as "Goooooly, I had no idea this was out" as I sat it down. I then made some reference using Shazam just as Gomer used to do & another using surprise surprise surprise. My best line though was when she told me the price as I responded with a "I can't hear you!" I'm not sure if she liked it or if she thought I was a freak.
Posted by: Phink from NE Arkansas | February 12, 2008 11:11 AM