Val, the RumpusHole Magnet

Here we go again! One day shy of a week since my previous rumpushole line-cutter, I suffered the same indignity AGAIN! At the same store! Only this time no beeper cart was involved.

Like before, there was one line open, and it was backed up. Like before, I had only a few items, all in the child seat portion of my cart/walker. Some deli fried chicken for my supper (Hick was at an auction), a bottle of The Pony's favorite rum (you never know when they'll run out), and Little Debbie Zebra Cakes for Hick. Like before, there was no Diet Mountain Dew in the three displays where other Mountain Dews were located and advertised on sale.

On my way to the register, I had to walk through a family reunion. A 30-something dude carrying two cases of bottled water, an adult daughter, and a toothless, somewhat confused mom. They had an overflowing cart parked in the middle of the main aisle. The Daughter was questioning Mom about what else she wanted. Sonny seemed impatient. But he WAS holding two cases of bottled water.

I went past them and got in line. A gal with few items was ahead of me, and a woman with a stacked-up cart full of groceries was ahead of her. And someone just paying. After a few minutes, a young gal walked out and said she could help somebody. Opened up a register two lanes over. 

By this time the family was behind me. Mom and Sonny pulled out of my line, and went to the new one. Since my line didn't even have the piled cart unloaded yet onto the conveyor, I moved over to the new line. Mom was in the way, standing behind the cart, while Sonny tried to reach items and put them on the conveyor. He finally pushed the cart forward, told Mom to step into the cashier-place of the register next to our line, then pulled the cart back so she could go ahead. Then he could reach the items to set them out.

I leaned on my cart/walker, resigned to the fact that this was going to take a while. Another gal was in line behind me now. As I was daydreaming about being finished, I felt a rub on my rumpus. Well! I at least expected an "excuse me." But then Daughter whipped around my right side, and said,

"I need to get up here with my mom."

She proceeded to get in front of me, and put a box of individual Oreo Puddings, a tub of margarine, and two boxes of crackers on the conveyor. Then she told the checker, "Tell us when it gets close to $250."

I'm not sure why they couldn't have continued their chatfest while Daughter went to get those last items, then got in line with all their groceries. I'm not even sure if all that was for Mom, since they paid for part of it separately.

Even more frustrating, Sonny was a rumpushole all his own. He wormed his way around to the end to put bags back in the cart. All the while complaining that the checker didn't do it! Daughter told the checker to ignore him, while telling Sonny that yes, they DID bag the items, but he had to put them in the cart. It's not like the checker could reach everything over the counter, or make a trip down to the end with every bag.

Sonny kept running his mouth. "Yeah. You all are REALLY working hard." Checker asked if he wanted the two gallon jugs of vinegar in a bag, and he said, "I always want my groceries in a bag." So Checker double-bagged the first one, and walked down to put it in the cart.

When they reached the $250 milestone, Mom had trouble using her card. It finally worked. Then Daughter paid for the remaining items with cash.

I don't know why I even bother to get in a line there. I might as well stand aside until nobody is waiting. Since they all feel entitled to go ahead of me anyway...