It's time for super market traffic control.

[trof]

I've had it with blocked aisles and intersection collisions.

Here are the rules:
1. Most grocery stores have a main aisle at and parallel to the front of the store, and another one the rear. I call these "horizontal" aisles. Some stores have another midway between the front and rear horizontals.

Horizontals are like interstates and have right-of-way over all other aisles.
The aisles which run perpendicular to the horizontals are "vertical" aisles.

Shoppers entering a horizontal from a vertical must yield the right-of-way to shoppers in horizontals. I propose "STOP" (or at least "YIELD") signs at each place where verticals intersect horizontals.

2. Yellow centerlines will be painted of the floor of all aisles. Keep to the right and stay in your lane. You may pass another shopper if there is no traffic in the oncoming lane within 6 cartlengths of your own.

3. Maintain at least 2 cartlengths between the front of your cart and the posterior of the shopper in front of you.

4. Store security personnel will issue citations for lane violations, tailgating, and failure to yield right-of-way. Repeat offenders will lose coupon privileges.
Thank you.
;-)

[DS1]

1. You saw this thread, correct?

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=105&topic_id=3837742

Not even 24 hours old :-)

[zigster]

6. Speaking of that thread....

My mother is a serial blocker. 99 percent of the time she will block the aisles and doorways. She is your worst shopping nightmare. She will come in the door with her cart, and since the supermarket puts their sale flyers right beside the entrance door, she will stop and grab one to see whats on sale while standing still in the doorway, and remain completely oblivious to the people also coming in behind her. Traffic builds up, and before you know it, there is like three, four, or 7 other people trying to get in with their carts. They audibly sigh at the inconsiderate woman blocking their way, but my mother doesnt even hear them. Its not untill one of them pipes up in a loud voice "excuse me!" does she finally move her cart forward a few feet, just enough room to squeeze by her.

And then as she goes from aisle to aisle, doing her shopiing, you can count on her to leave her cart directly in the middle of the aisle ALL the time whenever she comes upon a product on the shelves she wants to get. And then other people come down the aisle, running into my mothers aisle traffic block, the reactions are different. They sit there and wait for my mother to move her cart, thinking that it will only take a second for mother to notice them and move her cart out of their way. Bad move. You sit there and wait, mother will make you sit there and wait.

Then there are the ones who dont wait around. They move my mothers cart out of their way (mostly its a man who does this). This gets my mothers attention because she keeps her purse in the cart and when she senses her cart being moved by someone else, her paranoia kicks in and she gets worried about being robbed. When she sees its just another customer trying to get by her middle of the aisle cart, she blurts out an "oh, excuse me", and moves the cart to the side of the aisle. However, she has never learned her lesson. She will move on to the next aisle where she will repeat her inconsiderate behavior and block the aisle again. Sometimes blocking the same people all over again.

[DS1]

7. It's the same way with airlines

The first people off meet and hug and yap with the people expecting them, RIGHT THERE, and block everyone else who is just trying to get off the plane after yet another shitty business trip.

Of course, I haven't flown since 9/11, but that's just because I haven't had a job where people valued my skills since earlier that year.

[Clintmax]

9. I HATE people who do this...

It's usually a woman, but I've seen dudes do it also. What I usually do is say: "Excuse me, ma'am/sir, I need to get by your cart please could you move it out of the way?" At which point they say: "Oh, I'm sorry" and move their stuff to the side of the aisle. I have always why they do that. My only conclusion is that they only think of themselves and probably think they are the only important people in the store and therefore can do as they please. I hate people like this.

[NV Whino]

14. I hope your mother and trof

don't shop at the same store.

And welcome to DU.

[trof]

11. certly did

inspiration

[hobbit709]

2. If they can't/won't follow the rules of the road

on the streets, what makes you think they'll do it in the store?

[Lars39]

3. You didn't address who gets the right a way when there's a post

in the aisle.

[trof]

12. A post is considered to be a hazard to navigation.

It should be properly marked with high visibility black and yellow stripes, a red, rotating beacon, AND A WHITE STROBE LIGHT. Every 5 seconds a siren should sound and apre-recorded message should blare "CAUTION-CAUTION-THIS OBSTACLE PRESENTS A HAZARD TO NAVIGATION AND SHOULD BE AVOIDED AT ALL COSTS!"

Lifeguards should be posted in the vicinity.

[koopie57]

4. those are very good suggestions

but I think the ultimate solution would be to post homeland security personnel at the end of each aisle posing as those people who hand out pieces of food. They can not only direct traffic, but via closed circuit tv we can be seen in one of our natural habits. Bomb sniffing dogs can be hid under the table covered by a large tablecloth. Anyone who "flip-flops" or backtracks, can be quickly arrested and "carted" away thereby avoiding a risk to our national security. There can be backup homeland personnel available whose undercover job is to replace working wheels on the shopping carts with the gimpy ones which will pull each shopper in the "right" direction.

[trof]

13. HSA personnel...good idea.

[skygazer]

5. As someone who works in a grocery store

I heartily second this motion. I would also ticket those who stop while halfway out the door to analyze their receipt, thereby effectively blocking the door to all others who would like to use it.

I am very attuned to the possibilities of blocking aisles because I go in at 4 am to stock my shelves (wine and liquor). I am careful to park my dolly in such a way that the few shoppers we have at that hour can maneuver their carts by me. I ALWAYS say, "excuse me", something I rarely see a shopper do which just irritates me.

One morning, a friend of mine who works in the deli department was stocking her cheese table when a woman began complaining to her. It was about 5 am and this woman was saying how hard it is to do her shopping when "you people" are in the way stocking (the regular grocery stocking gets done at night though we still get a few customers, being a 24 hour store. Most of the departments come in early in the morning though and are fully stocked by about 8 am).

My friend replied "Imagine how hard it would be to shop if we didn't stock it!"

[tridim]

10. The entrance at Costco is the worst

I love the place, but they put all the sale items right at the entrance so everybody just stops. If the store is crowded it causes a huge traffic jam. It's probably good for sales, but terrible for the guy (like me) who just wants to get to the food section. I also mentioned in the other thread that this behavior doesn't stop when they leave the store. They do the same thing in the parking lot, walking very slowly right up the middle of the lanes, oblivious to the line of cars behind them driving at 2mph.

[ChoralScholar]

8. Along the same lines....

Can't we standardize that the 'in' door is on the right, and the 'out' door is on the left?

That way, we can be consistent with traffic rules, and you always know that whether you're entering or leaving the store, you go to the right.

[NV Whino]

15. Gawd that drives me crazy!

My local Safeway (where I rarely shop, by the way) has the doors reversed. And where do the put the little carry-baskets? Why on the "out" side, of course.

:grr:

[trof]

16. OK, then...I want standardized card readers too!

Some the magnetic stripe has to face this way and some it has to face that way.
swipe...flip...swipe...rotate...swipe

I like the ones where all you have to do is get the damn stripe in the damn slot anywhichaway and it takes care of the rest.