The Original Post
THANK YOU ALL WHO TOOK THE TIME TO WRITE A CIVIL AND CONSTRUCTIVE RESPONSE. DUE TO THE OVERWHELMING AMOUNT OF ENGAGEMENT AND AFTER MORE THAN 5 HOURS OF CONTINUOUS REPLYING I’M SAD TO ANNOUNCE I WONT BE INTERACTING WITH THE POST OR REPLIES ANYMORE. I CAN’T KEEP UP WITH EACH COMMENT AS THEY ARE WAY TOO MANY NOW. THANK YOU AGAIN FOR YOUR TIME AND TO THOSE WHO UPHELD THE VALUES AND RULES OF THIS SUBREDDIT.
So I went to the grocery store today and the lines to pay were a bit crowded, so my parents asked me to already wait in line while they finished grabbing the last couple of items. We usually do this if there’s a lot of people. If it’s my turn to pay and they aren’t there yet I just let the person behind me pass, so I don’t stop the flow (for obvious reasons). Even though that wasn’t the case today, this afternoon another customer was really angry because of this, claiming it was unfair and disrespectful to others that were waiting in line too, since “you can only wait in line once you finished shopping, not before that”. I have no idea what’s the logic behind his point of view, and he didn’t even explain it to me then because of how frustrated he was. Is this a cultural thing? Am I wrong here? As far as I know, as a customer you should abide by the rules of the establishment, and the grocery store has no rule against doing this. I didn’t prevent other customers or the cashier from continuing their businesses, and I had to wait in line like everyone else… So, AITA here? If so, please let me know your logic in detail, I’m curious to know if I’m missing anything :3
Update: I need to clarify something. My apologies if I expressed myself wrong, English isn’t my native language. When I mean couple of items I’m talking about dog food only, the big bag that’s heavy and a small bag with the little treats of different flavors. Everything on the same aile. We forgot to pick it up when we waited in line, and they had to take the shopping cart because it was too heavy to carry all of it by hand from that aile back to the cashier. We didn’t think we had to go to the back of the line for forgetting one item that required the shopping cart to carry, that’s why I was left there waiting.
Shout out to Betalisa and the other redditers that suggested I should add this info as context!
What Reddit Said
Reddit overwhelmingly declared OP the asshole in this grocery store etiquette debate. Most users argued that holding places in line gives families an unfair advantage over solo shoppers. However, the criticism intensified when commenters realized other customers were choosing lines based on incomplete information.
The top responses focused on how this practice deceives other shoppers. Meanwhile, many Redditors compared it to theme park line cutting, where friends join someone who saved their spot. In fact, users argued that people select checkout lines based on how much stuff each person appears to have.
The Verdict
The overwhelming consensus: OP is YTA (You’re the Asshole). This waiting in line grocery store strategy might seem harmless, but Reddit considers it inconsiderate to other customers. The practice essentially allows families to cut in line while making others wait longer than expected. This falls into public etiquette violations that prioritize personal convenience over social courtesy.
Original post from r/AmItheAsshole (1,355 upvotes, 1,987 comments)