Waltzing Matilda, again

[Pixelated]

I had one customer come up to my till yesterday and then suddenly realize he'd forgotten something. No probs; push the cart over there and run get your forgotten item and we'll ring you out when you get back.

Wouldn't you know it ... he came back just as a new customer came up to my till.

And then we had ... no, not the "I WUZ HERE FIRST!!" rant.

No, we had the "Oh, no problem, you go first!" "No, no, YOU go first!" "Oh no, I can wait; I'm in no hurry." "No, really, you can go first ..."

And the cashier (moi) is standing there thinking "For the love of Bastet, SOMEBODY go first; we close in two hours!!"

Trust me, I am not complaining about these guys. It was hilarious. I wasn't sure whether I was supposed to intercede or just let it play itself out ... however long that took.

[Trixie]

I always hate when I ring up two people and they fight over who is going to pay. "I'm going to pay!" "No, I am!" and back and forth. I usually stand there and stare. Then I just take the payment from whoever is closer.

[Mental_Mouse]

No, we had the "Oh, no problem, you go first!" "No, no, YOU go first!" "Oh no, I can wait; I'm in no hurry." "No, really, you can go first ..."

Also known as a "Canadian standoff".

[greek_jester]

Also known as a "Canadian standoff".

Wasn't there a comedy sketch about this once, with 2 English businessmen coming face to face on the pavement and trying to work out how to side-step so that they could get past each other, all in over-done politeness? It ended with the camera pulling back and showing dozens of businessmen all doing exactly the same thing.

[Mental_Mouse]

Wasn't there a comedy sketch about this once, with 2 English businessmen coming face to face on the pavement and trying to work out how to side-step so that they could get past each other, all in over-done politeness? It ended with the camera pulling back and showing dozens of businessmen all doing exactly the same thing.

I'm sure there have been many such sketches. And at least one print cartoon, IIRC Alphonse & Gaston.

[Racket_Man]

Wasn't there a comedy sketch about this once, with 2 English businessmen coming face to face on the pavement and trying to work out how to side-step so that they could get past each other, all in over-done politeness? It ended with the camera pulling back and showing dozens of businessmen all doing exactly the same thing.

I seem to remember a Dr. Seuss book about that very situation (quick run to Google). A North Going Zax meets a South Going Zax in a story call The Zax from a book called The Sneetches and Other Stories originally published in 1953

Not sure who did the animation but someone did a cartoon as part of a Cat In The Hat Dr. Suess on the Loose TV program in 1973 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dZmZzGxGpSs It has a Chuck Jones feel to it

[SpyOne]

I'm sure there have been many such sketches. And at least one print cartoon, IIRC Alphonse & Gaston.

Warner Brothers had overly-polite chipmunks in at least one cartoon. "After you" "No, after you" "I insist" "No, I insist."

Back to the OP: I hate those guys.
See, I'm a cashier at a different kind of store. I have other tasks to perform, and the labor budget gives me thirty seconds per transaction.
So those guys aren't just wasting their own time, they are wasting mine.
For a more egalitarian view, they are wasting the money of every single person who shops there: the owner isn't just going to eat the cost, he's going to pass it along to the customers by raising prices. And every minute of the cashier's time you waste costs at least $0.12.
As an act of kindness to your fellow shoppers, help keep prices low by taking as little of the cashier's time as you can.