Not my SC but it ticked me off

[avissucks]

One day I was shopping at a Wal Mart in Orlando FL. Wal Marts there are packed generally and have lines back into the clothing section. It was not uncommon to wait in line a good 15 to 20 minutes.

I don't have children so maybe this is all right and I do not know. The customers in front of me, parents and a small child, are hanging out and waiting in line patiently like everyone else.

The child eventually decides he is not so patient and gets a little feisty. The father then turns to the magazine rack near him and pulls out a big book of Sudoku puzzles and hands it to this, probably, 1 and half year old child. The child then proceeds to eat and slobber all over the pages, mangle the covers and basically leave the book in total disarray.

When this wholesome family is one person back from the register the father removes the magazine from the childs hand and tucks it back into the shelf as if nothing has happened.

I stood behind these people appalled but kept my mouth shut as I got up to the register and went on my way. I was tempted to make an issue with the family in front of me personally but since neither of them spoke a word of English the whole time in line I figured it was best not to waste my breath.

So, is this a SC, the kind I should be talking about on here, or is this something else I should just keep to myself. Pretty new here. Thanks for the info.

[ShadedWings]

I think that is definitely sucky for someone to do! Surely this qualifies as SC behaviour. Blargh.

I always hated it when I was a cashier and the loving, frazzled parents decided to hand me their savings/debit/credit card/money after their darling little drool fountain had been slobbering all over it for the past ten minutes they've been in line. UGH. Some days it took all I had not to make disgusted faces at them.

[myswtghst]

Definitely an SC. It would tick me off too, to have to watch that in front of me but feel too polite to say anything.

Also, for future reference (though Ree or one of the Mods may move this!) it would probably belong better in Sightings, as this was something you saw happen, rather than someone who was an SC directly to you. Hope that helps, and again, welcome!

[Pedersen]

My vote: sc, big time, total SC. Many other names I'd like to lob at them too.

I don't know if I'd have had the same restraint you did.

And, since I jumped last time, let me do so again, but in praise this time: much better post on all counts, and definitely much easier to read. Thank you

[It's me]

It's always hard to know what to do in those situations... even a minute or two to think about what to do might be enough, but you rarely get it.

In this case you could have held up the magazine and said, "Excuse me! You forgot your magazine!". Of course, they may have just taken the thing, pretended it was already paid for, kept going.

Me? If I was by myself, I would have said, "Excuse me! I think you should be paying for the magazine your son wrecked." Mostly because my faith in humanity would have meant that I would have been planning to do just that as soon as I saw the magazine being wrecked. (My wife hates it when I do that sort of thing, and I wouldn't want to risk exposing my kids to the SC's possible reaction).

[mariamousie1]

That's totally sucky. It was damaged, they should have paid for it. Bring along your own toys, idiots.

[Andara Bledin]

I would have totally held the magazine up while the cashier was ringing their items, with a faux-helpful, "Excuse me, but you "dropped" your magazine."

I would be all polite and smiley, and completely unbending in helping them not "forget" the magazine they carried all the way to the till.

^-.-^

[Becks]

Maybe you could've tried to find a non slobber covered part and handed it to the cashier for disposal.

[tollbaby]

good lord, people are gross. Is it really that difficult for ONE parent to step outside with the baby while the other one waits and pays? That's what my ex and I do when our kids (6 and 8, but they still get tired and cranky while shopping) get snarky. My ex actually had me take his debit card and pay for his new computer chair while he took our six year old outside a few weeks ago (we don't spoil her, but everyone ELSE does, and she's a bit difficult to manage until we can break her of it... the hard part is, she's firmly convinced that everyone in the world adores her *grumble*)