Why does this not surprise me?

[blas]

Had to do my weekly shopping at Wal-Mart yesterday.

I needed some more diet pills.....these aisles aren't very wide to begin with, but just as Murphy's Law always tends to go with me, the aisle I need to go down, some old woman who looked a little too much like Bea Arthur had her cart parked right in the middle of the aisle, and she was standing to the left, RIGHT where I needed to grab my pills. I tried to be polite and say "Excuse me", she looked up at me from her grocery list and said something like "hmmmph" and just went back to whatever she was doing. So I said "F" it and just grabbed around her. Bitch.

I swear, one of these days, I'm going to come to Wal-Mart with a book, park it right in the middle of an aisle, and camp out and refuse to let anyone around me.

[marty]

I lost it the other day trying to get some swiffer duster refills for work so I could clean when my break was over. Some bitches were having "family reunion" in the middle of the isle right in front of them and glared at me when I said "Excuse me" politely. So I put on the "I'm batshit crazy!" face, yelled "'SCUSE ME!" and barrelled through their carts, knocking their crap into them.

I think it made them mad.

[Spiffy McMoron]

I swear, one of these days, I'm going to come to Wal-Mart with a book, park it right in the middle of an aisle, and camp out and refuse to let anyone around me.

That would actually be great--think of the new members we could get signed up to the boards! I know I'd be waiting to vent if I had to deal with a girl in a lawn chair in the diet pill aisle who refused to move out of the way for little old ladies.

[blas]

Oh she wasn't no LITTLE old lady! I half expected her to motion Estelle Getty over to me and hit me over the head and say "You stupid yutz!"

Of course you know me better than that. I'd never actually do it, but it'd be funny.

It's just so annoying. I just wanted to quick grab that bottle. I said "Excuse me" politely. She looked at me and kept standing there.

[TTAZ]

Was at babies r' us one day with my son, my son's father, and HIS mother. These two, um, "parents" were having a little reunion right in my way. I tried saying "excuse me". No effect. I tried saying "EXCUSE ME!" No effect except a glare from one of the "parents". Finally I yelled "OI!!!" at the top of my lungs. They moved. Both K and his mum found this hilarious. K becuase he thinks his Brit is rubbing off on me, and his mum because this is the first time in her 76 years she has ever heard an American yell "oi!"

[marasbaras]

Is this a gender-specific behavior? I've never had men blocking the aisles like this ... but, a LOT of women.

[blas]

Men only tend to do it in the company of women, aka a husband or boyfriend or son...

[chainedbarista]

mm, dunno about that; old men do it too (although it's a rare phenomenon); usually around newspaper shelves.

aisle campers tick me off; move your damned ass already!

best is when they're camped mid-aisle and they have to stand at the other side, in deep contemplation, as they stare at an item on the other side. W T F??

are they trying to levitate said item with their astounding mind powers?? maybe cosmic radiation has reached critical levels, causing them to freeze suddenly? perhaps the shiny package has them mesmerized?

no...they're checking prices differences of a nickle or LESS, trying to decide what gives the better bargain, the jug at $xx.xx or the bottle at $x.xx.

[DarkProwler]

I am *constantly* getting on my wife about stopping in middle of the aisle. I usually push the cart just so I can get it out of the way when she stops out of nowhere. But she's getting better about it, and will pull the cart over if she remembers.

[KellyHabersham]

We get this on occasion at the library.......patrons will decide to sit down in the middle of the aisle and camp out while browsing, and they don't move even though they can see you're trying to work around them.

[RedRoseSpiral]

I have this problem when I'm working. I'll be trying to stock the shelves and someone will park their cart right where I need to put a heavy box of lotion and leave the cart. I know one time a group of guys probably mid-20s left their cart in the middle of one of our main aisles and went to the clearance aisle which was two or three aisles away. I was in a pissy mood already and moved it in between two of the four ways out of sight. I was in the shampoo aisle when they came out and realized their cart was "gone".

Dude1: Dude! Our cart is gone!
Dude2: Fuck! Where did it go!
Dude3: I don't fuckin' know!
Dude2: Well find it fuckface!
Dude1: (walks down the aisle a little) Some dickwad moved it!

I got a laugh out of it.

[Peppergirl]

Is this a gender-specific behavior? I've never had men blocking the aisles like this ... but, a LOT of women.

Ya know, I never really thought about it till you said that but you're RIGHT!!

My theory is that most men, while many are clueless when it comes to shopping, tend go down the aisle purposefully and get what they need and move along.

Women however, especially older ones, seem to be label readers. Which is fine, just move out of the damned way when you do it. I'm a label reader myself, but I try not to block the whole damned aisle when I do it.

[Geek King]

My theory is that most men, while many are clueless when it comes to shopping, tend go down the aisle purposefully and get what they need and move along.

Women however, especially older ones, seem to be label readers. Which is fine, just move out of the damned way when you do it. I'm a label reader myself, but I try not to block the whole damned aisle when I do it.

<*AHEM*>
Roughly (very) quoting from "Defending the Caveman:"

Cavemen were solitary hunters, reqiring stealth and concentration for long periods of time. Only when the hunt was successful could the men let loose and celebrate. So men socially evolved into quiet brooding, while tending to go overboard during times of celebration. They had to take what they could bring down, as hunting leaves little time to be choosy.

On the other side, cavewomen would go out in groups for gathering roots and berries. Making noise was a way of warning off potentially dangerous animals, so the womenfolk socially evolved in ways that encouraged chatting and much interaction. Time could be taken to choose only the best roots and berries, and 'shopping' the local berry bushes became a skill that could be passed down, mother-to-daughter.

</poor quoting>

I'm not sure I buy it all, but it is interesting to see some of the parrallels between life today, and what we know about our cave-ancestors.

[Andara Bledin]

Man, I can't stand shopping. I like buying. I have a list. I go up and down the aisles I need and get the items I need, and then I get out of there.

I have no use for the whole "shopping" experience.

Then again, I have no use for the whole "gossip like a bunch of hens" experience, either.

^-.-^

[KMMCurly]

no...they're checking prices differences of a nickle or LESS, trying to decide what gives the better bargain, the jug at $xx.xx or the bottle at $x.xx.

That would be my mother