Conveyor Belt Etiquette

After the mortgage incident at Kohl's, my wife and I headed over to Wal-Mart to pick up some groceries for the new house. We got in line and began loading our foodstuffs onto the conveyor belt.

The checkout clerk began scanning our items. As the conveyor belt moved forward, an older lady behind us in line began placing her groceries onto the conveyor belt. I noticed she was purchasing a box of sugar-free blueberry snacks. I thought, "There's no way those things taste good."

The checkout clerk continued scanning our items and was finishing up when I noticed the box of sugar-free blueberry snacks in one of our bags.

I told the clerk, "That is not mine."

She pulled it out of the bag and re-scanned it to remove it from our charge list.

I pointed to the lady behind us and said, "I believe it is her item."

Looking aghast, like I just kicked her dog, the woman bellowed, "That's not mine! I don't want that!"

Stunned by her sudden denial, I swiped my credit card to pay for our groceries.

This unfortunate little incident could have been prevented if the woman in line would have observed one of the most basic shopping rules: Conveyor Belt Etiquette #1.

Conveyor Belt Etiquette Rule #1: When placing your items on the same belt as the customer in front of you, it is customary to use the little bar to separate your items from those already on the conveyor belt. Failure to observe this rule may result in combative situations with other consumers and even the possible loss of life.