For some, grocery shopping is a peaceful activity that might even be the highlight of their week. I have to admit that I enjoy perusing the aisles and contemplating what I’ll prepare for dinner throughout the week, especially when I manage to get to the store early when it's virtually empty. Others, however, might dread their weekly trip to the store and try to get in and out as quickly as possible. But even if you’re in a rush while grabbing your produce and pasta, there’s no reason to be rude to fellow customers.
So when one man encountered a shockingly impolite woman in the supermarket, he refused to let her behavior go unpunished. Below, you’ll find the full story that he recently shared on the Petty Revenge subreddit, as well as a conversation between the shopper and Bored Panda.
Most customers keep to themselves while grocery shopping
Image credits: tampatra (not the actual photo)
But when a fellow shopper rudely ran over this man's foot, he knew he needed to seek revenge
Image credits: Marjan Blan (not the actual photo)
Image credits: sedrik2007 (not the actual photo)
Image credits: mstandret (not the actual photo)
Image credits: chalkmuppet
“If my pettiness brought a few smiles on a Monday, the world is a better place”
To learn more about this situation, we reached out to the man who shared the amusing story online, Reddit user Chalkmuppet. He was kind enough to have a chat with Bored Panda and share what inspired him to tell the story now.
“Charlotte Dobre. This perfect personification of pettiness has recently dominated my FB stream, much to my delight,” the author noted. “After much giggling at some of the stories, I remembered this incident and dug around Reddit till I found the Petty Revenge sub.”
We were also curious to know whether or not the OP ever ran into this Karen again. “I did not. Truth be told, I avoided Waitrose for a few weeks after that - I was a bit unsure if they'd dig out the CCTV and screen grab my face and stick ‘Wanted - Dead or Alive’ posters around the store,” Chalkmuppet wrote. “Might be Bounty Hunters lying in wait behind the Chablis.”
But did he want to confront her again? “Not really. I am certain she knew it was me, and I don't really fancy a Gucci bag, possibly stuffed with half a bottle of gin, round the back of my head. Or worse, she might advance from the trolley to her SUV and chase me round the car park! No, I'm good with avoidance and hiding…”
The OP also hopes that the woman realized how the bottles of alcohol ended up on her bill. “The overall damage would have been significant. I also like to think that the cashier also got some joy from realizing someone 'spiked' her bill,” he told Bored Panda, adding that he does feel a bit guilty for “that poor lady on checkout” who had to deal with the Karen.
Chalkmuppet says that he enjoyed reading through the replies to his post too. “Many of them were so very complimentary, and honestly, I don't deserve half of the praise. But if my pettiness brought a few smiles on a Monday, the world is a better place,” he shared. “I enjoy writing, although I normally do not have the time, so it's very gratifying to see such comments.”
Grocery stores tend to bring out customers’ worst behavior
Now, there’s rarely a good reason to be rude to a stranger (unless, of course, they started it). But apparently, supermarkets, in particular, tend to bring out the worst in us, according to NBC News.
As far as why that happens, licensed clinical social worker Katie Krimer says it might have something to do with evolution. “We are certainly primed for survival and we are also always trying to meet our basic needs (re: Maslow's hierarchy),” Krimer told NBC. “One of those main needs is food. Even though we live in a country where the options are endless, there might be an instinctual sense of urgency to make sure we have ‘enough’ food to survive.”
There’s also the possibility of being overstimulated in the grocery store. You’re surrounded by endless options of food, and you might have to weave your cart through crowded aisles full of fellow annoyed shoppers. And, of course, you’ll have to pay for everything at the end, which can create stress for those on tight budgets. But that doesn’t mean your manners should fly out the window once you enter the shop.
A survey on grocery shopping etiquette from Treadmill Reviews found that the most inappropriate things shoppers can do are leave perishables somewhere else in the store, taste produce, leave non-perishables in random places, consume items before paying for them, leave the checkout line while items are being scanned, shop right before closing time and give employees “special bagging instructions.”
What do you think about this grocery store drama, pandas? Do you think petty revenge was the perfect way to respond? Feel free to share, and then if you’re interested in checking out another Bored Panda piece discussing excitement at a grocery store, we recommend reading this article next!
Many amused readers shared their reactions to the story, and the author joined in on the conversation
