Line Cutting at Costco Rant, Long!

[Gumbo4x4]

I do understand what you are saying and yes it's the responsibility of merging traffic to fit in. The thing is, if you are stopping often enough when getting on the highway that you complain about people almost rear ending you and getting mad at you, then you're doing something wrong. Stopping on a highway on ramp is not a regular, normal, expected thing.

Exactly. Nothing accelerates slower than an 18-wheeler. When's the last time you saw one stopped at the end of the ramp because they failed to complete a merge?

 

[ronandannette]

That is true about accepting consequences and the same goes for confronting someone. You really don't know what they are going to do and there is a crazy person on every corner. It's just not worth it to have a hissy fit over some rude line cutter and that's what I would tell my kids. Pick your battles.

I'm going to try my best to change the way I view line cutters at Disney on my next trip. After the Las Vegas shooting, I'm determined to put more positivity out in the world.

And if you really want to give somebody a "wake-up call" don't fight rude with rude - most selfish louts are ready for that. Catch 'em off guard by looking them straight in the face and saying something like "Oh, sorry, you must be in a real hurry - we've all been waiting in this line here forever - please go ahead." I'll bet you $20 the person will then sheepishly mea culpa the line cut and fall in behind you!

Oh, and you can count me in as a zipper-merger who believes yield signs and merge signs are NOT the same thing.

 

[MIGrandma]

Um, don't you guys just hate when your thread veers off and becomes a totally new thread with a new topic all because some posters disagree with someone else's driving skills? Just saying......perhaps sunshinehighway can start a new highway safety thread since she was the first one to steer my thread off course.

You've been here 7 years, you should know by now that probably 99% of threads don't stay on-topic. Once you've made a thread you have no control over what is posted.

As for calling someone out for line cutting, I wouldn't. I would be grumbling about the person in my head, thinking they were rude, idiots, whatever. But to start an altercation, nope, not worth it.

As for merging onto a highway if there is a yield sign at the merge (because of construction) I would definitely stop at the sign if there are no breaks in traffic. Generally the sign is there because one of the two lanes is closed, so obviously people can't move over to let mergers in. I'm not about to barrel my way through and hope someone slows down for me. No, I stop at the yield and WAIT until there IS space to move into. And I've seen plenty of other cars doing the same thing. You can't just merge if there is no place to merge into.

 

[kaytieeldr]

What does a yield sign mean and why are they on EVERY ramp? If you can't get out into traffic, you have to yield and stop until you can.

I dunno. My 'favorite ' yield sign locally is At the top of a highway onramp that has a merging lane. I dont know what it is about that sign, but well over half of drivers stop, instead.

I agree, but that isn't reality here. We have to drive based on the traffic situation we have

Which still shouldn't prevent drivers from keeping a safe distance between vehicls, which thus leaves space for entering vehicles. I mean, how do you all change lanes?

And you're assuming the on ramps are long enough to get the cars up to cruising speed.

Onramp plus merging lanes, yes.

 

[momz]

It is a rainy Saturday here today so Costco was packed. Dh, myself and ds(16) did our shopping and waited in line for about 20 minutes to reach the cash. Great, but now we were faced with another very long line at the exit door where they check your receipt against your purchases (do they do that in the States as well?) So we got in line and after a few minutes of slowly inching forward I see this cart approaching me from my right side very casually until the man finds a gap between my cart and the person in front of it and suddenly he swerves and sticks his cart in that gap so that if I pushed my cart it would hit his. As the line was continually slightly moving within seconds half his cart was in. (Think heavy traffic on the highway where someone uses the empty exit lane and then cuts in at the top kind of thing.) Ds, being a typical teenager noticed and says out loud to me "I hate line cutters" to which he turns around to him and says in a very loud bullying voice "excuse me?" because he knew what he had done and when you cannot defend then go on the offense.

My dh is very mild mannered and avoids confrontations at all costs but watch out if he feels he has been wronged! Dh says to him in a fairly loud voice "well sir you just cut the line" and he had the nerve to say that he was already in front of us....yah by passing everyone on the right!!! It got ugly with myself joining in and using a few not so nice adjectives to describe him to his face, I admit not my best moment.

What I find interesting his female companion (wife?) stood there like a deer in the headlights and never said one word throughout the whole exchange in his defense. I guess she is used to his behaviour or is terrified of him.

The question is was the whole altercation worth it? I don't know. Many will say no you cannot change a jerk. I asked ds this and he said "well mom you cannot always be a pushover because you have to live with yourself. Maybe he'll remember what happened today the next time he does not want to wait in a line." Something tells me with a bully like that, that is wishful thinking!

Wowza! There's a lot of angst here. I understand being frustrated with long lines. And, it's one thing to point out to somebody where the end of the line is. But, it's another thing to escalate tensions by "joining in and using a few not so nice adjectives to describe his face"!!!!

Really?! What's the purpose in doing that? To humiliate him publicly?

Who knows what's going on in any persons life, maybe there was some extenuating circumstances, or maybe the guy was just a jerk. Either way, I don't see how your choice of actions could improve matters.

 

[tarheelmjfan]

I dunno. My 'favorite ' yield sign locally is At the top of a highway onramp that has a merging lane. I dont know what it is about that sign, but well over half of drivers stop, instead.

Which still shouldn't prevent drivers from keeping a safe distance between vehicls, which thus leaves space for entering vehicles. I mean, how do you all change lanes?

Onramp plus merging lanes, yes.

Changing lanes is easier than getting on the interstate. There are more cars in the right lane, due to people getting on & off at the exits.

 

[mom to minnie&mickey]

Wowza! There's a lot of angst here. I understand being frustrated with long lines. And, it's one thing to point out to somebody where the end of the line is. But, it's another thing to escalate tensions by "joining in and using a few not so nice adjectives to describe his face"!!!!

Really?! What's the purpose in doing that? To humiliate him publicly?

Who knows what's going on in any persons life, maybe there was some extenuating circumstances, or maybe the guy was just a jerk. Either way, I don't see how your choice of actions could improve matters.

Please re-read my op. I never, ever used adjectives to "describe his face" lol. Where did you get that from? I called him rude and entitled trying to bypass a long line of people waiting their turn just because he did not want to wait in line.

We never addressed him personally even after he cut in. It was when he heard my son tell me that he hates line cutters that he turned around and loudly confronted ds. That got the ball rolling. How did he know the comment was about him if he was not aware of what he had done? Had he apologized, told me he was in a hurry or basically made up any excuse it would have been done and finished. It was his insistence that he was already in front of us, basically blatantly lied after I saw him inching his way up on my right to find a gap to stick his cart in that escalated the argument.

If I had to do it again chances are good that I would just have tried to ignore him. However, people are people and sometimes (especially after waiting patiently in lines for over 30 minutes) the sense of injustice gets the better of you.

 

[tarheelmjfan]

And there's no way anyone is merging into that from a full stop.

On the interstate, you rarely come to a complete stop. You do often have to slow down substantially waiting for cars to get over to let you in. It does take a while to get up to cruising speed from that speed. Basically, you're at the mercy of other drivers, during heavy traffic times, which is much of the day. People will usually get over, when they can, but that isn't something that you can assume. Some people simply refuse to leave the right lane, when their exit is coming up soon. You can't just keep on rolling & expect people to get over, unless you're okay with getting in an accident. It's on the car entering the interstate or highway to get on safely. Those that are driving at full speed are looking out for themselves.

Getting off the interstate, where there are yield signs, is where you're likely to have to come to a complete stop & wait for a break. These roads have traffic lights periodically, which open up space to enter eventually. There are cars entering from other locations that are also taking advantage of the traffic light, so you may have to wait through more than one light, but you'll eventually get a break in traffic.

I must not be explaining the situation well or something. It surprises me that so many of you seem to doubt that you may have to slow down or stop to merge into traffic. I realize the traffic here is worse than most locations, but there has to be others here who deal with a crazy amount of traffic on a daily basis.

 

[tarheelmjfan]

Exactly. Nothing accelerates slower than an 18-wheeler. When's the last time you saw one stopped at the end of the ramp because they failed to complete a merge?

If you really want to see one, so you can say you have, come on down. You may need an extended stay, but you'll eventually see one barely rolling or stopped. They are bigger & don't exactly drive defensively, so people usually stay out of their way, but there are times where it's simply not possible to get over.

 

[momz]

Please re-read my op. I never, ever used adjectives to "describe his face" lol. Where did you get that from? I called him rude and entitled trying to bypass a long line of people waiting their turn just because he did not want to wait in line.

We never addressed him personally even after he cut in. It was when he heard my son tell me that he hates line cutters that he turned around and loudly confronted ds. That got the ball rolling. How did he know the comment was about him if he was not aware of what he had done? Had he apologized, told me he was in a hurry or basically made up any excuse it would have been done and finished. It was his insistence that he was already in front of us, basically blatantly lied after I saw him inching his way up on my right to find a gap to stick his cart in that escalated the argument.

If I had to do it again chances are good that I would just have tried to ignore him. However, people are people and sometimes (especially after waiting patiently in lines for over 30 minutes) the sense of injustice gets the better of you.

You are right, I misread your statement. What you wrote is that you joined in and use not so nice adjectives to describe HIM to his face, not to describe his face. Either way, it is making the exchange personal. This makes it sound like the confrontation was about the man personally and not about his behavior of moving ahead of others in line. Maybe it was his first time there and he didn't know he had to wait in line to exit the store. I wouldn't know that myself and would perhaps just head toward the exit.

I still contend that your words (at least what you admitted to in your OP) escalated the issue.

 

[ronandannette]

If I had to do it again chances are good that I would just have tried to ignore him. However, people are people and sometimes (especially after waiting patiently in lines for over 30 minutes) the sense of injustice gets the better of you.

Sorry you had a bad day made worse by the line cutter but I don't believe anybody ever had to wait in line for 1/2 hour to get out of Costco.

 

[mom2rtk]

Sorry you had a bad day made worse by the line cutter but I don't believe anybody ever had to wait in line for 1/2 hour to get out of Costco.

PP said the checkout line was 20 minutes. I assume she was including that.

 

[ronandannette]

PP said the checkout line was 20 minutes. I assume she was including that.

That makes more sense.

 

[mom to minnie&mickey]

Sorry you had a bad day made worse by the line cutter but I don't believe anybody ever had to wait in line for 1/2 hour to get out of Costco.

Again, I have stated several times that the store was extremely busy on a Saturday afternoon. We waited in line to pay at the cash for 20 minutes and then a secondary line to get the receipt checked against our purchases. This second line was at least a 10 minute wait, if not more, because when he cut in we were only 2 people away from the door.
Perhaps you should check what someone wrote previously before insinuating that they are lying. I have been very honest in giving the details of what happened.

ETA Okay I saw the post above this one where it was explained.

 

[ronandannette]

Again, I have stated several times that the store was extremely busy on a Saturday afternoon. We waited in line to pay at the cash for 20 minutes and then a secondary line to get the receipt checked against our purchases. This second line was at least a 10 minute wait, if not more, because when he cut in we were only 2 people away from the door.
Perhaps you should check what someone wrote previously before insinuating that they are lying. I have been very honest in giving the details of what happened.

ETA Okay I saw the post above this one where it was explained.

 

[Pink Partridge]

Ds, being a typical teenager noticed and says out loud to me "I hate line cutters" to which he turns around to him and says in a very loud bullying voice "excuse me?" because he knew what he had done and when you cannot defend then go on the offense.

My dh is very mild mannered and avoids confrontations at all costs but watch out if he feels he has been wronged! Dh says to him in a fairly loud voice "well sir you just cut the line" and he had the nerve to say that he was already in front of us....yah by passing everyone on the right!!! It got ugly with myself joining in and using a few not so nice adjectives to describe him to his face, I admit not my best moment.

Don't beat yourself up. Rude and entitled people will continue to be rude because nobody calls them out. I would for sure say something if someone cut right in front of me. Not to start a fight, but to let the entitled person know that they are not flying under the radar. I see you acting like a spoiled brat, mister.

I also hate when I have been standing in a line forever and a new cashier opens up and a person just arriving to the line runs past everyone with their childlike compulsion to be first. More and more cashiers have started to physically guide the next in line to their register. Like "I'm open. I see you are next. Come with me." I like that.

Grocery stores and large crowds work on my nerves. Add in the line cutters and I am one grumpy shopper.

Don't get me started on the Costco Sample People. The ones that block the aisles with their carts just to get a taste of a piece of cheese, or a breakfast sausage. Then stand there and eat it like they are at a restaurant and the middle of the aisle is their own personal table

OP, your thread just convinced me to wait until tomorrow to head to Costco. I don't have it in me today.

 

[sunshinehighway]

On the interstate, you rarely come to a complete stop. You do often have to slow down substantially waiting for cars to get over to let you in. It does take a while to get up to cruising speed from that speed. Basically, you're at the mercy of other drivers, during heavy traffic times, which is much of the day. People will usually get over, when they can, but that isn't something that you can assume. Some people simply refuse to leave the right lane, when their exit is coming up soon. You can't just keep on rolling & expect people to get over, unless you're okay with getting in an accident. It's on the car entering the interstate or highway to get on safely. Those that are driving at full speed are looking out for themselves.

Getting off the interstate, where there are yield signs, is where you're likely to have to come to a complete stop & wait for a break. These roads have traffic lights periodically, which open up space to enter eventually. There are cars entering from other locations that are also taking advantage of the traffic light, so you may have to wait through more than one light, but you'll eventually get a break in traffic.

I must not be explaining the situation well or something. It surprises me that so many of you seem to doubt that you may have to slow down or stop to merge into traffic. I realize the traffic here is worse than most locations, but there has to be others here who deal with a crazy amount of traffic on a daily basis.

S/he said when stopped on the on ramp other drivers almost rear-ended him/her and/or get mad. Stopping on an on ramp to the highway isn't something you should be doing enough to have a complaint about how other drivers react.

 

[ELKA]

S/he said when stopped on the on ramp other drivers almost rear-ended him/her and/or get mad. Stopping on an on ramp to the highway isn't something you should be doing enough to have a complaint about hope other drivers react.

I see you have never been to NY. On a lot of our ramps to both expressways and parkways, there are yield signs that are yellow and red ones, traffic lights that show you when to go to merge on those roads, and one ramp that actually has a stop sign and the shortest merge lane that I have ever seen. Also, the ramp with the stop sign, the parkway has a curve so that even if you look, you can’t tell if a car is coming. When you get on you hope that there is no car coming, you hope that your car accelerates like it is promised on the commercials and you hope that the car behind you isn’t that close and is watching you and be able to break if you have to. Different states, different roads and signs.

 

[mom to minnie&mickey]

No problem, I am not one to hold a grudge.

 

[cluvsdisney]

I see you have never been to NY. On a lot of our ramps to both expressways and parkways, there are yield signs that are yellow and red ones, traffic lights that show you when to go to merge on those roads, and one ramp that actually has a stop sign and the shortest merge lane that I have ever seen. Also, the ramp with the stop sign, the parkway has a curve so that even if you look, you can’t tell if a car is coming. When you get on you hope that there is no car coming, you hope that your car accelerates like it is promised on the commercials and you hope that the car behind you isn’t that close and is watching you and be able to break if you have to. Different states, different roads and signs.

I live in NYC near the border of LI and you described ramps that came to mind reading this thread. Some are fine but there are more than enough where it’s challenging if not dangerous to enter the highway.