"Jeff Wisnia" wrote in message
...
Don Foreman wrote:

I think it's less of a moral dilemma than a question of what response
(and by whom) is appropriate.

My approach would have been to quietly tell the cashier what had
happened. How she and the store respond to that re the offender is then
their call -- not mine.




Despite having a sign on my office wall reading, "There is no right way to
do the wrong thing," that would be my approach too. And, I wouldn't be
suprised If I got a look and a shrug from the cashier who probably
wouldn't want to have to explain her error to someone higher up.

Which reminds me......

Just last month I was pushing a cart with 440 pounds of lawn limestone to
the garden center checkout of a local Home Depot, and because it was a
pain to get it moving from a stop I let about a five foot gap accumulate
between me and the person ahead of me, who was being checked out. When
that fellow got through I urged my cart into motion and just as it began
rolling some big lunk swooped in in front of me with a shopping cart full
of merchandise.

I said, "Excuse me, I've been waiting in this line." He gave me a foul
look and said, "Too bad, you gotta keep moving", and the cashier began
scanning his stuff. He was about the size of a Sumo wrestler and speaking
with an slurred eastern european accent like he was half in the bag
already.

I decided that discretion was the better part of valor and figured a
couple of minutes wait was an acceptable alternative to getting into God's
knows what with that guy. But, the woman behind me couldn't keep her mouth
shut and said something like, "I guess they don't teach children courtesy
where he comes from", loudly enough for the swine to hear. That set him
off and he started shouting, "F**K you!" at the woman and me over and over
and over again all the while the cashier was ringing up his stuff.

People started looking and wondering what was going on, and I was hoping
the cashier would hit his panic button (assuming they have them) and get a
security guy to come over, but that didn't happen. The guy finished up,
paid and left. I did the same, but I kept my eyes open while I went to my
car and loaded it just in case he decided it was me who needed a lesson.

Now, Harold et all, what would you guys do in *that* HD situation?

Jeff

What you did. You can't count on the store sheep for support if the ****
hits the fan, and rudeness is no excuse for inciting or encouraging further
disruption in a store full of people. Upon arrival at my truck, I'd
have unlocked the cab and grabbed the nevermindwhat in the cab just to
have at hand while loading my stuff.

But the guys who shout obscenities in a broad-daylight public sit like that
are usually all blow.
Mary 'n I were at Bob's Produce getting vittles when Mary saw a slimebag
scrot tasting the soup with the dipper -- and then put the dipper back in
the soup. Mar immediately (quietly) told the clerk behind the deli
counter about it. The punk overheard the exchange, started shouting
obscenities and moving threateningly (he thought) into Mary's space. (He
obvously doesn't know Mary!) As she stood her ground looking about as
intimidated as she might by spying a sowbug in the soup (while store
personnel stood frozen in their tracks), I came over and simply barked
"THAT'S ENOUGH!!!" in my best "command voice". He, half again my size
(which ain't sayin' much), jumped and about **** his pants. I'd surprised
him, and he became unsure about how many other surprises might have been in
store for him, possibly because my bark had obviously gotten the attention
of the guys behind the butcher counter. End of confrontation, he was
out the door in a flash. The store manager than appeared and was apologetic
as hell while the guys behind the butcher counter were strangling trying not
to laugh. Mary said something timorous like "is the soup on sale now?"
which broke the tension -- and resulted in the abrupt disappearance of a
couple of the butchers for some reason.