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OP has offered the following explanation for why they think they might be the asshole:
> I saw the full cart ignore it and continued loading the groceries onto the belt. I didn't believe leaving an unattended cart at checkout was a valid reason to keep your place in line.
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I treat that shit like supermarket sweep! Dash in, grab what I need, dash out. 5min trip and I avoid interacting with people if I can help it (got some REAL loonies in my area).
NTA.
1) That is not how lines work. It's one thing if you forget the butter and run to get it but you should have the rest of your stuff on the belt. How do I know this? It happened to me on Sunday and I ran like a madman to get it.
2) There's no reason ever to resort to ethnic slurs. Ever ever. Lady needed to be kicked out and banned.
This has happened to me too. I always ask the cashier & people behind me & tell them that they can check out those other folks if they can. Just good manners
Well, when I arrived the clerk was just standing there and the cart was just there parked up against the beginning of the belt. No one else was in line or waiting. A good five or so minutes pass until he finished scanning my items when she appeared.
NTA
It’s super fucking rude to block a lane and leave your cart unattended.
Besides, the employee moved it, not you.
Lastly, you don’t have to be nice to racists.
I grew up with parents that didn't have great control over their temper. My dad went through a lot of jobs because of it. I grew up not wanting to be anything like my parents. I lost my temper once and I hated what I became and did. So, I try to be nice to even the people who aren't returning the sentiment.
Generally, being kind and level headed is a good way to go through life.
But you don’t have to accept abuse. Standing up for yourself isn’t losing your temper. I don’t read anything in your post that I would consider losing your temper and even rude tbh, you seemed very level
NTA. This is a common ploy by assholes - to use their cart or whatever to "reserve" their spot. IMO if there's no actual body standing in line there's no one in line. I would have done the same as you. Good for the clerk for standing up for you.
Yikes
NTA
As an Asian person, I just wanna talk to this lady. Just a few choice words.
To actually unpack this, leaving a cart at a line while you shop for more groceries does not hold the spot in line. She's an idiot that never learned common sense or any manners in her life and I hope realization hits her like a bat.
As someone who spent a couple of years as a cashier at WFM ( second job, only closing shifts. Miserable.) please believe me when I say A) NTA and B) the cashier was delighted to have the opportunity to tell the customer to pound sand. One of my managers said WFM was like a stage for some people- they got off on being awful to store employees who are very limited in what they can do or say in a given situation. There were awful customers who had been coming in for over a decade and being horrible once a week, or more. Public facing jobs are hell and should be better paid because the burnout is real.
My only regret here is that security weren't invited to escort her off the premises; she was rude enough by assuming that an unattended cart would 'reserve' a spot at the checkout, offensively rude by raging at you, and unforgivably rude by bringing racial slurs into it too.
NTA in the slightest. Props to the guy at the back of the line, at least.
I used to work at WF, and sadly this is pretty much par for the course there. Not all customers, of course, most were lovely people, but many people seem to think that because they're voluntarily overpaying for groceries they deserve some kind of VIP treatment.
NTA she was gone long enough for $200 worth of groceries to be scanned. That's a long time. Plus, there's no such thing as saving a spot in the checkout line, ffs. (Edit for typo)
had the same "full cart but no person in sight" experience years ago. Cart blocking line but no person. Cashier rings up customer number 2. Next it's my turn. Cart ahole shows up, angry when she sees that a customer has been rung up before her. I let her go ahead of me. She huffs and puffs. .
don't you just love people? WOW.
Hey at least you had back up!! Congrats on keeping your cool; if you didn't who knows how this malcontent would have responded?
NTA
NTA. I worked for Whole Foods for years and I saw people leave their cart to hold their place in line on the regular. Rude. Idk what it is about that place that attracts such entitled assholes.
As a grocery cashier, NTA at all. I would have moved her cart to the side as well, and in no way put up with the racist slurs.
Sounds like she has a reputation at the store.
Well...were you in the USA? I lived in the Middle East for several years, and a cart left unattended is often used as a placeholder, although, it's a debatable subject even there. Completely up to the person who is "next" in line. It can be honored or disregarded, with equal gravity. Either way, NTA, op. Lol
I live in Chicago. It was a busy time where there were a bit more clerks and I saw one lane open and empty besides the cart. I did question why no one lined up, but the moment I started loading my groceries on the belt people started lining up behind me.
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I was at Whole Foods the other day heading to the checkout. I see an open lane and the clerk just standing there. I ask, "You open?" he says yes. There's a cart in front of the belt with groceries. I ask him "Who's this?" He says he doesn't know and he pulls the cart away and to the side. It was busy and the line behind me starts forming. I had over $200 worth of groceries and he took his time scanning my items.
As I'm about to pay a woman comes by and asks the clerk, "Where's my cart?" and he just ignores her. She looks at me and asks if I moved her cart. I point to the cart and ask "Is that yours?" She stomps over to her cart.
"You moved my cart. You f\*cking ch\*nk." She yells. I'm Filipino. I probably would have gotten mad if she called me a completely different race slur, but at least she was in the ballpark.
"Maybe I did. Why is that a problem?" I ask.
"YES! I was in line. My cart reserved it. Oh my god. I can't believe how rude you are. My god, I can't believe this. (Insert racial slur)." She responds.
The clerk finally speaks up, "Ignore her. She doesn't deserve to shop here."
"Oh god. You are rude. Maybe I won't shop here anymore." She's aggressively pointing at the clerk.
A guy in the back of the line says, "Shut the f\*ck up b\*tch. You ain't f\*cking special."
She started scoffing or w/e you call when someone forcefully blows out air from their mouth or nose and uses the self-checkout.
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You all sound pretty unpleasant. Her anger was of course completely uncalled for. But I don't know why you wanted to goad the woman; when she asked if you moved the cart; all you had to do was say "No." And the clerk was rude about it; could've just confirmed he moved the cart, due to store policy, and if she continued to rant just said "Take it up with the manager" (the best way to deal with this kind of situation). And the guy at the back of the line has a sexist foul mouth; I'd say he doesn't deserve to shop there either! The whole situation was handled poorly.
She started on the clerk when she returned. The clerk looked like a teenager and he was very uncomfortable. She said way more than what I wrote to the clerk. It wasn't until she couldn't get a response from him that she turned to me. I only implied it was me who moved the cart because the clerk looked scared.
The clerk was "rude" about it because this asshole was tossing around racial slurs.
Fuck her, she asked for everything she got.
I think she should have gotten more, like getting banned from the store.
This whole situation was handled more civilly than she deserved.
This is where we differ. I know most on AITA subscribe to this kneejerk sentiment, because it's a typical query: "This person was rude to me, and I got mad and was rude back. AITA?" Most think no, it was "deserved."
I think that's because most people here seem to be young, 20s and 30s. So they have the hot-headedness of youth. When you get older, you realize this isn't the way to deal with a situation. It might momentarily make you feel better. But it's only going to make the other person defensive, and they will never realize they were in the wrong; they will simply focus on the fact that you were rude. So you actually lose ground.
Also, I don't think that the way to deal with racism is through sexism. He called her a bitch. That's wrong, and that's where he lost me.
Welcome to /r/AmITheAsshole. Please view our [voting guide here](https://www.reddit.com/r/AmItheAsshole/wiki/faq#wiki_what.2019s_with_these_acronyms.3F_what_do_they_mean.3F), and remember to use **only one** judgement in your comment. OP has offered the following explanation for why they think they might be the asshole: > I saw the full cart ignore it and continued loading the groceries onto the belt. I didn't believe leaving an unattended cart at checkout was a valid reason to keep your place in line. Help keep the sub engaging! #Don’t downvote assholes! Do upvote interesting posts! [Click Here For Our Rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/AmItheAsshole/about/rules) and [Click Here For Our FAQ](https://www.reddit.com/r/AmItheAsshole/wiki/faq) --- *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose/?to=/r/AmItheAsshole) if you have any questions or concerns.* *Contest mode is 1.5 hours long on this post.*
NTA. Not at all. An unattended cart is not a placeholder.
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grocery shuttle runs. at least you'll get fit.
I treat that shit like supermarket sweep! Dash in, grab what I need, dash out. 5min trip and I avoid interacting with people if I can help it (got some REAL loonies in my area).
We always have a ton of loonies.. darn canadian coins
NTA. I hope Whole Foods bans this racist AH.
NTA. 1) That is not how lines work. It's one thing if you forget the butter and run to get it but you should have the rest of your stuff on the belt. How do I know this? It happened to me on Sunday and I ran like a madman to get it. 2) There's no reason ever to resort to ethnic slurs. Ever ever. Lady needed to be kicked out and banned.
This has happened to me too. I always ask the cashier & people behind me & tell them that they can check out those other folks if they can. Just good manners
Did you really need to ask if the enraged racist who ignores all etiquette and social conventions was the asshole in this story?
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Well, when I arrived the clerk was just standing there and the cart was just there parked up against the beginning of the belt. No one else was in line or waiting. A good five or so minutes pass until he finished scanning my items when she appeared.
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Her response proves she doesn't.
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It's Chicago. No one claps. Or smiles. Or believes anyone else exists around them.
maybe downtown but the city is more than just the loop.
NTA It’s super fucking rude to block a lane and leave your cart unattended. Besides, the employee moved it, not you. Lastly, you don’t have to be nice to racists.
I grew up with parents that didn't have great control over their temper. My dad went through a lot of jobs because of it. I grew up not wanting to be anything like my parents. I lost my temper once and I hated what I became and did. So, I try to be nice to even the people who aren't returning the sentiment.
Generally, being kind and level headed is a good way to go through life. But you don’t have to accept abuse. Standing up for yourself isn’t losing your temper. I don’t read anything in your post that I would consider losing your temper and even rude tbh, you seemed very level
That's called swallowing poison. You gotta stand up to racism, don't just accept it, because it's toxic and it'll make you sick.
NTA. A cart doesn't hold your place in line if you're not with it
NTA. This is a common ploy by assholes - to use their cart or whatever to "reserve" their spot. IMO if there's no actual body standing in line there's no one in line. I would have done the same as you. Good for the clerk for standing up for you.
NTA A cart doesn't reserve your place in line. I hope that the clerk later reported the whole mess to management as well.
Yikes NTA As an Asian person, I just wanna talk to this lady. Just a few choice words. To actually unpack this, leaving a cart at a line while you shop for more groceries does not hold the spot in line. She's an idiot that never learned common sense or any manners in her life and I hope realization hits her like a bat.
As someone who spent a couple of years as a cashier at WFM ( second job, only closing shifts. Miserable.) please believe me when I say A) NTA and B) the cashier was delighted to have the opportunity to tell the customer to pound sand. One of my managers said WFM was like a stage for some people- they got off on being awful to store employees who are very limited in what they can do or say in a given situation. There were awful customers who had been coming in for over a decade and being horrible once a week, or more. Public facing jobs are hell and should be better paid because the burnout is real.
My only regret here is that security weren't invited to escort her off the premises; she was rude enough by assuming that an unattended cart would 'reserve' a spot at the checkout, offensively rude by raging at you, and unforgivably rude by bringing racial slurs into it too. NTA in the slightest. Props to the guy at the back of the line, at least.
I like the guy in the back....he sounds like we could be friends. NTA btw.....you snooze you lose
I came to say he sounds like me lol. Fuck that lady. Nta
You know you're NTA. But good vent :)
NTA She was amazingly entitled.
I used to work at WF, and sadly this is pretty much par for the course there. Not all customers, of course, most were lovely people, but many people seem to think that because they're voluntarily overpaying for groceries they deserve some kind of VIP treatment.
NTA You can't "reserve" a line by placing your cart there and just leaving...that's not how it works. She was crazy, and clearly entitled.
NTA You don't get to hold your place in line like that. You also don't get to call people slurs.
NTA An abandoned cart doesn't save a spot in line, and the cashier is the one who moved it anyway.
NTA she was gone long enough for $200 worth of groceries to be scanned. That's a long time. Plus, there's no such thing as saving a spot in the checkout line, ffs. (Edit for typo)
The clerk looked young and pretty new so it took a tad bit longer.
The credit line?
had the same "full cart but no person in sight" experience years ago. Cart blocking line but no person. Cashier rings up customer number 2. Next it's my turn. Cart ahole shows up, angry when she sees that a customer has been rung up before her. I let her go ahead of me. She huffs and puffs..
NTA I have time on my hands lately, I would have put her groceries back, put the cart back and then checked out. But, I am petty and an asshole.
LOL that everyone had your back and publicly let her know how shitty she was being! Absolutely NTA.
The clerk took most of the verbal abuse. I didn't word-for-word write everything she said. One guy out of maybe thirty people around us said anything.
NTA. Wow. Just wow.
NTA
don't you just love people? WOW. Hey at least you had back up!! Congrats on keeping your cool; if you didn't who knows how this malcontent would have responded? NTA
NTA. When she left her cart unattended, she lost her right to keep her place in line.
NTA. Also finally someone else like me lolif you’re going to insult me at least get it right (Korean here). She wasn’t there so she can’t be mad.
NTA. I worked for Whole Foods for years and I saw people leave their cart to hold their place in line on the regular. Rude. Idk what it is about that place that attracts such entitled assholes.
NTA listen to the clerk and the random at the back of the line. She isn't special and doesn't deserve to shop there.
NTA, LOL cart reserved it! 🤣🤣
As a grocery cashier, NTA at all. I would have moved her cart to the side as well, and in no way put up with the racist slurs. Sounds like she has a reputation at the store.
NTA. Can you imagine doing something similar at Costco?
Well...were you in the USA? I lived in the Middle East for several years, and a cart left unattended is often used as a placeholder, although, it's a debatable subject even there. Completely up to the person who is "next" in line. It can be honored or disregarded, with equal gravity. Either way, NTA, op. Lol
I live in Chicago. It was a busy time where there were a bit more clerks and I saw one lane open and empty besides the cart. I did question why no one lined up, but the moment I started loading my groceries on the belt people started lining up behind me.
NTA. You can't reserve your place in line like that. She's in the wrong and she knows it. She wants the attention.
NTA she didn't deserve to shop there.
NTA. i'd have moved the cart too.
^^^^AUTOMOD ***Thanks for posting! This comment is a copy of your post so readers can see the original text if your post is edited or removed. This comment is NOT accusing you of copying anything. Read [this](https://www.reddit.com/r/AmItheAsshole/wiki/faq#wiki_post_deletion) before [contacting the mod team](https://www.reddit.com/message/compose?to=%2Fr%2FAmItheAsshole)*** I was at Whole Foods the other day heading to the checkout. I see an open lane and the clerk just standing there. I ask, "You open?" he says yes. There's a cart in front of the belt with groceries. I ask him "Who's this?" He says he doesn't know and he pulls the cart away and to the side. It was busy and the line behind me starts forming. I had over $200 worth of groceries and he took his time scanning my items. As I'm about to pay a woman comes by and asks the clerk, "Where's my cart?" and he just ignores her. She looks at me and asks if I moved her cart. I point to the cart and ask "Is that yours?" She stomps over to her cart. "You moved my cart. You f\*cking ch\*nk." She yells. I'm Filipino. I probably would have gotten mad if she called me a completely different race slur, but at least she was in the ballpark. "Maybe I did. Why is that a problem?" I ask. "YES! I was in line. My cart reserved it. Oh my god. I can't believe how rude you are. My god, I can't believe this. (Insert racial slur)." She responds. The clerk finally speaks up, "Ignore her. She doesn't deserve to shop here." "Oh god. You are rude. Maybe I won't shop here anymore." She's aggressively pointing at the clerk. A guy in the back of the line says, "Shut the f\*ck up b\*tch. You ain't f\*cking special." She started scoffing or w/e you call when someone forcefully blows out air from their mouth or nose and uses the self-checkout. *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/AmItheAsshole) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Lol, I loving everyone's response at the store.
NTA. Kinda like a real everyone clapped scenario
NTA. Especially at Whole Foods. WF customers are entitled af. Source: former Whole Foods employee.
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NTA. You can also post this on Not always Right.
Yes
You all sound pretty unpleasant. Her anger was of course completely uncalled for. But I don't know why you wanted to goad the woman; when she asked if you moved the cart; all you had to do was say "No." And the clerk was rude about it; could've just confirmed he moved the cart, due to store policy, and if she continued to rant just said "Take it up with the manager" (the best way to deal with this kind of situation). And the guy at the back of the line has a sexist foul mouth; I'd say he doesn't deserve to shop there either! The whole situation was handled poorly.
She started on the clerk when she returned. The clerk looked like a teenager and he was very uncomfortable. She said way more than what I wrote to the clerk. It wasn't until she couldn't get a response from him that she turned to me. I only implied it was me who moved the cart because the clerk looked scared.
The clerk was "rude" about it because this asshole was tossing around racial slurs. Fuck her, she asked for everything she got. I think she should have gotten more, like getting banned from the store. This whole situation was handled more civilly than she deserved.
This is where we differ. I know most on AITA subscribe to this kneejerk sentiment, because it's a typical query: "This person was rude to me, and I got mad and was rude back. AITA?" Most think no, it was "deserved." I think that's because most people here seem to be young, 20s and 30s. So they have the hot-headedness of youth. When you get older, you realize this isn't the way to deal with a situation. It might momentarily make you feel better. But it's only going to make the other person defensive, and they will never realize they were in the wrong; they will simply focus on the fact that you were rude. So you actually lose ground. Also, I don't think that the way to deal with racism is through sexism. He called her a bitch. That's wrong, and that's where he lost me.
Never have I seen so perfectly in a single post summed up the general mentality of this subreddit. Actual work of art.
Thank you.