As of: February 22, 2024, 8:14 a.m
By: Romina Kunze
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In addition to the official house rules, every supermarket also has unwritten rules.
Letting someone with few parts go first is part of it.
Actually.
Munich – “Oh, you only have a few parts?
Then just go ahead.”
Everyone has probably heard this sentence at the supermarket checkout or said it themselves.
You don't have to be a messenger from heaven to do this.
If you only have a few items in your hand, you can go to the front of the queue - that's the unwritten rule of supermarket etiquette.
However, the code of conduct no longer seems to be completely up to date;
At least that's the impression a customer gets when seeking advice on the social media platform Reddit.
“Since when hasn’t it been normal?”: Supermarket Samaritan confused by other customers’ reaction
As a rule, ruthless people who don't give up don't have a particularly good reputation among pious supermarket goers, the Reddit user was met with displeasure for his selfless gesture.
Not from other customers in the queue who don't mind being pushed forward, but from those ahead of them themselves. After all, no good deed goes unpunished.
Accordingly confused, he turns to the Reddit community: “Since when is this no longer normal?”
He learned from his family to let someone under time pressure or children go ahead at the checkout.
“Simply because it’s appropriate.”
The fact that he had received angry looks from the beneficiaries in the recent past left him perplexed.
Recently he even had to explain himself to an unbeliever.
“Is this really becoming less and less common?” However, experience shows that many customers feel offended by some harmless supermarket quirks.
Let customers in?
Users agree
Customers have often been proven wrong on social networks.
But there is mostly agreement when it comes to going to the checkout.
One person lets someone in, another thanks them - both go their own way, that's the general understanding.
“Be let in on a regular basis and let others go ahead when making big purchases.
“In 99 percent of cases, the reaction is actually a friendly thank you,” writes one user in the comments.
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One lets you in, another thanks you - both are happy.
Or at least not unhappier.
This is what supermarket etiquette says.
However, a man from Vienna had a different experience.
(Symbolic photo) © Imago
Another person partially agrees with this.
“I let a person go ahead if they have less and I have time.” But then the limit is a good deed.
“I think that’s enough.” There are also possible explanations for the contributor’s experiences.
“If the premise is correct, I would strongly suspect that it is due to the express checkouts that have appeared in the last 15 years.” This would mean that embarrassed shoppers with few items would find themselves less likely to find themselves at the traditional checkouts.
Ergo, the selfless idea of letting someone in is generally being forgotten, so the theory goes.
Another user, on the other hand, feels like he has been taken for a ride.
“Cashouts are made very quickly at the checkout anyway, so I find it unnecessary if someone lets me in,” writes the user, thus sowing a strong headwind.
“Is this a joke now?
That’s exactly not the case,” contradicts another.
In his experience, there are always delays, for example because a code cannot be scanned or a customer complains about something.
Let customers go to checkout: What does the etiquette course say, what do the house rules say?
To be fair, the debate took place among Austrian supermarket customers.
In any case, neither the Austrian nor the German code has a fixed rule for this.
Politeness requires at least not to offend the customers behind you.
However, some supermarkets introduced a special regulation for emergency services - paramedics etc. are allowed to push forward with the backing of the house rules.
On the other hand, the penal code does have a clear answer to the supposed convention of using a bag you brought with you instead of the shopping cart in the market.
According to the Lidl cashier, the golden rule at the supermarket checkout is different.
(rku)