SHOPPING CART RAGE

SHOPPING CART RAGE

Late in the afternoon at the local box store which sells groceries, I noticed a bit of crankiness and short tempers. I observed this while pushing my cart along the aisle of cat litter; it also has pet toys and pet medicines. I love this particular brand of cat litter, clumps nicely, but refuse to clip the coupons because that would be measuring my life in cat crap. I simply won’t do it. Well, I don’t know if it is products located there, but people are testy along this aisle.

The aisle is so narrow that you can barely pass another cart going the opposite direction. There is clearance of maybe inch or inch and half. To add to this if there is any restocking going on then the cart and boxes carrying these goods will have to be avoided as you navigate. You can be in the position of trying to pass one of these carts, full of boxes of cat litter, and not be able to do it because you have been blocked by the restocking activity. You can wreck if there is another cart coming forcefully toward you going in the opposite direction.

But the event I call your attention to occurred when I exited the aisle and left the stocking of cat litter behind. When I exited, I was rammed by the cart of another lady coming out of the cleaning products aisle on my left and one of those electric cart thingys coming out of the stationary aisle on my right. Picture it if you can. A crash in the space that used to be a central aisle but now is not wide enough to be a central anything. The cart drivers were very cranky. I was the victim of a perfect case of shopping cart rage.

There was no stopping to check for injuries just frowns and glares as those impeded by my basket sought to clear the way for their advance. What has happened to our society? When did we get so cross that we must crash our basket aggressively while we study our list?