Brat

[derangedperson]

This isn't a sucky customer sighting but a spoiled brat sighting.

A few months ago I was at Wally World picking up some oil and an oil filter for my car when I hear this ungodly SCREAMING coming from the front of the store. The Wal-Mart in my neck of the woods is a Supercenter.

Think of the distance between the automotive section and the checkouts. Hell, I bet you could probably hear this kid screaming throughout the whole store.

It also didn't help that this was a few weeks before Christmas. Evidently, he'd been refused a toy he wanted and went batshit.

So I go to pay for my merch and I see this crowd of about five to ten people all crowded around the register as this little shit is just screaming and yelling and making an epic scene--climbing on the cart, on the conveyor, on the shelves--and his mom, God bless her, kept her cool throughout this whole thing. As I walked to the opposite end of the store I heard him start to yell at the top of his lungs, "I HATE YOU! I HATE YOU! I HATE YOU!"

To this day, I still wonder how badly he got it when they got home. If my kid started screaming that at me, there'd be hell to pay.

And no, I don't have any kids. Thank God--I have ZERO patience for dealing with things like that, and I have a hair-trigger temper. Like I said, hell to pay.

[PepperElf]

hell. mom wouldn't have stood for even a half-second of it. We'd be on our way home instantly & would be in big trouble the whole way back and when we got home. (sis is the same way with her kids too)

[tollbaby]

My daughter did that to me *ONCE*. Her father unceremoniously picked her up, carried her out of the store, and left me to finish the shopping. End of story. I do not tolerate that sort of behavior from my children.

Granted, it's a bit more difficult when you're on your own in the store with the kids. (one reason I still prefer shopping with my ex).

[Skoobeedu]

Ha! I saw that once in Wal-Mart. Only it was a girl of about 5 or so. Sitting in the cart screaming because she wanted something and smacking her dad in the face. And here's good old dad saying "Please don't hit daddy. Please don't hit daddy." Um, excuse me, but I wanted to hit daddy. And tell him to discipline his freaking kid. He probably wonders why she acts that way.

[Cyphr]

you have to have a backbone its just like with dogs you gotta be the boss they will fill the power vacumn and you will never have peace >.>

[Misanthropical]

My daughter did that to me *ONCE*. Her father unceremoniously picked her up, carried her out of the store, and left me to finish the shopping. End of story. I do not tolerate that sort of behavior from my children.

Granted, it's a bit more difficult when you're on your own in the store with the kids. (one reason I still prefer shopping with my ex).

My oldest son did that once when he was about 4. My husband picked up and carried him out to the car and took him home. We had policemen at our door, because people at the store (not employees) were afraid my son was in danger from his father.

How they got that from my son being removed from the situation is beyond me. Besides my husband never laid a hand on him except to pick him up and take him out to the car.

The police left when they saw my son had no marks on him and was clearly not afraid of his parents.

[Kittish]

Maybe I'm off the mark here, since I don't have children, but if it were me in that parent's position, I would have (tried to, at any rate) calmly told the cashier "I'm sorry to do this to you, please cancel this entire transaction" and immediately left with the child. ESPECIALLY if there was anything else being purchased as a treat or present for said child. I DO NOT tolerate tantrums of any sort, and it wouldn't take any child of mine long to learn that throwing a tantrum over being told you can't have some something means you don't get anything (save necesseties).

I'm rather hoping that's what the mom in this situation did. And I applaud her for keeping her cool in the face of such a meltdown.

[Irving Patrick Freleigh]

Yeah, if (or maybe more appropriately, whenever) I threw a tantrum like that in the store, I'd be hustled into the car and back home and I wouldn't be able to sit for a while after that.

My parents did not tolerate tantrums.

[BookstoreEscapee]

I don't think I ever threw a tantrum like that in a store. We knew better.

[GingerBiscuit]

I never needed to be smacked to stop me having a tantrum. My mother just had to look at me and tell me she was very disappointed in my behaviour, and I'd shut the hell up.

Hey, it still works. She's a scary woman.

[Gurndigarn]

Maybe I'm off the mark here, since I don't have children, but if it were me in that parent's position, I would have (tried to, at any rate) calmly told the cashier "I'm sorry to do this to you, please cancel this entire transaction" and immediately left with the child. ESPECIALLY if there was anything else being purchased as a treat or present for said child.

Unless there's something you need in the shopping cart, yes, that's usually the best approach.

[Broomjockey]

Maybe I'm off the mark here, since I don't have children, but if it were me in that parent's position, I would have (tried to, at any rate) calmly told the cashier "I'm sorry to do this to you, please cancel this entire transaction" and immediately left with the child.

I agree with the "don't buy anything for the child" bit, but if you're by yourself with the kid, do you really think you'll have the time to come back later? Sometimes, you just need to power through and get those errands done.

[Kyree]

I got a nice swat on the rump if I ever tried to behave like that. Of course that was back when it was you know...okay to discipline your kid instead of having to "reason" with them.

[Sylvia727]

My cousin did this to our grandma when she was three years old. They got halfway through the grocery store and were in the deli when she started screaming. Grandma picked up Alexis and her purse, and the deli girl asked if she wanted to leave her cart in the deli walk-in cooler! Grams said yes thank you, marched the screaming toddler out the front door, left her with her father and came back to finish shopping. I'm sure Alexis got her little bottom paddled, not to mention the immediate feedback of being removed from the situation.

I had a neighbor kid kick up a fuss in a specialty candy. I walked him out to the sidewalk and supervised the other children through the window. I told his mom; she wasn't concerned at all, but now I refuse to drive or babysit him anywhere. 'S about all you can do.

[chainedbarista]

i did that once...just once, when i was about four; my mom picked me up, swatted me and that was it. (something about the 'glare of infinite death' might have factored in as well)

it's the same with my son; he did that once, and that was it...most of the time, reasoning worked. i tried to keep him out of the store when he was tired (about the only time he would raise any fuss); most of the time, it was a little 'adventure' for him, more fun and things to see.