I can't believe you just did that!

[Ratha]

I have a recent siting...on my mom! Normally she's very good about not being a SC, but half an hour ago she did something that completely shocked me.

We'd gone down to Wal-Mart to get some things- me, Mom, and my brother- and after we got back out to the truck, Mom sent my brother in to get something we forgot, and she started driving around the parking lot until he came back out. I wasn't paying attention and all of a sudden the truck stopped and I hear the door open. I looked up, and my mom had stopped in the middle of the "road" and gotten out while there were cars behind us!

What was so important to make her do that? A cart that someone had left behind a SUV.

As soon as she got back in the truck, I said "I can't believe you just did that! There's cars behind us!"

She told me rather snottily that she knew there were cars behind us and she was being a good samaritan.

I can understand moving the cart to be nice, but geez! That's no excuse for blocking traffic like that!

[Auto]

I don't understand.

Your Mom was doing a good deed, right?

She didn't block an ambulance rushing a trauma victim to the ER, did she?

[Ratha]

I don't understand.

Your Mom was doing a good deed, right?

She didn't block an ambulance rushing a trauma victim to the ER, did she?

Good deed or no, she stopped in the middle of the aisle so no one could get past. She could have pulled over, or pulled into a parking space before moving the cart, instead of blocking the aisle.

[Auto]

I think your mom's great.

[SilverOrb]

While I agree that it was a nice thing to move the cart, it caused more trouble STOPPING IN FRONT OF TRAFFIC and halting the flow of traffic than the amount of hassle she saved by moving the cart. Someone walking down the aisle could have done it. What if someone wasn't watching? She could have caused accidents, gridlocked the parking lot... Plus the line up of cars she caused could have prevented people from backing out.

[Irving Patrick Freleigh]

Park first, then move the cart.

It's nice to do nice things like that, but not nice to tie up traffic while doing it.

[Dips]

Ever been stuck behind a "good" samaritan who lets everyone else go first? Not much fun, is it?

It might be nice for the people you are letting go ahead, but it's very rude to the people behind you.

I think the majority just don't think about it. But I think there are a few who get off on the sense of control that comes from inconviencing the people behind them.

There's not much you can do about the first type but shrug it off and wait to pass them at the first safe opportunity.

The best way to handle the second type is to back waaaaay off. They tend to lose interest in pissing you off if you appear indifferent.

[Auto]

Sounds to me like the cart your mom moved out from behind the SUV was sitting close to where a car might have hit it.

Look, I know all about Good Samaritans who are determined to do their good deeds no matter how much they inconvenience everyone else.

But there's no evidence that your mom was snarling traffic by stopping to move the damn cart.

She's a good person. The world needs more people like her, not fewer. Give her a break.

[Big-box-retail-blues]

The real SC in the story is the lazy creep who left the cart there in the first place.

[Pagan]

But there's no evidence that your mom was snarling traffic by stopping to move the damn cart.

Umm, yeah there was....

As soon as she got back in the truck, I said "I can't believe you just did that! There's cars behind us!"

I can understand moving the cart to be nice, but geez! That's no excuse for blocking traffic like that!