Customer cuts to front of line, nearly starts brawl. Ah, Holiday magic!

[CrazedClerkthe2nd]

This is from when I was working at Wal-Mart a few years back. Anyone who goes to Wally world at this time of year knows how stupidly busy the store can be.

Anyway this was on the first Saturday in December, so the store was practically wall to wall with people, I was up near the cash lanes stocking up some of the christmas displays. Since the lines had been getting long, the manager decided to put up some of those belt fence things to keep things organized, you know the things that make the little mazes you walk through at banks to get to the teller? Anyway, because they are put up hastily, we end up with a little space between the last post of the barrier and the front of the register area where the belt begins.

So anyway there's about three feet of space between the register area and the guy in front of the line. Suddenly this other dude, carrying an armload of stuff, rushes up and cuts through the little space between the barrier and register and proceeds to take over the three feet of space in front of the dude, who a moment ago, was at the front of the line. This line had at least 25 people in it.

Then this ensued:

GL = Guy at front of line
GWC = Guy who cut in line

GL: Hey! What's the big idea?
GWC: I'm getting in line, no one was here.
GL: I was here you idiot!
GWC: I didn't see anyone in front of you!
GL: Yeah, because I'm FIRST in line, now are you going to go to the back of the line?
GWC: I don't see why I should have to, this space was wide open!
GL: Do you even understand the concept of lines?? It's not like a parking lot, you can't just take any empty space. Now are you going to the back of line...or (pushing his sleeves up) are we going to have a problem here?
GWC: Look, I'm not trying to piss anyone off (half the line starts to protest), but I've been here longer than I planned to be, my family is waiting for me at home, I'm really running late and I'd just like to pay for this stuff and get out of here.
GL: So would the rest of us! (other people in line shout agreement) But unfortunately, since it's so busy, we have to WAIT in LINE first before we get to leave. It sucks you are running late but you should have got here earlier!
GWC: Well whatever, I'm here now so I'm staying here.
GL: Oh no you're not.
GWC: (putting his bags down) Oh yes I am.
GL: (balling his fists) Oh NO...you're NOT
GWC: (balling HIS fists) Oh YES...*I* (points to himself) AM!

At this point GL shoves GWC and GWC tries to swing back with a punch but GL moves out of the way, they start to scuffle and anyone who can see this going down starts reacting. I run to find the floor manager and bring him back, with some of our store security guys.

The scuffle gets broken up, GWC gets escorted out of the store (at first he wouldn't leave without his items, but the manager said he'd call the police if the guy didn't go) and GL gets an apology and a gift card for the unfortunate happenings.

I just could not believe the nerve of that guy! Cutting in line is one thing, blatantly cutting to the FRONT of the line in a packed Wal-Mart during christmas season is just asking for trouble.

Kind of sad that this is what the holidays have degenerated into.

[Imogene]

This is part of the reason I tend not to shop during Christmas, or at least get my shopping done early in December. It'll be made exponentially easier when I move out, and move Christmas to the middle of July. No lines, no crazy people shouting and shoving. No sales, no biggie. Startica will happen.

[Boozy]

GWC: Look, I'm not trying to piss anyone off (half the line starts to protest), but I've been here longer than I planned to be, my family is waiting for me at home, I'm really running late and I'd just like to pay for this stuff and get out of here.

He just wants to "pay for his stuff and get out of here?"

Oh! Sorry, sir. I didn't realize that was the situation. That's not what anyone else here wants at all. The rest of us just want to stand around in a line for a really long time. Please, by all means, go first.

[IHateStupidCustomers]

HA! That's awesome that the first guy got a gift card and an apology for standing up to that jerk! That's great.

I worked at Sears a few years ago, in the shoe department. We only had one little counter with two registers on it, and then they wheeled in an extra one on a cart for the holidays. A lot of times people would just form one big line and the next open register would take the next person. Whatever. It didn't matter to me. I just say "I can help the next customer here, please" and I ring up whoever shows up. One year, there were two ladies and apparently they were confused on where the line was and both thought they were first.

Of course, I was the next open cashier.

I ask to help the next customer, they both start to walk up. And they both get mad. They both look at me and tell me to make the other lady go to the back of the line. Now, I am DEFINITELY not about line-cutting and all that, but I honestly didn't know who was first. And at that point of being on my feet for like 8 hours and listening to screaming people, I did not care. I said "LOOK, I don't know who was first, I just want to ring up someone so they line can keep moving. If you two want to discuss who wants to come up here first, go ahead." And they started SCREAMING at each other. Just when one lady drops her stuff to swing on the other lady, another register opened and then the two children could be cashed out at the same time.

Ah...it's beginning to look a lot like Christmas...

[RecoveringKinkoid]

Cutting into a long line at Wal mart? He's lucky he wasn't torn limb from limb!

It's baffling to me that my city might be more polite than others, but I just do not see many line jumpers. Scratch that, I can't recall seeing ANY, actually. I'm sure it happens, just not in front of me. I actually see people going, "oh, go ahead of me, please, you only have one item" if there is just two in line.

Maybe because I tend to avoid stores when it's really packed.

[Shopping4Dummies]

This is what happened to me today. I was buying a bunch of Barbie dolls for the Toys For Tots campaign. As I was walking up to the line with my basket full of Barbie dolls, a woman (I think) jumped in front of me, nearly hitting my pregnant belly with her ride-on dump truck purchase. As I looked at her in disbelief, a portly gal with a "bite me" look on her face came up behind me and huffed, "Excuse me?" (Apparently she was with the guy/girl.) I smarted back, "Yeah, whatever." Then they both looked at me as if offended and then he/she said, "Man, people are RUDE this time of year!" and Miss RoundPound replied, "Yeah, you get those at Christmas!" Neither of them responded to me remarking, "Yeah, well that guy (when I thought it was a guy) nearly knocked me down getting in front of me! Who here is rude?" It was almost as if they put their fingers in their ears and started a childish rendition of, "NOT LISTENING, NOT LISTENING, NOT LISTENING!" Oh brother!

Come to think of it, I was probably rude for calling that lady a guy, but I swear she looked like a teenaged boy!! It was an honest mistake!

[greensinestro]

This is why I normally start my shopping near the beginning of October and try to finish it before the Thanksgiving holidays. But, this crap goes on all the time anywhere. I have myself been a victim of line jumpers and these people always look at it that they are more important than you for reasons like age, race, sexual orientation, they have less items than you, etc. I want to pay for my items and leave, too. So does everyone else.

[bainsidhe]

Actually, I'm surprised the store would bother giving the guy a gift card, considering he was partly to blame for the argument escalating like it did.

I actually see people going, "oh, go ahead of me, please, you only have one item" if there is just two in line.

I'm glad to hear people still do this. I see it occasionally (I'm in northeastern US), but it is more of a rarity than a common occurrance. I offer sometimes and other people have done the same for me (good karma, and all that), but as a cashier, I rarely see it happen in my own lines. Maybe it's the region and maybe just the store I work at (think: Big Box Retail).

[Irving Patrick Freleigh]

Actually, I'm surprised the store would bother giving the guy a gift card, considering he was partly to blame for the argument escalating like it did.

I don't blame him one bit. I'd gladly give him the gift card.

Somebody decided to be an asshole and cut the line and he stood up for himself and the other people in the line. The nerve.

[greensinestro]

Actually, I'm surprised the store would bother giving the guy a gift card, considering he was partly to blame for the argument escalating like it did.

I was thinking that earlier myself. Wal-Mart should have actually thrown both of these guys out. Why was it up to Wal-Mart to give either of them a gift card? They didn't start the fight.

[Bright_Star]

That's been known to happen in the middle of the Summer.

[Tito]

This is exactly why I will be avoiding Walmart & the malls at all costs until Christmas is over with!

[allniter]

At least you had a customer who stood up for himself when an SC did something improper. Most just shake their heads and grumble rather than attempt to stand up for themselves.

I bet if the SC had been picking on you and not the good guy in this story, the customer wouldn't have said anything in your defense. Funny how customers become so much more vocal and are willing to stick up for people when it turns out it's themselves they're defending and not some low life clerk getting paid to take on abuse. Hypocrisy.

Too bad the guy didn't get a few teeth knocked out.

[AnaKhouri]

That happened to me once. When the two customers demanded I pick who went first I said, "I am too busy to pay attention to the line. You're adults. Work it out."

They did. I think they were shocked how I talked to them but they were acting like kids, so I spoke to them like they were kids.

[CrazedClerkthe2nd]

I actually did ask the manager about the gift card later because it appeared to be rewarding bad behavior. The manager said the idea with the card was because the guy who actually WAS first in line had to deal with the other jerk to begin with.