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Bad Manners and Brimstone
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#Post#: 80389--------------------------------------------------
Shelf clearing and "cherry picking"
By: NFPwife Date: November 2, 2023, 7:49 pm
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I just got confronted for shelf clearing and "cherry picking"
the other day and wanted people's thoughts.
This was at an Aldi where products are mixed two to three types
in a box that's just cut open on the shelf. The hummus variety I
wanted was mixed with one other and the other flavor (spicy I
think) was the predominate variety in the two boxes. I had to
pull both boxes forward to find three of the variety I wanted.
The last three. I generally find shelf clearing rude and leave
1-3 of an item if I'm buying a large quantity of something, but
I took all three of these because I'd been nauseated for a
couple days and the hummus was one of the only things that
appealed to me to eat.
So a woman in the same section says, "Did you leave one for
anyone else?" I said, "Would you like one of these?" She says
"No, that's disgusting. I don't know who would eat it." I
thought "ME!" but didn't say it and just put the three in my
cart. (I don't know how she knew I had the last three unless
she'd been watching me go through these two boxes.) She then
turns to her child and says, "That's called 'cherry picking' and
nice people don't do that."
I was really upset. First, because I don't usually take the last
of something. Second because she was doing that
passive-aggressive talking to the child as an object lesson to
call me out. And, third, I didn't feel that great so I was a
little jangled. Thanks to this board, I've learned that
explaining why I'm taking them and trying to rationally address
this is just engaging the crazy so I didn't do it. My husband
steered me and the cart away and said something to the effect of
"Some people!"
What do you all think, is taking the last three of something
rude? There were about 20 of the other flavor and four other
boxes of different savory hummuses and a few sweet hummuses. I
didn't take the last of the hummus, just this particular flavor.
#Post#: 80390--------------------------------------------------
Re: Shelf clearing and "cherry picking"
By: Rho Date: November 2, 2023, 9:24 pm
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The flavor you took is the favorite of most folks. If someone
is supposed to leave one for someone else....I am a worse
criminal than you. Today I, too, was at Aldis and wanted 3
boxes of margarine. There was only one box on the rack and I
took it.
And if the box was mixed with G Hummus and P Hummus why not
take only G? Is someone supposed to buy equal amounts of each
even if G would be eaten and P go to waste? What about
strawberry yogurt and blueberry yogurt? Does someone have to
take both flavors?
I hope you feel better soon.
#Post#: 80391--------------------------------------------------
Re: Shelf clearing and "cherry picking"
By: Aleko Date: November 3, 2023, 3:05 am
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Question: just about every other supermarket I�ve ever been in
shelves different things, or flavours of things, separately: in
that layout, would anybody even think of calling it
�cherry-picking� if a shopper took, say, three strawberry
yogurts and no other kinds? I don�t think so. Aldi don�t box
flavours together with the intention that people should buy a
mix of them; they just find it a convenient way to stock their
branches. (They also pack their Fruit Tea Loaf and their Irish
Whiskey Cake together, and as the Whiskey Cake is my DH�s
favourite fruit cake in the world, when I�m in Aldi I always buy
him one or two if they have them, which they don�t always. I
feel no obligation whatsoever to take a Tea Loaf as well,
because I don�t want a Tea Loaf.)
It�s only �cherry-picking�, and antisocial, when people pick
specific items out of something that�s being offered as a
mixture. Near me is a farm shop that sells fruit & veg loose,
for you to fill a bag with. They sometimes have for sale a
medley of different-coloured old-fashioned varieties of carrots:
orange, pale yellow, and dark purple. The shopkeepers tell me it
drives them nuts when people pick whole bagfuls of a single
colour out of the bin (some people want the yellow, and at
Halloween especially there�s high demand for purple) leaving
their �medley� at the end of the day a monochrome orange. That
is antisocial, no question.
As for taking the last of something; a supermarket shelf isn�t a
plate of biscuits on an occasional table, and the same etiquette
rules don�t apply. If you came in with a shopping list saying
�Cornflakes x 2� , and you find only two packs on the shelf,
take them, unless you actually see another person reaching for
one at the same time. (Filling your whole trolley with
cornflakes, leaving the shelf bare, is another thing
altogether.)
This woman was taking rules of etiquette designed for social
interactions - I�m sure no Brimstoner at a coffee morning would
rummage through a bowl of M&Ms to pick out the green ones, or
eat the last three biscuits on the plate! - and applying them
quite inappropriately to grocery shopping.
#Post#: 80392--------------------------------------------------
Re: Shelf clearing and "cherry picking"
By: Rose Red Date: November 3, 2023, 6:54 am
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You're fine. It's on the shelf for sale and there's no sign
stating a limit. As to "cherry picking" that's the point of a
store. People buy what they want. It's not like taking all the
chocolate cookies and leaving the oatmeal cookies at a private
home party.
There are many time I want to buy something on sale only to
encounter empty space. That's life. Others want the same things.
I'll just ask or go back later to see if they restocked. The
store want to make a guaranteed sale instead of waiting for some
imaginary customer that may not show up.
Also, am I the only one who won't take the last food item on the
shelf because I'm wondering why nobody took it? Like, what's
wrong with this one? LOL
#Post#: 80393--------------------------------------------------
Re: Shelf clearing and "cherry picking"
By: TootsNYC Date: November 3, 2023, 12:21 pm
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I don't worry about shelf-clearing.
They're all for sale, and I'm paying.
I once took the last three boxes of a low-priced saline
solution. Some guy had been standing there for a few minutes
looking at the entire shelf; I'd waited down the aisle for him
to finish. He didn't take anything, but he stepped back, and I
was tired of waiting. So I stepped in and picked up all three.
He said, "You took them all!"
I said, "They're all for sale."
Just like your rude lady, he didn't say, "Oh, I was hoping to
buy one of those"--I'd have absolutely handed him one.
But I'm not going to put up with being chastized for buying a
product that is on a shelf and is for sale. That's utter
bullshit.
This is not the dinner table at a social gathering, where you
want to be sure everyone gets some of the food.
This is commerce, and I am a paying customer.
She was SO wrong and so rude.
As for cherry picking: I don't understand the objection to that
in most places. I'm buying what I want, and not buying what I
don't want.
I don't want people to open every ear of corn (thereby making
those ears less likely to be purchased), but if you want to feel
the top ends in order to see if they're squishy, go for it.
And when it's loose green beans or even cherries, I think people
should take the risk that one or two might not be perfect, and
just grab some handfuls. And if there's an item that's obviously
spoiled, avoid it, or toss it to the back so no one gets it.
But I'm not going to SAY something to other people! They're
entitled to buy what they want.
it's also not a "you get what you get, and you don't complain"
situation like you'd have with receiving a gift, or being on a
team when treats are passed out.
This is commerce. You are paying money.
You should buy what you want.
If that means there aren't things for other people to buy, that
is NOT your problem.
To me this is a perfect example of people misapplying social
etiquette with commerce.
#Post#: 80394--------------------------------------------------
Re: Shelf clearing and "cherry picking"
By: TootsNYC Date: November 3, 2023, 12:25 pm
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[quote]The shopkeepers tell me it drives them nuts when people
pick whole bagfuls of a single colour out of the bin (some
people want the yellow, and at Halloween especially there�s high
demand for purple) leaving their �medley� at the end of the day
a monochrome orange. That is antisocial, no question.[/quote]
This is a case of "the customers are always right," which is
supposed to end with "in matters of preference." It's supposed
to mean, "people want to buy what they want to buy, and it's
folly for you to tell them they should want something
different."
Their customers want those flavors of carrots, and the
shopkeepers are ignoring the messages the customers are sending
them.
If they want to insist people buy a medley that includes orange,
they should bag them together. Otherwise, maybe they should put
the carrots in color-specific sections and let the few people
who want the medley create their own.
Again--this is commerce. Why should people buy orange carrots
when they don't want them?
#Post#: 80395--------------------------------------------------
Re: Shelf clearing and "cherry picking"
By: sandisadie Date: November 3, 2023, 6:28 pm
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Shelf clearing and cherry picking at a retail store! Nah! I'm
with everyone else on this one. If it's for sale then the first
person who wants to purchase it should do just that. Of course
if someone else is reaching for the same item then maybe ask if
they want to share the remaining products. Someone mentioned an
aversion to taking the last item on the shelf because something
might be wrong with it. I did just that last week with my
favorite toothpaste. I took the last tube (in a box). When I
was checking out I realized that the box had been opened and
taped shut. I didn't buy it. You did nothing wrong and I hope
you are feeling better.
#Post#: 80396--------------------------------------------------
Re: Shelf clearing and "cherry picking"
By: vintagegal Date: November 4, 2023, 9:21 am
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The store offered something for sale and you chose to buy it??!!
The Audacity!! Calling Miss Manners right now. :D
#Post#: 80402--------------------------------------------------
Re: Shelf clearing and "cherry picking"
By: Lkdrymom Date: November 5, 2023, 1:23 pm
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My husband is one of the few men I know who uses mens'
hairspray. It is very hard to find. If I do find it, I stock
up and I don't feel bad about it. Thy are selling it and I am
buying it.
#Post#: 80412--------------------------------------------------
Re: Shelf clearing and "cherry picking"
By: lowspark Date: November 6, 2023, 11:15 am
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It sounds like she was just looking to criticize your behavior
for any reason she could find! She's not happy that you took the
last remaining item of something that she not only doesn't want
to buy, but that she is rude enough to "yuck your yum".
I would have been sorely tempted to say to her child, "That's
called Yucking my Yum and nice people don't do THAT!"
But yeah, don't engage the crazy.
You did nothing wrong. I agree with everyone else. Unless
there's a limit on the number of items per customer, the store
is in business to sell their merchandise. You have done nothing
wrong by taking them up on that offer.
Especially at Aldi, by the way, where I never shop for the very
reason that they do not stock up on merchandise to meet the
demand, especially on advertised sale items. So yeah, better
grab it if it's there because the next person sure will if you
don't!
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