The line at this Rite Aid is always slow and for some reason, people always form one big line instead of lining up at each register (there are eight registers), then the next checker that is available takes the next customer.  Well, last night, there was an Asian dude in front of us holding two bottles of wine, a crotchety guy in a yellow shirt holding a box of Tucks or something, this Isaac Hayes (R.I.P.)-type guy (who we saw tip his hat at someone earlier — I love that), and then 3 registers with customers already being helped.

One cashier finished and called out, “I’ll take the next person!” and Crotchety Yellow Shirt and his hemorrhoid pads tried to dash out behind Isaac Hayes Guy, but Isaac Hayes Guy was no fool and he cut Crotchety off, taking his rightful place at the counter.  Crotchety grumbled and griped, but shuffled back into line, ahead of the Asian Wine Drinker.  While this was going on, a strapping middle-aged, tank-top wearing homosexual (not that his sexuality is relevant, but it paints a picture and I happened to be in the gayborhood) with a cart full of ammonia bottles and paper towels pulls up in line behind us.

Asian Wine Drinker keeps looking around the store, turning around and looking past us, past Ammonia Mo, all over the place. But before I could ponder what he was looking for, Isaac Hayes Guy was finishing his transaction.

This is where I kind of lost my cool.

One of my biggest pet peeves in this world is people who “cut”.  I hate when I’m stuck behind someone in traffic with my signal blinking, desperate to find an opening in the next lane so I can dash out and pass the slowpoke in front of me.  That’s bad enough, but what really chafes is the jerk immediately behind you that takes your window of opportunity, leaving you in the dust.  The same principle applies to queuing at the store.

As soon as the cashier called the next person, Ammonia Mo without any regard for common decency, maneuvered his cart out of the line and darted over to the open cashier while the rest of us stood there with untreated butt issues, unopened wine, and melting ice cream.

My mouth fell open. I loudly said to mikey and Asian Wine Guy, “Oh, I’m sorry!  Were you first?  I didn’t notice you…” I continued to bitch loud enough for the guy to hear me.  But he didn’t care. That’s the part that just blows me away.  Yes, it’s rude to cut in line, but at least act like you feel bad about it.  At least Crotchety Yellow Shirt grudgingly went back into line.  I mean, you don’t even care that people in line think you’re a complete and utter douchebag?  He just kept loading his bottles of ammonia up on the counter, looking stoically straight ahead.  He knew he was a jerk, but he. didn’t. care.  I realize that I, like many humans, care too much what people think on occasion, but this is ridiculous.  This is an affront on common courtesy, on societal decency… and frankly, it’s just plain dick.

Once a few years ago, I scolded at a guy in a home improvement store because we’d all been waiting an aeon in a line and a guy walked up to the line just as a new register was being opened.  And then there was the time I shamed Diaper Debbie in front a whole Sprint store.  I am beyond over this kind of rudeness and I’m not afraid to call someone out on their assholery.

I was about to do just that (much to mike’s chagrin, I’m sure), but before I could, Ammonia Mo started loading his stuff back in his cart.  I thought that for once the establishment was going to act on behalf of it’s customers and tell the guy to wait his turn, but no… he’d forgotten his wallet.  Just desserts, I guess.

My parents, even in the short time I had with them, instilled me with manners, respect for others, understanding that the whole world doesn’t revolve around me (despite what I thought when I was 15) and the knowledge that there are just some things that you don’t do.  It’s just a given.  I can’t believe I saw this kind of rudeness twice in one night, in one line within a matter of minutes!  What the hell is wrong with people?