Pickles by Brian Crane for July 20, 2019

Impatient much, Earl? (I agree that it’s not easy finding a short line at the grocery store… specially an unused self-checkout.)

I don’t have much for patience either and have often done the same thing as Earl.

Which is why I haven’t been to Disneyland in years. The new Star Wars attraction might change my mind though…

He just leaves that there on the floor?!

One of the good things about Americans is that we hate to wait. Others think waiting for hours is perfectly natural.

Earl’s attitude is better.

The people in front of me buy gourmet food with food stamps.

Earl be glad the food is available to purchase. Opal will nag you when you get back ;-)

Earl probably doesn’t have much “pine” for other things, either…….

Meanwhile, poor lady is probably wondering what is going on…maybe

My Mom was at the store one time and they were have register problems or something. Lots of people got tired of waiting and walked out, leaving carts full of stuff by the checkouts.

Sounds about right

If in line at a store I will pull out my phone and play a game I have loaded onto my phone. Same with waiting for a train to cross.

I’m with Earl! I hate long lines, insufficient cashiers, and the lack of “10 Items or Less” lane. Get with it people! It’s all about customer service….or is it? Wait! I know! It all about your Bottom line……

Lemme guess. . .you went out in the middle of the day, you’re in the “10 items or less lane,” and the people in front of you have : 1) new cards with chips in them they’re learning how to use, 2) cards without chips in them that they don’t know how to use; 3) have added “just one more thing,” 4) can’t read the machine where they’re supposed to put in their PIN number; 5) can’t remember their PIN numbers; or 6) the store has just updated its machines and everybody has to learn to use the dang things. . .AIN’T LIFE IN FIRST WORLD COUNTRIES GREAT?!?

I’ve noticed that too, Earl!

I don’t know. Having been a keen observer of the human condition for decades, I really don’t mind standing in line, at least up to a point. I am privy to other people’s conversations on their phones (not that I want to be but your voice does carry, madam), I can watch children race back to mom or dad happily piping “Can I have this?”, I can tell a befuddled cashier what combination of coins totals 87 cents (three quarters, a dime, and two pennies), and enjoy the debate between cashier and customer over whether the coupon in question has in fact expired. Better than reality television, and no commercials.

No greater truth.

I’m a lot different. Too stubborn and determined, and it gets worse the older I am. (72 1/2)

By and large, good customer service has left the building. I don’t mean just the grocery store we’ve been talking about. I mean everywhere. I can think of just two places I go that I never complain about – Clover Patch Quilt shop in Santa Clara and the aforementioned Lins’ Market. Yes, they’re pricier than WM, but everyone is always helpful and I never have to spend 10 minutes looking for someone to help me. I’m stepping off of my soapbox now.

Yep

Earl expects Opal to come and pick up after him, as usual.

I think there is a hidden elder tax. If I want chips I must buy four bags of “greasy-salt-cheesy-wafers” to get the store’s sales price. But at my age they will go stale before I finish the first bag. So my choice is not to buy any. Probably a good thing……

I have come to realize that there are many items that I can do without and don’t need before I reach my expiration date. When shopping, I often ask myself “Do I really want this right now, or can it wait until next week or next month?” It’s amazing how much stuff I don’t need!

Gonna jump on the soap box here-don’t usually do this- I worked at a big retail store and the stuff customers just put anywhere were called “go backs.” We would have carts and carts of “go backs” because of lazy people. My roommate would do that and call it “job security.” We were secure in our job- we had a busy store. I was hired as a shelf stocker not a picker-upper. I hated having to go thru those carts and putting the merchandise back. At least our store had trash cans thru out- Fry’s does not.

I have been disgusted with things while waiting in line and the cart I had with 2 or 3 things in and just pushed it off the side and said here I am busy so I can’t wait.

And that is why there is self serve check outs.

Whew. Thought we were going to have an incident after panel 3!

Walmart is the worst. I don’t go there much anymore because of that. I won’t use self checkout on principle.

A month ago, I was standing in a queue at my local coffee shop jonesing for a latte. Just in front of me were two Chatty Cathys dishing out pontifications about everything under the sun. On and on (and on).

Then, when it was their turn, one looked up at the posted menu and breathlessly said, “Now what do I want?” while the other engaged the barista/owner in a long detailed discussion of just exactly what gluten-free means.

(Really?)

I left. . . and NEVER went back to that store. I only wish there had been a door to slam.

John Kennedy once said, “Ich bin ein Berliner.”

And I say, “Ich bin ein EARL.”

Dammit!

When it all shakes out, the supermarket I’ll shop in is the one that still has cashiers. Walmart has lost most of my business. Target is pushing me away. No, I don’t want to check myself out, and no, it’s not faster. Grrr. So far Publix is winning #:^ )

That because they have 23 registers and only 1 that’s open!

It’s only a ‘comic’, people! Keep up the good work, Mr. C.

What amazes me is the lines at the Walmart self checkout are out into the aisle and you can barely get by or have to say excuse me to get through and the lines at the regular checkout counters are not nearly that long. I don’t quite get why people wait in the self checkout lanes when there’s other not self service lanes with only a couple people in them. One of life’s great mysteries!

I don’t mind waiting for a real person if I really want something, but impulses fade more quickly as I age. Let’s just assume Earl puts the bag closer to its proper spot in the next panel.