Winco Annoyances

I'll agree with Joel Mielke on this one. I went into the Winco deli section yesterday to grab a salad for the wife and a few El Monterrey burritos for myself. Threw the salad in my bag but there's some guy and his shopping cart blocking access to the burritos.

He just stands there perusing the items in front of him, but I got the impression he wasn't really looking to buy anything. I stood back patiently and waited. Finally I figured I'd just walk to the other side of the store and pick up a couple cans of artichoke hearts. Surely he'll be gone when I return? Nope. I walk back to the deli and there he still is so I walk over to take a look at the fish counter.

After spending a couple more minutes looking at the fish I look over and see he's moved, about 3 feet from where he was standing, but at least allowing access to the section where the burritos were. I take a look at the guy and he's just standing there leaning on his cart. What is it with that guy? To add insult to injury, my ten minute or more wait for him was for naught. There weren't any burritos in stock.
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What is it with people and those shopping carts, anyway? Ok. I'll admit many, if not most, of the folks that shop Winco buy a lot of stuff and need to clutter up the aisles with shopping carts, but some don't. I remember seeing one guy in the checkout line right in front of me. All he had in his cart was a gallon jug of milk. What a dweeb.

And then there's the folks who grab a cart from the few that are just outside the exit door and enter through that same door despite the sign saying its for exit only. That can really plug up the works with all the people leaving going the opposite way. How rude!

Of course, most of the people going out the door are going as slow as possible, shopping being more of a recreational experience for so many of them. They're part of the problem, as well, creating bottlenecks both in the store and at the exit: Recreational shoppers.

Now they've got it set up so people can't bring shopping carts in through the exit door and I'm wondering what I should do? I suppose some folks might consider me to be rude, too, as I used to enter through the exit door myself. I figured no harm done as I usually don't use a shopping cart. I just carry one or two of the reusable Winco bags. Saves time and space.

Even after they put up a sign by the #1 checkout that no shopping carts should be going through there I still walked through with my bags. Then they put up a barrier with a sign because people still brought carts in through the exit door. I forget what the sign said but it prompted me to ask the gal at the checkstand if it was ok for people without shopping carts to pass through there. She seemed a bit annoyed with me for even asking so I decided to start using the entrance door.

But that's annoying too as you still have to deal with the recreational shoppers. They grab their shopping cart, take a few steps, then stop and look at whatever is on the shelves around them. Sometimes you really have to be agile to make your way through them. What a pain.

I noticed yesterday they have new barricade up by the #1 checkout that seems to be set to allow people but not carts through. Maybe I'll take a chance and try going in through the exit next time? I'll ask first.
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And why do so many people have to bring the whole family along when they shop Winco? That really clutters up the aisle, never mind the kids screaming and shouting sometimes. Can't they leave the older kid in charge of the other ones while they spend an hour or two doing their shopping? I guess not.
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And don't you hate those check writers? Everybody else is pretty quick, even the recreational shoppers, with the cash and debit cards, but there always has to be at least one check writer somewhere holding up the line. And many of them don't fill out the check ahead of time as I always used to do. Some (and it seems they're usually older women) wait until the checker gives them the total, then they grab their checkbook and start filling it out. That is like SO ANNOYING!

You check writers need to enter the modern world and get a debit card. Nearly all banks offer them. If you can't handle that, at least fill out everything but the cash amount before you get to checkout and save the rest of us the wait while you indulge yourself.
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Anyway, that's a partial list of annoyances from Winco's fastest shopper. What are yours?