Regular readers will know how much I love a bargain. You will also know how much I hate bad manners. So when I saw this article in The Times Online it really struck a chord. When did it all go wrong for polite shopping? When exactly did we turn into snatching, grasping, snarling hyenas? And why do we believe that, if it’s in pursuit of a bit of cheapery, bad manners are acceptable – nay, even something to be proud of?
There is nothing I love more than coming out of a shop with a bargain under my arm. It’s incredibly satisfying to know that I have found that perfect skirt for pennies, or picked up that DVD I’ve wanted for ages for less than the cost of a rental. But my buzz can be completely destroyed by an ill-mannered barger’s elbow in my kidneys, a rude customer who refuses to engage with the SA (I’ve worked retail, I have inordinate sympathy) or a sour-faced mother forcing her buggy into my ankles. All I ask is a little common courtesy.
This is not a Christmas shopping phenomenon either, nor is it related to the credit crunch – I’ve been rankling at the regulars in M&S for a good couple of years now.
I was recently at the theatre bar during an interval, queueing for my drinks, when a large group of large women elbowed their way in to get served before me. They were placing an unsurprisingly large order. By the time they had their drinks the bell had rung and we were sent back to our seats. The best way I can describe the look one of them gave me was triumphant – they were delighted to have been served ahead of anyone else, and without standing in line. I was disgusted. I would rather be well-mannered and go without than be impolite and get served.
I’m the girl who will nod to another customer and state “he was here before me” at the bar. I keep my elbows in and my face neutral in a crowd. I hold doors, move obstacles, pick up dropped items for fellow shoppers… I say, bring back the stiff politeness for which Brits used to be mocked. When did manners become something rare and unusual, of which we’re ashamed? We shouldn’t feel virtuous for holding a door open behind us, giving an old or pregnant person a seat, or letting someone else go first because they’re in a hurry. We should do it because we’re human.
I’m going shopping in Birmingham tomorrow with my Mum. I’m going to tally the number of people I notice behaving in what I deem a “human” way and the number who are just plain rude. Results to follow.
Second Hand Shopper 