9 boomer habits at the grocery store that are slowly driving everyone insane – VegOut

Look, I’ll be honest with you. Last week at the grocery store, I watched a woman park her cart diagonally across the entire cereal aisle while she carefully examined every single box of bran flakes. Meanwhile, six of us were stuck waiting, unable to pass on either side. When someone politely said “excuse me,” she looked genuinely surprised that other people existed in the store.

This got me thinking about all those little grocery store habits that seem harmless to the person doing them but collectively make shopping feel like navigating an obstacle course designed by someone who really wants to test your patience.

After years of observing human behavior (and admittedly, being guilty of a few of these myself in the past), I’ve noticed certain patterns that tend to emerge, particularly among older generations who learned to shop in a very different era. These habits made perfect sense when stores were smaller, less crowded, and operated at a slower pace. But in today’s busy world? They’re creating unnecessary friction for everyone involved.

So let’s talk about these behaviors. Not to shame anyone, but to bring some awareness to habits we might not even realize we have.

1. Writing checks at checkout

Remember checks? Those paper rectangles that require you to write out the amount twice, sign, record in your register, and hand over while the cashier verifies your ID?

In 2024, watching someone pull out a checkbook at the register feels like watching someone chisel their payment details onto a stone tablet. The collective groan from the line behind is almost audible. What makes it worse is when they wait until everything is scanned and bagged before even starting to write the check.

I get it. Some folks feel more in control of their finances with checks. But with tap-to-pay taking literally two seconds, this habit is becoming increasingly inconsiderate of everyone’s time.

2. Blocking entire aisles with cart placement

There’s an art to cart positioning that seems to have been lost somewhere around 1987.

You know the move: parking the cart perpendicular to the shelves, creating a perfect barricade while leisurely comparing sodium content on soup cans. Or better yet, the classic two-cart diagonal formation when friends meet and decide to catch up right there in the pasta aisle.

A simple solution? Pull your cart to the side, parallel to the shelves. Revolutionary, I know.

3. Abandoning carts in random locations

Speaking of carts, let’s talk about the grocery store equivalent of littering: leaving your cart wherever you feel like it.

In the middle of the parking lot. Blocking a parking space. Precariously balanced on a curb. Sometimes I wonder if people think carts are equipped with autopilot that will guide them back to the corral.

The teenager making minimum wage who has to collect these in the rain or scorching heat? They’re not having a great time. Neither is the person whose car door gets dinged by a runaway cart.

4. Arguing with cashiers about expired coupons

“But it only expired yesterday!”

I overheard this exact phrase last month, followed by a five-minute negotiation over a 50-cent discount on yogurt. The cashier, who has zero control over corporate coupon policy, had to call a manager while the rest of us contemplated our life choices.

Expired means expired. The cashier isn’t trying to personally victimize you by following store policy. Save everyone the theatrical performance and accept that your coupon from 2019 isn’t valid anymore.

5. Treating self-checkout like a social experiment

Self-checkout was designed for efficiency. Quick transactions. In and out.

Yet somehow it’s become a place where people decide to figure out technology for the first time. Scanning items multiple times. Not understanding the bagging area. Getting confused by the “unexpected item” alert and calling for help after every single scan.

If you’re not comfortable with self-checkout, that’s completely fine! Use the regular lanes. But choosing self-checkout and then requiring constant assistance defeats the entire purpose.

6. Squeezing every produce item

At the farmers’ market where I volunteer, gentle handling of produce makes sense. You’re buying directly from growers, having conversations, taking your time.

But aggressively squeezing every single avocado in the supermarket pile? Fondling twenty tomatoes before selecting one? You’re just bruising produce for everyone else. One gentle press tells you what you need to know. You don’t need to perform CPR on the peaches.

7. Demanding to speak to managers about everything

The strawberries aren’t as red as last week? Manager. The brand you like was moved to a different shelf? Manager. The store stopped carrying that one specific item only you bought? Manager.

These poor managers spend their entire day being summoned to handle complaints that could be resolved with a simple “Oh well, I’ll try something else.” The entitlement behind assuming every minor inconvenience requires managerial intervention is exhausting for everyone involved.

8. Ignoring basic pandemic-era courtesy

We all lived through 2020. We learned about personal space, staying home when sick, and basic hygiene.

Yet here we are, watching people cough openly into the air near the salad bar, reach over sneeze guards, or stand breathing directly on the back of your neck in line.

These aren’t even new rules. They’re basic considerations that somehow got forgotten the moment restrictions lifted.

9. Taking forever at the deli counter

“Can I try the honey ham? Actually, make that the black forest. Wait, what’s the difference between the turkey and the smoked turkey? Can I taste both? Now slice it thinner. No, thinner. Actually, that’s too thin.”

Meanwhile, fifteen people are holding their little paper numbers, watching their lunch breaks evaporate while you conduct your comprehensive deli taste test.

Know what you want, or at least narrow it down before you get to the counter. The samples are a courtesy, not an all-you-can-taste buffet.

Final thoughts

Here’s what I’ve learned: most of these habits aren’t malicious. They come from a time when grocery shopping was a more leisurely activity, when stores were neighborhood gathering places, and when rushing through errands wasn’t the norm.

But times have changed. We’re all busier, stores are more crowded, and what worked in 1985 doesn’t work today. Being considerate in shared spaces means adapting to current realities.

The next time you’re at the store, take a moment to notice your own habits. Are you blocking anyone’s path? Making someone’s job harder than it needs to be? Creating unnecessary delays?

Small adjustments in how we navigate these spaces can make everyone’s experience better. Because at the end of the day, we all just want to get our groceries and get home. Preferably without losing our minds in the process.