When you\u2019re fed up with movies and TV shows, we recommend going to a supermarket. The stories that happen there are sometimes so fascinating, that you\u2019ll want to say, \u201cHey, I want to see the second season of this!\u201d And if you stand still long enough, listening between the beeps of scanners and the squeak of carts, you\u2019ll realize something else too \u2014 every aisle hides a story that can turn from amusing to unsettling in seconds.<\/p>\n
1.<\/p>\n
I am standing in line at the checkout in a supermarket, and 2 women with children are standing a bit away from us. There was jelly candy scattered on the floor, and the children were eating directly from the floor. The guard came up to them, and asked them to clean up this mess.
\nSo, these women spilled the rest of the candy on the floor and left. I felt so sorry for the guard and the children who have such irresponsible mothers. The worst part wasn\u2019t even the mess \u2014 it was how normal it seemed to them, as if chaos was just another thing to leave behind for someone else to clean.<\/p>\n
2.<\/p>\n
Recently, some guy wandered around the supermarket with a very important face: the CEO of the world, no less. I watched him for a long time, but then decided to play a joke on him.
\nI approached him and asked, \u201cDo you know where can I find noodles on sale?\u201d When he protested, I apologized, of course, as if I had inadvertently mistaken him for a supermarket employee. You should have seen his face. For a split second, the mask slipped \u2014 and underneath all that confidence was someone who clearly wasn\u2019t used to being questioned.<\/p>\n
3.<\/p>\n
I was standing in line in a supermarket and began to search my pockets for coins. Then a squeak came out of my pocket. And everyone looked at me surprised.
\nWhat do they want me to say? That I\u2019ve got rubber ducklings in my pocket? Well, I do. And judging by the way people slowly stepped back, I realized that sometimes it\u2019s not what you carry \u2014 it\u2019s how loudly it announces itself.<\/p>\n
4.<\/p>\n
I\u2019m standing in line in a supermarket. A woman is in front of me, and her child is literally screaming. She doesn\u2019t react to it for a long time at first, but then she shouts at her, \u201cKate, stop crying!\u201d The child starts crying even louder.
\nAnd I don\u2019t understand why the mum can\u2019t make a simple math in her mind, \u201cScreaming + screaming = more screaming.\u201d The tension in the air builds so thick you can almost feel everyone silently begging for it to stop.<\/p>\n
5.<\/p>\n
I was at a supermarket, and went to get some tomatoes. They were all damaged and wrinkled. So, I carefully picked better ones and put them into a plastic bag.
\nThen a woman in a supermarket waistcoat runs up to me and starts shouting, \u201cIt\u2019s not a market, you can\u2019t choose tomatoes, you should take them as they are!\u201d I calmly asked her to pick a couple of pounds for me. She carelessly poured all the tomatoes I had chosen from the bag back into the tray, just grabbed tomatoes without looking, and proudly handed the bag to me.
\nI asked her to hold the basket, as if I had to take out my phone, then just turned around and walked away in silence. Sometimes the quietest revenge is simply refusing to play along.<\/p>\n
6.<\/p>\n
My husband is a peaceful giant. He is 6 feet 5 and can look quite imposing, even though he really is a teddy bear. Never stressed or aggressive, never overreacting or raising his voice, just a peaceful giant.
\nSo here we are, at the grocery shop, with our 6-month-old baby shopping for food and whatnot. It is winter in Canada and we are both wearing our coats. The kid is fussy and nothing really calms him except when we carry him in our arms. It\u2019s my turn and my husband is going back and forth gathering what we need and bringing the items to our cart when the banshee-from-hell (BFH from now on) got in his face (figure of speech, she was like 5 feet 2) and started yelling at him, \u201cAre you done? You\u2019ve been helping her forever, and I need help! Now!\u201d
\nMy husband (with his smooth everything-is-good kind of tone), \u201cI\u2019m so sorry, but I\u2019m afraid I do not work here\u2026\u201d BFH, \u201cLies! I just saw you help her shopping. Now, you help me! And you do not talk back to me!\u201d My husband sees me boiling and about to interfere but makes a sign that says he is going to deal with it.
\nHe then calmly look at her with a smile. BFH (smuggling), \u201cGood! Now, help me grab the last item on this high shelve. Why in the hell you people always put the stuff I need so high is beyond me. Now, chop-chop!\u201d My husband grabs the item, but instead of giving it to her, he keeps it just a tiny bit out of her reach. He looks at it and then at me.
\nHusband (grinning), \u201cHoney, do we need this?\u201d Me (catching on), \u201cWell, as a matter of fact, yes! We do!\u201d Lady, \u201cWhat?! How dare you give her my stuff!\u201d Super slowly, my husband gets closer to the lady. He is so imposing that she calms down immediately.
\nWith the biggest of smile and the most polite voice ever, he says to her, \u201cAgain, I do not work here\u2026 but thank you for showing me this condiment. We were about to forget it.\u201d And with that, he puts the item in our cart, grabs the baby and together, we leave. In the background, the lady howling some profanities. All 3 of us smiling. I love my husband. And for a moment, the entire aisle felt like it was holding its breath before bursting back into life.<\/p>\n
7.<\/p>\n
An old boyfriend and I were shopping and being silly, tossing stuff to each other to put in the cart. He tossed a package of paper towels to me and a dude springs out from behind me, intercepts the towels, and runs them back for a touchdown. Complete with dance in the aisle at the end. For a second, no one reacted \u2014 like we were all trying to figure out if we had just imagined it.<\/p>\n
8.<\/p>\n
Standing at the supermarket checkout. At the next checkout, a dad and his young son approach the cashier. When the father starts to pay, the son tilts his head, sticks out his tongue and licks the conveyor belt that was moving at that moment. Apparently, he decided to look at the long wet trail his tongue left.
\nWhen his dad looked at him, the boy had already stopped licking the belt and no one but us saw it. We exchanged glances, silently agreeing this was something better left unspoken.<\/p>\n
9.<\/p>\n
I was high school age, doing routine grocery shopping with my mom when I got the hiccups. I get really loud hiccups, and they didn\u2019t stop for the 3 aisles we trekked down. Some older gentleman rounded a corner to confront me and explained he was a doctor and made me breathe with him until they stopped.
\nHe was so kind and patient! It was really funny in retrospect that I was making enough racket that he felt the need to intervene. In a place full of noise, it was unexpected kindness that stood out the most.<\/p>\n
10.<\/p>\n
At the flower shop, a boy of about 8 years old stood in line in front of me. He asked the shop assistant for a small bouquet. But it turned out he was a little short on money. He gave it a thought and then said, \u201cLet me wash your floors, and you\u2019ll sell me the bouquet afterwards.\u201d
\nThe seller smiled, and we all who were in line gave the young romantic a little money on the bouquet. For once, the entire line moved not with impatience, but with something softer \u2014 a shared moment no one wanted to rush.<\/p>\n
11.<\/p>\n
There was an adorable boy, probably 4 years old, with his dad. They were in front of me in the check-out line. The little boy was talking to his dad, but I wasn\u2019t paying attention until the man said in a bit of a loud voice, \u201cI don\u2019t know. Why don\u2019t you ask her?\u201d The dad was looking at me while he said it.
\nThe little boy then asked me my name. I told him and asked him for his name. He told me. Then he turned to his dad and said, \u201cI\u2019m going to marry her someday!\u201d I felt highly complimented that this little guy was smitten with me! It made my night. And for a brief moment, the ordinary line felt like the beginning of a very sweet story.<\/p>\n
12.<\/p>\n
Morning, 8 o\u2019clock. I\u2019m standing in the checkout line at the shop. An old lady is in front of me. She puts a single puff on the conveyor belt and gives the cashier a $100 bill.
\nThe cashier punches it through and starts counting the change. The lady asks in surprise, \u201cDo you have change?\u201d The cashier, \u201cYes, I do.\u201d Lady, \u201cThen cancel the purchase, I\u2019ll go to another shop.\u201d
\nThe entire line froze for a second, unsure whether to laugh or be annoyed, as if logic itself had briefly stepped out of the store.<\/p>\n
13.<\/p>\n
My husband went to the supermarket. I asked him to buy me sanitary pads. When he came back, he brought the exact pads I use. I asked, \u201cHow did you know I use these?\u201d And he said, \u201cBy the smell.\u201d
\nI didn\u2019t know whether to be impressed or slightly horrified \u2014 and I\u2019m still not sure which feeling won.<\/p>\n
14.<\/p>\n
I was walking along the shelves in the grocery shop, it was raining heavily, the roof was leaking. They put a bucket under the leak. Then I see a mother with a child rushing to this bucket, and the child starts peeing into it.
\nThe janitor runs up, \u201cWhat\u2019s going on?\u201d And the mum says, \u201cWhy don\u2019t you put children\u2019s toilets in grocery shops?! It\u2019s your fault!\u201d Indeed. Children\u2019s toilets in grocery shops. And somehow, in that moment, no one even argued \u2014 as if we had all collectively given up trying to understand.<\/p>\n
15.<\/p>\n
I was buying meat, and an old lady was hanging out next to me. While I was counting the money, she grabbed my bag and rushed toward the exit, saying, \u201cYou should help old people.\u201d I followed her, trying to stop her, and she was like, \u201cYour cheeks are wider than your ears. And I have nothing to eat.\u201d
\nAnd she stood there, sly, waiting. People took chicken, pork on the bone. She didn\u2019t want them, she wanted beef. And the way she waited \u2014 patient, calculating \u2014 made it clear this wasn\u2019t desperation alone, but something far more practiced, like a performance she had perfected over time.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
When you\u2019re fed up with movies and TV shows, we recommend going to a supermarket. The stories that happen there are sometimes so fascinating, that you\u2019ll want to say, \u201cHey, I want to see the second season of this!\u201d And if you stand still long enough, listening between the beeps of scanners and the squeak […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":23173,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-23172","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-tales"],"yoast_head":"\n