"I was in line at a busy cosmetics store. The line wasn't moving very fast when the woman behind me asked me to save her place: She said an employee had forgotten to give her something, and she had to get it. I was approximately fifth in line and there were at least that many people waiting behind me. I told her no but before I could explain why I wasn't comfortable holding her place, she called me rude."
"Standing in line has gotten hazardous. You are far from the only one to report being insulted while waiting to check out. Everybody seems to be disgruntled and defensive. And Miss Manners notices that this includes you. This was not a question of breaking into line, but of being momentarily absent from it. Is it really such a crime to dash out and pick up another item and then return to the line?"
A customer refused to hold a stranger's place in a busy store line and was loudly insulted by the person and others nearby. Refusing such a request is reasonable when multiple people are waiting. A courteous alternative is to ask the immediate people in front or behind to hold the spot or to dash out briefly and return, beginning with an apology. Prioritizing abstract notions of fairness over simple courtesy escalates minor disputes. Persistent public shaming for declining the request is discourteous and contributes to an unpleasant social environment.
Read at www.mercurynews.com
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