Entitlement

~ beetleypete

We have all seen them. The people who go all the way down the empty lane in a road restriction, then try to pull over into the traffic stream by bullying some unlucky driver at the head of the queue. Or the lurker who waits nowhere near the bus stop, then tries to jump on first as soon as the bus doors open.

They feel ‘entitled’ somehow. They think they are better than the patient drivers, or the bus passengers who obey the rules of decency and good social beaviour. There are countless other examples of course, but you get the idea.

The current Covid-19 crisis is showing up many of those ‘entitled’ people who might not normally surface. Those who bought every single roll of toilet paper in the shop, even though they knew it would leave others short. Then the hand-sanitizer and liquid soap hoarders who didn’t give a fig about those others who would have nothing to clean their hands with. The same people who then decided to start getting their groceries delivered online, even though they were capable of driving to the shops. They didn’t care about all the elderly or disabled people, the wheelchair users, or housebound shoppers who relied 100% on deliveries from supermarkets.

They were entitled to order online, so they did.

I have been lucky to have escaped many of the excesses of entitlement behaviour, living in a small village four miles from a relatively small town. But even here, it exists. In a half-empty supermarket car park, some will still park in the Disabled Bays close to the front of the shop. The system of having to wait to be allowed in means they don’t get in any faster, but they still snaffle the disabled spaces anyway. Because they can. Because they feel entitled to do so.

Once in the huge supermarket, with a fraction of the normal number of shoppers in store, they continue to be entitled. To be entitled to completely ignore the one-way system instigated by the supermarket. Ignore the signs and the huge arrows on the floor, and just walk up and down the aisles as it suits them. Ignore the lines that tell you to keep six feet apart, and just reach across you to grab what they need. They feel entitled to do that of course.

Then there is the new checkout system. You have to queue patiently along the back wall, until you get to the supervisor at the front. She tells you what number checkout to go to, and you head up to what will be an empty checkout conveyor, with the operator ready to serve you. It’s a fair system, and works very well. I even told the supervisor that the manager should keep it in after the current crisis. Like that will ever happen.

But that system doesn’t work, if you are one of the entitled. It doesn’t even compute in the brains of those despicable people.

No, they have to sneak up the aisle that leads to the head of the queue. Then wait until the supervisor is distracted, move the plastic barrier, then shove their trolley in front of yours. If they choose their target carefully, then perhaps a frightened old lady or distracted family shopper might just think that they don’t want the hassle of arguing, and let them push in. They won’t say ‘thank you’ of course, because they are entitled to push in.

They know that, so you should too.

Thankfully, it doesn’t always work. Yesterday, a 60-something female shopper with an overloaded trolley made an attempt to move the barrier, and push in front of the man ahead of me. He seemed not to notice, but the supervisor did. The entitled woman was not geting away with anything once this determined employee tackled her. At first she feigned ignorance, claiming not to be aware of the queue. When she was told to turn around and join the back of it, she then complained of having a painful hip, and that she would be unable to stand for long enough to get back to where she already was. None of that washed with the supervisor. She told Mrs Entitlement to either join the queue, or leave the shop without her shopping trolley full of stuff.

Then the woman became verbally abusive to the supervisor, claiming to have been abused and persecuted. Moments later, a security guard arrived. He pulled the trolley away from the woman, and said she could either leave the shop of her own accord, or he would call the police.

Sometimes, ‘The Entitled’ don’t win. Those days are the best days.

82 thoughts on “Entitlement”

  1. The people misbehaving in the supermarket drive me absolutely crazy. The people who are working there get paid absolutely sod all and are risking their lives so you can buy your groceries. I can’t bear anyone who is rude to them so I have been making an effort to thank them very loudly and to remind them to ignore the others because mostly we are so grateful to them.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply

    1. I guessed you would be just like that, Abbi, and I do much the same. But there are always rude and horrible people who treat them badly, even when there are no virus restrictions.
      Best wishes, Pete.

      Like

      Reply

  3. Your post reminded me of a law enforcement officer I worked with years ago – who signed up for ‘traffic duty’ overtime for a massive construction zone underway – that was clearly marked for miles, that 2 lanes were going down to one – and doncha know, she witnessed some arse-hat driving down the shoulder, until he go near the front of the line (waiting for their turn to go through the next ‘one lane only/for both sides of travel’ que, and, once traffic started moving, she waved him over to the side – while also keeping the moving line going, slow but sure….”But…But why are you pulling me over?” he demanded of her – and she said, “Well – I watched you pull your dangerous driving to get to the head of the line, so now? You’re going to sit here and be quiet AND if you are lucky…LUCKY…I may let you be the last car through before it’s the other side’s turn – or I might have you be first next go around, OR I might just have you sit here until the operations shut down for the day – the next words out of your mouth will help me decide which option to choose” – she did, of course, FIRST ask if there was a person in the car in need of emergency medical attention and a few other key questions – – but didn’t want to say that at the beginning –

    While she stood there, waving traffic on through – the vehicles he had blown by on the shoulder, honked, whistled, waved, said thank you! and were smiling as they drove by – sometimes, justice does reign large – 😀

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply

      1. It was, Pete! But i hope we will soon overcome this crisis. Its getting more and more horrible, listening all days to the same things politicans saying. By the way: Last Wednesday our German airport BER got the last audition, and is read for use. Now we only have to care for our politicans, not to leave the country. Lol Michael

        Liked by 1 person

        Reply

          1. Not yet, i think. But just heared, BER will be opened in October. Wait on, they will find another problem. 😉 Best wishes, Michael
            Dont say anyone, but from here the way to Karlovy Vary, Plzen or Praha is much shorter. We can leave much more easier. Lol

            Liked by 1 person

            Reply

  9. Yes, why isn’t Boris recuperating at No. 10 after he’s warned everybody else not to go to second/holiday homes? Because he’s entitled to as he’s the PM I suppose! There’s one rule for them and another for us.

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply

    1. I don’t believe he ever had the virus to start with, and then he skips off to the countryside with his girlfriend. What a disgusting example he is setting, whilst telling everyone else to stay at home and not go out.
      Best wishes, PPete.

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

    1. Oh yes, it is indeed a world-wide problem. But it is also fairly new in England. I certainly never saw anything like this until the 1990s. Manners and decency used to be paramount here.
      Best wishes, Pete.

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

  11. Our supermarkets now have signs up saying mistreatment/abuse of staff or other shoppers will not be tolerated. And a really good thing happened last week in Adelaide. A fellow had a team of shoppers accumulate 132 giant packs of toilet paper and 150 litres of hand sanitiser. Ebay closed down his ‘shop’. He tried to return all the goods (worth $10,000) and the store manager/owner said ‘no way’. Wonderful comeuppance.

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply

  13. There is nothing like watching adults act like children. The best part is when they feign ignorance as if they don’t know what they’re doing is wrong.

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply

  14. Thankfully I have not come across this sort of behaviour, everyone is very good about keeping their distance, though an elderly lady was a little too close to me last week. I wanted to ask her to move back a bit but she was too busy chatting to anyone she knew in the queue to notice me. Inside is quite funny really as we realise we have missed an item and have to go back around the one way system grinning sheepishly to those we’ve passed before. It’s actually almost a pleasure to shop until you remember why we are having to do this. Your lady customer certainly got her comeuppance.

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply

    1. I really like the one-way system, and the controlled checkouts. But then I am never in a hurry at the supermarket, and I have never once felt ‘entitled’. 🙂
      Best wishes, Pete. x

      Like

      Reply

  16. I would like to comment from a slightly different angle. I’m confined to a wheelchair, I happy with it. One day after a doctor’s appointment I was in the huge lobby of the hospital waiting for my wife to drive up. An older lady (I’m 70) in a wheelchair rolled up to the exit door which is difficult to open for non-disabled persons. A young girl, 14 or 15 years old jumped up from her chair and literally ran to the door to help the lady. She continued to push her to the waiting area outdoors and stood with her for a few minutes. When she returned to her seat I rolled to her and told her how incredibly kind that was; my intent was making sure someone (me) told her what a good deed it was; how it could have gone unnoticed. I told her it’s important for someone to tell her to take pride in her action because I don’t think good people like her receive many hoorays. It may seem to be a small act but to someone in a wheelchair, it is unbelievably appreciated. I won’t and don’t invite uncaring people into my life, always error on the side of goodness.

    Liked by 5 people

    Reply

    1. Thanks for your positive story, Jaques. I have seen many similar acts of kindness here, and most people have also responded well to the virus panic in the community. But this was just about those who feel ‘entitled’, and always have done.
      Best wishes, Pete.

      Like

      Reply

  17. You are absolutely right. Sadly, these instances occur far too often. Capitalist America, as well as many other capitalist nations across the globe, only encourage this type of behavior. “Dog-eat-dog” and other such selfish ethos are ingrained in many, and those who dare to buck the system by putting others first are, systemically speaking, seen as weak. It’s heartbreaking. May we all embrace a giving spirit.

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply

    1. Thanks for your thoughts about this. Behaviour like this was once unknown in England, where manners are considered to be a virtue. But like baseball caps and burger drive-throughs, we seem to have imported some of the American culture, along with the clothing and fast food.
      Best wishes, Pete.

      Like

      Reply

  18. Nice one. It’s so good when an entitled gets their comeuppance. A friend watched a couple enter the supermarket and be politely challenged by the security man (her words were -‘he hadn’t managed to grow a pair’) because only one person is allowed (unless it’s someone who needs a carer). The couple twittered about one would forget things on the list and swept on regardless. My friend was delighted to see the end of the drama when they reached the checkout and the woman there told them one of them to leave the shop immediately – or they could both leave without their trolley of shopping. One of the health centres in a small town nearby has posted on social media that any second-homers, temporary residents or visitors who come to the health centre will be referred for treatment to their own GP where their permanent residence is.

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply

    1. We are supposed to have ‘one trolley-one shopper’ here. But the majority on Monday were couples shopping together. They queued separately outside though, pretending to be ‘singles’ until they got into the shop.
      We have an issue with second-homers in Norfolk, mainly near the north coast. Where Julie works, they have had some try to register with a GP here. Depending on what is wrong with them, some were turned away, others seen because of whatever was wrong.
      Best wishes, Pete.

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

    1. We all know the type, that’s for sure. Her being removed from the shop really cheered me up! 🙂
      The car queue thing, I have a personal stake in that. I was stuck in traffic in the City of London one day, and the photographer David Bailey suddenly appeared from the coned-off section, in a convertible Bentley with a dolly-bird in the passenger seat. When I didn’t let him in, he called me a ‘Jealous f*****g Pleb’. Never forgot that smug arsehole.
      Cheers, Pete.

      Liked by 3 people

      Reply

    2. How about entitled people who, when challenged, start shouting: Do you know who I am?
      Once I asked someone not to park across our drive entrance ( yes, it happens) and he said that and I said , I don’t care who you are. Do you know who I am? Amazingly, he got very flustered and slunk off. 🤣 I never sussed who he thought I was—a famous actress, a politician, the police??

      Liked by 5 people

      Reply

      1. Yes, the ‘celebrity’ entitlement is a whole other ball game. I came across that a lot when I was an EMT. Minor pop stars or has-been actors trying to lord it over me. My answer was usually ‘no idea’. Then when they told me who they were, I replied ‘never heard of you’. 🙂
        Best wishes, Pete.

        Liked by 2 people

        Reply

  27. I’ve seen a lot of abuses too but way more kindnesses which gives me hope. One of our neighbors lives alone and made a point to let us know he had extra toilet paper if we ran out, just ring him up, and he’d leave some on the porch. An older lady on our block came down with a bad cold, all the neighbors started dropping soup, walking her dog, making sure she had supplies. People are inviting each other to connect on zoom calls, participate in drive by birthday wishes, and driveway cocktail hours. I walk for exercise and most people smile, wave, greet one another with extraordinary kindness. The rude ones must be very sad and lonely people? C

    Liked by 3 people

    Reply

    1. Thanks for adding the positive experience, Cheryl. Of course, there is a great deal of that here too, but those people who consider themselves ‘entitled’ seem to move up a gear when faced with a crisis.
      Best wishes, Pete.

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

  28. I work in an area where I deal with people like this all the time… They have money, and they think that means they should get anything they want.
    Even in this time, we’ve been blocking the taproom to people so they have to order beer from the entryway and we during it to them. I had a gentleman climb over the table and just walk in until I sternly told him to stop and go back the way he came. It blew my mind. Did he think we put the table across the doorway because we like the look of it?? It really created the feng shui of the room?? I really just don’t understand the thought processes of the human race most of the time…

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply

    1. Dealing with the general public is bad enough in ‘normal’ times, but add any ‘crisis’, and many people show their worst sides. They are lucky you are open at all. Over here, all the pubs and bars are closed.
      Best wishes, Pete.

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply

  29. Back in late March, I went to the supermarket, and a long, long, long line had formed. People were standing in line patiently, gripping their shopping cart (British: trolley). When the store opened, pandemonium set in. Not only did the human line suddenly become a wild buffalo herd, but other shoppers who had just arrived made a mad rush from their cars to beat the others to the door.

    In this era of entitlement, we live in a mad, mad, mad, mad world!

    Liked by 2 people

    Reply

  32. There was a lady like this in front of me yesterday, who also had four of the very big cans of vegetables hidden in plain sight under her shopping cart. Maybe she was making a fuss to distract the checkout lady, who was nice. The checkout lady did finally notice the existence of the unpaid-for food, though, and rang up the hidden food, which was about US$15.00, and it worked out okay.

    Liked by 3 people

    Reply

      1. It’s an odd thing to me–maybe it’s entitlement or something, a sense of resentment or something. The only time I would ever steal would be in the case of the old cliche question about if stealing medicine or food to save someone’s life were the issue–of course I would, especially if it were from some big company that could afford it, since life is more valuable than some dollars.

        Liked by 2 people

        Reply

  33. My husband went out to get groceries this morning. He encountered a woman who was in the store, pacing back and forth across the one way aisle blocking anyone else while she talked on her phone. He finally had to push past her as no store supervisors seemed to take notice.

    Liked by 4 people

    Reply

    1. Phone use in shops during this time is so annoying. I saw a woman using face-time to show her son various foods, so he could choose what he wanted in real time. Incredible!
      Thanks, Maggie.
      Best wishes, Pete.

      Liked by 3 people

      Reply

    2. Oddly, I ran into a staff person doing this yesterday, thoughtlessly blocking rthe whole area and aisle, which was difficult since everybody was wearing the masks and trying not to have to elbow each other out of our way. I guess trying to be mindful of people doesn’t register with everyone–one lady said she thinks the masks make for lack of uxygen to the brain, and who knows? It could be. It makes my face really red and not attractive.

      Liked by 3 people

      Reply

  34. Terrific story Pete and so true. We continue to have stories of rich and famous people breaking the rules because they are entitled to…beginning with our President’s own daughter and son–in-law, who went to an Easter celebration hundreds of miles from home because they said they had “committed to it.” They will get theirs, just as the woman in your store did….we follow the rules and don’t like when others don’t!

    Liked by 4 people

    Reply

    1. Thanks, John. Yes, we have Boris and his girlfriend hiding away at the Prime Minister’s second official residence of Chequers, in the Chiltern Hills. So much for not leaving where you ‘normally’ live.
      Best wishes, Pete.

      Liked by 3 people

      Reply

All comments welcome

Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in:

Gravatar
WordPress.com Logo

You are commenting using your WordPress.com account. ( Log Out /  Change )

Twitter picture

You are commenting using your Twitter account. ( Log Out /  Change )

Facebook photo

You are commenting using your Facebook account. ( Log Out /  Change )

Cancel

Connecting to %s

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.