Stop Being Stuck – Just Say “Excuse Me”
I’ve noticed a disturbing trend. People don’t say, “excuse me” anymore.
When I’m in a store I’ll just feel weird and look around and there will be someone there. Just standing there with a cart…looking at me impatiently. If I move, they will go past and on their merry way. If I don’t move they will continue to wait.
If I don’t notice them for long enough they might start browsing right where they are in the store, or … eventually … they will turn their cart around and go the opposite direction.
Now, at first I thought this was just a sign of people not being raised right and having no manners. But I’m starting to think this is a symptom of a much larger problem.
Excuse me is a magic phrase. It does not admit fault, it does not place blame. It’s just a polite way to say, “HEY, I’M HERE AND NEED TO BE THERE – YOU’RE IN MY WAY AND I NEED YOU TO MOVE!” There is nothing about the phrase that would make one feel less of a person or that you are somehow giving power to the person you need to get around.
What’s worse is that not only do people not say excuse me…they just stand there. It’s not a gender thing or a race thing or an age thing. See, I would think if you’re not going to say excuse me – for whatever reason – you would immediately just go around and through the nearest aisle to get around to where you need to be. I don’t use my cart to block large portions of an aisle and my ass, while big, is not so big that you would not be able to get to a section of shelving just by the nature of me standing by some canned goods.
In almost every case I’m at the end or near the end of an aisle and the person needs to get into the aisle and my cart is in the way.
And they just stand there.
They stand far longer than it would take to wheel around the next aisle and come into the aisle I’m in from the other end. Heck, it would only take five seconds to get around me if they said, “excuse me.” But instead they just stand.
I have a feeling this creeps out in other parts of these people’s lives. The way that friend you have just stays in the bad relationship instead of doing something about it. The way someone just stays in a crappy job instead of trying to get promoted or looking for another gig. The way that people just STAY instead of MOVING in so many aspects of life and in so many ways.
People saying they want to work from home, but just never taking the first step or getting help. People wanting to have enough money to pay the bills but not changing their lifestyle or finding a way to increase income. People who always have an excuse but never a success story.
People who just don’t have an “excuse me” in them to give. Because they stand and stare at me and blame me for where they are and probably think I’m causing them to be in the store longer than they wanted to. They stand and wonder if I’ll ever move, while I am oblivious to their presence. People that feel it is my responsibility to help them get where they need to be without being willing to say a word or take action.
I no longer get angry when people glare at me for being in the way when there are five other ways they could get to where they’re going. I no longer get annoyed when the first time someone is brought to my attention is when they’ve become so fed up they stomp off in the other direction with their cart. They are choosing to take a path that blames others – when they have the tools and the power to make their own path.
On the surface it seems like people have just become less polite – but I truly believe that it is people taking less responsibility for their own actions.
It kind of scares me.
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One Response to “Stop Being Stuck – Just Say “Excuse Me””
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Yep – I’m a Joiner!
All I have to say is RIGHT ON. People need to pipe up, or get the hell out of the store. Thanks.