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I went shopping on Monday evening. As I was leaving the store there were two women having a conversation in front of the exit. They were speaking in a foreign language and I said excuse me quite clearly to get past them. The first time I said it they didn't move. So I said it a second time a little bit louder and they still didn't move. I then said it a third time and when they didn't move I had to nudged the woman to get by.
As I'm walking away she says "you are rude". I turned around and I said "I asked you to move three times and you didn't move" and I walked away.
I find that I'm dealing with people like this more and more everyday. I encounter this often at the grocery store too - people taking up an entire aisle making small talk. Would you have handled it differently?
I say it once above normal voice, LOUDLY the next time AND proceed. If they aren't knocked down, they go sideways...Yes I have had people curse me, I flipped them the bird and walked on....
Unfortunately, people like that keep mistreating people until people stand up to them. And most people are afraid of confrontation and allow these people to be empowered. The OP did the right thing and she should feel proud that she shoved them out of the way.
I learned a long time ago that the best way to deal with a bully is the proverbial punch in the mouth. They are not used to people fighting back. Dealing with most bullies is much easier than it seems because for this reason. They usually can't handle any form of resistance because they are not used to it. So if you do fight back, it doesn't take much to intimidate them in return. You will notice that.
I don't think that the ladies standing in the way were bullies but they were acting in a self centered manner, completely oblivious to the people around them and how they might be impacting others. And when the op pushed her way past they should have realized their role in the situation but instead, couldn't see it because they were too caught up in being self centered to notice. One of them called the op "rude" without recognizing her own rudeness in blocking the exit and ignoring someone who was trying to get by.
well technically, you asked them to excuse you when it was they, that should have asked you, to excuse them for blocking your way...may have led to their confusion. Next time, do what I learned to do in This Man's Navy and shout out "Make a HOLE! service week!" they will scramble over themselves to get out of the way.
Maybe, since they were speaking a foreign language, they didn't understand, culturally, what "Excuse me" means.
Really? They are blocking an exit to the store, babbling and in the way of a customer who obviously is trying to leave the store and they can't figure out that they need to move out of the way so the person coming towards them can leave? Who needs to understand the language when it is so obvious?
It would be so nice if everyone were as courteous as we were raised to be here and in a large number of foreign countries. Sadly, times are changing.
If neither "excuse me" nor this works, it's time to move on to more elaborated expressions.
OK, so what's next? Do we now we all need to become an even more rude society and start screaming "MOVE!" while gesturing as if we are Moses parting the Red Sea about ten feet before we get to the door?
Or scream "I need to pee! Outta my way, if you don't want to get wet!"
I just walk through them and leave. They say anything, the reply might not be what they are expecting. Don't care where they are from, blocking an exit is obvious. And it happens around here all the time. The grocery store has only one entrance/exit door.
I've had that happen, where people were blocking a grocery store aisle while talking. After one "excuse me", and no response, I sideswipe their cart with my cart hard enough to get my point across. One "excuse me" is all that is required.
People who are space invaders are rude. The women blocking your exit are probably like this everywhere they go. Maybe if more people called them out, they'd get a clue.
You could have made up a little song, "Move your butts or you're gonna see me go nuts. Move your a$$ before I turn it into grass. Move your a$$ so I can pass. Hey, hey, ho, ho, move your frickin' buns. I've been known to beat up nuns. Get outta my way before I really ruin your day." And then just yell, "Wut wut. Wut, wut. Wut, wut. WUT WUT." as the chorus. I really think that would work.
What is rude is blocking a walkway. It is thoughtless and rude.
Mostly when I encounter this it is older people with hearing deficits. But today I encountered lane blocking on the track I was was walking on. This kind of blocking is thoughtless, and rude.
I don't know of a good way to get people to move out of your way. I don't think I would have physically nudged someone. I might have nudged someone's cart though. I think finally you have to make eye contact and ask that they let you by. You could also mention that they are blocking an exit.
I do think it is best not to counter rudeness with rudeness though.
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