How to handle the Impatient Customer Behind you in Line!

You have just entered new territory and you are nervous, anxious and excited. You want to use the big stack of coupons you have collected, you have price matched every item in your cart and you are organized for the cashier to ring you through efficiently and as fast as it is reasonable to.

Then it hits you... the sigh.

The breath of the customer behind you and the sound of grief from an impatient shopper hangs behind you like the stench of your husband after a night of too much chili. It just stinks and it's so uncomfortable!

What do you do? Do you dare speak? Make some lame small talk that serves to just make you more anxious because now you can actually SEE in their facial expression their exasperated look and their eyes rolling skyward!

Well... you kill them with kindness is what you do! In most, not all, circumstances this will be enough to make the person ease up on their “attitude” towards your thrifty shopping trip.
This is not a guarantee, but it's worth trying.

Take note of what they have in their cart or on the conveyor belt behind your shopping items.
Do you see ANYTHING that you have a coupon for? A bag of Pampers, a jug of juice, a loaf of bread a tube of toothpaste? Anything. Now, look quick for that item in your binder, (this is why you carry your extra coupons with you, and keep things organized!)... get out the coupon and offer the little piece of savings to the customer behind you.

It doesn't happen too often that you have an impatient customer behind you. But being prepared is easy when you have a few extra coupons!
I just offer the coupon by saying, “hey, I have a coupon for .... (handing it to them) would you like to save some money on that today?” I have been turned down, but that is super rare.

I like to “gift” my extra coupons to people in stores as well. This makes some people's day, because they just came for what they could afford; and let's face it, a lot of us have been in the circumstance where we only had “just enough” for that trip to the store, and nothing extra. It's nice to come home with change in your pocket, especially when you saved with a coupon.

I will just randomly notice the contents of a cart, and the person shopping... get out the coupon... and by this time,they may have noticed my binder (because it's big!) and stands out from the crowd, and I present them with something “off” their purchase in their cart.

It makes them smile. It makes me feel good, and it's such a simple act of kindness. In the coupon world, we call these RAOK. Random Acts of Kindess. It's a great way to make your day, and someone else's just a bit brighter! Who knew a coupon could do, so much!