Before going to the supermarket, a word in your ear: you have been shopping wrong at the supermarket.
Yes. You.
As? According to etiquette guru William Hanson’s book, Just Good Manners, you’ve been shopping at the wrong time, gathering items in the wrong order, and making U-turns with your cart, to name just a few missteps. But don’t worry, because the tome gracefully describes how to shop politely.
The king of courtesy says: ‘In the hunt for bargains, consumers make spectacular lapses in common sense, leaving staff and other customers disappointed in terms of courtesy.
“Many find themselves on retail autopilot, taking actions and decisions so ingrained and routine that they rarely stop to think about them and their consequences.”
The most civilized time to buy.
William says to “reduce anxiety,” shop “between 8 a.m. and 10 a.m. on Monday morning, if shopping in a big city,” adding: “For those outside a metropolis, the evenings are often the quietest ones.”
The correct route
William Hanson has revealed how to shop politely in his new book, Just Good Manners.
William, above, says: “In the hunt for bargains, consumers make spectacular lapses in common sense, leaving staff and other customers shortchanged in terms of civility.”
“Most British supermarkets have an unwritten flow,” says William. “You should start your store in the aisles closest to the entrance, which is usually where the fresh produce is found.”
The change of direction of the tram
Don’t make U-turns with your tram, warns William, otherwise “you will face the silent, passive-aggressive wrath of the British.” And he adds: “It is much better to go back to the beginning of the supermarket and start again.”
Don’t block hallways while you move
William warns: “Block any hallways while browsing social media on your phone at your own risk.”
William’s new book, Just Good Manners (Penguin Random House), is now available
Recognize staff
‘You should acknowledge all store staff you come across. Ideally a verbal greeting, but at least make eye contact and give a half smile,” says William. “There’s no need for a Cheshire cat smile, just some recognition that they are human beings too.”
Don’t talk in the hallway, two in a row
William scolds the people who crowd the aisles with their strollers, chattering.
He says, “A couple of carts parked two at a time make it almost impossible for anyone to successfully traverse that aisle.”
Suggest meeting friends who you’ll run into later at the coffee shop.
Eat before paying
Is it okay to eat the food you have selected before paying? At all. William says: “The crumbs of the white bread that you have been feeding yourself or your child will fall to the floor, attract vermin, look unpleasant and give the impression that you think you are somehow above the rules.”
The box divider
On the supermarket aisle, next to the checkout, “if you don’t put a ‘next customer please’ divider at the end of your merchandise, the shopper behind you will imagine your slow, painful death,” says Merlin of good manners in the book. .
For more information about Mr. Hanson, visit his tiktok and instagram profiles.
Just Good Manners: A Quintessential Guide to Courtesy, Charm, Grace, and Decorum (Random Penguin House), is now available. It is advertised as “a witty and authoritative guide to British etiquette.”