Supermarkets - of water sprays in produce department and bad shopping etiquette

Yesterday I did a quick run-in to our local supermarket for a few items. As is my habit, visited the vegetable produce section for the makings of a salad and was in the process of picking out a lettuce towards the back of the display when a spray -actually more like a deluge - of water descended from the automated spray system above. My whole arm was wet- more than wet - and heaven forbid the supermarket(s) should provide paper towels or something for customers to dry themselves. This leads me to question the sanity altogether of installing water sprays for vegetables. Presumably, the idea behind it is to keep the vegetables fresh and visually appealing. The sprays are obviously on a timer system and unfortunately customers aren't aware of when their arms will be drenched. Actually, more than arms get wet including the face, depending on the re-bound of water on the product.

Perhaps a sign should be posted, something to the effect:

"Attention shoppers! Our system is timed to spray water every 10 minutes. The next spray will occur in blank minutes. Please stand back to avoid getting wet."

There's nothing like picking up a soaked veggie, shaking it in an attempt to rid it of excess liquid, which is an exercise in futility anyway, and transferring it into a cloth bag.

Another thing that bothers me are shoppers who for whatever reason, taste the fruit and then some, during the selection process. I've seen people standing in front of the cherry or grape or any pick-your-own display and stuffing their mouths while choosing the best fruit. These same shoppers do not inform the check-out cashiers that they have consumed fruit without paying for it. Who pays for this? You and I of course!

I've also seen shoppers actually open sealed boxes, take out an item, examine it and replace it back in the box. The absolute worst, though, was the person who opened a sour cream container, stuck in a pinky finger to taste it and replace the container back on the shelf.

Speaking of check-out cashiers, one of my biggest beefs are people who try to use the 8-items-or-less check out line when they have a shopping cart full of groceries. Yesterday for example, while waiting to pay for my few groceries, a woman with a cart filled to capacity was told by the cashier to go to the regular cash.

"The lines are sooo long," the woman responded and pointed to the long line-ups of shoppers, in the way of attempting to get the cashier to relent. After an unsuccessful period of whining that went on for a minute or so and highly indignant, the shopper whipped her shopping cart out of 8-items line up and joined the rest at the end of an even longer line up in the time she was pleading her case. No sooner had she disappeared than another customer tried the same plea without success.

Recently, somebody ran over my foot with a shopping cart while looking over a shelf, without even so much as an apology.

"You ran over my foot," I informed her lifting my leg in pain, expecting her to be contrite and appologetic. Looking down at my leg, she uttered "oh" and blamed it on a faulty shopping cart. Shopping at the supermarket just ain't what it used to be, then again, what is?