I Didn’t Know I Was In A Zombie Movie…

I usually fancy myself a pretty patient person… I’m really not, which is one of the reasons I began studying meditation and got into the Buddha Dharma but I like to THINK that I’m patient. I manage to keep a rein on my anger at the worst of times, which is a skill that’s suited me well over the years, especially during my years as a police officer. One exception is going to Costco. Now, if you’ve read some of my previous stuff, you’ll know that I’m not a big fan of naming the retail locations I shop at, for liability and for safety purposes (I don’t need my adoring fan base to track me down). But this is the one exception I’ll make because it’s a unique phenomenon, I think.

Going to Costco is a problem for me. Not because of the location itself; I actually quite like the ability to purchase certain things in bulk. It keeps me from having to run around on a day-to-day basis for stuff. But it often feels as though I’m trying to navigate through a sea of zombies in a bad B-movie. Everyone is shuffling along at a slow gait, looking around as though they’re seeing commercial products for the first fucking time in their lives and acting as though they’re the only ones there!

I think the meat of the problem comes from the fact that I’m a generally fast-moving individual to start with. I usually go into any place knowing what I need to pick up. On this occasion, I had two items to grab but ended up shopping for more and I STILL moved through the store with the kind of rapid efficiency that should be the standard, not the exception, in a crowded retail location. But the propensity people have to make eye contact with you when you ask them to please move their cart and they still sit there often makes me wonder if I’ve died and the living can’t see me!

Another issue with Costco is that it’s ALWAYS busy. And while this is great for business, it makes it difficult for folks who don’t enjoy large crowds like, oh, say… an ex-police officer with PTSD and anxiety to shop in relative peace. If you try to go at opening, you’ll usually have a line-up of people waiting. If you go at any other time, the store is already packed and trying to get from one point in the store to another takes a gut-wrenching amount of time and patience. Patience that as previously mentioned, I don’t have.

Obviously, there are worse things to worry about in the world. I choose to shop there, so I can’t complain. But despite my ranting and raving, the focus of this post is actually about the people, not the experience. Folks needs to be more wary of their surroundings. Respect should be paid to those trying to make their way through and if you see someone is trying to get by and you’re sitting there, staring at that bulk jar of pickles trying to decide if it’s worth your attention, take a second to move over so that you don’t FORCE everyone else to share in your moment. Food for thought… ☯️