{"id":6284,"date":"2026-08-04T08:36:45","date_gmt":"2026-08-04T08:36:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=6284"},"modified":"2026-08-04T08:36:45","modified_gmt":"2026-08-04T08:36:45","slug":"miss-manners-who-gets-to-decide-who-can-cut-in-the-checkout-line","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=6284","title":{"rendered":"Miss Manners: Who gets to decide who can cut in the checkout line?"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n
\n

DEAR MISS MANNERS:<\/strong> At times, a grocery checkout line will be very long, with only one cashier available. Someone with a full cart, three or four customers ahead of me, will permit a customer who has only a couple of items to go ahead of them.<\/p>\n

Read more Dear Abby: Should I end things with my hard-hearted fiance?<\/a><\/p>\n

They thereby award the permission on behalf of all customers behind them in line, even though we were not asked if we would mind waiting a minute or two longer for the single-item customer to check out.<\/p>\n

If the accommodating customer had asked all of us if we minded, the odds of anyone objecting are almost nil.<\/p>\n

It is one of those small life unpleasantries, but maybe Miss Manners might advise those who would give such permission to ask everyone in line first, as a courtesy?<\/p>\n

GENTLE READER<\/strong>: While the shopper stands there holding a cereal box and a stick of butter, listening to the vote? And in these contentious times, someone shouts, \u201cNo fair! She\u2019s busting into line! Get back there, lady.\u201d<\/p>\n

Of course, that reaction is what you are trying to avoid. From the number of letters Miss Manners receives about confrontations in grocery lines, she is not sure that such courtesies can be offered without unpleasant repercussions.<\/p>\n

Perhaps if it is put as, \u201cIf no one objects, I\u2019ll let this lady with only two items go ahead,\u201d no one will want to be singled out as the one person saying \u201cI object.\u201d<\/p>\n

But sadly, perhaps not.<\/p>\n

\n<\/div>\n

DEAR MISS MANNERS:<\/strong> I am 69 and have worn a visible hearing aid my entire adult life.<\/p>\n

I have had many people who know I\u2019m hard of hearing jokingly say \u201cWhat?\u201d or silently mouth words, as if my hearing loss is somehow humorous.<\/p>\n

Read more Woman wounded in Antioch shooting was unintended target, police believe<\/a><\/p>\n

I doubt they are mean-spirited, but rather cluelessly insensitive.<\/p>\n

What is the best way to let them know that people who are hard of hearing find these attempts at humor highly offensive?<\/p>\n

\n<\/div>\n

GENTLE READER<\/strong>: Has it come to that? That Miss Manners has to inform people that it\u2019s not nice to make fun of others\u2019 disabilities?<\/p>\n

It could hardly be more mean-spirited. So much so, that there is no response except turning your back on such people.<\/p>\n

DEAR MISS MANNERS:<\/strong> When placing silverware on the table, does the sharp edge of the knife face toward the plate or away from it?<\/p>\n

GENTLE READER<\/strong>: The simple answer is: toward the plate.<\/p>\n

But Miss Manners can\u2019t help offering the wordy answer.<\/p>\n

Until the 19th century, most Westerners, including European royalty, ate with their knives (and considered Italians to be sissies for using forks). Specifically, they ate with their own knives, which they used for hunting and then brought to the dinner table.<\/p>\n

Some diners noticed that the knives had other uses \u2014 picking teeth, for example, and settling arguments. To cut down on the carnage \u2014 or perhaps on the sight of people picking their teeth \u2014 Cardinal Richelieu had the sharp points filed off table knives, and Louis XIV of France decreed blunted knives were to be used for dining.<\/p>\n

Today\u2019s dinner knife is still sharp, although never quite sharp enough. You turn it toward yourself to symbolize your intent to use it only on your roast beef and not on your dinner partner.<\/p>\n

Please send your questions to Miss Manners at her website, www.missmanners.com; to her email, gentlereader@missmanners.com; or through postal mail to Miss Manners, Andrews McMeel Syndication, 1130 Walnut St., Kansas City, MO 64106.<\/em><\/p>\n

Read more Bay Area chef\u2019s \u2018Hell Chicken\u2019 might be a taste of heaven on earth<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

I think all the shoppers who are waiting need to sign off on it.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":5289,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6284","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-advice"],"yoast_head":"\nMiss Manners: Who gets to decide who can cut in the checkout line? - Next City Digest<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=6284\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Miss Manners: Who gets to decide who can cut in the checkout line? - Next City Digest\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"I think all the shoppers who are waiting need to sign off on it.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=6284\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Next City Digest\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-08-04T08:36:45+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/?p=6284#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/?p=6284\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"admin\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/13065d40d633843429ac57d4e5c06f9b\"},\"headline\":\"Miss Manners: Who gets to decide who can cut in the checkout line?\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-08-04T08:36:45+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/?p=6284\"},\"wordCount\":630,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/?p=6284#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/07\\\/afa6305b0bc2ad18ff319793b8dcff0b.webp\",\"articleSection\":[\"Advice\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/?p=6284#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/?p=6284\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/?p=6284\",\"name\":\"Miss Manners: Who gets to decide who can cut in the checkout line? - Next City Digest\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/?p=6284#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/?p=6284#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/07\\\/afa6305b0bc2ad18ff319793b8dcff0b.webp\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-08-04T08:36:45+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/13065d40d633843429ac57d4e5c06f9b\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/?p=6284#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/?p=6284\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/?p=6284#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/07\\\/afa6305b0bc2ad18ff319793b8dcff0b.webp\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/07\\\/afa6305b0bc2ad18ff319793b8dcff0b.webp\",\"width\":1518,\"height\":1042},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/?p=6284#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Miss Manners: Who gets to decide who can cut in the checkout line?\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/\",\"name\":\"Next City Digest\",\"description\":\"\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/13065d40d633843429ac57d4e5c06f9b\",\"name\":\"admin\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"admin\"},\"sameAs\":[\"http:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\"],\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/nextcitydigest.com\\\/?author=1\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Miss Manners: Who gets to decide who can cut in the checkout line? - Next City Digest","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=6284","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Miss Manners: Who gets to decide who can cut in the checkout line? - Next City Digest","og_description":"I think all the shoppers who are waiting need to sign off on it.","og_url":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=6284","og_site_name":"Next City Digest","article_published_time":"2026-08-04T08:36:45+00:00","author":"admin","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"admin","Est. reading time":"3 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=6284#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=6284"},"author":{"name":"admin","@id":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/#\/schema\/person\/13065d40d633843429ac57d4e5c06f9b"},"headline":"Miss Manners: Who gets to decide who can cut in the checkout line?","datePublished":"2026-08-04T08:36:45+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=6284"},"wordCount":630,"commentCount":0,"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=6284#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/afa6305b0bc2ad18ff319793b8dcff0b.webp","articleSection":["Advice"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=6284#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=6284","url":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=6284","name":"Miss Manners: Who gets to decide who can cut in the checkout line? - Next City Digest","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=6284#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=6284#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/afa6305b0bc2ad18ff319793b8dcff0b.webp","datePublished":"2026-08-04T08:36:45+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/#\/schema\/person\/13065d40d633843429ac57d4e5c06f9b"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=6284#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=6284"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=6284#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/afa6305b0bc2ad18ff319793b8dcff0b.webp","contentUrl":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/afa6305b0bc2ad18ff319793b8dcff0b.webp","width":1518,"height":1042},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?p=6284#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Miss Manners: Who gets to decide who can cut in the checkout line?"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/#website","url":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/","name":"Next City Digest","description":"","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/#\/schema\/person\/13065d40d633843429ac57d4e5c06f9b","name":"admin","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/50b1ad2e498f523425ee0a8cc5180a210646db1622662a3d56cc405d3e0c346a?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"admin"},"sameAs":["http:\/\/nextcitydigest.com"],"url":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/?author=1"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6284","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=6284"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6284\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/5289"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=6284"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=6284"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nextcitydigest.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=6284"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}