TIFU with a massive faux-pas at the supermarket

Not today, but not so long ago - and I still cringe about it to this day. It was before the days of ubiquitous supermarket self-checkouts, and this supermarket - Sainsburys in Holborn, London - was experimenting at the time with a single line for all six human checkout operators.

It was a few days before Christmas, and the supermarket was very busy - the line was about twenty deep, and it seemed to take forever to get to the front.

As I reached the front of the line, a guy in his fifties approached from my left, smiled at me, and cut in front of us all, and started to unpack his groceries onto the belt.

Now I know I've been using the word "line" in this post, but as a Brit we usually say queue, and one thing we Brits are renowned for is that we definitely know how to queue.

So in my most indignant voice I said loudly to the guy: "Hey mate, the queue is back there", pointing to the line of twenty or so behind me. I felt rather proud for defending us all from this attempted cheat.

"Oh okay mate, I'm sorry" he said.

And he walked away.

Tapping his white stick.

I don't think I've ever been so embarrassed. I wanted the floor to open and swallow me whole. My queue neighbours shot daggers at me, and the checkout operator seemed to have fury in her eyes.

I followed after him begging him to take my place instead, but he refused, insisting I was correct to scold him.

Somehow I managed to survive the onslaught of shame directed my way, paid for my goods and got out of there alive. But with my dignity very much not intact.

TL;DR: I sent a blind man to the back of the supermarket line for trying to get served before the rest of us