Strange NOVA behavior

[Anonymous]

I am struck by the lack of basic situational awareness that pervades NOVA. It becomes most apparent when I grocery shop. I parked front row today. But it did not stop 4 different people from making getting to my car and pulling out a living hell. I had 2 people dash walking in front of me, but then slow walk - and zig zag so I am trapped and cannot get to mycar right in front of me. This is just getting mere feet from the entrance door to the front row of the parking lot. I back out, a couple very casually walks behind my bumper while im in reverse. I finally get pulled out, freedom! Wrong! A car bolts around a corner determined to head on vollision me, or anyone, so I must pull to side and stop or be mowed. And then there's the behavior in the store. Half the aisles are blocked by people completely lacking any situational awareness. They place their carts in middle of aisle - right along stock person. Why not move up ahead of stocking person, or behind? Why not move the cart closer to the edge? They notice no one around them, in their own world. Well, at least today was not as bad as the TJ nasties who, when I have the chutzpah to ask to pass through, they say no or ignore and wont move their cart. And then there's the parents with ragingly sick kids who should have stayed home. But no, abandon them at produce so they can cough all over it while you casually grab a beverage and chill drinking it. WTF is this?

[Anonymous]

Nova people are just clueless and rude.

[Anonymous]

This area is full of incredibly self-centered and entitled people. They don’t care about anyone besides themselves.

[Anonymous]

I notice this, too, in the stores in MoCo.

[Anonymous]

OP here - my best guess is that for many people who move here from other parts of the U.S., having achieved in life, making it required a level of ruthlessness or psychopathy. They made it. And here's why.

[Anonymous]

This is why I park far away. Rude people dominate the parking lot at Wegman's.

[Anonymous]

I went to Trader Joe’s this morning across the country and encountered the same thing. I live in an area with tons of expat and international families and people who have moved from all over the U.S.. I think the hardest thing is that we all have different internalized rules for parking lot driving, cart parking, grocery shopping, etc.

A lot of my international friends never grocery shopped or drove before they moved here so when they’re running errands they’re basically like little baby fawns stumbling their way through a brand new world- except from behind the wheel, which is scary. I drive when we go places together!

Put a bunch of people like that in one place and give them all a goal (get groceries fast) and it’s not going to go well.

[Anonymous]

The walking behind cars in reverse is all over the DMV, not just NOVA. It’s insane. I always point out to my kids in the car don’t do this, never do this, even if you think you’re in the right, because you’re trusting whoever is driving the car to stop and wait and are you willing to put your life in some stranger’s hand? You may be right but do you want to be dead right (as in right but dead because you vs car, car always wins).

[Anonymous]

I live in Georgia and people are stupid and clueless like that here as well. It’s really bad here, like astonishing and unbelievable. A hopeless situation really.

I sincerely worry for my kids future and what the world will be like as they age. The levels of general stupidity and selfishness in America have reached critical levels. I worry what out society will look like once the tipping point goes s crossed. Seems to be playing out already with this current administration.

[Anonymous]

Most people are not from here. These people are a-holes from elsewhere that bring their bad habits along and they think everyone is like that.

[Anonymous]

If you grow up in a lower density area you aren't used to having to watch how you move all day.

And if you grew up in a high density area, you are usually pushy and seem stressed most of the time.

[Anonymous]

It's a normal Saturday everywhere in busy metropoles and suburbs of same, OP.

I come from Paris, and have lived in many major cities. This is normal. People don't have the degree of care towards their fellow humans they exercise in small towns and villages, because there are just too many people, so compassion/tolerance is maxed out and everyone just wants to get their chores done.

[Anonymous]

I am working on a way to push my shopping cart sideways down the store aisles. I don't want people to get past me and score the good deals.

[Anonymous]

This sounds like everyone everywhere.

[Anonymous]

Definitely experience this all the time. It’s especially crazy on the weekends. Today, I parked in an open area in the back. Lots of other spaces all around and 4 other cars decide to park right next to me the second I put my car in park. So now I’m stuck in the car waiting for everyone else to get out and run into the store because I also have a baby in the backseat that I need to settle into a stroller and don’t want to feel rushed and cramped doing so while 5-6 adults are exiting their cars all around me. It’s absolutely insane. I’m just like… hello! There is plenty of parking everywhere!!! Then people are slow browsing the store and because the aisles are so narrow only one cart can fit through. Well I’m browsing one aisle with the stroller and clearly a cart is not going to fit through, but several adults attempt to try and there is awkwardness of who is going to back up and let the other person go through. Hello! You are one adult. You can leave your cart at the entrance of the aisle and browse, I cannot leave my baby in a stroller at the entrance or the aisle. I know trolls are going to flame me for even brining a baby out to run an errand but I don't care. This is basic common courtesy that folks are lacking these days and it is so low class and selfish. Thanks for starting this thread OP so I can vent too.