Miss Manners: ‘Grinch’ won’t hold place in line – Mon, 22 Dec 2025 PST

Key Takeaways:

• This situation unfolds in a busy cosmetics store.
• The line is slow-moving, adding tension and impatience.
• A fellow shopper asks for a favor: saving her place to retrieve a forgotten item.
• The letter-writer is approximately fifth in line with several people behind.
• The scenario sparks debate over balancing politeness with the needs of everyone waiting.

The Queue Conundrum

A cosmetics store during peak hours can resemble a bustling marketplace, with customers eager to finish their purchases. In this instance, the line barely moved, and shoppers were left waiting longer than usual. According to the letter-writer, she found herself near the front—about fifth in line—while nearly the same number of people waited behind her.

Unexpected Request

Shortly after arriving in line, the woman behind her asked for a simple favor: could the letter-writer hold her place while she retrieved an item that a store employee had forgotten to give her? Because the queue was inching forward, the question felt weighty. To leave the line, the other shopper risked losing her spot. To honor the request, the letter-writer would have to delay her forward progress when the woman returned.

Weighing Courtesy vs. Fairness

For shoppers in slow-moving queues, even the smallest requests can spark big debates. Some believe it is perfectly reasonable to accommodate those who need to quickly step away or correct a store mistake. Others argue that one person’s convenience effectively disrupts everyone else’s wait—particularly if the line is crawling along. Here, the letter-writer notes there were just as many people behind her as ahead, raising a question for both holiday manners and basic practicality.

Reflections on Line Etiquette

Though much remains unclear—how long the shopper would be gone, or whether others in line would object—the dilemma remains a timely illustration of the challenges of holiday shopping. Should we shoulder small inconveniences out of kindness, or should fairness to all trump one individual’s request? In this scene from a bustling cosmetics store, the question is left open, a reminder that even casual interactions can become a test of modern courtesy.