ArcaMax

DEAR MISS MANNERS: Where should I park my shopping cart while browsing a grocery section and/or reading ingredient labels?

I park my cart in the middle of the aisle, thereby allowing other shoppers to view the same items. This also lets me step out of the way to allow passersby through. I feel that other shoppers feel hurried when I wait for them to finish in a section, as we cannot both be there with our carts at the same time. I know that I feel hurried being in that same position.

My husband maintains that leaving my cart in the middle of the aisle is rude, and that I should stay with it.

GENTLE READER: Shopping carts do not have an easy life: vegetables to deli to canned goods to checkout and back again all day -- it's dizzying. There is no truly safe place to park them: A space that may be clear in the moment is crowded with shoppers the next.

It's all very well to say the cart can rest in the parking lot roundup, but it seems unlikely, knowing that any minute, a departing shopper may hurl a fellow cart at you, missile-like. While Miss Manners does not therefore ban separating from your cart, she does feel that any parting should be brief. Wherever you leave it, you will need to be close enough to be aware of other customers to ensure that the cart has not become a roadblock.

Besides, you do not want it to get lonely.

DEAR MISS MANNERS: Despite the best of intentions, there is a lot of acrimony between my ex-husband and me, and since our children are all legal adults, I have no contact with him. Contact between my ex and our children is also limited due to a lack of effort and engagement (their choice).

When my oldest child and his fiancee hosted a party to celebrate their engagement, my ex was there when I arrived with my partner. Who should have initiated introductions?

In hindsight, I guess the groom-to-be (our son) should have introduced his father to my partner. My partner had no issue with introducing himself, but did not feel it was his place.

There will be other events coming up. I already feel like navigating this wedding (and the time leading up to it) will be a minefield, so please help to clarify.

GENTLE READER: Primary duty for making introductions does lie with the hosts, although in this case, that meant either your son or his fiancee. This is why most hosts do not stray far from the door as the party starts and the guests descend in a clump.

One or two inevitably get missed, in which case introductions would be taken over by anyone who knows all the parties -- presumably you or your ex.

Miss Manners is unclear why that did not happen, but she applauds your partner for stepping up. She is sure you agree that the coming events will go more easily if everyone jumps in when needed, rather than hanging back to see who fails to act when called upon.

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(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.)

Copyright 2026 Judith Martin

COPYRIGHT 2026 JUDITH MARTIN