I’ve Got Plenty of Time Today

It’s Monday morning and I’m at Lidl. I like shopping here. Good products, plenty of organic choices, friendly staff and usually excellent parking. Although I must admit, the Lidl in Almancil isn’t my favourite. But that’s another story.

There’s a queue at the checkout. As usual, the cashier takes her time with every customer. A little chat, a smile, sometimes another question. When I first moved to Portugal, this used to annoy me. Come on, hurry up, I would think. These days, I see it differently. Perhaps the Portuguese have understood something the rest of us have forgotten.

In the Netherlands, supermarket chain Jumbo has even introduced special “chat checkouts”, mainly for elderly people who enjoy having someone to talk to. A wonderful initiative, of course, but also a little sad. Imagine needing a special checkout just to have a conversation.

In Portugal, social interaction is still a natural part of everyday life. There are little cafés everywhere, where people meet, drink an espresso and discuss the latest news. In the Netherlands, many of these meeting places have disappeared. Everything has to be faster, more efficient and, above all, more profitable.

Back to Lidl. The woman behind me is holding just a few bread rolls. I’ve got a whole trolley full of groceries. I turn around and offer to let her go ahead of me.

She looks at me, gives me a lovely smile and says, “No, thank you. I’ve got plenty of time today.”

I can’t help smiling. What a wonderful answer.

In the Netherlands, almost everyone would accept my offer. Some might even ask to go first, because they only have three items and are in a terrible hurry.

But here is a woman with three bread rolls who isn’t rushing anywhere. Or perhaps she is going somewhere, but simply refuses to be in a hurry.

I think this is one of the most beautiful things Portugal has taught me. Not every minute needs to be productive. A little conversation isn’t a waste of time, and waiting doesn’t have to be frustrating.

I went to Lidl to buy some groceries. And came home with a column…