AITA for not going to the back of the line, when I had gotten there before anyone else?

A Redditor finds herself in an unexpected confrontation at the pharmacy after patiently waiting for nearly 30 minutes before it reopened. As she approaches the counter, a man accuses her of being disrespectful to an elderly woman who had arrived later, insisting that she should have let her go first. Confused and humiliated, the Redditor wonders if she misread the social cues or if she was justified in her actions. Read the full story below.

‘ AITA for not going to the back of the line, when I had gotten there before anyone else?’

I had gotten to my pharmacy at 1:30pm, forgetting theyre closed for lunch until 2. There was absolutely no one there so I sat in the waiting areas, less than 2 feet away. A few people showed up, asking if I was waiting and I said yes.

They sat next to me. 5 minutes before 2 a line of about 6 people had showed up, first in line being a woman who looked to be in her late 60’s- 70’s. As the pharmacy opened I stood up, the woman who sat next to me commented about how the line appeared, and shared sentiment that we were there early/first.

I stepped forward when the pharmacist waved me forward and went directly to the counter. As I spoke to the pharmacist, a man behind the elderly woman spoke to me loudly saying, “hey thats not right, she was first in line you should of let her go. Shes elderly, you need to respect her. “

I tried to explain id been waiting 30 minutes, however he cut me off repeating that I was disrespectful. Even going as far to apologize to the woman as if Id attacked/yelled at her. She and I never even said a word to eachother. I told him to please leave me alone.

But when I turned back to the screen i heard other people in line saying things to them like , “hey I think you did the right thing, she shouldnt of done that” to the man. I feel so humiliated and confused…was I really being rude to her for that?

I get that I was sitting down and she was standing but I was clearly there first, several others could of confirmed that…and if she wanted to im sure she could of sat with us and people would of let her take her proper place.

Am I having one of those missing social cues moments? Because I feel like I was just being fair to myself. I also dont want to be the kind of person thats being a j**k or makimg others feel bad.

These are the responses from Reddit users:

tinyd71 −  Interesting that the man demanded respect for an older woman, yet was unable to demonstrate any towards you! It sounds like you were legitimately first in line, and the pharmacist also recognised that.. NTA

ElmLane62 −  NTA. I guess I’m “elderly” because I’m almost 66 but I am healthy and fit.. I have a different perspective. I worked until I was 60,, and my lunch hour was limited and so were my after work hours.

WE “ELDERLY”, UNLESS WE ARE LIMITED MOBILITY OR SICK, HAVE TIME TO WAIT. WORKING PEOPLE MAY NOT HAVE TIME TO WAIT. I promised myself that when I retire, I would be more patient since I have more time.

Prettylittlequin −  NTA, you got there early, waited patiently, and even let people know you were already there. You had every right to step up when the pharmacy opened since you’d been waiting the longest.

It’s unfortunate that the man in line assumed you were being disrespectful without understanding the situation. Being elderly doesn’t automatically mean she was first in line, and you did nothing wrong by taking your place. Don’t let their comments get to you, you were fair and just wanted to get your medication like everyone else.

No-College4662 −  I don’t respond to people who try to get loud in public. I completely ignore them. Don’t make their problem your problem. nta

LadyHavoc97 −  Speaking as an older woman, we don’t deserve respect automatically just because of our age. To get respect, one has to give respect. I’m sorry she hasn’t learned that lesson yet.. NTA.

hexagon_heist −  I’ve never been so glad that my pharmacy has a ticket kiosk so you can get your place in line and then sit anywhere

TriumphDaytona −  NTA. I think the guy was hoping you’d let the lady go, then he could slide in behind her, instead of waiting got the people who were there first and sitting.

ImLittleNana −  NTA at all. In my local pharmacy, and most of the chains have the same set up, the chairs are closer to the counter than the aisle where the people generally queue. It’s not a seating area some great distance away from the pick up window.

Standing in line when the pharmacy is closed would be ridiculous. I wouldn’t know if people were looking at the eyeglasses or the condoms or waiting in line, because that’s where the line forms.. You did the right thing.

vocalfry13 −  NTA. Boomers will be boomers, but you gotta stand up to them.

mulder1921 −  It’s happened to me before- basically, the first person to actually stand and start the line I immediately informed that myself and the other person sitting were first and second. They said gotcha and as more people joined it just kind of got passed down the line that we were first.

Honestly, did the people in line think you were just sitting there for some reason other than to go to the pharmacy? Next time take your phone out, make a big #1 on a note app and just hold it out in front of you for all to see!. NTA!

Do you think the Redditor was justified in going to the counter first, or should she have let the elderly woman go ahead of her? How would you handle a similar situation? Share your thoughts below!