By Lee Cataluna
Advertiser Columnist

Granted, there are at least 50,000 other things to worry about. At least. But sometimes it's comforting to wrap your brain around an easy one and then work up to the major life issues.

So you're in the supermarket heading for the checkout lane. You have an armful or a cartload of groceries. Just as you near the conveyor belt, the lady in line in front of you slaps down a grocery divider stick near the end of her groceries, setting up a boundary between her stuff and your stuff. Is Lady helping or dissing? Making room for your stuff or making sure your stuff doesn't touch her stuff?

Perhaps it's all about timing. If you're coming up to the checkout counter with a cartload of chicken pot pies and Lady takes one look at your stash and slams down one of those plastic or rubber barricades, then you can pretty much deduce that she wants you and your nasty, greasy pot pies far away from her fresh produce.

Sometimes, the person in front of you in line will say something out loud to make intentions clear, like, "Here, let me make room for you." Or "Oh, sorry, my Tater Tots all over the place, yeah?"

But other times, it's hard to navigate the separation situation. Do you grab for your own divider? Do you wait for it to be put there for you? Are you supposed to set up the barricade for the person in line behind you?

Once again, the Internet comes to the rescue. According to the Etiquette at the Checkout Counter list by Martin Sloane posted at www.siteforsavings.com, this is one place where we can feel free to take action. It says:

"Place the divider bar behind your order, and in front of it too, if the person ahead of you is unaware of this courtesy."

The list has other helpful tips, things you probably never thought about, like:

• Load the items in the approximate order in which you want them bagged.
• Try to position the products with the UPC bar codes facing the cashier.
• Do not put money, cards or coupons on the conveyor belt.
• Don't ask the cashier to bend or break the rules, i.e., sale limits, frequent shopper club or check cashing.
• Calling the cashier "honey," or "sweetie" is poor etiquette in some parts of the country and accepted in others. If you are not sure of the custom in your area, use the cashier's name (check the name tag).
• If you realize you have forgotten to purchase an item, do not hold up the line by asking the cashier or bagger to find it. The proper etiquette is to complete the checkout, push your cart to the side, find the item and use the express lane.

And if all else fails, there's always the local-style panacea, which erases all social missteps if done in the proper tone and with a firm underpinning of sincerity:

"Uy, sorry eh?"

Lee Cataluna's column runs Tuesdays, Fridays and Sundays. Reach her at 535-8172 or lcataluna@honoluluadvertiser.com.