Introverts Need Awkward Conversation

I hate going to the grocery store. Hate, hate, hate it. First there are the crowded aisles.



Then there's the mundanity of picking out groceries for the week.



Then there's the fact that I always seem to get the noisy cart.



The only thing that makes it somewhat better is talking to the (usually) friendly cashiers. It's why I go to this store...



Instead of this one...



I went to Publix early Sunday morning, determined to beat the crowd. The aisles were mostly empty, with the exception of a few stock people. One was almost in my way but not quite. 

"Good morning," she said as I reached for the sour cream.

"You're fine," I said, meaning, 'don't bother moving because you aren't in my way.' My comment was met with that awkward silence where you realize what you SHOULD have said was just, 'Good morning' in reply. So I did what any introvert would do...



By the time I arrived at the cash register, I was ready to make less awkward conversation. I stepped up and made a joking comment about the hard work that goes into unloading a cart. The response?



She did not respond. She made not a single comment the entire time she scanned, aside from the usual, "Would you like your meat in plastic bags?" type of questions. I realized in the five or so minutes that it took her to scan my items that if you don't make conversation, the entire checkout process is very, very awkward.



I'm an introvert. I DO like conversation...but I don't feel 100-percent comfortable with it, if that makes sense. I always feel like I'm making a complete idiot of myself.



Do you make idle chitchat when you're at checkout or would you prefer to just stand there in silence?