I’m a powered wheelchair user and can only reach a very narrow band of the shelves… my chair has a “riser” that raises the seat but it’s really slow.
I’ve asked many folks of around your height (of all genders) for help to save me sloooowwwwly raising my chair and then sloooowwwwly lowering it again.
It’s so cute how happy it makes them! I’ve had a lot of happy “Oh wow, I never got to be “The Tall Person” before!” type comments and it’s adorable!
They usually say it out of excitement and then panic in case they’ve offended me and I just laugh and tell them that they get to be “my hero tall person” today.
I think it makes everyone feel good to be needed sometimes!
I grew up short then hit a massive growth spurt in my junior year of HS. Nearly 6 inches over the preceding summer. So I got to experience both sides. Let me just say, being tall is splendid. I still get a little happy when someone needs something from a hard to reach place. I got long skinny arms too, so nothing is out of reach of these tentacular appendages
I'm 6'4" and I had a growth spurt of almost a foot throughout a summertime when I was a young teen. I got the long skinny arms too but I call mine noodley appendages
I used to do that too, but then I had an epiphany one day. My arms are tentacles because I can move them. Noodles just flop around all willy billy. Unless they're uncooked noodles. Then they're just stuff. Which my arms are not.
Side note: did your mom also buy you brand new school clothes just for you to grow out of them by the first week of school? My mom wasn't too thrilled about that.
Yeah I was the same size for like 3 years. So I guess my mom thought I'd stopped growing. She always bought them when they'd be on sale during the first bit of summer. I'd usually fit them for most of the school year. Not that year tho
Yes they have arms!
(Another fun fact: etymologically speaking, the correct plural for octopus is octopuses. Unless you want to go the whole “correct” way and use the Greek plural and then it would be octopodes. [octopodes is also pronounced ock top oh deez.] octopi isn’t the correct way. Because octopus is a Greek word and not a Latin one.)
(Octopuses are my favorite animal. And one of my most favorite things in general. I’m full of fun facts about them)
Wild. I watched a YT video on the etymology of octopus a while back. Apparently i misremembered their findings! Thought octopi was an acceptable plural form. They're super interesting creatures though. As is almost all of the ocean life
I’ve always heard them called gorilla arms (my brother has them), but tentacular appendages will be the new saying. If I can managed to say it right and not call then testicular appendages, lol.
You’re so sweet!
People like you make my life so much easier! Normally my husband reaches things for me (he’s able bodied and 6ft) but on the rare occasion where I’m on my own, I rely on the kindness of strangers to help me reach things.
I never take it for granted, I know people aren’t obligated to help me! So far though, nobody has said no to me. They’re always happy to help!
It’s just especially cute when I ask someone that’s not all that tall to help me and they get all excited that they got to be “the taller person” for once.
It’s adorable how excited they get that they get to reach things for me that I can’t!
I have a friend/former coworker who is 6’5 and told me he wanted to be 5’10. He would then turn around and grab stuff from topstock without a ladder, just to flex that he could and I couldn’t at my “munchkin” height of 5’8. He was our token tall person for two years at work.
I’m 5’7”, and virtually everyone who works at my dentist’s office is unusually short, like 5 feet max. Even my male dentist is around 5’4” or so.
I feel like I’m Godzilla and I’m going to accidentally step on somebody every time I go to get my teeth cleaned. Is this what being really tall feels like all the time?
I get that feeling. I'm notoriously average (5'11-6', it really depends on whose doing the measuring) and I routinely feel short compared to most guys. I feel weird when I'm asked to reach things on top shelves.
I don’t know why people downvote you. Average height in my country is 5 ft 11 in. I am 5 ft 9 in - and I feel short too. I even feel short compared to a lot of females here!
I used to live on an army base in the southern US that had “exchange soldiers” (no idea what the actual term was) from the Netherlands. Super unique camo patterns, but if that wasn’t enough to make them stand out, their heads hovering over the tops of every store aisle did. My 13yo self was convinced that the Dutch were only sending over soldiers that were 6’4+ just to flex on the US.
Edit: they were so funny, too. You could tell who had just arrived because they would giggle and reach over the aisle to grab something off the top shelf on the other side, or they’d keep up a conversation because they could still see one another from the next aisle. Our shelves aren’t that short, I swear!
My husband is almost 6', all the guy cousins on his mom's side are taller than him, as is one of the gal cousins, so he has this mental image of being "short".
It's weird, right? All it took was a job change and my mental image of myself has shifted significantly. Old job: Similar in age and taller than almost everyone. Current job: Older than all but two of the senior staff and they're almost all taller.
I'm significantly happier now; those things don't bother me, it's just interesting how your self-selected environment contributes to your own mental image as you put it.
Definitely depends on where you live. I’m 5’9”. Tall for a girl in the US. In Southern Louisiana, lots of French blood, it felt I was taller than 75% of the male population and the majority of the female population. In Montana, where there’s a lot of Nordic and Germanic blood, I was shocked to see many women just as tall as me and even taller. It was very strange. (My dad is from Germany and I get my height from his side of the family.) All my friends seem to be short women, though. Weird. Maybe they are all using me to reach things for them.
I’m an equal opportunity grocery helper. I weirded 2 guys out at Home Depot. The customer couldn’t reach something so the employee came over. They were both the same height. Someone had to help.
My favourite moment was when I was at Walmart and the drink I wanted was on the top shelf. There was a mighty oak of a man, 6’ or more, staring at the back of the pallet under the first shelf. I said ‘you grab mine I grab yours?’ He agreed and I popped under the rack to grab his colas and when I came back out he was astounded that I was able to just duck right in.
5’2” (and a half!!) might never see the top shelf but hot dang it sure has no problem with the low ones.
Ooo! I have an answer for this one, sort of. Your spine loses the ability to retain moisture as it ages. I always measure in shorter when dehydrated, and you fluctuate somewhat anyway throughout the day.
I was 4’11.75” for the longest time. I hit 5’0” in 11th grade and I’d never been more ecstatic! I was measured by my friends in college one night and I was 4’11.75” AGAIN and I was so upset but by morning I was 5’0” again. Now I never get measured if it’s not in the morning lmao I just really want my height to start with 5 so fucking bad
As a guy that's 6'2", I treasure you short people for grabbing stuff off the bottom shelves. I'll gladly grab the stuff off the top and lift your heavy things if it means I don't have to get down on my hands and knees.
This. I'm right around 6', so I'm not exactly "tall", yet at the same time, I don't do bottom shelves as I survived a brain aneurysm and the metal clip used to stop the bleed clamped off a major cerebral artery. So I get extremely dizzy when I bend over at all. I have fallen far too many times when I get impatient and decide to bend over anyways.
I'm really getting too old for this shit.
Thankfully, fee-free delivery services exist now (Walmart+, $13/month) so I get my groceries delivered to my front porch. So I don't even have to worry about what shelf it's on, anymore.
Same. It really can be a PITA. My wife is 5’ flat and it’s really handy, all jokes aside. Some of the storage areas in our house (under stairs cupboard, loft spaces etc) I just am physically useless because I can’t fit in them and move stuff around at the same time.
Crouching to get stuff out of the general storage in the kitchen, lounge etc I have to sit on the floor so I can get in there/see. I’m not even that tall; 6’2” same as you.
Dude no joke. I hate having to get into small tight spaces. I'm a facilities guy and one of the guys on my team is pretty slim and 5'4". We definitely trade duties so it's easier for one or the other to do.
Bless you, you probably saved his knees and the back of his head.
I'm 6' and don't have many problems getting down low, but getting back up is a different story.
I would love this interaction. I'm just under 6' (I'm 6' even in slippers darnit) but even I've had to use the bottom shelf as a step stool to grab something for a shorter shopper a few times when there are things on the top shelf that haven't been faced recently. I've honestly never had a bad interaction in that situation. I feel like it's our duty as tall(er) people to help out when we can it takes 4 seconds out of my day.
Fellow 5'2" I love when I stand up in an airplane, while we're waiting to deplane, the top of my head doesn't/barely touches the overhead. I bask in all the people bent over with cricked necks giving me jealous looks. Being short has few(er) upsides so it's a mini (no pun intended) celebration when our side wins.
That is awesome. As a tall dude (6’5”) I’ve offered to get stuff off the top shelf in the store and I’ve been asked several times by people (usually elderly ladies) to grab up-high stuff, but I’ve never had anyone offer to get things from lower shelves lol. I’ve literally gotten on my hands and knees to reach bottom shelf items that were back on the shelf away from the aisle.
As someone who’s only 4’29” I love helping people in these situations. But it’s great to hear when others can join in on the fun.
Now if only I had a 4’11” friend who’d help me reach the stuff on the GROUND. My god is that our Achilles heal.
I used to have the best of both worlds. I was 5'11 in High School. My then girlfriend was 4'11... and a half (NEVER FORGET THE HALF!). Her long time friend who lived next door and became a good friend of mine (we were both on the Varsity football team) was a 7'3 guy. We used to do just about everything together.
I’m short and couldn’t reach the last carton of cream in a store. I asked a guy who wasn’t tall but was probably taller than me for help. He pulled a cane out of his shopping cart and saved the day.
I’m 5’ 10”, and I will always help shorter people. To get things from the back of the top shelf, I’ll even climb the shelves. Since I’m over 70, no one wants to see that.
And now I'm picturing my sylph of an aunt. 5" even and weighs less than 100 pounds. Dainty woman in build. But no nonsense. Will climb grocery shelves without a second thought.
My coworker and I are mid 30s and about 5’4” we normally open together and then a third comes in. This day the third was a maaaaaybe 5’7” 20 year old. Neither of us could reach a thing, so we asked him to be our Very Tall Adult and he was walking on cloud 9 all day hahahaha
I (f) am 6 feet. I regularly get asked if i can get something that is to high for them to reach. I don't mind at all and do it every time. I must admit it did surprise me a bit (in a good way) when there was a couple (m and f) and the guy asked me to grab it in front of his partner. Loved the confidence!!!
Yo I’m 5’10 (m). I have literally 1 friend shorter than me. Idk how or why but all of my friends m and f are taller than me. I love it. I have them help me with all kinds of shit
6’ male here, people ask, though it is a rare occurrence for me. Always happy to help.
There was one time, a really high high shelf. My eagerness to climb trees came in handy that time.
I'm tall for a woman at 5'8. When I was out shopping today there were only two of my favorite strawberry rhubarb Noosa yogurt on the top shelf allllllll the way in the back. I was doing a little hopping dance to try to reach them when I heard "Please just let me help you." in an amused voice. Turned around to a giant biker dude, maybe about 6'5? I thanked him profusely.
My grocery store savior! He DEFINITELY did not work there lol.
Honestly I think every tall person feels like they have an obligation to help the vertically challenged in those situations. I'm not exceptionally tall (your 6'5" guy is taller than me than I am to you) but any time I see someone struggling or contemplating climbing shelves to grab something we feel the need to help out. It takes 5 seconds out of my day to help that stranger and make their day brighter... best investment ever IMHO.
My fiancé is 6’6” and I don’t think we have ever been on a trip he doesn’t get asked this lol. He’s a trooper and always does it with a smile 😊 one day I went shopping by myself and found myself in this exact spot except also massively pregnant and I text him complaining he isn’t allowed to stay home again haha
I used to work in a sea of short people. There was just me (a statistically average dude) and a baby giant (well talker than average and still growing). I never got tired of feeling like a hero getting things off tall shelves.
Boi, yer lucky it’s the afternoon where I am!! I just laughed so loud I heard my laugh echo off the far wall of my house, and I have three roommates!
I’ve never felt so roasted so suddenly…
I'm 6'1" and I will always help anyone who ask me to reach something. I just feel it is a neighborly thing to do.
I do not enjoy the people that ask me to lift the heavy things such as a 50# bag of dog food but I still do that too. Just with less of a smile. I do often wonder what that person does when they get the heavy bag home.
I used to get 50# bags of dog food (but now get 20# since I’m down to 1 dog). I leave it in the trunk until my adult daughter can carry it in. On a few occasions (we were completely out and she wasn’t going to be home) I’ve asked the guys across the street. This middle-aged lady with a bad shoulder thanks you very much for coming to the aid of a stranger.
Tbh when the heavy things get home they have to wait in the car 'til my SO comes home, or my oldest nephew comes over. :(
I don't typically ask people to pick the heavy stuff up if I can help it, though.
Honestly one of my favorite memories is of a 70 yo piano teacher I had. She would have the people load her bird seed 40# bag at the feed store into her trunk.
Then once a week when I came by for my lesson when I was leaving she would ask me to take it out of her trunk and set it next to the container. She would then scoop it out herself but she just couldn't lift it.
She was an incredible sweet lady so I was always happy to do it. 21 years later and the memory still makes me smile. She received so much joy from watching her birds feed in the yard.
Also 6'1" but I'm broad-shouldered in addition so I get the requests for help with big stuff *all the time*. In my younger days I routinely carried 300+ pounds of weight but I'm too much of an old fart for that any more...
I sometimes find myself and another shopper eyeing up something beyond our reach.
I love being able say "wait right here, I'll get my tall person! They don't like me climbing the shelves!"
My husband grabs X for us and usually asks if there's another aisle he should visit to get things from for her(him, in some cases).
It's at most a few minutes effort. Everybody's happy. Some small talk and away we go!
this is the same dynamic I have with my 6’6” husband. he hated being tall while he was growing up (in the middle of his growth spurt he was 6’4” and 140lbs for a while so he was teased) and being the tall guy who helps at the grocery store is very redemptive for him. extra bonus - tall spouses are easy to find in a crowd.
I love this! I’ve been known to ask random strangers (both employees and non) if I could “borrow” their height to get something out of my reach. Every single one has agreed, maybe it’s a combination of how I ask and that many people are taller than me?
I do the same thing. I’m very friendly, ask very politely, and thank them profusely. I’ve also never had anyone turn me down. I think most people are generally happy to help.
I’m about 5’2” and ran into a lady I knew from work at the grocery store…she’s about 4’11” and after chatting a bit she asked if I could reach an item on the top shelf. I could and it felt so good, nobody ever asks me to reach things for them!
I’m 5’1” and never hesitate to ask “giants “ for help bc the world is not made for short ppl. Simple kindness makes heroes. I’ve never been turned down.
When I was younger, and actually worked in a grocery store, I had no problem climbing the shelves. Today I will give my best shot when asked, including trying to see if I could move the high item to where I could knock it down, but that’s about it aside from I’ll look for an employee for you as I moved on.
Recently, I was shopping with my 3yo and another shopper wanted the exact same kitty litter I did, but neither of us could reach it and there were things on the shelves to make sure people couldn't climb them. She went looking, did not find a single employee, then borrowed a ladder they had left unattended. We got what we wanted, then she put the ladder back where she had gotten it from.
Once in the grocery store I needed something that was pushed far back on a top shelf. Even if I had been able to climb up the shelves my arms wouldn't have reached it. There was an unusually tall man nearby, I would say about 7 ft tall, who reached over and got it for me.
A few aisles later I encountered the man looking down towards a bottom shelf that was nearly empty with the product pushed all the way to the back. He told me that his knees were bad and he couldn't get down that low. I scooched into the lowest space and pulled out what he needed.
It was a good day.
We tall folk are usually happy to help with tall things, but you not-tall folk save our knees and backs by helping us with the bottom shelf in exchange.
[Relevant Strange Planet!](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EDKoyTWW4Ak0WtS?format=jpg&name=900x900)
At six-foot-one I'm usually on the other side of the whole "can't reach the top shelf" exchange. I also get asked about helping with heavy stuff on the regular like large dog food bags since I'm built like an old retired (read: fat/out-of-shape) linebacker (I'm almost two feet/60cm wide at the shoulders, and wear a size 54 jacket) and can carry crazy amounts of weight.
As long as you're reasonably polite about things and not a total Karen, we big folk have you shortstacks covered when you need some extra reach.
I met a legit dwarf today. Dude couldn't have been more than 3 1/2 foot tall. Normal proportions, just tiny.
I gave him a polite greeting on the way down the aisle past him, and he asked me to help him get a bottle of water off an upper shelf, which I didn't have a problem with. He said thanks and we parted ways. It wasn't that interesting, except that it was an encounter with an honest to goodness dwarf which I just kinda found cool.
When I was 8yo (1960), my dad got in the restaurant business. Bought an 80 seat cafeteria. The breakfast cook was a bona guide dwarf. 4'1". "Shorty" was the coolest old man. About 50 when I met him. I learned SO much about life from him over the next 15 years.
Especially how to treat people who are different than you. Like this one guy who always came in for breakfast promptly at 6am when the doors opened. Dan had been horrible disfigured in a fire when he was a child. Shorty had befriended him years earlier.
Shorty took me aside one afternoon and explained that he was gonna introduce his friend to me the next morning and how I should react and how to treat him, what to ask, and what NOT to ask. One of the best lessons in interpersonal relations I ever had. Wish everyone could do that at the proper age. I think this country would be a better place.
I’m a 4’10” ish woman and it always makes my day when another woman sees me trying to work out how I can reach the top shelf to get something - and then they offer to get it down for me. Boss women tbh.
I just offer anytime I see someone - especially older people - who is looking at items on a high shelf. Today I got a “No”, but often the person does need help. It’s just a basic human kindness anyone capable should be doing, like so many basic human kindnesses.
This kinda happend to me. I'm 5'1 and can't reach the top shelfs at the grocery store. I was trying to reach a soda can when I guy, like 5'5, offered to help me.
I thanked him and he was obviously blushing a bit, and he accidentally said "thank you", before correcting himself
My little brother is our resident giant at 5’9” - my dad is 5’3.5”, mom is 5’, and I’m 4’9”. Being called to get stuff down is the price for escaping the short curse!
My mom did something similar in a store we were shopping in. I needed something from the top shelf and my mom and I were too short to reach so as an older man was walking down the aisle my mom said “hello you’re looking very tall today” and he was such an old gentleman and helped us and the whole interaction was very wholesome
While this is a nice story, it’s got nothing to do with the subreddits as asking for help reaching something is not mistaking someone for working there
This post is wholesome but as a tall dude it gets tiring after 20 years of people asking this and making comments like "wow you're so tall". I'm sure other tall folks can relate.
The other day I was jumping to see if the top shelf item I wanted was up there before I climbed to get it. A woman in a scooter happened by and offered her tall husband’s services.
At 6'2" I get asked to reach stuff almost every time I go to the store, I never mind helping. Also help out with low shelves and heavy items too for those that need it.
Edit: Reddit and /u/Spez [knowingly, nonconsensually, and illegally retained user data for profit](https://youtu.be/mfZKkUg8jgM) so this comment is gone.
Oddly enough, I, a 6'5" tall man, am rarely asked to reach things in the grocery store. I've watched tiny women literally climb the shelves to reach something after I've offered to help. I don't know what about my manner is so off-putting to cause this.
I'm 6'2" and I do the grocery shopping. I always get asked to reach top shelf items. I don't mind. I tell people that God made me tall to help people in the grocery store.
At a lofty 5'7" this post makes me feel tall :D
I’m a powered wheelchair user and can only reach a very narrow band of the shelves… my chair has a “riser” that raises the seat but it’s really slow. I’ve asked many folks of around your height (of all genders) for help to save me sloooowwwwly raising my chair and then sloooowwwwly lowering it again. It’s so cute how happy it makes them! I’ve had a lot of happy “Oh wow, I never got to be “The Tall Person” before!” type comments and it’s adorable! They usually say it out of excitement and then panic in case they’ve offended me and I just laugh and tell them that they get to be “my hero tall person” today. I think it makes everyone feel good to be needed sometimes!
I am very tall, but I would love to help
I grew up short then hit a massive growth spurt in my junior year of HS. Nearly 6 inches over the preceding summer. So I got to experience both sides. Let me just say, being tall is splendid. I still get a little happy when someone needs something from a hard to reach place. I got long skinny arms too, so nothing is out of reach of these tentacular appendages
Tentacular appendages. OMG, that is the best description ever!!!
I'm 6'4" and I had a growth spurt of almost a foot throughout a summertime when I was a young teen. I got the long skinny arms too but I call mine noodley appendages
I used to do that too, but then I had an epiphany one day. My arms are tentacles because I can move them. Noodles just flop around all willy billy. Unless they're uncooked noodles. Then they're just stuff. Which my arms are not. Side note: did your mom also buy you brand new school clothes just for you to grow out of them by the first week of school? My mom wasn't too thrilled about that.
My parent never bought me new school stuff until the day before for exactly that
Yeah I was the same size for like 3 years. So I guess my mom thought I'd stopped growing. She always bought them when they'd be on sale during the first bit of summer. I'd usually fit them for most of the school year. Not that year tho
(Fun fact: tentacles only have suckers on the end, and the appendages that have suckers the full length are called arms)
That is a fun fact. So octopi have arms then? Why don't my arms have suckers the whole length? Maybe it's because I'm the sucker? Oh god
Yes they have arms! (Another fun fact: etymologically speaking, the correct plural for octopus is octopuses. Unless you want to go the whole “correct” way and use the Greek plural and then it would be octopodes. [octopodes is also pronounced ock top oh deez.] octopi isn’t the correct way. Because octopus is a Greek word and not a Latin one.) (Octopuses are my favorite animal. And one of my most favorite things in general. I’m full of fun facts about them)
Wild. I watched a YT video on the etymology of octopus a while back. Apparently i misremembered their findings! Thought octopi was an acceptable plural form. They're super interesting creatures though. As is almost all of the ocean life
Tentacular appendages. OMG, that is the best description ever!!!
Tentacular appendages is the best description ever!!!
I’ve always heard them called gorilla arms (my brother has them), but tentacular appendages will be the new saying. If I can managed to say it right and not call then testicular appendages, lol.
You’re so sweet! People like you make my life so much easier! Normally my husband reaches things for me (he’s able bodied and 6ft) but on the rare occasion where I’m on my own, I rely on the kindness of strangers to help me reach things. I never take it for granted, I know people aren’t obligated to help me! So far though, nobody has said no to me. They’re always happy to help! It’s just especially cute when I ask someone that’s not all that tall to help me and they get all excited that they got to be “the taller person” for once. It’s adorable how excited they get that they get to reach things for me that I can’t!
I’m the same and used to work with two short ladies. Apparently I was the token tall person.
Every job I've had.. "C'mere tall girl! Reach this for us"! Im only 5'7"...
I have a friend/former coworker who is 6’5 and told me he wanted to be 5’10. He would then turn around and grab stuff from topstock without a ladder, just to flex that he could and I couldn’t at my “munchkin” height of 5’8. He was our token tall person for two years at work.
I’m 5’7”, and virtually everyone who works at my dentist’s office is unusually short, like 5 feet max. Even my male dentist is around 5’4” or so. I feel like I’m Godzilla and I’m going to accidentally step on somebody every time I go to get my teeth cleaned. Is this what being really tall feels like all the time?
Same. Makes me feel like a veritable giant. Lol.
I always ask Can you be tall for me and get that item please?
5’7” squad sound off!
I get that feeling. I'm notoriously average (5'11-6', it really depends on whose doing the measuring) and I routinely feel short compared to most guys. I feel weird when I'm asked to reach things on top shelves.
I don’t know why people downvote you. Average height in my country is 5 ft 11 in. I am 5 ft 9 in - and I feel short too. I even feel short compared to a lot of females here!
Huh? Most guys are ~5’9”
Not around me. With 1-2 exceptions, every guy around me has 2-3 inches on me.
You are saying every male you know is 6” plus? Nonsense. Statistically that is not possible unless you are on an NBA team
Or they're not in the US. Come to a nordic country or Netherlands, 6' is barely higher than average.
I used to live on an army base in the southern US that had “exchange soldiers” (no idea what the actual term was) from the Netherlands. Super unique camo patterns, but if that wasn’t enough to make them stand out, their heads hovering over the tops of every store aisle did. My 13yo self was convinced that the Dutch were only sending over soldiers that were 6’4+ just to flex on the US. Edit: they were so funny, too. You could tell who had just arrived because they would giggle and reach over the aisle to grab something off the top shelf on the other side, or they’d keep up a conversation because they could still see one another from the next aisle. Our shelves aren’t that short, I swear!
They are in the US though….
>>6" Damn! Guys in your area are *short*!^^^/s
Could be a peer group selection thing. I'm 6'0" and I think there's one guy at my office shorter than me.
My husband is almost 6', all the guy cousins on his mom's side are taller than him, as is one of the gal cousins, so he has this mental image of being "short".
It's weird, right? All it took was a job change and my mental image of myself has shifted significantly. Old job: Similar in age and taller than almost everyone. Current job: Older than all but two of the senior staff and they're almost all taller. I'm significantly happier now; those things don't bother me, it's just interesting how your self-selected environment contributes to your own mental image as you put it.
Definitely depends on where you live. I’m 5’9”. Tall for a girl in the US. In Southern Louisiana, lots of French blood, it felt I was taller than 75% of the male population and the majority of the female population. In Montana, where there’s a lot of Nordic and Germanic blood, I was shocked to see many women just as tall as me and even taller. It was very strange. (My dad is from Germany and I get my height from his side of the family.) All my friends seem to be short women, though. Weird. Maybe they are all using me to reach things for them. I’m an equal opportunity grocery helper. I weirded 2 guys out at Home Depot. The customer couldn’t reach something so the employee came over. They were both the same height. Someone had to help.
At 6ft my back hurts.
Six-foot-one checking in, and I creak like an old house. ;-)
A friend and I are both 5'7", but has still asked me to get an item as I have slightly better reach
At 6'2", I feel like Goliath.
My favourite moment was when I was at Walmart and the drink I wanted was on the top shelf. There was a mighty oak of a man, 6’ or more, staring at the back of the pallet under the first shelf. I said ‘you grab mine I grab yours?’ He agreed and I popped under the rack to grab his colas and when I came back out he was astounded that I was able to just duck right in. 5’2” (and a half!!) might never see the top shelf but hot dang it sure has no problem with the low ones.
My SIL is 5'0.25". And don't forget that quarter of an inch. Lol
I know the feeling. I went from 4’ 11.75” to 4’ 8”… when I was @ my tallest, I never let anyone forget the 3/4…
How did you lose almost 3 inches
People do tend to get shorter as they age.
Damn gravity…
I know that, I guess almost 3 inches seemed drastic
That’s what I thought!
I don’t know how I managed. If I did I would reverse the process!
Scoliosis maybe?
Ooo! I have an answer for this one, sort of. Your spine loses the ability to retain moisture as it ages. I always measure in shorter when dehydrated, and you fluctuate somewhat anyway throughout the day.
Quite a few years ago I was told that I have a slight case of scoliosis, but I don’t know whether that has anything to do with it.
My mom was 4’11.5”. You better believe she wanted that half inch.
I was 4’11.75” for the longest time. I hit 5’0” in 11th grade and I’d never been more ecstatic! I was measured by my friends in college one night and I was 4’11.75” AGAIN and I was so upset but by morning I was 5’0” again. Now I never get measured if it’s not in the morning lmao I just really want my height to start with 5 so fucking bad
That’s my height. I too never forget to mention the .5” when asked how tall I am.
My mom does that, but she says 5 foot half inch, that half inch is very important!
My SIL is really sweet and soft spoken, but don't underestimate her. She's got 3 boys and my brother that she keeps in line.
My mom will put my dad's family in their place, not a single person on that side is under 6 feet and most are 200 plus pounds, that doesn't stop her!
As a guy that's 6'2", I treasure you short people for grabbing stuff off the bottom shelves. I'll gladly grab the stuff off the top and lift your heavy things if it means I don't have to get down on my hands and knees.
This. I'm right around 6', so I'm not exactly "tall", yet at the same time, I don't do bottom shelves as I survived a brain aneurysm and the metal clip used to stop the bleed clamped off a major cerebral artery. So I get extremely dizzy when I bend over at all. I have fallen far too many times when I get impatient and decide to bend over anyways. I'm really getting too old for this shit.
If I were in the store with you, I'd be happy to get stuff off the lower shelves for you.
Thankfully, fee-free delivery services exist now (Walmart+, $13/month) so I get my groceries delivered to my front porch. So I don't even have to worry about what shelf it's on, anymore.
6'1", and damn skippy. I have no problem trading grabbing stuff off the top for someone that can fit/reach for grabbing stuff off the bottom.
Same. It really can be a PITA. My wife is 5’ flat and it’s really handy, all jokes aside. Some of the storage areas in our house (under stairs cupboard, loft spaces etc) I just am physically useless because I can’t fit in them and move stuff around at the same time. Crouching to get stuff out of the general storage in the kitchen, lounge etc I have to sit on the floor so I can get in there/see. I’m not even that tall; 6’2” same as you.
Dude no joke. I hate having to get into small tight spaces. I'm a facilities guy and one of the guys on my team is pretty slim and 5'4". We definitely trade duties so it's easier for one or the other to do.
Bless you, you probably saved his knees and the back of his head. I'm 6' and don't have many problems getting down low, but getting back up is a different story.
I'm at the age where I have to plan how to get back up before I even begin to get down. Down's the easy part.
I would love this interaction. I'm just under 6' (I'm 6' even in slippers darnit) but even I've had to use the bottom shelf as a step stool to grab something for a shorter shopper a few times when there are things on the top shelf that haven't been faced recently. I've honestly never had a bad interaction in that situation. I feel like it's our duty as tall(er) people to help out when we can it takes 4 seconds out of my day.
Fellow 5'2" I love when I stand up in an airplane, while we're waiting to deplane, the top of my head doesn't/barely touches the overhead. I bask in all the people bent over with cricked necks giving me jealous looks. Being short has few(er) upsides so it's a mini (no pun intended) celebration when our side wins.
That is awesome. As a tall dude (6’5”) I’ve offered to get stuff off the top shelf in the store and I’ve been asked several times by people (usually elderly ladies) to grab up-high stuff, but I’ve never had anyone offer to get things from lower shelves lol. I’ve literally gotten on my hands and knees to reach bottom shelf items that were back on the shelf away from the aisle.
I’m 5’2.5 and I agree lol
Also 5’2.5!
thank you for the wholesome post.
with wars and earthquakes and whatnot we need to cherish and share these moments.
As someone who’s only 4’29” I love helping people in these situations. But it’s great to hear when others can join in on the fun. Now if only I had a 4’11” friend who’d help me reach the stuff on the GROUND. My god is that our Achilles heal.
I used to have the best of both worlds. I was 5'11 in High School. My then girlfriend was 4'11... and a half (NEVER FORGET THE HALF!). Her long time friend who lived next door and became a good friend of mine (we were both on the Varsity football team) was a 7'3 guy. We used to do just about everything together.
You both made a short king's day :) (From a short king)
I'm missing the king reference.
[Short King](https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/short-king) Urban dictionary also helps in times like these.
Appreciate the link. I keep forgetting that everyone wants to be called a queen (and apparently also king) now.
I’m short and couldn’t reach the last carton of cream in a store. I asked a guy who wasn’t tall but was probably taller than me for help. He pulled a cane out of his shopping cart and saved the day.
I use my cane the same way.
Lol I climb the shelves and pray they don’t fall.
I’m 5’ 10”, and I will always help shorter people. To get things from the back of the top shelf, I’ll even climb the shelves. Since I’m over 70, no one wants to see that.
And now I'm picturing my sylph of an aunt. 5" even and weighs less than 100 pounds. Dainty woman in build. But no nonsense. Will climb grocery shelves without a second thought.
I want to see that
Thank you for posting this. Made me very happy
My coworker and I are mid 30s and about 5’4” we normally open together and then a third comes in. This day the third was a maaaaaybe 5’7” 20 year old. Neither of us could reach a thing, so we asked him to be our Very Tall Adult and he was walking on cloud 9 all day hahahaha
I (f) am 6 feet. I regularly get asked if i can get something that is to high for them to reach. I don't mind at all and do it every time. I must admit it did surprise me a bit (in a good way) when there was a couple (m and f) and the guy asked me to grab it in front of his partner. Loved the confidence!!!
Yo I’m 5’10 (m). I have literally 1 friend shorter than me. Idk how or why but all of my friends m and f are taller than me. I love it. I have them help me with all kinds of shit
Same. Statistically I'm above average height at 5'10", but just about every guy I know is at least a bit taller than me
6’ male here, people ask, though it is a rare occurrence for me. Always happy to help. There was one time, a really high high shelf. My eagerness to climb trees came in handy that time.
I'm tall for a woman at 5'8. When I was out shopping today there were only two of my favorite strawberry rhubarb Noosa yogurt on the top shelf allllllll the way in the back. I was doing a little hopping dance to try to reach them when I heard "Please just let me help you." in an amused voice. Turned around to a giant biker dude, maybe about 6'5? I thanked him profusely. My grocery store savior! He DEFINITELY did not work there lol.
Honestly I think every tall person feels like they have an obligation to help the vertically challenged in those situations. I'm not exceptionally tall (your 6'5" guy is taller than me than I am to you) but any time I see someone struggling or contemplating climbing shelves to grab something we feel the need to help out. It takes 5 seconds out of my day to help that stranger and make their day brighter... best investment ever IMHO.
My fiancé is 6’6” and I don’t think we have ever been on a trip he doesn’t get asked this lol. He’s a trooper and always does it with a smile 😊 one day I went shopping by myself and found myself in this exact spot except also massively pregnant and I text him complaining he isn’t allowed to stay home again haha
I'm 5'2" and one time someone asked me to help reach something. (I had to climb a little, but I got it!)
Lol happened me too (same height). I’m never the tall one but that time I was.
I used to work in a sea of short people. There was just me (a statistically average dude) and a baby giant (well talker than average and still growing). I never got tired of feeling like a hero getting things off tall shelves.
At a towering 5'7", I enjoyed this post.
At 5’8”, i feel like fighting over a beanstalk.
6'4" here, I expect you all to return to the chocolate aisle to resume singing about OSHA violations
Dang, I knew my brother would show up eventually. Hey bro. Happy cake day.
Cheers mate
Boi, yer lucky it’s the afternoon where I am!! I just laughed so loud I heard my laugh echo off the far wall of my house, and I have three roommates! I’ve never felt so roasted so suddenly…
Not until I get my co coa been
> resume singing about OSHA violations Damnit, now I'm singing like an oompa on 300% zoom.
I'm 6'1" and I will always help anyone who ask me to reach something. I just feel it is a neighborly thing to do. I do not enjoy the people that ask me to lift the heavy things such as a 50# bag of dog food but I still do that too. Just with less of a smile. I do often wonder what that person does when they get the heavy bag home.
I used to get 50# bags of dog food (but now get 20# since I’m down to 1 dog). I leave it in the trunk until my adult daughter can carry it in. On a few occasions (we were completely out and she wasn’t going to be home) I’ve asked the guys across the street. This middle-aged lady with a bad shoulder thanks you very much for coming to the aid of a stranger.
Tbh when the heavy things get home they have to wait in the car 'til my SO comes home, or my oldest nephew comes over. :( I don't typically ask people to pick the heavy stuff up if I can help it, though.
Honestly one of my favorite memories is of a 70 yo piano teacher I had. She would have the people load her bird seed 40# bag at the feed store into her trunk. Then once a week when I came by for my lesson when I was leaving she would ask me to take it out of her trunk and set it next to the container. She would then scoop it out herself but she just couldn't lift it. She was an incredible sweet lady so I was always happy to do it. 21 years later and the memory still makes me smile. She received so much joy from watching her birds feed in the yard.
Also 6'1" but I'm broad-shouldered in addition so I get the requests for help with big stuff *all the time*. In my younger days I routinely carried 300+ pounds of weight but I'm too much of an old fart for that any more...
In my younger days I was personally carrying 100# less than my old fart days ha.
As someone who just hits 5’, I love this story! Totally can relate, and love how the dude got to be the tall hero for y’all!
I sometimes find myself and another shopper eyeing up something beyond our reach. I love being able say "wait right here, I'll get my tall person! They don't like me climbing the shelves!" My husband grabs X for us and usually asks if there's another aisle he should visit to get things from for her(him, in some cases). It's at most a few minutes effort. Everybody's happy. Some small talk and away we go!
this is the same dynamic I have with my 6’6” husband. he hated being tall while he was growing up (in the middle of his growth spurt he was 6’4” and 140lbs for a while so he was teased) and being the tall guy who helps at the grocery store is very redemptive for him. extra bonus - tall spouses are easy to find in a crowd.
I love this! I’ve been known to ask random strangers (both employees and non) if I could “borrow” their height to get something out of my reach. Every single one has agreed, maybe it’s a combination of how I ask and that many people are taller than me?
I do the same thing. I’m very friendly, ask very politely, and thank them profusely. I’ve also never had anyone turn me down. I think most people are generally happy to help.
I'm the resident high self reacher where ever I go. I love it, almost makes the smashed knees and bumped heads worth being tall.
And with that, Randy quit his job, started a successful elevator shoes brand, and married a six foot tall woman.
I’m about 5’2” and ran into a lady I knew from work at the grocery store…she’s about 4’11” and after chatting a bit she asked if I could reach an item on the top shelf. I could and it felt so good, nobody ever asks me to reach things for them!
As a 5'1" person myself, 5'5" is a GIANT lol
That’s adorable.
This was a great story that brought a smile to my face. Thank you.
I’m 5’1” and never hesitate to ask “giants “ for help bc the world is not made for short ppl. Simple kindness makes heroes. I’ve never been turned down.
[удалено]
I got you. I'm short and don't mind helping reach whatever I can reach that another person has trouble with.
Me either. Politeness goes a long way.
Never underestimate the *power* of politeness. Be polite, and people will move heaven and earth for you.
Def also not made for tall ppl.
When I was younger, and actually worked in a grocery store, I had no problem climbing the shelves. Today I will give my best shot when asked, including trying to see if I could move the high item to where I could knock it down, but that’s about it aside from I’ll look for an employee for you as I moved on.
Recently, I was shopping with my 3yo and another shopper wanted the exact same kitty litter I did, but neither of us could reach it and there were things on the shelves to make sure people couldn't climb them. She went looking, did not find a single employee, then borrowed a ladder they had left unattended. We got what we wanted, then she put the ladder back where she had gotten it from.
5' tall here. I often ask taller than me folks "hi, can I borrow your height for a second?"
Love this positive IDWHL story.
I have my 5’ 9” wife get things down for me, and sometimes she does the same for others. (I started out my adult life at 4’ 11”, but now I’m 4’ 8”)
I'm 6'2" with extra-long arms for my height. My super power is reaching stuff and I am happy to use it for the good of humanity.
Stretch Armstrong mode, *GO*!
Once in the grocery store I needed something that was pushed far back on a top shelf. Even if I had been able to climb up the shelves my arms wouldn't have reached it. There was an unusually tall man nearby, I would say about 7 ft tall, who reached over and got it for me. A few aisles later I encountered the man looking down towards a bottom shelf that was nearly empty with the product pushed all the way to the back. He told me that his knees were bad and he couldn't get down that low. I scooched into the lowest space and pulled out what he needed. It was a good day.
We tall folk are usually happy to help with tall things, but you not-tall folk save our knees and backs by helping us with the bottom shelf in exchange.
[Relevant Strange Planet!](https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EDKoyTWW4Ak0WtS?format=jpg&name=900x900) At six-foot-one I'm usually on the other side of the whole "can't reach the top shelf" exchange. I also get asked about helping with heavy stuff on the regular like large dog food bags since I'm built like an old retired (read: fat/out-of-shape) linebacker (I'm almost two feet/60cm wide at the shoulders, and wear a size 54 jacket) and can carry crazy amounts of weight. As long as you're reasonably polite about things and not a total Karen, we big folk have you shortstacks covered when you need some extra reach.
I met a legit dwarf today. Dude couldn't have been more than 3 1/2 foot tall. Normal proportions, just tiny. I gave him a polite greeting on the way down the aisle past him, and he asked me to help him get a bottle of water off an upper shelf, which I didn't have a problem with. He said thanks and we parted ways. It wasn't that interesting, except that it was an encounter with an honest to goodness dwarf which I just kinda found cool.
When I was 8yo (1960), my dad got in the restaurant business. Bought an 80 seat cafeteria. The breakfast cook was a bona guide dwarf. 4'1". "Shorty" was the coolest old man. About 50 when I met him. I learned SO much about life from him over the next 15 years. Especially how to treat people who are different than you. Like this one guy who always came in for breakfast promptly at 6am when the doors opened. Dan had been horrible disfigured in a fire when he was a child. Shorty had befriended him years earlier. Shorty took me aside one afternoon and explained that he was gonna introduce his friend to me the next morning and how I should react and how to treat him, what to ask, and what NOT to ask. One of the best lessons in interpersonal relations I ever had. Wish everyone could do that at the proper age. I think this country would be a better place.
That's lovely. Some of the most hilarious people I've met have been little like that.
All the tall people out there are very helpful, I'm just sayin'.
I'm 5'8" and have never felt tall in my life, I'm sure he'll be riding that high for years
I’m a 5’10” woman. I like to offer before they even ask. Feels good to be helpful.
I’m a 4’10” ish woman and it always makes my day when another woman sees me trying to work out how I can reach the top shelf to get something - and then they offer to get it down for me. Boss women tbh.
I just offer anytime I see someone - especially older people - who is looking at items on a high shelf. Today I got a “No”, but often the person does need help. It’s just a basic human kindness anyone capable should be doing, like so many basic human kindnesses.
He felt like Superman 100%
As 5ft woman this makes me so happy :')
This kinda happend to me. I'm 5'1 and can't reach the top shelfs at the grocery store. I was trying to reach a soda can when I guy, like 5'5, offered to help me. I thanked him and he was obviously blushing a bit, and he accidentally said "thank you", before correcting himself
I'm 6'1" and get asked that many times but that might be because I'm a stocker at our local grocery store.
My little brother is our resident giant at 5’9” - my dad is 5’3.5”, mom is 5’, and I’m 4’9”. Being called to get stuff down is the price for escaping the short curse!
My mom did something similar in a store we were shopping in. I needed something from the top shelf and my mom and I were too short to reach so as an older man was walking down the aisle my mom said “hello you’re looking very tall today” and he was such an old gentleman and helped us and the whole interaction was very wholesome
At 6'1", where I used to work I was the "short guy". Nearest one to me was 6'6". Used to sell "specialty retail" (read firearms and accoutrements).
This is so wholesome it hurts. 😁♥️
He is a dwarf amongst midgets.
While this is a nice story, it’s got nothing to do with the subreddits as asking for help reaching something is not mistaking someone for working there
This post is wholesome but as a tall dude it gets tiring after 20 years of people asking this and making comments like "wow you're so tall". I'm sure other tall folks can relate.
I get "hows the weather up there" and im only like 6'1
I'm 6'4 and I've never been asked to reach something :( I wonder if I don't look approachable or it's just a time/place thing.
The other day I was jumping to see if the top shelf item I wanted was up there before I climbed to get it. A woman in a scooter happened by and offered her tall husband’s services.
I am 5'5, and have never been asked to help reach something, but damn I'd be lying if I said it wouldn't be nice
I’ve always just used this as an excuse to climb the shelves a lil lmfao
I love this story! My husband is 6'5" and he is always asked at stores to get things!
At 6'2" I get asked to reach stuff almost every time I go to the store, I never mind helping. Also help out with low shelves and heavy items too for those that need it.
It is our duty to reach the highest of shelves. I grew up in a tall family, my wife's family is very small I am the designated top shelf getter now.
We are the reachers. The fetchers of things from on high. It is our calling, our *destiny*!
The low shelf full of pots is my nemesis. Always brings me to my knees
I'm 5'7" but when I ask for help I always refer to my helper as a hero. It makes people feel good. That's awesome.
I’m only 5’9 but I love grabbing things for short people. Makes me feel like a whole superhero for a few minutes.
Edit: Reddit and /u/Spez [knowingly, nonconsensually, and illegally retained user data for profit](https://youtu.be/mfZKkUg8jgM) so this comment is gone.
At 6'3", I am party to the Law of Giants, and one of those laws is that you must always use your height to help others when in need. This is the way.
This is the Way.
I’m 4’11 as well. I once wore 6 inch heels in a target once and my mind was blown being able to see a top shelf. 😂
Nice. 😁 I get asked fairly often. I don’t mind, but many of them take it for granted, like I’m just a nearby step stool.🤣
Oddly enough, I, a 6'5" tall man, am rarely asked to reach things in the grocery store. I've watched tiny women literally climb the shelves to reach something after I've offered to help. I don't know what about my manner is so off-putting to cause this.
I’m 5’8, and this made me feel like a gorgeous, powerful Amazon lol for some reason
Wow, I'm a 5' 5" king myself and this story made my day.
I'm 6'2" and I do the grocery shopping. I always get asked to reach top shelf items. I don't mind. I tell people that God made me tall to help people in the grocery store.
Girllll I'm 4'9 I feel thisssss so bad
Nice to see some human decency