Violence is not the answer, right? That’s what we are taught as kids. We’re supposed to use our words to resolve issues, not our fists.

But what is the answer when someone brings too many items into the express checkout aisle at a grocery store? Two women at a Howell ShopRite answered with their nails and teeth last week after one of them did just that.

Who among us hasn’t been on both ends of this equation? Sneaking 11 items into the 10 items lane to save some time, or getting stuck behind the person who’s trying to pull off the same maneuver. Who’s going to stop them? The grocery police? Well, the real police got involved this time.

This madness must end.

Shopping can be an obnoxiously claustrophobic and slow experience, especially during the holidays, and we’re all just trying to get in and out of the store as fast as we can. The cashier’s always faster in the other aisle, it seems, and there’s nothing worse than getting stuck in the line that feels like it’s moving slower than rush hour traffic on the Parkway.

So I don’t necessarily shame the woman who got annoyed at the person who brought three separate orders into the express lane at ShopRite. We don’t know the specifics of how many extra items she had or who turned the fracas physical. But if you get called out for bringing too many items, you should give up the game and move to a regular aisle.

To paraphrase Omar from “The Wire,” a shopper’s got to have a code. And as harmless as one extra item in the express lane seems, what’s to stop that from eventually becoming two, or five? At that point, why even have an express lane? Why even pay for our items? There’s a fine line between Wegmans and the Wild Wild West.

So no, I don’t condone the actions of the woman who started this fight. But if nothing else, I hope this story serves as a warning to the next person who thinks about bringing too many items to the express lane.

Jeremy Schneider may be reached at jschneider@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @J_Schneider. Find NJ.com on Facebook

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