Grocery Stores

Sailorasteroid · Post by **Sailorasteroid** » Sat Apr 03, 2004 10:36 pm

I have worked both cashier and stock at grocery stores. Rarely did I have any problem with the customers. More so I had issues with the managers, who insisted on the strictest enforcement of the most pedantic rules. Like insisting we wear full uniform, even when working the overnight shift when the store is closed! One tale from a friend of mone went like this: He had insisted on having Saturday night off, so that he might spend it with his girlfriend who also worked at the store. So, Saturday afternoon, he rings up the store to ask for his girlfriend's schedule for the next week. The manager says, "While you're on the line, let me give you yours--you're on for tonight." He then says that he had asked for it off. The manager says that since he is aware of the schedule change, he couldn't call in sick since he was known to be healthy. Just that kind of bullfeathers made it not fun.

Now, I also worked cashier at a drugstore, and that's where I found really stupid customers, combined with poor infrastructure. Case in point: A woman comes in with about $150 worth of groceries. Now, I have maybe one square meter of space to work with. Here and there, she's giving me little 10-packs of rubbish bags. 30 cents each I notice tears in the bags, but don't think anything of it. Then at the end she hands me a whole bunch of coupons. The coupons were 30 cents off a full pack of the bags, and were on the inside of the 10-packs. She was ripping each one open! She wanted all of the 10packs for free. Needless to say, she didn't get them. Now, here's the really bad thing. To void them out, I had to void in the exact reverse order I scanned in. So I had to take off all the groceries she'd given me, in the exact quantities she'd given me. Then scan them all back in again. The whole transaction took an hour.

Anthy · Post by **Anthy** » Mon Apr 05, 2004 10:04 pm

Enough is enough. Discussion about poor people is closed. Thank you.

Back to the original topic.

Akarui Kibuno · Post by **Akarui Kibuno** » Tue Apr 06, 2004 4:17 pm

Ah, where I work, it's rather a supermarket but the groceries are a big part of it... so I guess I can give in my two cents.

I'm a cashier too *surprrrrrriiiiiiiiise lol* One of the most annoying thing was mentioned by Goku. It's the "perishable goods". And the problem isn't even that people don't have money for it.

See, in my store, you have all the fruits and vegetables, you take them, put them in the bag, weigh them, put the price sticker on it, and that's what I scan. Sometimes it's not by weight but by unit, and then it's not that bad.

So, the problem is that most of the time, or, quite often, people forget the damn sticker, so when they get at the cashier, they either run sheepishly and weigh them *good people* or say "Too bad, I don't have time, let's put them aside". And I hate that, because I know of people who sometimes come and can only buy a "baguette" (= bread) and would love some fruit, but they don't have the change for the products.

So, sadly, a lot of times things get spoilt, but since I'm no stupid person, I have decided (since we have good quality stuff) that if the thing is not too big (i.e, unweighed grape) I'll stuff it into my bag, buying it or not. I've done this once for a big bag of grape, and I love it so much it was a pain to know it was going to go to the trash. At least, it wasn't lost for everyone.

Some people might say "Hey, you're stealing, that's wrong". Technically, yes, I do steal. But it is exactly the same to have it than to let it spoil, because the shop will not get money from it. And since my family doesn't have that much money, I can allow myself that.

Hehe

Sailorasteroid · Post by **Sailorasteroid** » Tue Apr 06, 2004 5:00 pm

In that vein, somewhat: my godfather is fairly a gourmet, so he often buys fancy ingredients. Sometimes he'll get away with this trick: Load up a big bag of, say, porcini or matsutake, find a checkout with a young, preferably male, cashier, and bring them to him. When the cashier asks, "What are these?", my godfather will answer, true enough, "Mushrooms", paying what he normally would for regular mushrooms. You can pull this trick with lots of different vegetables, and usually the cashier is happy to enter a number he knows instead of having to look through the book for the real price code.

(Of course, I don't advocate theft of any kind and this is purely anecdotal.)

Chibi Son Gokou · Post by **Chibi Son Gokou** » Tue Apr 06, 2004 5:59 pm

Sailorasteroid wrote:In that vein, somewhat: my godfather is fairly a gourmet, so he often buys fancy ingredients. Sometimes he'll get away with this trick: Load up a big bag of, say, porcini or matsutake, find a checkout with a young, preferably male, cashier, and bring them to him. When the cashier asks, "What are these?", my godfather will answer, true enough, "Mushrooms", paying what he normally would for regular mushrooms. You can pull this trick with lots of different vegetables, and usually the cashier is happy to enter a number he knows instead of having to look through the book for the real price code.

(Of course, I don't advocate theft of any kind and this is purely anecdotal.)

lol, I do that all the time. I don't care for bueracracy. As long as the consumer is happy with what I do, that's what matters the most. Hell, even our store manager will reduce the price on certain items just to make the consumer happy and want to come back to our store.

But yeah I have people who are too lazy to put those little hand baskets back even when they are piled ON THE WAY OUT OF THE STORE! So instead they just leave them at my register and I end up stacking them by my feet and it's annoying. It would be understandable if the person was carrying a lot of stuff, but most of the time they're only getting like one bag. Some people are even too lazy to put the big cart back so they just leave it by the register, and when they take the cart outside they're too lazy to put it in the "return carts here" area, so they just leave it by where their car was parked. Unless I'm a bagger, I don't care much about the carts part, but there are people who are so lazy that when they don't want something, especially something from the meat department, instead of putting it back where they found it, they just have to have the cashier put it back for them, or even WORSE they just leave them in the magazine racks.

Post by **Tiff** » Tue Apr 06, 2004 7:44 pm

Chibi Son Gokou wrote:
But yeah I have people who are too lazy to put those little hand baskets back even when they are piled ON THE WAY OUT OF THE STORE! So instead they just leave them at my register and I end up stacking them by my feet and it's annoying.

Gawd, that drives me crazy. They love to just stack those damn little baskets ANYWHERE. And I'll POINT to where they're supposed to go, and the customer just stares at me blankly. -_-;

jupiter23 · Post by **jupiter23** » Wed Apr 07, 2004 11:49 am

Things being put where they don't belong is a common occurence in the stores around my area. I remember one time going into the grocery section of Wal-Mart and finding some kind of toy (I think it was a Barbie Doll) on one of the canned food aisles. I won't say much in the way of the buggies all over the parking lot, as I myself am guilty of this.

Chibi Son Gokou · Post by **Chibi Son Gokou** » Wed Apr 07, 2004 11:55 am

Speaking of Wal-Mart, considering the fact that they're the largest grocery retailer in the nation, they should at least MAKE THEIR AISLES WIDER!!! 10,000 people shop at Wal-Mart at once, and it's a pain in the ass trying to get through the thousands of people when the aisles are only a few feet wide.

jupiter23 · Post by **jupiter23** » Wed Apr 07, 2004 12:16 pm

Let me make it worse for you...not only do they have to clog the middle of all the aisles, they actually have to stop and have a conversation with their friends in the middle of said aisles, because they have not seen them since yesterday and might die if they never get to talk to them in the middle of the store, inconvenincing everyone else who is trying to go about their business.That is one of my biggest pet peeves in a store.

Akarui Kibuno · Post by **Akarui Kibuno** » Wed Apr 07, 2004 4:28 pm

I have another one!

My store closes at 9:30 PM. And some people will get in before that time, and when the cashiers close there's an announce saying "CASHIERS, CLOSE".

And the people will stay there in the store, wanting to go pay for their groceries, but we all have closed our machines by that time, to the security guys have to tell the person to leave.

Those people u_u... I could write a book about all of those stories lol

[EDIT: To give you an idea, the cashiers line is composed of 56 machines grouped by two so that the cashiers aren't alone. Each unit is about two meters large... or a bit more, so, add some space for the cart and you get a little idea... ^^;;;;;;;;;;;;;;; ]

RoastedTwinkies · Post by **RoastedTwinkies** » Wed Apr 07, 2004 4:30 pm

jupiter23 wrote:Let me make it worse for you...not only do they have to clog the middle of all the aisles, they actually have to stop and have a conversation with their friends in the middle of said aisles, because they have not seen them since yesterday and might die if they never get to talk to them in the middle of the store, inconvenincing everyone else who is trying to go about their business.That is one of my biggest pet peeves in a store.

I really hate that too. Often I find people walk too slow and I want to kick them out of the way. I haven't though because it's rude.

Chibi Son Gokou · Post by **Chibi Son Gokou** » Wed Apr 07, 2004 6:52 pm

I wish I was working at a Publix. They're the #1 grocery chain in America and they don't have half the problems that other grocery store chains do, especially Winn-Dixie. They're the only grocery store that isn't affected by Wal-Mart's success, even though they charge an arm and a leg for their products. The people who shop at Publix are a lot nicer and a lot smarter than the people who shop at Winn-Dixie, and there's nothing stopping you from providing 100% top quality customer service when you work there, unlike at Winn-Dixie when the corporate excutives are too stupid to figure out that the Customer Rewards Card does more harm than good, and the management only schedules one bagger per shift AT MOST (most of the time there isn't even a bagger there to begin with) and only has two registers open at a time plus the service desk.

Anthy · Post by **Anthy** » Thu Apr 08, 2004 9:47 pm

Tiff wrote:Gawd, that drives me crazy. They love to just stack those damn little baskets ANYWHERE. And I'll POINT to where they're supposed to go, and the customer just stares at me blankly. -_-;

DAAAAAARRRRRRRRRRRRHH BASKET GOES IN CEREAL AISLE =D

DAAARRRHHHH LET ME ARGUE ON MY CELL PHONE WITH MY SPOUSE ABOUT WHAT BRAND OF KETCHUP TO BUY AND PROMPTLY STOP IN THE MIDDLE OF THE AISLE TO BITCH =D

Chibi Son Gokou · Post by **Chibi Son Gokou** » Thu Apr 08, 2004 10:03 pm

DAAARRRHHHH LET ME ARGUE ON MY CELL PHONE WITH MY SPOUSE ABOUT WHAT BRAND OF KETCHUP TO BUY AND PROMPTLY STOP IN THE MIDDLE OF THE AISLE TO BITCH =D

Oh god I hate it when people yak on the cell phone when they're checking out. So I came up with a rule:

If customers care more about yakking on their cellphone than anything else, then it is OKAY to over charge and overprice anything, and not correct any errors. Afterall, they don't seem to care either way.

Cell phones should only be used for emergencies. Heaven forbid you can't wait to get home to chat with your spouses.

Post by **Tiff** » Thu Apr 08, 2004 10:22 pm

Anthy wrote:
DAAARRRHHHH LET ME ARGUE ON MY CELL PHONE WITH MY SPOUSE ABOUT WHAT BRAND OF KETCHUP TO BUY AND PROMPTLY STOP IN THE MIDDLE OF THE AISLE TO BITCH =D

\

GAWD, yesterday like 10 minutes past closing, this customer was on her cell phone, and just walked around slowly while talking until like 20 minutes past closing. I was like "OMFG, WE WANT TO GO HOME"

Sailorasteroid · Post by **Sailorasteroid** » Thu Apr 08, 2004 10:51 pm

Chibi Son Gokou wrote:
DAAARRRHHHH LET ME ARGUE ON MY CELL PHONE WITH MY SPOUSE ABOUT WHAT BRAND OF KETCHUP TO BUY AND PROMPTLY STOP IN THE MIDDLE OF THE AISLE TO BITCH =D
Oh god I hate it when people yak on the cell phone when they're checking out. So I came up with a rule:

If customers care more about yakking on their cellphone than anything else, then it is OKAY to over charge and overprice anything, and not correct any errors. Afterall, they don't seem to care either way.

OK, this I'll agree with, being on the cell when dealing with another person is very rude. . .

Cell phones should only be used for emergencies. Heaven forbid you can't wait to get home to chat with your spouses.

But this I strongly disagree with. A cellular phone us not a safety device; it's a convenience. Many times in a grocery store I've called home to ask what kind of bread they want--why should I chance buying the wrong one or go all the way home to ask? Or, if I'm on break from work and want to talk to a friend, why should I go to a nasty public phone, maybe have to wait in line, and pay for more minutes than I'll use?

Chibi Son Gokou · Post by **Chibi Son Gokou** » Thu Apr 08, 2004 11:13 pm

Sailorasteroid wrote:
Chibi Son Gokou wrote:
DAAARRRHHHH LET ME ARGUE ON MY CELL PHONE WITH MY SPOUSE ABOUT WHAT BRAND OF KETCHUP TO BUY AND PROMPTLY STOP IN THE MIDDLE OF THE AISLE TO BITCH =D
Oh god I hate it when people yak on the cell phone when they're checking out. So I came up with a rule:

If customers care more about yakking on their cellphone than anything else, then it is OKAY to over charge and overprice anything, and not correct any errors. Afterall, they don't seem to care either way.
OK, this I'll agree with, being on the cell when dealing with another person is very rude. . .

Cell phones should only be used for emergencies. Heaven forbid you can't wait to get home to chat with your spouses.
But this I strongly disagree with. A cellular phone us not a safety device; it's a convenience. Many times in a grocery store I've called home to ask what kind of bread they want--why should I chance buying the wrong one or go all the way home to ask? Or, if I'm on break from work and want to talk to a friend, why should I go to a nasty public phone, maybe have to wait in line, and pay for more minutes than I'll use?

The asking for a bread thing is okay because you need to ask her immediately. What I really meant by emergencies was important calls, like you need to use it when you need to get in touch with someone but you're not at home. And the talking to your friend while your on your break is okay as well since you're trying to get a relief from your hard days work. But who I'm really refering to is people who are on the cell phone EVERY SINGLE MINUTE OF THEIR LIVES chatting to some friend wherever they go, whether it be in some store or EVEN WORSE, while driving. Not only is it a nuisance, but it can be dangerous as well. It's like they can't wait to get home to call their friends, even when home is only five minutes away. They have to call them right there right now.

Slrjoecool · Post by **Slrjoecool** » Fri Apr 09, 2004 12:00 pm

I don't think it's a bad thing to talk on your cell phone while in a store, or whatnot. I myself have talked to my friends while browsing through Wal-Mart before. I just don't use it while cashing out, because it is rude, and I'm sure the cashier was just dying to hear about what I was having for dinner that night...

I do agree that people shouldn't talk on their phones and drive, unless they have a hands-free device. At least then they have both hands available.

Akarui Kibuno · Post by **Akarui Kibuno** » Sat Apr 10, 2004 5:00 am

Ah, cell phones! I love them XD

As a cashier, I don't consider people talking on their cell phone while paying is that rude, depending on what they're talking about though I don't care lol. And most of the time, their phone rings when they get to me and they say "No, I'm at the cashier, I'll call you back" and that's kinda comforting to know that some people respect you

And I'll say the only thing I don't like about cellphones in stores is, as said before, when people have to yell in their cellphones. I find that stupid. After all, talking to a friend is no harm n_n . Plus, the "Honey, which bread do you want ?" type of conversation is the most useful. I remember many times when I should have done that: I'm buying something, and my fiancé tells me when I get home that he ate the same thing for lunch so he doesn't want to eat it for dinner and then I'm all "pissed" and we go eat a pizza

Post by **Tiff** » Sat Apr 10, 2004 9:44 am

Akarui Kibuno wrote: As a cashier, I don't consider people talking on their cell phone while paying is that rude, depending on what they're talking about though I don't care lol. And most of the time, their phone rings when they get to me and they say "No, I'm at the cashier, I'll call you back" and that's kinda comforting to know that some people respect you

Sorry, but I disagree. I think it's highly disrespectful when I'm trying to be polite to my customers, saying "Hello, How are you? Did you find everything all right? *smile*" and in return I hear, "AND THEN JEN'S HUSBAND WALKED OUT ON HER. CAN YOU BELIEVE IT? Oh, and Bubba's birthday is tomorrow! We're going to the Motorcross...Yeah...I'm buying candy now.....*throws money on counter* Uh huh....I love Pecan Delights....*grabs bag and leaves*"
It's just incredibly rude.

I have few rules about my cell phone in public:
1) No talking on it while checking out. In fact, when I'm in a store, I keep my conversations to a bare, bare minimum.
2) The phone stays OFF in a restaurant. Hearing people gab on their phones or hearing 15 different ringtones while I"m trying to have a night out with Derek irks me to no end.