here's the thing. most people have never worked, nor will they work in a grocery store. we're the few, the over-worked, the cashiers. since most people don't understand what our job is really like, they don't really consider what their actions in grocery stores should be. here i have compiled a list of some irritating or downright rude things people do - sometimes without knowing it.
FRONT END
1. talking on cell-phones while in line. really? really? i know sometimes you have emergencies that require immediate attention, but usually you don't remain in line if an emergency arises. you go take care of it. these people are the same ones who become irate if you make an assumption about their payment method because they didn't respond to your question(s) about said payment. why? oh yeah, because of the cell phone. sheesh.
2. failing to control their young. there are some people who seem to think that keeping tabs on children is the job of the general public, not they as the parent. we now have a lovely permanent ink drawing of a stick figure with flowers drawn ON THE SIDE OF A REGISTER because the parent wasn't paying attention to the child. really? or you have the pair of children who, because the parent was elsewhere in the store, rolled, tumbled, and fought each other throughout the store, knocking over displays and losing shoes as they went. one woman (customer, not employee) suggested they be tied up. i assume she was joking.
3. comparing our store to another store. my store is a well-known brand that happens to be the only grocery store name in town. the next store is 20 minutes in any direction, so most people just come to ours. i cannot count the number of times i've heard "oh, i don't even know why i came in this store, i'll just go over to the <insert other store name> because they always have what i want", yet we still see the exact same customer - usually the next day! or "why don't y'all have <insert obscure product name> like <insert other store name>?" or "why don't y'all do <insert process name> like <other store>?"...hmmm, i'm pretty sure you willingly came to this store. otherwise, you'd be at the other store. please stop complaining about it.
4. blaming the cashier for policies you don't like. here's the thing. most cashiers are simply that: cashiers. in most cases, they aren't managers, shift leaders, or higher-ups in the chain of command. they don't make policy decisions, nor do they usually know the reasoning behind said policies. so blaming the cashier for not accepting a specific coupon in accordance with policy or for giving you specific denominations or checking bills in a specific way is basically the same as blaming the little old lady in the mart cart behind you. neither one of them controls policies, so if you actually are angry at a store policy, it's best to go straight to the manager.
5. while on the subject of coupons...PLEASE, for the love of mustard, PLEASE read your coupons before you get to the register! there's nothing more disheartening for the cashier or the fellow patrons further back in the line than a person who waits until they are about to pay for groceries to sort through their coupons. here's a little-known fact to anyone outside of grocery stores: cashiers are timed. like...always on a clock. so not only are you annoying every other patron in the line, not only are you making yourself look ridiculous for not knowing what your coupons are for, you're hurting the cashier's time. which can get them into trouble with the managers and lead to pay deductions. not cool. and please don't ask us to push a coupon through if we tell you it isn't allowed or valid. that also gets us into trouble, because the store usually can't redeem old coupons, resulting in a loss.
NOTE: now that you know cashiers are timed, you should appreciate it when a cashier either stops or slows down scanning your groceries to give you suggestions on products or to have a conversation with you - it means they care more about customer interaction and service than clock numbers.
6. waiting until 5 minutes before closing time to go grocery shopping. ok, here's the thing. i know some people work late (usually i do too), so i can understand coming into the store before it's closing to get your groceries, but it would seem reasonable to get the necessary items quickly because the store is closing, right? hehe. no. just because you have been locked in a store and told it's closing doesn't mean that you have free reign and unlimited time to shop. there are cashiers/managers who would like to go home and stockers who would like to do their jobs but neither of those things can happen if you dawdle around in the store. we had a gentleman a few weeks ago who basically got lost in the store 10 minutes before closing. our store isn't remarkably large, nor is it particularly difficult to navigate. but somehow, this man just wandered and wandered to the point where we had absolutely no idea where he was - repeated walking of the aisles produced no clues as to his whereabouts. only after making 3 announcements about the store being closed and 15 minutes after we locked the doors did he re-appear from nowhere to make his purchase. which consisted of about 5 things. old and feeble? using a mart-cart that was on its last bit of battery life? crutches? nope. he was like 28 and perfectly healthy. his reason? "oh i couldn't decide between <product x> and <product y>."
DELI
7. when making a decision about fresh-cut deli meat, simply pointing at what you want. i'm not sure if you know or not, but most deli employees don't have x-ray vision. or ESP. so, that means you'll need to use your words when telling us what you want.
8. failing to read the labels on deli meat. soooooooo many customers come up asking us for sliced "hard genoa" salami. really? two different kinds of meat there. that's like asking for new york sharp mozzarella. or the also-popular "beef german bologna". german bologna has beef, pork, and chicken with added garlic (usually), and the beef bologna is, well, beef with flavorings.
9. calling the deli worker over but not knowing what you want. this is different from the person who wants an educated opinion or who has legitimate questions about the meats - no, this is the person who wants your undivided attention while they choose their meats. really? "hey, come over here and watch me be indecisive while what you were working on sits unfinished." wow.
10. not specifying if you want name-brand or store-brand. in most cases, people will specify the brand. however, every so often, you come across some people who assume you know their brand preference. oops, i don't have ESP (see #7). you should treat the deli the same way as a bartender - you specify what brand (or quality), otherwise you get the cheap stuff. if you don't specify brand, you shouldn't be upset if we give you the store brand.
11. repeating yourself (or shouting your repetitions) when we ask you for specifics. this one lady came to the deli one day while i was slicing meat, and asked for baked ham. given that we carry plain cooked, hickory smoked, regular smoked, black forest, honey, brown sugar, imported dak, and sometimes country-style, i asked "what kind of ham?". the following conversation ensued:
-BAKED HAM!
-yes ma'am, but what kind, we have several...
-BAKED HAM, IT'S BAKED.
-ma'am i understand you want ham, which of these 7-8 kinds?
-BAKED!
-how about this plain, cooked ham?
-THAT'S the stuff i wanted!
excuse me whilst i jump off a cliff.
check back soon for part 2: what you SHOULD do in a grocery store.
