The scene: Big discount store buying paper towels, other bullseye-store type household stuff, and a gift card. We go to the checkout lane, to a new cashier (that’s what the nametag says- “new employee”). At first, we figure she is from another country because she isn’t talking. Then we realize she isn’t making any sound at all. When she asks how much to put on the gift card she looks right at me, like reading my lips, then gestures the amount with her fingers. It is determined that she most likely can’t hear or speak. In addition, which may be important only because it detracts from the winning-smile face she’d normally make, she’s also got a very unfortunate lazy eye.
So we get into it in the car:
Beautiful bride says “good on her for getting a new job, and I’m glad the bullseye store wasn’t afraid to hire her. Her fast scanning and careful bagging, as well as her apparent aptitude for using the POS system, make her an asset to the team. She can apparently read lips well enough to work with customers, so no problem. Why are we talking about this, dear?”
Darling hubby says “If you can’t have a conversation with the customer, you shouldn’t be working on the front lines. It’s ok for her to stock shelves or work in another area, and I would have no problem working next to her in my office. However, people who can’t converse in either English or Spanish (The only 2 prevalent languages in our area ) shouldn’t face customers with potential problems or questions. It just doesn’t make sense. Plus, it took me forever to understand why she didn’t verbally greet us and I was initially frustrated by the lack of a greeting.”
Husband sounds like a marketing group asshole who makes corporate think people want to be greeted every time they enter a store and the cashier should use the person’s name off their credit card.
On the floor the employee would exasperate more customers than she would at the checkout. Presumably when you’re at the checkout you’re done needing help - you have everything you need. On the floor, everyone you see in a uniform is a target for question asking.
Not to be crass but if there can be self checkout done between a person and a machine, why do you need a checkout person that can communicate any more than a machine?
The lack of a “Would you like to apply for a Target credit card?” or a “Thank you for shopping with us, Mr. . . . Frank,” is, honestly an asset, and assuming no problems or questions, no problem. But problems and questions are most likely to arrive at the cashier’s stand.
I’d have a problem with a cashier that couldn’t communicate with me if I had a problem, whether that was due to being deaf and/or dumb, or an inability to speak comprehensible English. Of course I also have a problem with Target cashiers who can’t read the second half of “SCAN DRIVER’S LICENSE or enter birth date” when I buy nicotine patches, which winds up with me calling a manager over anyway, so maybe there’s no difference.
Sorry to confuse. Hubby meant “other area” like counting the cash or watching the security camera, not walking around helping people find towels and sheets. Also, it’s not that he wants to chat- he SO doesn’t, but it’s a little rude not to at least say “hi” if you can.
But she did communicate with them, just not through speaking or hearing. They left with what they wanted with very little delay, so clearly the communication was effective if not the most commonly used form.
This. I went to the bank once and the teller had a little sign that said something like “I’m deaf, please communicate in writing”, with a little pad beside it. It seemed like a good solution and it wasn’t a problem. Of course, it is more necessary to talk to the average bank teller than it is to talk to the average cashier, but a sign would avoid the impression that the cashier was being rude (and probably avoid some awkward issues for both the cashier and the customer).
I have no problem with the general idea of a deaf/mute person being a cashier.
My local grocery store had a deaf cashier who had that noted on her nametag, which I agreed was helpful once I noticed it. The transaction went fine, and I imagine any deaf customers would have appreciated her.
I don’t see a problem, especially at a big box store with other cashiers and front-end managers available to step in as needed. A cheerful, resilient personality, attention to detail, cash-handling skills and honesty are the most important abilities in a job like this. Physical abilities like being able to stand for hours at a time and lift and manipulate merchandise are also pretty important. The cashier described was apparently able to communicate well with the customers though in a non-standard way. All in all seems like a good situation for employer and employee.
Cretin Neanderthal Hubby here. My basic point was that all cashiers are a company’s last line of customer service. While the cashier in question had no issue sucessfully handling the bare minimum of her job, she would not be able to handle situations that were out of the ordinary (which I assume may come up once an hour) without blinking nher light and hoping that a front end manager noticed. Now while I didn’t need that level of help, all I said was that the Bullseye store couldn’t really have picked a worse person to be the last line of customer service. Basically I went thru a self checkout w/o knowing ahead of time that that’s what it was. And I loathe self checkouts.
And this cashier had no chance to try to upsell us on the newest credit card/magazine offer. I guarantee hearing/speaking cashiers are graded on how much they upsell, this cashier is obviously getting special considerations that the others don’t. There are other jobs that she could have at the store, I just think she was ill suited to be a cashier.
Because there are alot, (and I do mean alot) of customers who simply can’t figure out how to do something or follow the prompts without human assistance, but still want to use the self-checks. Or they everytime they get a verbal prompt they ask the attendent what it means (oddly they can understand the exact same words when spoken by a live human). And s ome tra nsactions (like checks or anything age restricted) require attendant intervention. Also customers often scew up their orders by not following directions and/or something on the machine breaks. And let’s not forget the ones who walk up to the machines, refuse to even attempt to try and check themselves out and demand the attendent scan & bag everything for them.
So, she communicated as did you/your wife and you got what you wanted with little delay. I guess I don’t see the harm here. 99.9% of the time checking out at a store is scanning items and accepting payment. She is fully capable of that, even when thrown the gift card that required communication. Seems like that happened as well. Most customers will take more complex problems to the customer service desk, but if not she can direct you that way. As for missing on an upsell, I guess the retailer decided that the upsell was less important than hiring someone who is capable and clearly wants and can perform the job. It’s refreshing IMO.
I think it’s pretty awesome that Target would hire a deaf person and put them on the front lines. If you were deaf, would you want to be stuck in a warehouse or back office?
Maybe they have a lot of deaf customers and need an employee that can translate. Maybe they’re just EOE. Maybe they get a tax break. Who cares? It’s ballsy and unexpected and very cool. Plus, for the customers who do complain, they get an unexpected dose of, “Oh, I’m sorry you’re so narrow-minded.” It’s just another reason to love Target.
I DO agree that a small sign may be useful in this situation. At the Target closest to my house, it would have to be in three different languages.
