Being sent to Hell for my handbasket.

In My Humble Opinion
1

A while back I had to do some work at UC Davis.(Near Sacramento, California, USA) I had to pick up some work related stuff at the hardware store. As I was only getting a few things, I picked up one of the little hand-baskets rather than pushing a big cart around.

At the hardware store checkout, I put my basket o’ stuff on the counter, and the cashier immediately got all huffy, made a production of taking all the items out of the basket before starting to ring them up, and while not explicitly verbally rude, was certainly throwing me “the look” and expressing her displeasure through body language. I figured she must just be having a bad day.

Until, that is, I had a very similar experience at the grocery store. (I dislike dining alone in restaurants). This cashier was not quite as rude, but was still visibly irritated at me for not taking my items out of the basket and placing them on the conveyor…again taking everything out of the basket before starting to ring me up.

Apparently I was committing a shopping faux pas. It seems I was insulting these cashiers by expecting them to reach into the basket. I made some return visits to these stores, taking care to empty my own basket, and the cashiers (including the really put out one) were, if not friendly, at least polite.

Back home (Albuquerque) this has never happened. The express lines, in fact, often have a shelf made to accept such baskets, and the cashiers always take items (one at a time) directly from the baskets to scan them, and the cashiers often have a place to collect the empty baskets that is not accessible to the customer. The express line might have 2-3 baskets lined up, nicely segregating the items belonging to different customers, without the need for the conveyor bars.

So I ask dopers: Whats up with this? Is this really a rule? Is this a regional thing? Is there some scam where cashiers were using the baskets to give free stuff to their buddies, so the stores made this rule?

They are going to handle the items anyhow, and how much harder is it to take them from the basket, rather than the counter top? In the case of the hardware store, I was buying a number of plumbing fittings that would be prone to rolling off the counter (in fact one did when the cashier unloaded the basket).

2

Must be a regional thing. Here, I take everything out of the basket at the grocery store and set them on the conveyer. The basket goes into a neat stack in front of the conveyer. Except at Trader Joe’s, where the checkout is pretty much like the Express lines you mentioned, with the shelf and all, only it applies to all registers.

3

I’m in southern CA and the great majority of people take their own stuff out of the baskets. The exception is Trader Joe’s where the clerks not only empty your handbaskets, but the big carts go on their side and they empty those, too.

4

I’ll second “must be a regional thing.” I’ve never shopped in a store where the cashier would empty your handbasket for you (I’ve clearly never shopped at Trader Joe’s, though there are several around here). I think expecting them to do so would be quite rude, but only if you already know that it’s not the norm. When shopping away from home or in an unfamiliar store, I always watch what the folks ahead of me in line do.

5

I would guess that the etiquette varies depending on the particular layout of the register islands - if there’s a conveyor belt, it’s best to remove the items yourself and place them on it, especially since with the usual height of the belt, taking things out of the basket might be slightly awkward for shorter cashiers. If there’s a shelf for handbaskets, it’s usually at a lower level and conveniently placed so the cashier can reach into it easily.

6

I know where I work the cashiers dont like it when you dont empty the basket and just leave it ride up the conveyer belt. The reason being that sometimes the basket doesnt stop the belt and it keeps going until it knocks over the keyboard unless the cashier notices and stops it.

7

The little produce market where I purchase my fruit doesn’t seem to mind when I leave the basket filled on the conveyor belt, but the supermarket does mind. It seems to me that leaving the stuff in the basket lets more people in line get their stuff on the belt.

8

I agree. I tend to take my stuff out of the basket if there’s a conveyor belt, but I’ve never had a cashier get all huffy if I didn’t. In fact, at one of my favorite markets (Ballard Market, part of a smallish local chain), I took my stuff out of the basket and put it on the conveyor belt, and the cashier said, very nicely, “Oh, you don’t have to do that!”

So… I dunno; I guess it probably varies from store to store, and maybe even cashier to cashier.

9

I just wanted to say I really liked the title of this thread. Mind if I steal it? I can think of some people with Longaberger addictions (yes, the baskets are still out there, and people still buy them) that I could use it with.

10

I’ve seen cashiers get bent out of shape for this. Be slightly annoyed if it’s on a moving track, it’s not a tragic event in your life, so get a new job already. I’ve seen them bitchy at a counter without the track, so I see no excuse for that.

I have a short story of the bitch clerk from Hell.

She worked at Kmart and was a craby cantankerous bitch so I never went in her line. She showed up at Walmart and stupid me gave her a try, thinking she changed jobs, so now she doesn’t hate her job. I set my goods on the track, out of my basket and look at the rack for something they sell there. I look up half a minute later and she staring daggers at me, and not checking out my stuff. I think I stared back for 10 to 15 seconds wondering what’s wrong. A parently it was to much to expect her to use the track to move the merchandise three feet forward. I realized that she still is a craby cantankerous bitch from Hell and I pushed all the items forward three feet. She then speaks “I always wonder why people do that.” in a very snotty way. I’m thinking you mean put it at the end of the moving track, where it’s not mixing with somebody elses stuff? She was so lucky I had to be somewhere like 10 minutes earlier.

11

I would say noticeably harder. Items on the belt are at elbow level with no obstruction. Reaching into the basket means going up to about shoulder level, then down, then lifting the item up and out, then down again to scan. It’s a much more awkward motion. Do it a kajillion times a day and I imagine one would be quite aware of the difference.

Not to say that it’s a huge deal, and as noted cashiers with an attitude of real customer service don’t show displeasure over it. But I see a degree of obliviousness in not realizing that it is indeed more difficult.

12

There are stores in my city that will chastize you for taking items out of the basket and stacking it in front of the conveyor–the stack is on the cashier’s side, and they put the baskets there after emptying them.

13

Huh. This is one of those little things I never considered might be done differently elsewhere.

Yeah, around here (Chicago) you empty your basket, with the aforementioned exception of Trader Joe’s.

But, now that I think about it, the OP is entirely correct that, if the cashier were provided a shelf at the right height, it’d save everyone time and energy if we didn’t. Less belt running, less of a backup waiting for the person in front who can’t keep up with the cashier to unload, less time wasted for ringing up an item that was believed to belong to the next person or refunding when the next person’ merchandise gets rung up as mine.

14

Change Chicago to NY and it’s the same here.

15

Interesting input.

I’m pretty tall. It may well be more awkward for shorter people than I realize.

Please do. With all the creative folk on this board, it’s rare that I come up with anything I consider worthy.

16

I believe it’s appropriate to empty the basket, and that it does make a difference for the cashier’s motion. The exception would be rolly breakable items like we used to have at Jo-Ann; it’s safer to keep them in the basket and have the cashier grab, scan, wrap in paper and bag.