# Cashiers: would it kill you to be friendly to a customer? **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [April 25, 2013, 12:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cashiers-would-it-kill-you-to-be-friendly-to-a-customer/656631 "2013-04-25T00:00:35Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 8
**Author:** ![brazil84](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/8491ac/32.png) [@brazil84](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/brazil84)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2013, 5:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cashiers-would-it-kill-you-to-be-friendly-to-a-customer/656631/141 "2013-06-21T17:59:03Z")
> [@Alessan](#): > > Personally, I don’t care about smiles, or bonhomie, or cheerful phrases. I don’t need that stuff. What I do expect is attentiveness and efficiency - for workers to listen to my questions and answer them clearly, and for them to work in a fast and efficient manner. If they do that, I’ll be out of their hair as quickly as possible, and we can both go on with our lives. I couldn’t care less if they smile when they do it. I basically agree, but I think part of the problem is that some people like to play subtle dominance games with other people. When a cashier makes you wait longer than necessary for your change, I think it’s kind of a passive-aggressive way of asserting control over the situation. Probably lousy cashiers are the same people who sloooowly jaywalk across the street so that car drivers have to wait a few extra seconds. ---
**Author:** ![Hershele\_Ostropoler](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e47c2d/32.png) [@Hershele\_Ostropoler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hershele_Ostropoler)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2013, 6:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cashiers-would-it-kill-you-to-be-friendly-to-a-customer/656631/142 "2013-06-21T18:31:45Z")
> [@Peremensoe](#): > > Neither party is supposed to ‘get’ anything out of it except an amicable passage through the society of other humans. This doesn’t require extraneous conversation. ---
**Author:** ![Kimballkid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/b5a626/32.png) [@Kimballkid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimballkid)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2013, 6:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cashiers-would-it-kill-you-to-be-friendly-to-a-customer/656631/143 "2013-06-21T18:48:00Z")
> [@Doctor\_Why\_Bother](#): > > There’s this sandwich shop near where I work, staffed entirely by a team handpicked from the top 0.0001% of the most obsequious people on earth. They don’t just ask how you are, they ask how your work day has been, what your fucking _weekend plans_ are, all kinds of stupid shit. It’s so obviously insincere, and thus so dreadfully awkward, that I physically have to restrain myself from just letting rip and shouting _“Fuck off! You’re not my mate. Just gimme the fucking sandwich!”_ In fact, there’s one cashier there who’s _so_ bad I queue hop to avoid her. I still go there 'cos, in fairness, the sandwiches are pretty damn good, but I really don’t like it. The most bizarre thing like this I have ever encountered was at Smithfield’s in Wilmington, NC. Everybody that walked in the door was greeted by EVERY employee with a ‘Welcome to Smithfield’s!!’ and I don’t think I’ve had so many different people ask me how everything was in my life. Just let me eat the stuff!!! ---
**Author:** ![AncientHumanoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ancienthumanoid/32/278_2.png) [@AncientHumanoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AncientHumanoid)\ **Post date:** [June 21, 2013, 6:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cashiers-would-it-kill-you-to-be-friendly-to-a-customer/656631/144 "2013-06-21T18:48:08Z")
> [@Hershele\_Ostropoler](#): > > This doesn’t require extraneous conversation. With the exception of monetary conversion. And baptism. ---
**Author:** ![alphaboi867](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alphaboi867/32/3898_2.png) [@alphaboi867](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alphaboi867)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2013, 4:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cashiers-would-it-kill-you-to-be-friendly-to-a-customer/656631/145 "2013-06-22T04:19:29Z")
> [@rogerbox](#): > > Who the hell are you to tell people they can’t talk to their co-workers if they are working? Literally my worst customer EVER tried to tell me not to talk to my co-worker. She told me to focus on bagging her fucking groceries and cut out the "chatter… Talking with one’s co-workers while working isn’t the problem; ignoring the customer so that they have to repeat a simple request half a dozen times, not honouring that request, and then _giving the customer attitude_ when they point it out is a major problem. It’s inexcusable, and that cashier’s manager needs to take corrective action. And by corrective action I don’t being fired on the spot (though if this a recurring thing that they’ve been spoken about before it’d be appropriate). Standard disclaimer assuming everything went down just as GrizzRich said. ---
**Author:** ![rogerbox](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/76d3ee/32.png) [@rogerbox](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rogerbox)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2013, 10:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cashiers-would-it-kill-you-to-be-friendly-to-a-customer/656631/146 "2013-06-22T10:19:15Z")
> [@alphaboi867](#): > > Talking with one’s co-workers while working isn’t the problem; ignoring the customer so that they have to repeat a simple request half a dozen times, not honouring that request, and then _giving the customer attitude_ when they point it out is a major problem. It’s inexcusable, and that cashier’s manager needs to take corrective action. And by corrective action I don’t being fired on the spot (though if this a recurring thing that they’ve been spoken about before it’d be appropriate). Standard disclaimer assuming everything went down just as GrizzRich said. There’s talking to a co-worker and there’s ignoring a customer to talk about baby mama drama, true. But every time I’ve had a customer bitch and moan about me trying to enjoy my day by talking even a little bit with my co-worker, I was working the exact same on their order, it was simply a power play by a miserable troll of a human being. Thank God I don’t work with the public anymore. ---
**Author:** ![Psychopants](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/eb8c5e/32.png) [@Psychopants](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Psychopants)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2013, 2:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cashiers-would-it-kill-you-to-be-friendly-to-a-customer/656631/147 "2013-06-22T14:13:18Z")
> [@AnaMen](#): > > DC does have some of the worst employees imaginable. And that’s before you even get out of the Capitol building. ---
**Author:** ![Harmonious\_Discord](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/74df32/32.png) [@Harmonious\_Discord](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harmonious_Discord)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2013, 4:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cashiers-would-it-kill-you-to-be-friendly-to-a-customer/656631/148 "2013-06-22T16:16:19Z")
I don’t demand happy happy joy joy. You have to constantly be an ass to have me talk to a manager as anybody living is fallible. I wish people would remember where they are when at work. I did not want to hear a long conversation detailing the employee’s menstrual cycle to her friend, while I was shopping last summer. You’re in a store and your voice is carrying through the entire small store. ---
**Author:** ![Biotop](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/biotop/32/321_2.png) [@Biotop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Biotop)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2013, 4:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cashiers-would-it-kill-you-to-be-friendly-to-a-customer/656631/149 "2013-06-22T16:57:18Z")
> [@brazil84](#): > > I basically agree, but I think part of the problem is that some people like to play subtle dominance games with other people. When a cashier makes you wait longer than necessary for your change, I think it’s kind of a passive-aggressive way of asserting control over the situation. Probably lousy cashiers are the same people who sloooowly jaywalk across the street so that car drivers have to wait a few extra seconds. Or they could just be simple human beings who are tired after six hectic hours with only a single fifteen minute break. ---
**Author:** ![billfish678](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7bcc69/32.png) [@billfish678](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/billfish678)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2013, 5:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cashiers-would-it-kill-you-to-be-friendly-to-a-customer/656631/150 "2013-06-22T17:00:19Z")
Story time. Dealt with a Craig’s list buy. Actually went very well. Anyway they had recently moved from a big city down to our neck of the woods after living there forever. And I think the kids were youngish teens. They said the fast food places in their town were soo bad. Slow service. Wrong orders. Surly workers. Wrong order? Tough shit. Wrong change? Don’t make us call the cops. And on and on. They got so used to it over the years that they were actually shocked what our local workers were like. ---
**Author:** ![StarvingButStrong](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/starvingbutstrong/32/335_2.png) [@StarvingButStrong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StarvingButStrong)\ **Post date:** [June 22, 2013, 5:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cashiers-would-it-kill-you-to-be-friendly-to-a-customer/656631/151 "2013-06-22T17:56:47Z")
I live in, and grew up, in New England. Where we still have a tendency to Yankee gruffness/curtness/efficiency. When I went on a business trip to Wisconsin the culture shock nearly killed me. The clerks asked about my day, my accent, where I was front, did I like it better here or there, and on and on. Which was really nice and friendly, but after a few days I was mentally chanting “just tell me how much money you want and SHUT UP.” ---
**Author:** ![Molesworth\_2](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/9dc877/32.png) [@Molesworth\_2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Molesworth_2)\ **Post date:** [June 23, 2013, 7:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cashiers-would-it-kill-you-to-be-friendly-to-a-customer/656631/152 "2013-06-23T19:24:48Z")
I used to work in retail. All I have to say is that if you have some kind of rewards card (eg Fly Buys) and you forget to present it then that’s your problem. eg Customer: comes up to the counter with a $20 dollar bill in hand, asking where the nearest taxi rank is Me: Processes their $20 transaction quickly and efficiently while telling them where the nearest taxi rank is. And in a nice way, because up until that point in my shift I haven’t had some self-centered cunt go out of their way to ruin my day. Customer: Hang on, you didn’t ask me for my Fly Buys card. THIS IS AN OUTRAGE!!1! Me: OK, I’ll refund the transaction and process it again so you can get those reward points Customer: I don’t have time for that, you useless pleb. How hard is it for you to remember to ask me for my card, anyway? Me: Well, I was quite pleasantly informing you where the nearest taxi rank was. Customer: Your job isn’t that hard is it? Why didn’t you ask me for my Fly Buys card? What are you, some kind of retard? Me: Grins and bears it. Fuck your stupid rewards card, and fuck you for not proffering it of your own accord while I was giving you advice you requested. tl;dr If you’ve gotten bad customer service from retail staff it’s probably because some other customer treated them like they were subhuman shit. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cashiers-would-it-kill-you-to-be-friendly-to-a-customer/656631.md?page=7)