The Poughkeepsie Library was having its annual book sale. They always do a big one in an empty space at a local mall. I stopped on my way to work; I figured on spending about a hour picking out books and then leaving around noon. I’d stop to get a lunch and then go on to work.
At noon, I dragged myself away from the tables and heading up front to check out. I was greatly upset to find there was a big line of people waiting to check out. There were only two volunteers at the checkout area and one of them was having a conversation with another volunteer. I figured if I was lucky I’d be spending at least fifteen minutes in line and wouldn’t have time to stop for lunch. If the volunteers were slow I might even end up being late. I was pissed.
And then several other volunteers began setting up another area for checking people out. I surmise this was the subject of the conversation I saw. The three new volunteers set up two new tables. They must have already set up new cashboxes ahead of time in anticipation of such a situation. They even had it organized to the point where people like me who were buying a lot of books had an area we could pre-sort our books to save time at the check-out.
I ended up leaving the sale less than five minutes after I got in line.
But just to keep this thread from being moved out of this forum, I’d like to also mention that when I picked up my lunch at the supermarket and went to the express line (15 items or less) the customer in front of me had 20-30 items. HEY ASSHAT, WHAT DID YOU FIGURE THE SIGN DIDN’T APPLY TO YOU UNLESS IT MENTIONED YOU BY NAME? LEARN TO COUNT TO 15, EVEN IF YOU HAVE TO TAKE OFF A SHOE AND SUBTRACT THE EXTRA TOE YOU GOT BECAUSE YOUR PARENTS WERE SIBLINGS! BUT FOR NOW, EAT SHIT AND DIE MOTHERFUCKER!!!
My local Albertson’s likes to randomly change where the express lane is it seems. I always had seen express at the end of the line of checkout rows, but they recently moved it to a bit left of the center. I have gotten into it by mistake, but luckily, both times I had under 15 items. I think all express lines should be at the very end and that way you have no excuse for not knowing it was the express lane.
People here are nasty if you get in the express lane. The last time I was behind a girl who had gotten in an express lane, the checker very coldly let her know it was an express lane and the guy behind her and before me really let her have it. I felt bad for her then because it was after they had recently changed lanes and I didn’t know it was an express lane either. TG I had only 6 items.
My local Wal-Fart has one aisle where they’ll sell cigarettes. That aisle is a permanent 10 items-or-less aisle. (Yeah, I know it should be fewer, but it’s Wal-Fart.) I once got 9 items, and went into that aisle. Right behind some idiot who had a cartload of stuff and who needed one pack of cigarettes.
My head exploded, necessitating a wet clean-up at Checkout 19.
Our local Food Lion, where we do most of our grocery shopping, has eight lanes (though never with them all open). Six are the normal cashier-at-the-end-of-a-belt-beneath-impulse-item-racks setup; two are on opposite sides of an island where packs and cartons of cigarettes are racked in the center. Aisle #1, at the right end of the checkouts, and Aisle #4, the right side of the cigarette island, are express, and both manned unless you’re shopping at 11:30 PM or 5:30 AM. At least one any-size-load aisle is also open, and the checkout supervisors usually run Aisle #1 and opt to take full-serve customers if Aisle #4 is moving smoothly and there’s a backup of large-order customers.
RE the rest of the OP: There are exceptions to every rule. I knew two highly ethical used car dealers (one now gone to his reward). But I don’t ever recall having met a library volunteer who was not both competent and personable. Perhaps the fact that it’s a library that they choose to serve is a self-selecting process? (TVeb? Any comments?)
I went to the supermarket once and had 15 items and got in the regular line behind two other people. There was nobody at the express line, so the cashier waved me over. I pointed out I had over the 12 items and she said it was okay. I felt so dirty, yet so aroused. I can’t wait for it to happen again.
Good Rant, but the cynical part of me can’t help but think the Check out line rant is a retread of the Library Volunteer rant Little Nemo was composing in his head in the minutes between the long line and the new cash table being set up.
Actually, despite the responses that have resulted, I intended the main topic to be the fine job done by the library volunteers. The part about the guy in the express line was supposed to be a brief yet humorous aside. I guess in this forum people tend to focus on the negative.
Well, it is the pit after all, the library-helpers part of your rant might have found a better home in MPSIMS. I wish the library-helpers where I live were as competent. There always seems to be a dither factor before anything actually gets done.