# is it bad manners to correct a checkout girl **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [January 17, 2012, 3:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-bad-manners-to-correct-a-checkout-girl/609798 "2012-01-17T15:12:29Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Duckster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/duckster/32/1244_2.png) [@Duckster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duckster)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2012, 5:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-bad-manners-to-correct-a-checkout-girl/609798/21 "2012-01-17T17:14:13Z")
It’s never happened to me. I pay cash at the grocery store. All other places it’s either cash or a credit card. ---
**Author:** ![Duke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e8c25b/32.png) [@Duke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duke)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2012, 5:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-bad-manners-to-correct-a-checkout-girl/609798/22 "2012-01-17T17:31:31Z")
> [@Inigo\_Montoya](#): > > Checkout GIRL? Really? When are you, the 1950s? They’re Checkout Hos now. As someone who once worked at a supermarket checkout as a summer job, I am deeply offended by this. Only four of the six girls working there got pregnant that year. ---
**Author:** ![madmonk28](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madmonk28/32/20811_2.png) [@madmonk28](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madmonk28)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2012, 5:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-bad-manners-to-correct-a-checkout-girl/609798/23 "2012-01-17T17:33:11Z")
> [@murrmac](#): > > …when she says "Put in your PIN number please " ? > > The pedantic, didactic side of me wants to say "It’s not a PIN number, honey, it’s just a PIN ". > > The sensible, pragmatic side of me says, “why bother …” The pedantic side of me wants to point out that it is incredibly rude, sexist and condescending to address a woman you do not know as “honey,” while the didactic side of me wants to inform you that it is the 21st century and it would be in your interest to evolve. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2012, 5:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-bad-manners-to-correct-a-checkout-girl/609798/24 "2012-01-17T17:34:28Z")
> [@Duke](#): > > As someone who once worked at a supermarket checkout as a summer job, I am deeply offended by this. Only four of the six girls working there got pregnant that year. **Duke** , you dog. ---
**Author:** ![purplehorseshoe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/purplehorseshoe/32/2996_2.png) [@purplehorseshoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/purplehorseshoe)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2012, 5:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-bad-manners-to-correct-a-checkout-girl/609798/25 "2012-01-17T17:36:53Z")
Maybe not “bad manners” per se, but certainly pointless, fruitless, and makes you come across like an ass for no real reward. ---
**Author:** ![Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e8c25b/32.png) [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2012, 5:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-bad-manners-to-correct-a-checkout-girl/609798/26 "2012-01-17T17:42:01Z")
> [@RealityChuck](#): > > Your pedantic side is wrong. “PIN number” is the better formulation because it eliminates confusion. Is she asks “What’s your PIN?” it could mean your pin number or the Huntsman button on your lapel. Why, exactly, might one be asked to enter one’s campaign button? :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2012, 5:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-bad-manners-to-correct-a-checkout-girl/609798/27 "2012-01-17T17:47:00Z")
> [@Thudlow\_Boink](#): > > I’m inclined to agree. I can’t think of a better way to put it that would satisfy the OP as correct, yet wouldn’t sound awkward or have the potential to be misunderstood. > > “PIN number” is _redundant_, but redundancy does not necessarily equal incorrectness, especially when it makes things clearer. I agree that PIN number is fine, but there would be nothing wrong with her just saying “Please put in your PIN.” I hear PIN used by itself a lot from my sister and her friends, and there’s no real ambiguity in that particular situation. What are you going to do, pull out a straight pin and jab it into the keypad display? ---
**Author:** ![Skammer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skammer/32/143_2.png) [@Skammer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skammer)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2012, 5:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-bad-manners-to-correct-a-checkout-girl/609798/28 "2012-01-17T17:50:16Z")
> [@Marley23](#): > > **Duke** , you dog. Sounds to me like he did not maximize his opportunity. Only 4 out of 6? ---
**Author:** ![murrmac](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/50afbb/32.png) [@murrmac](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/murrmac)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2012, 5:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-bad-manners-to-correct-a-checkout-girl/609798/29 "2012-01-17T17:51:01Z")
As the OP, I have to say that I am somewhat disturbed by the elitist attitude of the majority of respondents, who clearly feel that although **they** may be well aware of the minutiae of acronyms, checkout girls belong to a subclass who can and should be left to wallow in ignorance. ---
**Author:** ![Kent\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kent_clark/32/105_2.png) [@Kent\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kent_Clark)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2012, 5:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-bad-manners-to-correct-a-checkout-girl/609798/30 "2012-01-17T17:52:15Z")
Which side of you wants to have your bread put in the bottom of the bag, with canned goods on top? ---
**Author:** ![aerodave](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f08c70/32.png) [@aerodave](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/aerodave)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2012, 5:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-bad-manners-to-correct-a-checkout-girl/609798/31 "2012-01-17T17:53:40Z")
I remember reading here on the SDMB (probably an uncited claim, itself) that constructions in English like “PIN number”, “LCD display”, “UPC code” are so common as to be considered a standard feature of the language. That is, they may be the rule, as opposed to the exception. And due to the descriptive nature of English grammar, it’s completely correct to say “PIN number”. So, as mentioned upthread, the OP’s pedantic side was wrong to begin with. And as for “hot water heater”, who says it doesn’t? When it’s heating during normal use, the water in the tank is already hot. It’s getting _hotter_, sure…but there’s still hot water being heated in there. If you want to get nit-picky about it, make sure you take your cleverness to the furthest and most literal extent before you open your mouth. ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2012, 5:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-bad-manners-to-correct-a-checkout-girl/609798/32 "2012-01-17T17:53:40Z")
> [@murrmac](#): > > As the OP, I have to say that I am somewhat disturbed by the elitist attitude of the majority of respondents, who clearly feel that although **they** may be well aware of the minutiae of acronyms, checkout girls belong to a subclass who can and should be left to wallow in ignorance. Nobody said that, but OK. ---
**Author:** ![Smeghead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f1d935/32.png) [@Smeghead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smeghead)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2012, 5:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-bad-manners-to-correct-a-checkout-girl/609798/33 "2012-01-17T17:54:10Z")
It just now occurred to me that I don’t think I’ve ever heard anyone actually say “ATM machine”. I’ve always only heard “ATM”. I’m beginning to think this example doesn’t actually exist in reality. ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2012, 5:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-bad-manners-to-correct-a-checkout-girl/609798/34 "2012-01-17T17:55:27Z")
A PIN is also called a PIN number. It’s not only bad manners, it’s also wrong. Stop trying to apply your own rules to the language. Even when grammar is actually improper, it’s still bad manners to correct anyone but your children or your students. Otherwise, someone can communicate any which-a-way they feel like, and you have no standing to criticize. ---
**Author:** ![AHunter3](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ahunter3/32/368_2.png) [@AHunter3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AHunter3)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2012, 6:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-bad-manners-to-correct-a-checkout-girl/609798/35 "2012-01-17T18:00:48Z")
Bad manners because it doesn’t inconvenience you. I’m known to correct checkout folks about giving me my change as a receipt sandwich instead of counting it back to me properly. That’s different. It inconveniences me. ---
**Author:** ![apollonia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/2bfe46/32.png) [@apollonia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/apollonia)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2012, 6:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-bad-manners-to-correct-a-checkout-girl/609798/36 "2012-01-17T18:03:24Z")
I guarantee that the person working at the checkout doesn’t give even the tiniest shit. But if you do this, they’ll wait until you’re gone and then roll their eyes and/or laugh at you behind your back for being a pedantic dick. ---
**Author:** ![Rachellelogram](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rachellelogram/32/8689_2.png) [@Rachellelogram](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rachellelogram)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2012, 6:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-bad-manners-to-correct-a-checkout-girl/609798/37 "2012-01-17T18:04:46Z")
I work in a call center and, near-universally, when I ask for \*the VIN \*people say, “A what?” If I ask for _the VIN number_, though, everyone understands it right away. It’s just easier for me to say _VIN number_, even though I know it’s technically redundant, because it reduces confusion (and because I \*really \*hate repeating myself). Average people aren’t used to restricting their language to meet your pedantic standards. Do you really \*want \*to spend 2 minutes explaining how the phrase _PIN number_ is redundant to someone who isn’t paid for her grammar skills? Do you not have a social filter to realize when and where these types of conversations are appropriate? Outside a message board or linguistics class, _nobody gives a shit_. Knock it off. ---
**Author:** ![Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mean_mr.mustard/32/3865_2.png) [@Mean\_Mr.Mustard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mean_Mr.Mustard)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2012, 6:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-bad-manners-to-correct-a-checkout-girl/609798/38 "2012-01-17T18:10:27Z")
PIN number is redundant. Anyway, I use cash money. mmm ---
**Author:** ![murrmac](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/50afbb/32.png) [@murrmac](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/murrmac)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2012, 6:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-bad-manners-to-correct-a-checkout-girl/609798/39 "2012-01-17T18:11:48Z")
> [@apollonia](#): > > I guarantee that the person working at the checkout doesn’t give even the tiniest shit. But if you do this, they’ll wait until you’re gone and then roll their eyes and/or laugh at you behind your back for being a pedantic dick. Now, I’m _ **really** _ worried … ---
**Author:** ![Eve](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Eve](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eve)\ **Post date:** [January 17, 2012, 6:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-bad-manners-to-correct-a-checkout-girl/609798/40 "2012-01-17T18:12:06Z")
I am a copy editor by profession and have the \*hardest \*time turning that off. I silently _think_, “there is no such thing as an ATM machine!” and “there should not be an apostrophe there, you idiot!” and “it’s _a lot_, not _alot_, you dunderhead!” Ninety percent of the time I manage to keep my damn trap shut. Sometimes it is just too much for me . . . [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-bad-manners-to-correct-a-checkout-girl/609798.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-bad-manners-to-correct-a-checkout-girl/609798.md?page=3)