I can’t even imagine how petty I’d have to be feeling to be getting upset about someone talking about the stuff I bought.
(If the fact that people know you are buying something is upsetting to you, perhaps non-online shopping is not for you)
So you won’t mind if I bitch about the customers who spot the “Ask me about Dove Shower Cleanse” button I’m forced to wear and spout, “Well, I’m supposed ta’ ask you about it, so how about it? Haw haw haw!” 15 times a day. I don’t know a damn thing about that product. Stop being a prick and let me ring your purchases.
Or about the customers who walk up (invariably after I’ve rung up 20 customers in a row, each with two carts’ worth of purchases with no bagger to help me) and say, “You look bored, I’ll give you something to do! Guffaw! Guffaw!” Every time a customer says that I try to set them on fire with my mind.
I have neither the time nor the energy to get into the daily sexual harassment from middle-aged male customers.
As to the OP, I don’t make remarks about people’s purchases. First off, it’s rude, of course. It’s not my place to say anything about it. Secondly, I don’t care. Really. I don’t give a rat’s ass if you’re buying a copy of Hustler, a cucumber and jar of Smucker’s. Most of the time I don’t even notice.
Sometimes a customer will feel the need to explain themselves. “Oh, this ice cream isn’t for me, it’s for my daughter and her friends” or somesuch. I just smile and say, “I don’t judge.” 'Cause I don’t.
So… what do/did Dove and your managers expect you to do when they gave you the button?
They just gave us the button and told us to wear it. Nothing else. No information about the product at all. They give us a different button every week or so, with the same lack of information.
I should add, the customers who annoy me when they ask me aren’t asking in a “I would like to know about this product” way, but a huge smug smile, like they enjoy making me shill for the crappy product of the week.
I don’t have disdain for people who work as cashiers; everyone’s gotta earn a paycheque. I do have a huge amount of dislike for forced pleasantries and useless conversation. I hate it at the hairdresser, I hate it at the supermarket. In fact I’m not much a fan of the supermarket at all; I’m not the kind of shopper who wanders the aisles, leisurely makes their way to the checkout, chats for awhile while counting out nickles and pennies, and leaves. I want to get in, get my stuff, get out, and I love the hell out of automatic checkout. When that’s not an option, I appreciate my groceries being scanned and bagged with some rapidity, and chitchat about weather and local sports teams being kept to a minimum. To achieve this - plus avoid any comments on what I’m buying - I find young male cashiers always the way to go. It has little to do with my feelings towards the cashiers and much, much more to do with disliking supermarkets.
I had this problem until I complained to the company headquarters in Ohio.
I’ve bought alcohol in Muslim countries from Muslim sales staff and they didn’t even bat an eyelid at it or have any problems putting the sale through.
I’ve worked in retail a long time- including supermarkets- and this is my approach too. I really don’t care what you’re buying for the most part, unless it’s something that I know to be complete crap in which case I might let you know if you seem like a nice, reasonable person who would appreciate the information.
Occaisonally I’d get people who would do the whole “Oh, this stuff isn’t for me, it’s for [Someone else]” and I always found that a polite “I hadn’t noticed, but if it makes you feel any better this is nowhere near the most unusual thing I’ve seen someone buy” went over well.
That’s generally considered “Poor customer service” around here- even if it’s exactly what you, the customer, want.
Personally, I like talking to checkout staff as they’re putting my groceries through, but apparently that’s a minority view here on the boards.
Yeah. Some Christians drink; some Muslims drink. Most Christians have sex; most Muslims have sex. Almost all of them don’t really care what other people do, especially if those people are strangers.
It’s not like Muslims live on Mars. It’s just a religion, and really not that different than other.
- As a lowly grocery store clerk, you are a low level, brainless monkey whose job is to stare at my selections, run them over the scanner, and bag them. The only three things I want to hear from your fucking pie hole are:
“Do you have your shopper’s card today?”
“Your total is XXXXX.”
“Here is your receipt, have a nice day and thank you!”
As a a grocery clerk I must say fuck you, asshole. We have three college graduates and many others who are FAR from a “brainless monkey.” I myself am going to grad school to be a speech therapist. I couldn’t stick with my old job because my classes would’ve interfered.
It’s a shitty job as it is, especially when the store gets slammed with people prepping for the store. This lady was out of line, yes, but did you do anything about it? Say something back? Talk to the manager? No, you took it like a little pussy and were happy to pass off the humiliation (wtf does that even mean?) to another customer. Talk about spineless.
What, no pimp slap?
Pussy.
From your lofty perch, we must all look like squirmy little ants. Anytime you need help finding the “off” switch, I’m here to help.
No doubt your establishment was one of those horror-houses of passive aggression, cheerless indifference, and negative morale that’s nearly as much fun to patronize as to work in---- but still, it didn’t occur to you to demand a suitable answer to the question you knew would be asked repeatedly throughout the day?
Boy, some guys just can not pick up on when a girl is hitting on them.
Is this the thread where we pass judgements on other Dopers who have preferences different from our own? I’m happy for all you Chatty Cathies who love to talk with anyone who gets within three feet of you, but some of us just aren’t social shoppers. I have my headphones in, I’m enjoying some good tunes, I’m happy in my own head - I don’t need to make small talk about the weather with anyone. I have no disdain for cashiers or store clerks; I just don’t feel any desire to chat them up.
Looks like it.
Well, i don’t work as a cashier, and i’m also not really one for small talk at the cash register. I also sometimes have my MP3 player with me when i’m in the supermarket.
But…
Anyone who insists on keeping their headphones in while interacting with someone like a cashier is an even bigger antisocial asshole than a cashier who comments on your purchases. I’ve seen dozens of these jackasses, and they invariably hold up the line because they’re in their own little world, expecting everything to move along without any input from them. They don’t hear it when the cashier asks them a question like “Paper or plastic,” or asks them to swipe their card again because it didn’t register, or asks them if they have their Vons card with them.
If your music is so important to you that you can’t turn it off and take out the earbuds for 30 seconds in order to facilitate a purchase that is for your own benefit, you’re another person who should probably shop online. They’re just one step up from the assholes who make the cashier wait while they finish their cellphone conversation.
Now this is where the grammar nazis have a point. Do you mean to say that there will be fewer cashiers, some percentage of whom are sassy, and therefore fewer sassy cashiers? Or did you mean that the cashiers will be less sassy, when they see that tehre are automated checkout lines? Or perhaps you meant that there would be a considerable power less backsass generally, which would make old men happy everywhere?
I used to weekly have to buy 34 bags of minced beef, when I worked in a wildlife park- it’s good as a small animal food- the staff at the supermarket were never allowed to ask questions about purchases. It was so much fun watching them count through 34 bags of minced beef, then scanning the bottle of milk or chocolate bar I generally picked up at the same time and giving me this look that clearly said 'what the fuck are you doing with this stuff?? After 2 years we finally told one of the staff what we were buying it for, and suddenly everyone knew, and asked things like ‘So, how’s the animals doing?’ on the way out. Must have been one of those break-time weird purchase discussions for ages… 
I’ve done checkout work, I’m pretty sure I didn’t stop being human or dramatically lose IQ for the duration. Don’t comment on potentially embarrassing purchases, unless you know the person won’t mind, especially when someone’s buying stuff like 4 fishing magazines with a gay porn mag stashed in the middle of the pile (and do try keep a straight face), but if a bunch of cheerful guys come in and buy half the alcohol counter, saying ‘Looks like you’re planning a good night, is it a special occasion?’ very rarely seems to go down badly.
I did reserve the right to smirk if someone paid with a rolled up note though…
Drunks are such irritable people. Must be the waking up hung-over every day.
nice.
(italics added by me)
I generally use the self checkout, but if for some reason I’m using a cashier run station, in what way is my input needed to facilitate the transaction? I’ve chosen what I want to purchase, the cashier scans the items, and a screen shows the total.
Why do I need to stop listening to the podcast I’ve been listening to whilst shopping?