I can get WHY people don’t necessarily wannt to talk, that’s fine, not everyone is a chatter. What I don’t understand is the anger and disgust some people seem to feel when another person dares engage them when they are in fact have an interaction of some kind. Of course certain topics are not appropriate, but it certianly doesn’t mean all conversation is verboten.
If i could do my job and collect my fee while the customer ignored me, it would be a plus.
Meh. I prefer to choose who I interact with. And I’m perfectly happy. Therapy for what?
Okey dokey, you don’t like people. Stay in. You can get almost everything without leaving the house these days.
But if you choose to leave the house, you’re expected to adhere to certain social expectations. You can choose not to adhere to them, but then you’re being a douchebag. And you can choose to be a douchebag, but own it, don’t act like other people are unreasonable for expecting you to be polite.
No, it isn’t. But if someone else violates social norms I reserve the right to respond in kind.
If a cashier engaged in normal chit chat, I would be nice and courteous, even if I wasn’t a fan. If they started acted rudely and asking inappropriate questions, I might tell them to fuck off.
Absolutely brilliant. 5 star wit.
Eh, my wit is three stars at most. Never underestimate the value of a witless foil.
Come on guys, people here seem to be assuming there is a simple dichotomy here: Either no talking ever or barrage of rude comments from the cashier. Can we just agree that the OP’s cashier was being rude and overly familiar?
FWIW: I disagree that leaving in your earbuds is inherently rude. I usually leave at least one earbud in when checking out, otherwise they tend to tangle in my pocket. I do always smile and acknowledge the cashier and the bagger and answer all their questions promptly.
sure, but one is way different than both. if I was listening to something and then i approach someone and have some degree of interaction with them, I’ll take one out and make it clear that i’m paying attention to them instead of my mp3 player. yes, I’ll agree that taking both out and stowing them for a 30-second interaction is unnecessary.
leaving both in is unquestionably in fuck you land.
and no one is really defending the clerk. they’re defending the clerk when the douchebag OP writes:
in other words, it’s clear why the OP is self employed - he or she has absolutely no social tact. seeing this person in public would probably give aspies a chuckle and relief that they weren’t the most socially inept people around.
ugh. never mind on this part. i conflated the OP with the person who started the whole earbud thing. so reeee.
At worst, this woman is just clueless. Honestly, I wouldn’t even had noticed the statement and said something to the effect of, “oh, hell yeah. Gotta stock up on the essentials, ya know. ;)” But, yes, in the final analysis, she should not have commented on your purchase. She should have kept the small talk to just the weather in general, or something.
To be fair, you deserve every bit of harassment for buying Tom Collins mix in the first place! Why, when Tom Collinses are so easy to make from scratch and so much better than the mix ones. (true for most common mixed drinks, BTW)
Just get a few lemons and some sugar- 3/4 oz lemon juice (about 1 small lemon) to 1 oz sugar (2 TB more or less) combined with 2 oz gin, shake (or stir if that’s what you can do) and top off with ice and soda water to fill your glass.
Usually the only commentary that I get that even perplexes me is when I’m buying something, the cashier sees it, and then tries to make conversation by asking if I’ve had some lesser version of the same thing and recommending it.
Example: I’m buying a bottle of Chianti Classico from Tuscany. The cashier might comment about the high price, and then tell me how much they like Beringer White Zinfandel, and have I tried it?
I’m usually not irritated, but I usually feel a little awkward, and usually forces an a-hole / not a-hole choice to be made.
Part of me wants to make it a teachable moment of some kind, but that would be patronizing, and part of me wants to just stare, which would be rude, so the part of me that says “Yeah, I have had that. I prefer drier wines, but I have a lot of friends who like it a lot.” wins out in the end.
Ho ho ho hold up there, MacGyver! Lemons? Like, off a tree? The kind you have to squeeze? Who has time for this Rube Goldberg shit?
I don’t mind chatting with cashiers — I talk to everybody — but I’m continually amazed by their cluelessness of grocery products. Tofu? Avacados? Plain yogurt? Are these exotic items purchased only by certain middle-aged women in glasses? How many times have I been asked “Are them good?” “Whatcha makin’ with those?” “Are y’all having a party?”
Yes, avacados are good! Make guacamole! Tofu can be used in smoothies! Or pudding! Or stir-fry! Or dip! No — we eat these foods on a regular basis. No party! I eat plain yogurt instead of sour cream!
It’s not like I’m the cutting edge of eating or anything — good lord kids, join the 21st century. 
They might have a question about one of your purchases, as in, “Sir, this isn’t ringing up, I’ll have to get a price check”. Or if something is ringing up wrong, and you’ve got your headphones on, well, then how will you notice, or you give me the wrong amount, your card declines, etc.
“Oh noes, I have to interact with the public!”
It’s really tough to tell sometimes whether your sense of irony is expertly honed or non-existent.
Jeeze, I guess I’m in the minority here, but I’ve had cashiers make comments to me like that in the past, and it hasn’t bothered me in the least. I figure it’s their unsuccessful attempt at humor. I’d say something back like, “Absolutely” and have a little chuckle. I don’t care what the people ahead or in back of me in line think. But I’m one of those people who routinely engage in small talk to people in the service industry. Waitstaff, the guy at the gas station, grocery clerks, etc. I figure I’ll treat them decently, and maybe it’ll make their day go a bit easier.
Maybe what you perceive as someone’s smart-assery is just a socially awkward person’s attempt to make you smile.
Is. I’m still there. Pity me.
I did ask about the buttons the first time it happened, and the cashier manager (talking to the store manager is somewhat akin to approaching Emperor Palpatine and telling him his brand-new Death Star got blowed up) gave me some vague answer about telling the customer how great the product was without giving me any specifics about the product itself. In stores like that, getting any sort of straight answer about a policy or rule is damn near impossible.
I suppose I tell them that the product is great without actually having tried the product, but I’m not going to do the store’s lying for them. Besides, if the customer is genuinely asking for information, that’s perfectly reasonable. What pisses me off (and this happens way more than people actually asking about the product) is when the customer asks me with a big, stupid grin like they know we hate shilling for whatever product we’re pushing, but it amuses them to make us do it.
Geez, that’s a long answer. Sorry about that.
As to conversation, here’s how I approach it. If a customer wants to talk, I talk with them, trying my best to end the conversation gracefully when I’m finished with their order. If they don’t say anything, neither do I.
Thank you.
A single day working in retail or waiting tables is an unforgettable lesson that a) almost everyone thinks they’re funny, and b) nearly all of them are wrong.
Aside from the self-elected organ grinders giddy at a chance to yank the monkey’s chain (for whom, along with other excreta like the mothball-scented “hot enough for ya?” dotard and his protégé, the “if it won’t scan, I guess it must be FREE!” fucktard, death by flamethrower is far too generous), some of them are probably fishing for a handout. Who knows, they struggle to reason, if I ask, maybe I’ll get a free sample of toenail fungicide or dietetic cream soda! Doesn’t hurt to ask.. well, doesn’t hurt ME anyway! Hurrrh hurrhh HURRRHHH!!!
I’d be tempted to have fun with it, at least. Lean in and whisper “this is just between you and me, but if you squirt Eucerin up your ass with a lemon wedge, it is *exactly *like ecstasy… shhhh, manager’s coming, this conversation NEVER HAPPENED!”
For the record, I pop out an earbud while I’m interacting with the cashier - I’m not a barbarian, you know. 