I’ve noticed recently that at a couple of the grocery stores I regularly go to, the checkout person will comment on some item among my purchases, either to say it looks tasty, to ask me if I’ve had it before, or whatever. At first I cheerfully responded to this as a more or less pleasant bit of sociability on their part. Then it dawned on me that they had clearly been ordered to do this by management. So, while I still responde pleasantly, I get a teeny twinge of annoyance at being asked to participate in what is essentially playacting.
Has anyone else noticed this phenomenon, and what is your opinion?
I’ve come across it only occasionally, so I don’t think it’s been mandated around here.
My response depends on my mood. If I’m feeling fairly chirpy/chatty myself, I’ll gladly describe the item, explain what I’m going to make with it, etc. If I’m tired and just want to go home, I’ll be as brief as possible: “It’s pomegranate juice. We like to drink it.”
And they’d better not make comments like “Yuck! What’s THIS?!” :mad:
Overall, I’d rather they kept their nose out of my purchases.
And if (God forbid) I’m buying a home pregnancy test, KEEP YER YAP SHUT!!
Haven’t you ever purchased the Trojan Magnum XL condoms, and gone to either the most innocent looking or the oldest cashier just to see what reaction you get?
It’s been at Trader Joe’s and Henry’s. It’s kind of amusing in a way. At TJ’s they pretty much pick something at random. At Henry’s they always go for the cookies.
At Albertson’s they don’t comment on the groceries, but everyone has to say hello.
I’ve never had anyone comment on non-grocery items, but one women at Target (a grandmotherly type) did ask me where the kids were that day when I was shopping alone one time. It was kind of surprising, since Target is usually a pretty anonymous experience.
Are you sure? I’ve never encountered this, but then, I don’t live in the US. I do know a couple of chatty checkout girls at the local super market, but they just blab on about whatever topic they want. It can be annoying, but if I was sitting at a supermarket checkout desk all day, I’d probably be making idle conversation too.
Pretty sure. It seems especially obvious at TJ’s because they tend to rhapsodize on the item a little more.
I’ve certainly had conversations about other things, too, but those seemed more spontaneous. It could just be that they are asked to be perky and friendly and food is just the obvious thing to talk about.
I’ve not noticed it where I shop. Though recently the cashier got extremely excited when she saw the new Breyer’s Strawberry Cheesecake ice cream I got, I don’t think that was mandatory. (It was disappointing, by the way. Not enough strawberry.)
I have no problem with this. I go out of my way to be friendly with cashiers, people working at the deli counter, and other retail people because it’s a rough job, and I know too many people consider them subhuman. Usually I’ll say “Have a nice day!” before they do. But when people ask me about my food purchases, they seem more or less genuinely interested or friendly, and I don’t mind answering their questions (like at Super Target the other day, when I was buying several bottles of Rosa’s Horchata, a relatively new product).
This is definitely a mandated question at Joann stores. Nearly every time I go in to purchase something, I’m asked “Oh, what project are you working on?” twice – once at the fabric counter, and once at the register. I don’t mind, though. I’m a beginning seamstress, and pretty often, the people at the fabric counter will have very helpful advice for me.
I mostly don’t get it at the grocery (small local chain), except from young perky cashiers who have energy to burn and get excited about new kinds of cookies. I don’t mind there, either – they’re cute, and they’ll be stressed and tired soon enough.
Cashiers around here don’t seem to talk to me about my purchases much. People ask my son how old he is and which school he goes to. The one pre-programmed question that seems to be prevalent is, “Did you find everything alright?” This only bothers me when it’s asked in a monotone, and there is no pause for a response before the brooding clerk turns back to coworker to finish telling about how she waited outside for him for half an hour, and then he… and do you believe… Hello, yes it’s me. I’m about to hand you a pile of cash, could you please pay alittle attention to what you’re doing. 64 oz. V8 on top of the hot dog rolls? Thanks. And by the way the answer to your question is No, after asking two separate green vested folks I still can’t find the bread crumbs in this joint!
gwendee, I get that “did you find everything” question all the time, and only once have I actually answered them with what I couldn’t find. You can tell they’re told to ask that, but are they really going to stop, mid-ringing me up to special order me something? I highly doubt it.
Plus, I wouldn’t want to hold up the line and thus become a Pit Topic.
Management does dictate some of this, I’m sure with the idea that they want to project politeness, cheerfulness, and helpfulness. Unfortunately, sometimes it goes too far, and provides irritation.
I was recently visiting in Anchorage, and it seemed that every clerk in every store asked “Did you find everything all right?” After a while it got tiresome. In one store, I was trying to browse, and within ten minutes I was asked that by five different people. It was downright annoying.
I’ve noticed this a lot more in the south than when I lived in Jersey or Southern California. Those cashiers at Target can drag my whole life story outta me while I’m buying school supplies (luckily the guy at the check out when I was buying various stomach medications and feminine products in preperation for a trip I was taking had the good sense not to ask about anything). In the grocery store, they usually only talk to me if they need to know what exactly that weird vegetable is that I’m buying and what the heck would you do with it. I also get comments on the big ass tattoo I have on my chest; the butcher in Whole Foods actually ran from behind the counter to ask me about it once.
It wouldn’t surprise me if it was a manditory thing in some stores, much like the Walmart greeter thing. I always try to be super polite to anybody I interact with in such situations, but dammit, I don’t want to tell you anything about my life. Like the guy in the Food Lion who accosted me with a free sample of ice cream. I didn’t want any. He told me it was carb free. I wanted to throttle him and yell, “I’m not on a diet, you jerk! I just don’t want any of your gosh darn carb free ice cream!” What I actually said was, “No thanks, really.”
My grandmother, on the other hand, hunts down sales people to yap their ears off…
As a retail drone, I am not told to engage the guest in converstion, but AM required to plus-sell. So I ask everyone, “would you like a newspaper with your coffee?” or “would you like a coffee with that paper this morning?” It’s shocking the number of people who don’t “get” that I’m plus-selling - they scrunch up their faces and say “Why?” or something like that.
And the next Seinfeld that says, “No, no newspaper, I can’t read!” will drive me over the edge. Either him, or the next one who, when aske if they want a bag, says, “No, I have one in the car!” referring to his wife.
The employees of a grocery chain around here have started wearing buttons that say “HI M.O.M.” Finally I asked a cashier about it as she was ringing up my bottle of wine. She said, “It stands for ‘Have I Mentioned Other Merchandise.’ Like if you’re buying coffee I’m supposed to ask if you want some creamer, or if you’re buying Tide I’m supposed to suggest bleach.”
I noticed that she didn’t ask if I wanted some cheese with my wine.
Seriously, what is up with that? I’m in line, and the cashier asks if I want some bleach to go with my Tide, and I say yes, and then what? I hold up the line while someone goes and gets it for me? What if I’m picky – they hold my place in line while I go and choose the perfect bleach?? Clearly the people who think up these stupid ideas have never stood in a grocery line.
(What if I’m buying condoms? Or tampons? Or a pregnancy test? Or hemorrhoid cream? :: shudder :: )
And I notice that NOT ONE CASHIER has ever “Mentioned Other Merchandise.” NOT ONE.
I always look for the 16-year-old boy cashier-in-training when I’m buying anything of a feminine nature. They’re so cute when they blush, and they’ve got to get used to it sometime.
