Why do some cashiers ask WHY you're buying something?

The BBQ Pit
1

I don’t mean pleasant chit-chat about some interesting grocery items, or sympathizing if you’re buying a lot of medicine. I mean accusatory/sneering remarks over possibly unusual/questionable purchases.

A bit of backstory: Tonight I went to a chain drugstore and bought some wax for my legs. The packaging claimed that you didn’t need cloth strips to put over the wax, but that it would simply peel off your leg. I decided to give it a try. I went home and followed the directions carefully, but did put two patches of wax on rather than one at a time, since I thought I could peel both off within the suggested time limit (15 sec or so to set, max of 45 sec more on the skin before it becomes too tough). Well, it didn’t peel off. It stubbornly refused to do so. I tried hot water to melt it again, tried soap, nothing. The instructions (inside the box of course, not noted on the outside) said to use baby oil or petroleum jelly to remove excess wax - and I have neither at home.

So here I am with two very sticky and messy blotches of wax on my leg, and my husband asks what he can do to help. I ask him to please run to the same drugstore and buy some petroleum jelly. He comes back soon with it, and a story about the cashier - when he gets up to the front of the line, she rings the item, then looks at him and with a snide tone says, “May I ask what you are planning on doing with this?” :eek:

Now realize that we’re in a big “young family” area. Lots of people having babies and so on, but he realized from her tone that she assumed that he was going to be using it for anal sex - and he also suspected that her reaction was probably homophobic, though he can’t be sure about that. He said very clearly and sternly, “As if it’s any of your business, which it isn’t, I’m buying this for my wife who’s stuck at home trying to clean up from a failed waxing.” The lady shut up, and he paid for it and left. As he turned to go, he saw a customer of his (he’s a letter carrier for our neighborhood) rolling her eyes at the cashier.

I suggested writing a letter of complaint, but he doesn’t want to bother with it, so I have to vent. Lady, fuck you. It’s none of your goddamned business what products people buy at the store, as long as they’re not breaking any laws by purchasing them. Especially getting all snotty about a guy buying a freaking jar of petroleum jelly with cute little dinos and other nursery-style characters printed on the label; how did you know he wasn’t a father going to the store to buy that to take care of his baby? If I knew which one you were, I’d save all my embarassing purchases for a day when you were working, just so I could see if you’d be a nosy bitch to me too, and then go off on you in front of the whole store plus call a manager on you. Hopefully you haven’t had the misfortune to curse with marriage any man nearly as sweet and nice as my husband, and you’re lucky that he’s too nice to want to pursue this. I hope you become afflicted with a string of highly personal but basically harmless afflictions that require you to have to buy all sorts of embarrassing products in front of your coworkers, just so you can feel awful.

(Yeah, it’s low on creative invective but it’s late for me, and I’m tired after struggling to rip wax off my leg. :mad: )

2

I can be very sensitive about stuff like this. I buy most of my crappy albums at big ol’ anonymous Best Buy or Wherehouse Music, and good stuff at the too-hip-for-you local places. The problem is when I’m buying electronic music on vinyl for dj’ing. The main place in town to go for this happens to have a DJ whom I very much admire and who has rocked my world at several raves on staff.

I HATE it when I have to check out and she’s at the counter, as she always looks over the selections and offers her professional opinion. I know this sounds cool, but I dislike having to explain myself when I buy something that isn’t the kind of thing I usually spin, or when I get something that she considers too mainstream or too cheesy or whatever. I may be buying it to listen to just for me, I may be giving it to a friend, I may be doing ANYTHING with it, but the point is, that’s for ME to consider.

I wouldn’t care nearly so much if I didn’t respect her like I do, which makes her opinions really get under my skin.

LC

3

Gotta love people who just know that your business is their business. If I were ever in the position where a clerk asked, “May I ask what you’re going to do with this?”, I’d simply give said clerk the Stare of Death and say, very coolly, “No, you may not ask me what I’m going to do with that”.

Were I your husband, I’d probably have said something to the effect of, “Well, I tried looking for lubricant specially designed for use with anal beads, but you don’t seem to stock it”, then stalk off.
…or not. But it’d be funny! :slight_smile:

4

My father makes marashino cherries. He’s (in)famous for them in the afmily, his workplace, and anywhere that he can smuggle them in without alarming the fire marshall. Frequently he’ll buy little jars of preserves or baby food just to empty them for use in storing cherries while they age.

One day we were leaving a store and he turns to me and says, “You know, I saw some value-packs of something in those little jars I need on sale. Here’s ten bucks, go back and pick me up a couple.”

Turns out that they were 8-packs of chocolate body frosting. I bought four, and boy did I get some odd looks in line. :smiley:

5

I feel it is my duty to make store clerks regret asking questions about my purchases. Like the time the clerk asked me why I needed 5 packs of beading needles and I told her that they were the best kind for lancing boils.

6

[slight hijack] Around here, the cashiers all ask a question which I find to be annoying: “Is that everything?”

“No, that’s not everything. I don’t want, need, or have the ability to pay for everything. The fact that lots of things are still available for purchase by others within your plain sight is prima facie evidence that this is not everything.”

Just ring up the beer, hip boots, sheep muzzle and ky, and let be on my way, thank ewe.

Grrr. [/slight hijack]

7

Mayhaps, methinks, they have NO life, therefore, must live vicariously thru yours…

Naaaahhhh…they just stupid.:smiley:

8

Y’know, Ferret Herder, I live in the 'burbs of Chicagoland, and I work at a drugstore. I would absolutely love it if your smarmy cashier was the girl in cosmetics who was working tonight–she can be a huge bitch. From the petroleum jelly with dinosaurs on it, it sounds like you and your husband visited a Walgreens (their baby products display characters from The Land Before Time). Was it Walgreens? What did this cashier look like? I’m intrigued…

9

Then again, there are about ten Walgreens within one mile from my house, and I don’t know where exactly you live, so this is a complete shot in the dark. Still, worth investigating IMO.

10

Just where were you and your father shopping?? :confused: :eek:

11

I was at Borders once and I decided to pick up a book about sex (K.I.S.S. Book of Sex, I think). I go up to the front to pay, at which the cashier says somewhat loudly and rudely," – Do you really need a book for this?" I was dumbfounded, to tell the truth; I didn’t think I would get this reaction. God forbid if I bought one of the Photography books! I muttered some sort of answer, going along with her, and I left feeling somewhat peeved at what just happened. Yes, you do need a book, I thought for the rest of the night.

I thoguth about complaining, but I had a feeling ( my thinking then)that it wasn’t that much of an issue, and that it would probably fix itself.

12

What I hate is when the pharmacy techs give me the “I’m scared of the crazy person” look or comment on the meds that I take when I come to pick them up. I do take multiple psychiatric meds – my psychiatrist and I found (after much trial and error) that I do best on a combination of several medicines at low doses than on one or two at higher ones. The absolute worst experiences were when I got home to open my bag from the pharmacy and found a tract relating depression and sin to each other and the time when the cashier at the pharmacy asked if I had even tried any lifestyle changes to manage my depression.

I also hate when cashiers ask if I have my husband’s permission to spend “x” amount of dollars at their store (I have no husband but if I did he sure wouldn’t be the type that I would have to get permission from).

I also get comments on my food purchases. If it something like Healthy Choice the cashier might tell me that I’m so thin that I don’t need that. On the other hand, if it is ice cream, I get told that if I eat too much of that I won’t be able to “keep my figure.” There are also the wonderful comments about certain foods being nasty and that the cashier wouldn’t feed them to their dog.

13

Jesus-fuck-my-ear-Christ! clipper, that’s some of the worst rudeness I’ve heard of. Tracts? Asking if you have husband’s permission? Comments about your figure? Comments on the quality of what you’re buying? My mind is boggled.

14

I’ve yet to come across a cashier asking why I’m buying something, but I did have one who felt obligated to comment on each of the greeting cards I was purchasing at a Hallmark-type store once. I was fairly young, dumb and naive at the time, but even so I remember thinking something like “this… doesn’t… seem… right… JUST RING ME UP!” I hate to think what I might say now that I’m old and cynical.

15

Q: “May I ask what you were planning to do with this?”

Paranoid
A: (very worried look) Why?!? Is it dangerous?

Aggressive
A: May I ask why you thiink you need to know?

Facetious
A: Yes, yes you may ask.

Conversation killer
A: It’s for the weeping sores on my genitals.

Nutcase
A: I plan to take over the world Mwuhahahaha!

Direct
A: I plan to pay for it and walking out of here unmolested.

16

I do have a good story of when a comment by a cashier actually helped. GF and I were having to do the ‘test’ one month. So, late at night we go to the supermarket, find the Clear Blue Easy package and shuffle up to the counter. Yes, we were nervous and young. The cashier looked at us, at our faces and at the product and said “Don’t you HATE having to buy these?” and chuckled the chuckle of one who had had the same experience as us. It broke the tension and caused us to laugh too.

Luckily we were fine…

-Tcat

17

I think Ferret Herder (nee’ DeniseV, right?) should definitely write a letter of complaint. I think the management there would be very interested in learning their cashiers are so rude. In fact, you would think that in a drugstore, the employees would be trained when hired to NOT ask about or comment on their customers’ buying habits.

18

Next time tell 'em: “Because you need a jib and I’m a nice guy/girl”

-j

19

Except try not to step all over your own line, like I did. (job, not jib)

20

I was buying a watch battery in a hurry at the store two days ago. A simple, $2, cash purchase.

“So…need a battery, huh?”

“Yes.”

Silence. She’s not taking my money.

“Is that for a cell phone?”

“No.”

“Ah. Thought it might be.”

Silence.

“Um…is there a problem?”

“No, I was just trying to figure out what kind of battery that is.”

“It’s for a watch. Here’s the money.”

“Thank you. (pause) What kind of watch?”

At that point she was holding the receipt out, and I took it, smiled and thanked her, and left.

:confused: