# Your grocery store complaints **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [July 30, 2011, 1:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-grocery-store-complaints/590830 "2011-07-30T13:41:09Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 10
**Author:** ![ladyfoxfyre](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ad7895/32.png) [@ladyfoxfyre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ladyfoxfyre)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2011, 8:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-grocery-store-complaints/590830/181 "2011-08-08T20:26:06Z")
> [@Frank](#): > > How is this anecdote relevant to the thread? That poor people should only buy poor people stuff and stay within their own damn class, obviously. ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Woo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/7c8e57/32.png) [@Dr.Woo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Woo)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2011, 9:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-grocery-store-complaints/590830/182 "2011-08-08T21:51:13Z")
Well, I like my grocery store pretty well. No loyalty cards (which, for the record, I hate) and the checkers are great. My biggest complaint with the store is the lack of cashiers open at any given time. I know quite well that the checkout lines can go from empty as the Mojave desert to a complete fire drill in about 30 seconds, but that’s not MY problem. It’s the problem of grocery store management. Dammit, all people want is to buy their damn groceries and get the bleep out of there, but the store managers 1.) don’t schedule enough people 2.) don’t call more checkers when it gets busy 3.) when they finally do call for customer service up front, it takes 15 minutes for somebody to show up and open a station. What the hell are they doing, and where? For crissake I can get from the back of that store to the from in 90 seconds, and I’d make it 60 if my boss had called me. I’m also not crazy about the bank, the coffee shop, the video rental, the change counting machine, the lottery ticket kiosk, etc. that along with other shoppers’ carts form a gauntlet that must be run to get out of the place. But that’s probably just cranky old me, who would rather go to a REAL coffee shop, prefer to get my videos online, count my own change for free, eschew lottery tickets, and am deeply suspicious of any bank paying rent to a grocery store. ---
**Author:** ![StarvingButStrong](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/starvingbutstrong/32/335_2.png) [@StarvingButStrong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StarvingButStrong)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2011, 11:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-grocery-store-complaints/590830/183 "2011-08-08T23:19:44Z")
> [@Lynn\_Bodoni](#): > > I will be happy to give you my share of cinnamon raisin bagels. Goody! In return you can have my plains AND I’ll toss in the multigrain ones. Why does everything have to be healthy? We gotta die from something anyway… ---
**Author:** ![alphaboi867](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alphaboi867/32/3898_2.png) [@alphaboi867](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alphaboi867)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2011, 12:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-grocery-store-complaints/590830/184 "2011-08-09T00:29:10Z")
The primary purpose of Foodstamps is _not_ to feed poor people; it’s to provide subsidy to farmers & food manufacturers. Feeding the poor is just a nice side benefit. ---
**Author:** ![Yorikke](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yorikke/32/4335_2.png) [@Yorikke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yorikke)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2011, 12:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-grocery-store-complaints/590830/185 "2011-08-09T00:38:26Z")
> [@Lynn\_Bodoni](#): > > And why is it that I can’t find just plain bagels? I can find blueberry and chocolate chip and onion bagels. I can find mini bagels. But can I find a plain bagel that will fit into my toaster? No, I cannot. Everywhere I’ve ever bought bagels? Sometimes, if they don’t have fresh, I have to get packaged, and once in a while, those are ONLY availabe in plain. Joe ---
**Author:** ![Yorikke](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yorikke/32/4335_2.png) [@Yorikke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yorikke)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2011, 12:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-grocery-store-complaints/590830/186 "2011-08-09T00:40:11Z")
> [@Annie-Xmas](#): > > Try finding plain _anything._ I want my potato chips to taste like potatoes and salt, but cheese or vinegar, or barbecue. You can’t find plain chips in the chip aisle? Joe ---
**Author:** ![MPB\_in\_Salt\_Lake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c0e974/32.png) [@MPB\_in\_Salt\_Lake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MPB_in_Salt_Lake)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2011, 12:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-grocery-store-complaints/590830/187 "2011-08-09T00:40:30Z")
> [@alphaboi867](#): > > The primary purpose of Foodstamps is _not_ to feed poor people… Maybe “poor” people have no business spending $14 dollars of their own money on a 12-pack of beer as well as $7 dollars on a pack of cigarettes, and then turn around and expect the fucking taxpayers to pay for their gourmet, high-end condiments, freshly squeezed organic orange juice and prime cuts of steak… (a 12-pack of Miller High Life or Natural Light is $5.99) ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2011, 12:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-grocery-store-complaints/590830/188 "2011-08-09T00:52:08Z")
> [@etv78](#): > > I’m on EBT and I’ve NEVER gotten any “lip” from anybody! Maybe I’m lucky. You’re also in a wheelchair and therefore one of the “deserving” recipients. I don’t get comments often, but they’ve ranged from “you’re healthy - why don’t you have a job?” (I do, it just doesn’t pay enough to live on) to “if you’d dress nicer you could get a rich man to fuck and you wouldn’t need food stamps”. And some too crass to repeat outside the BBQ Pit. Um… the cashier wasn’t the one who suggested I get a sugar daddy, that was the bitch in line behind me. ---
**Author:** ![Lukeinva](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lukeinva/32/17872_2.png) [@Lukeinva](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lukeinva)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2011, 12:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-grocery-store-complaints/590830/189 "2011-08-09T00:59:54Z")
Asking for my PIN when I selected _credit_ three times. Yes I know it’s a debit card but it also works as a credit card and I don’t want to enter my PIN! ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2011, 1:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-grocery-store-complaints/590830/190 "2011-08-09T01:03:45Z")
> [@Annie-Xmas](#): > > To get my EBT card, I had to go to the Social Service office, give them a lot of paperwork, then go again to be photographed and get the card after I entered my four digit code into a machine. > > I doubt any state sends them in the mail in this age of mail theft. Indiana sent me one in the mail. And I didn’t need to be photographed. I did have to give them a lot of paperwork, though. > [@MPB\_in\_Salt\_Lake](#): > > Well, I don’t remember EXACTLY what she said to the cashier when she handed the envelope to the cashier, but she said something to the effect of that she had just received the card and needed the cashier’s help to activate/use it… > > …_snip_… > > Seriously, of all of the things that my taxes go to support, various Social Services programs (like food stamps) is among the most worthy, but it rubbed me the wrong way to see this young lady splurging on the very most expensive, gourmet, high-priced items she could find, especially when she can obviously afford pricey imported beer and cigarettes on her own dime. > > If that makes me a heartless ogre, so be it. I think you’re missing the point that this was her FIRST use of EBT. It’s not an uncommon mistake, what she did. She was likely a formerly middle class person fallen on hard times who hadn’t quite wrapped her head around the notion that EBT gives you a limited monthly allowance and when it runs out you get no more until next month. Generally, they figure this out at the end of week two when the money runs out and they start discovering the joys of food pantries and soup kitchens. > [@alphaboi867](#): > > The primary purpose of Foodstamps is _not_ to feed poor people; it’s to provide subsidy to farmers & food manufacturers. Feeding the poor is just a nice side benefit. Yeah, but that’s a _hell_ of a nice side-effect, don’t you think? > [@MPB\_in\_Salt\_Lake](#): > > Maybe “poor” people have no business spending $14 dollars of their own money on a 12-pack of beer as well as $7 dollars on a pack of cigarettes, and then turn around and expect the fucking taxpayers to pay for their gourmet, high-end condiments, freshly squeezed organic orange juice and prime cuts of steak… Where can you get a pack of cigarettes for only $7? ---
**Author:** ![MPB\_in\_Salt\_Lake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c0e974/32.png) [@MPB\_in\_Salt\_Lake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MPB_in_Salt_Lake)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2011, 1:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-grocery-store-complaints/590830/191 "2011-08-09T01:09:57Z")
> [@Broomstick](#): > > Where can you get a pack of cigarettes for only $7? Until last year, I think they were only about $4.50 here in SLC; They apparently raised the taxes on tobacco around 80% during last year’s state legislative session, much to the delight of faithful Mormons, much to the dismay of the Godless, heathen smokers… ---
**Author:** ![Hypno-Toad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b2d939/32.png) [@Hypno-Toad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hypno-Toad)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2011, 1:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-grocery-store-complaints/590830/192 "2011-08-09T13:49:39Z")
> [@MPB\_in\_Salt\_Lake](#): > > Until last year, I think they were only about $4.50 here in SLC; They apparently raised the taxes on tobacco around 80% during last year’s state legislative session, much to the delight of faithful Mormons, much to the dismay of the Godless, heathen smokers… Giving rise to Smokeleggers and unlicensed “Smoke-easies.” ---
**Author:** ![Hypno-Toad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b2d939/32.png) [@Hypno-Toad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hypno-Toad)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2011, 1:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-grocery-store-complaints/590830/193 "2011-08-09T13:57:08Z")
> [@Dr.Woo](#): > > My biggest complaint with the store is the lack of cashiers open at any given time. I know quite well that the checkout lines can go from empty as the Mojave desert to a complete fire drill in about 30 seconds, but that’s not MY problem. It’s the problem of grocery store management. Dammit, all people want is to buy their damn groceries and get the bleep out of there, but the store managers 1.) don’t schedule enough people 2.) don’t call more checkers when it gets busy 3.) when they finally do call for customer service up front, it takes 15 minutes for somebody to show up and open a station. What the hell are they doing, and where? For crissake I can get from the back of that store to the from in 90 seconds, and I’d make it 60 if my boss had called me. They’re slacking off, that’s what. I worked in a grocery store and yes, a lot of the cashiers will “be in the bathroom” for 30 minutes if things slow down enough for them to get away. And yes, they will take 15 minutes to come back to the registers because they don’t want to be there and don’t care that it’s a problem for YOU. If it’s at night, the front end crew may be trying to get the nightly chores done (Sweep and mop, block and face certain sections, and cleaning the break room are things we had to do at my store). If someone is doing these chores, then they might not be keen to get back at their till. All this is the result of individual employees being crappy, not store policy. ---
**Author:** ![DCnDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dcndc/32/2842_2.png) [@DCnDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DCnDC)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2011, 2:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-grocery-store-complaints/590830/194 "2011-08-09T14:15:57Z")
> [@Hypno-Toad](#): > > They’re slacking off, that’s what. I worked in a grocery store and yes, a lot of the cashiers will “be in the bathroom” for 30 minutes if things slow down enough for them to get away. And yes, they will take 15 minutes to come back to the registers because they don’t want to be there and don’t care that it’s a problem for YOU. If it’s at night, the front end crew may be trying to get the nightly chores done (Sweep and mop, block and face certain sections, and cleaning the break room are things we had to do at my store). If someone is doing these chores, then they might not be keen to get back at their till. All this is the result of individual employees being crappy, not store policy. Clearly YMV, but from when I worked at Safeway, there would only be a certain number of checkers scheduled and those people would do only that. Additional checkers, if needed, would have to come from the other departments in the store like produce or dairy, so while that provided extra checkers it also meant that other stuff around the store was not getting done and other stations were going unmanned. And as someone who at one point worked in every department in the store, management included, I can tell you I was always loathe to go up front and help because I knew I could be stuck up there for up to an hour or more sometimes and I had my own shit to do, and I couldn’t always blame it on management not scheduling enough people because the store was only allotted a specific number of hours per week to be doled out to _everyone_. The problem was corporate, not anyone at the store level. My advice would be to take a comment card and fill it out, every time you visit. They _do_ actually read them, believe it or not, or at least they did when I worked for them. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Dord](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/3be4f8/32.png) [@The\_Dord](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Dord)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2011, 3:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-grocery-store-complaints/590830/195 "2011-08-09T15:58:05Z")
> [@Annie-Xmas](#): > > To get my EBT card, I had to go to the Social Service office, give them a lot of paperwork, then go again to be photographed and get the card after I entered my four digit code into a machine. > > I doubt any state sends them in the mail in this age of mail theft. > > Yes, people have commented on my purchases made with the food card. One lovely lady told me that, instead of buying sugar-free drink mix (the el cheapo brand is 8 sticks for a buck), I should drink water. She had three 6 packs of Coke cans! Cards in our state (Michigan) come in the mail and don’t have any photos on them at all. ---
**Author:** ![Frank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Frank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Frank)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2011, 5:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-grocery-store-complaints/590830/196 "2011-08-09T17:23:16Z")
> [@Broomstick](#): > > Where can you get a pack of cigarettes for only $7? They’re running a little under $6 here, and if I get them by the carton, it’s $4.67 a pack. The Illinois police keep an eye out for cigarette smugglers coming from Missouri. ---
**Author:** ![MLS](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/919ad9/32.png) [@MLS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MLS)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2011, 7:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-grocery-store-complaints/590830/197 "2011-08-09T19:40:37Z")
> [@Broomstick](#): > > Where can you get a pack of cigarettes for only $7? I just got back from a vacation that included Virginia and North Carolina. Prices averaged about $4.00 or so per pack depending on the brand. ---
**Author:** ![MLS](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/919ad9/32.png) [@MLS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MLS)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2011, 7:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-grocery-store-complaints/590830/198 "2011-08-09T19:50:09Z")
Adding my main gripe about grocery stores: I know I’m weird in that I prefer paper bags instead of plastic. I generally start the bagging myself if possible, and I tell the cashier I want paper. So they usually start by stuffing a paper bag inside the plastic one. No, I do NOT want plastic bags. None, nada, nyet, non. I also don’t think it’s rocket science to figure out the basics of proper bagging. Do not put all the heavy stuff in one bag. Put all the frozen stuff together. If possible fit the rest of the refrigerated items in that bag too. Do not load so much stuff in the bag that I will need a professional weightlifter to carry the bag from the car to my house. However, it is not necessary, EVER, to put a single item in a bag, unless it’s so poorly packaged that it’s leaking. Try to balance out the weight. Don’t put heavy stuff on top of squishable things like bread or tomatoes. I have actually on occasion unbagged and re-bagged the order right there at the counter, explaining to the cashier/bagger why I’m doing it, while he/she is ringing up the rest of the order. And I’m probably taking less time than he/she did to begin with. Finally, I do NOT understand how putting a carton of eggs inside of a flimsy plastic bag protects it from breakage. I mean, the eggs are already snugly enclosed in either cardboard or styrofoam. How is one layer of flimsy plastic going to make any difference? ---
**Author:** ![Moonlitherial](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4bbf92/32.png) [@Moonlitherial](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Moonlitherial)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2011, 8:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-grocery-store-complaints/590830/199 "2011-08-09T20:02:51Z")
> [@MLS](#): > > Finally, I do NOT understand how putting a carton of eggs inside of a flimsy plastic bag protects it from breakage. I mean, the eggs are already snugly enclosed in either cardboard or styrofoam. How is one layer of flimsy plastic going to make any difference? That’s not for breakage, that’s so if they break the leakage is contained. ---
**Author:** ![MLS](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/919ad9/32.png) [@MLS](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MLS)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2011, 8:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-grocery-store-complaints/590830/200 "2011-08-09T20:33:30Z")
> [@Moonlitherial](#): > > That’s not for breakage, that’s so if they break the leakage is contained. Well that actually makes some sense:smack: [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-grocery-store-complaints/590830.md?page=9) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/your-grocery-store-complaints/590830.md?page=11)