Tips From a Cashier/Cashier Rant

Angal75

I worked as a cashier for Dairy Queen and Canadian Tire, both service/parts counter and general cash. The only thing I liked about it, was that it paid for my car!

Number 1, I will never work to feed people again! Hungry people are idiots,

Number 2 being a cashier is not a great job no matter what company anyone works for. All those complaints are legitimate but one thing that bothers me the most about cashiers, even when I was one, although it's a ****ty job, a smile wouldn't hurt. Fake it even. If you can't then apply for the stock room or work somewhere that you don't have to deal with people. Being cranky because you have to work around impatient ignorant people isn't going to help the situation, or your mood, or the mood of your customer. It will in fact make them worse. It's not worth your sanity. These people are nothing, why let them get at you. lol

Yesterday at the superstore, there was a LOUD cashier, cranky, repeating that she was off in 15 minutes then complaining that she saw 4 pregnant women in the last 10 minutes. Geez. Get on with it woman! Hell, 90% of cashiers are women, they know how to fake it They can choose to have a good day or a bad day, Its up to each and everyone of us to decide how we are going to take the crap that's dished out for that day, and remember, there's nothing that says screw you like a BIG OLD SMILE and a perky HAVE A GREAT DAY!!!! to an irritated customer.

ajewellmom

And from a customer's point of view:

1) Please acknowledge me . . . I'm standing here in front of you and yet you are talking to your packer
2) If you don't have a packer and I'm in a store that should have one, it is your job to pack my groceries . . . it's why I'm shopping in the expensive store and not Food Basics
3) I would put that bar down to separate my groceries from those ahead of me, but sometimes you don't push the bar far enough for me to reach it
4) Chewing gum is gross, but even grosser when you can't keep your mouth shut
5) I don't know which groceries should be packed together, so don't glare at me when my tuna is next to my cilantro and a pair of shorts. I generally am trying to empty my cart quickly for the benefit of the person behind me as well as the cashier so I may not get it in proper order.

I have many more, but I do also understand what a cashier deals with from Joe Public. Heck, my daughter is a cashier and has taken on front end management duties. I hear it all the time!!

futuresize8

I worked as a cashier/keyholder/manager/regional training manager and then trouble shooter for a number of companies for lots of years. I don't do that any more.

While I agree with every frustrated retail worker or cashier that sometimes people are super rude and ignorant, and it's fine to note that, I also remember reminding myself that part of what I'm paid for is dealing with those people and making their experience as pleasant as it possibly can be.

So that they'll come back. So that they don't feel like a bother. So that they'll spend money there again. So my company will be successful and everyone will get a paycheck.

Now on the other side of the counter, I'm often surprised at how unprofessional the cashiers are:
- I don't want to hear you bantering with your friend at the next checkout post about who is going to get to take their break next.
- I don't want to see your chewing gum. Seriously.
- I don't need to hear you b*tching about being tired, looking tired or acting tired. I, too, am tired. Maybe we can just have a service level agreement that we all need to slow down, get to bed earlier, eat better or whatever so we aren't so tired, and quit complaining about it.
- It is not my fault if something won't scan. I didn't know the bar code was faulty. Maybe you should talk to your manager about it if it's a frequent problem, but I'm not sure why you're implying it's my responsibility to go get another of said item to try to scan. Isn't that what the little phone is for at your station?
- Saying hello, did you find everything okay, and making small talk is part of the job. It is part of good service. It just is.
- Arguing with a customer is never OK. If the customer is a douche and it's going that way? Politely excuse yourself, get a manager, and explain it calmly before you get back to the customer. While the manager handles it, consider helping the next person in line to a different, faster line. These are people skills. They will help later in life.
- Please and thank you goes both ways.

And, it is never okay for a customer to mistreat you. But it is good to remember that you can be the winner in every situation by not reacting or stooping to their level. You keep being you...good, positive, decent, kind you.

My staff had my support 100%. But they also knew I expected them to treat every interaction with a customer as precious. I treated them the same for giving their all.

smithed812

This thread is stressing me out.

rml_16

I don't know which groceries should be packed together, so don't glare at me when my tuna is next to my cilantro and a pair of shorts. I generally am trying to empty my cart quickly for the benefit of the person behind me as well as the cashier so I may not get it in proper order.

I really don't understand this complaint. Most grocery stores have a set-up where the cashhier can bag two bags at a time and you can easily set things aside and put them in the next round of bags.

People don't usually put their groceries on the belt in the way I would bag them, but I still managed to have the fastest time ringing of every cashier who worked there. It isn't the big of a deal.

I agree it's a tough job and customers can be jerks. But how they put their stuff on the belt is a ridiculous and spoiled complaint and makes me want to say, "Be glad you have a job, whiner."

anemoneprose

You're walking into the store anyway, bring a shopping cart or two along with you from the parking lot.

um, what? no.

(i am conscious of my own cart; i am not about to troll the parking lot looking for ones other people left, because, i don't work there?)

TribeHokie

Well, I read through this entire thread and was all excited to post my own experiences from working at a shoe retailer and at a call center, but about halfway through I realized my comments would probably not be helpful if a potential employer stumbled across them when researching me for an interview...

Suffice to say:

- Ditto to the comment about asking the price of every item and then deciding you don't want half of it when you see it really really isn't on sale (prices don't change throughout the day and managers get to the store early to make sure all sale items have been marked.)

- Even if you end up buying something, it is not polite to continue to shop past closing time

- If you see people in the store past closing but the doors are locked, don't bother knocking.

- Attitude is everything when you call customer/tech support. In a million ways, attitude is everything.

- As a customer, having worked the phones in a call center I have a good idea what to expect. I know what is going on on your side of the phone. Also, if I've told you that my network is down and I need you to remotely reboot the router because I've already tried (insert all basic and advanced home troubleshooting steps here that could possibly fix the issue without having to call CS), please don't waste our time by taking me back through those steps.

anemoneprose

While I agree with every frustrated retail worker or cashier that sometimes people are super rude and ignorant, and it's fine to note that, I also remember reminding myself that part of what I'm paid for is dealing with those people and making their experience as pleasant as it possibly can be.

and you know what. if a store is well run, and there's sort of a culture of niceness, people will rise to the occasion. i feel like my fellow customers are a bunch nicer when i shop at whole foods, or at small, local grocery stores.

DalekBrittany

Here's my thing...I am a cashier, though not at a grocery store. At closing time I joke around and say that I hate people because sometimes, the way people put things back (i.e., balling them up and throwing them wherever) makes me wonder! However, I don't actually hate people. I absolutely love my customers. I treat all of them the same. Even if they are rude to me, I still do whatever I can to make sure they leave happy because I actually care about our sales numbers and I don't want a bad survey coming to our store (and it won't even reflect me, I rarely tell people my name, I don't wear a name tag, and they'd have no way of knowing who I am) because I want our store to continue being one of the best in the district.

I can understand the frustration, but perhaps this job is not for you! Sure, if there's a super friendly, nice customer and there's SOMETHING I can do that's above and beyond, like take a coupon that is expired, I will gladly do it for most customers. But I also do it for the rude ones, because being rude or nasty right back to them does absolutely nothing but potentially have a customer that will never come back to that store again.

I don't know, maybe I care more about my store's numbers more than the average cashier, but that's just me.

slkehl

Also, please do not hand us bills that you pulled out of your bra that are wet from boob sweat.

DalekBrittany

Also, please do not hand us bills that you pulled out of your bra that are wet from boob sweat.

I have not personally have this happen, but I have young, pretty girls dressed kind of provocatively and buying hundreds of dollars of provocative things paying all in singles. I'm not saying you're a stripper, but if it walks like a duck and quacks like a duck...

thetruthrevealed

THERE IS NOTHING WRONG WITH CUSTOMERS BAGGING THEIR OWN GROCERIES ESPECIALLY WHEN THERE IS A LAZY OR INCOMPETENT CASHIER. BUT WHAT I HAVE A PROBLEM WITH IS WHEN CUSTOMERS WILL TAKE ITEMS OUT OF CASHIER’S HAND ONE BY ONE BEFORE THE CASHIER CAN EVEN PUT THE ITEM DOWN OR PUT OR SLIDE THE ITEMS SO IT CAN GET TO THE BACK. A LOT OF TIMES CASHIERS HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO USE A BOARD CONNECTOR WHICH MEANS THAT AFTER A CASHIER SCANS AN ITEM HE OR SHE CAN SLIDE IT DOWN SO THAT WAY IT CAN GO DOWN THE BOARD AND INTO THE BACK. IN THE BACK AREA, IS WHERE I HAVE SEEN CUSTOMERS PUT THINGS IN BAGS. THIS IS COMPLETELY NORMAL AS I SEE IT ALL THE TIME. BUT WHEN IT COMES TO OTHER CASHIERS, I HAVE NEVER SEEN A LOT OF CUSTOMERS ON A DAILY BASIS DECIDE TO BE “BEHIND” A CASHIER AND TAKE ITEMS OUT OF THEIR “HANDS.” BUT THIS HAPPENS TO ME ALL THE TIME. A LOT OF CUSTOMERS WILL DO THIS ON A DAILY BASIS TO ME. LIKE I SAID, IF YOU WANT TO BAG YOUR OWN GROCERIES I AM NOT GOING TO STOP YOU FROM BAGGING YOUR GROCERIES. BUT WHEN YOU BAG YOUR GROCERIES IT IS NOT NECESSARY FOR YOU TO TAKE ITEMS OUT OF MY “HANDS.” KEEP IN MIND I DON’T MIND IF SOMEONE ASKS ME FOR AN ITEM OR EVEN A COUPLE OF ITEMS. BUT WHAT I AM REFERRING TO HALF THE ORDER SOMETIMES THE ENTIRE ORDER CUSTOMERS WILL TAKE ITEMS OUT OF MY HANDS AFTER I RING IT THROUGH SCANNER. BUT KEEP IN MIND THAT WHEN I SAY AFTER I RING IT THROUGH THE SCANNER IM STILL HAVE THE ITEM IN MY HAND. MANY MANY TIMES BEFORE IM ABLE TO PUT IT INTO A BAG, CUSTOMERS WILL ASK ME IM A DONE. AND THEY TAKE IT FROM MY HAND. WHAT SHOULD I SAY? CAN I ASK THE CUSTOMER IF IT WOULD BE OK WITH YOU IF I PUT THE ITEMS DOWN FIRST BEFORE YOU TAKE THEM AND BAG THEM YOURSELF? AGAIN, I AM NOT REFERRING TO A COUPLE OF ITEMS THEY TAKE OUT OF MY HANDS AND IM NOT REFERRING TO CUSTOMERS ASKING ME FOR JUST A FEW ITEMS THEY CAN HAVE. MANY CUSTOMERS TAKE AT LEAST 20-30 ITEMS OUT MY HAND---ONE BY ONE THEY ADD UP TO 20-30 ITEMS.

Sapporo

I used to be a cashier back in the day when kids could buy smokes for parents with a note supposedly written by a parent.
The only bad thing I can remember are the teenagers who thought they could steal candy bars without even really hiding it because I was a teenager and shouldn't care. I kicked a lot of them after yelling at them and some were banned by the maanger thinking I wouldn't care if they came in on my shift. So glad it was corner store and the manager didn't mind if I yelled at people who deserved it (only shoplifters, I was nice to everyone else).
Cashiers today, please don't act like you're doing me favour by honouring the sale price tag on the shelf for an item. I don't care if your register brought up a higher price, that isn't my problem. Do your job and give me the item for free as stated in the scanning code of practice which your store displays at the register and customer service desk. Hem and haw all you want, but see how you realized that you had no choice? All other cashiers at this store automatically go, ooops, sorry, looks like you get that item for free (or $10 off if it is over $10), not just try to make the price be what it was supposed to be. This lady actually acted all put out because I said "Scanning code of practice? It is free now, right?" and sighed, said "oh... alright..." then had attitude the rest of the transaction. This was today, might actually complain about this one.

nolongerXXL

I was a cashier as my first job and a few others down the road. It definitely helped to solidify my desire to get out of retail.

- Put your money in the cashier's hands. Cashiers don't make you scrape your change off the counter, so don't make them scrape your payment from there either.

THIS!!!! I'm not even a cashier, but it drives me NUTS!!!! Place the change, money, etc IN THE CASHIERS HAND!!!!!

I want to PUNCH people who throw their money, especially change down on the counter. SO RUDE.

brittaney10811

*If you put an item on my belt that weighs more than 30lbs, don't expect me to lift it. Take note of my size, there is no way in hell I'll do that without breaking my back.

:huh: All I can think about is that you need to start lifting. Seriously.

thetruthrevealed

One thing that I would like to ask people who are and or use to be cashiers is, when customers want to bag their own groceries, have you seen alot of customers take items from off the scanning area "before" putting items in the bags? For example, i have worked in some of the best supermarkets in the country and my supervisor tells all of us that when we no longer are novices at cashiering she would like us to do scan items in a sequence like this, "scan, scan, scan, scan, then bag those items. repeat the process. another words she doesn't want us to scan one item and then put it into the bag, she wants us to scan a number of items (however many we can that will fit on the scanning area) then put all those items in a bag. That is a really good idea and i totally agree with my supervisor. Also, if a customer wants to bag their own groceries i dont have a problem with that. But my question to all of you is, shouldn't cashiers be allowed to say no and refuse customers from taking items from off the "scanning area." A number of customers will reach across the "scanning area" and put their hands over it and take up items one by one. I mean I have never seen a customer do this with other cashiers. Have any of you? What i have seen is a customer may take something out of a cashier's hand if cashier allows them to do so or if customer asks if they can have an item(s)

---

but still its not right to take 15 or more items out of cashier's hand one by one. But like i said i have not seen any customers take items from off the scanning area, but i have seen customers when they bag their own groceries take items after the customer puts or slides the items down which the items eventually get to the back of the register. this is perfect and good. So as it pertains to customer bagging their own groceries, i have seen customers do this and rightfully so bag groceries at the back of the register. But what i dont agree with is when customers walk up to the scanning area reach across with their hands and take items off one by one from off the scanning area. This also creates a second problem because a cashier has to scan items using the scanner which is in the middle of the scanning area. This creates a big problem. Why? When there are a number of items in the scanning area right next to the scanner, and a cashier is scanning an item and a customer takes the items that are in the scanning area, a cashier could accidentally hit or bump the customers arms and or hands and or a customer could accidentally hit or bump the cashier's hand simply by taking items off the scanning area WHILE THE CASHIER IS SCANNING ITEMS OVER THE SCANNER.

rml_16

*If you put an item on my belt that weighs more than 30lbs, don't expect me to lift it. Take note of my size, there is no way in hell I'll do that without breaking my back.

:huh: All I can think about is that you need to start lifting. Seriously.

Yeah, you try reaching across the belt and lifting something heavy that's an odd shape, then trying to turn and place it in someone's cart at another odd angle, or behind you on a table. Then do that 50 times a day.

brittaney10811

*If you put an item on my belt that weighs more than 30lbs, don't expect me to lift it. Take note of my size, there is no way in hell I'll do that without breaking my back.

:huh: All I can think about is that you need to start lifting. Seriously.

Yeah, you try reaching across the belt and lifting something heavy that's an odd shape, then trying to turn and place it in someone's cart at another odd angle, or behind you on a table. Then do that 50 times a day.

I have. I also worked at a steakhouse restaurant for 4 years carrying trays well over 30#, bending and twisting and shifting to get around. 30# is definitely workable. Strength training will fix that problem.

rml_16

*If you put an item on my belt that weighs more than 30lbs, don't expect me to lift it. Take note of my size, there is no way in hell I'll do that without breaking my back.

:huh: All I can think about is that you need to start lifting. Seriously.

Yeah, you try reaching across the belt and lifting something heavy that's an odd shape, then trying to turn and place it in someone's cart at another odd angle, or behind you on a table. Then do that 50 times a day.

I have. I also worked at a steakhouse restaurant for 4 years carrying trays well over 30#, bending and twisting and shifting to get around. 30# is definitely workable. Strength training will fix that problem.

It is not good for your back. No matter how much strength training you do. And it's rude as a customer to put those things up there. It's why there are scanning guns.

runlilyrun

Oh oh also. If you come to the fast food restaurant I work in and you ask for salt to put on your food, I judge you *so* hard. It's already got a ton in!

Also I hate people who have a massssive wodge of notes (UK, so it's not like they could be $1 bills) that they rifle through trying to find one to pay with. Yes, I've been there before where I happen to have three 20s in my purse and that's all so I have to pay for something that's like £1.99 with one, but why would anyone carry more than £200 just in their regular billfold thing?