Tips From a Cashier/Cashier Rant

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  • k8blujay2
    k8blujay2 Posts: 4,941 Member
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    *Don't wait till the last five minutes we're open to try and check out. I realize you probably think "oh but I'm just one person" no, your not, because everybody is thinking that. People like you are the reason that we not only close 20 minutes later than we're supposed to, but also the reason that regardless of the fact that I was supposed to get off at 11:30, I now have to stay until 12am to catch up on zoning.

    And this happens practically everywhere... this has happened to me in fast food (and if you think it sucks at Target, try it in a food joint after the grill and fryer had just been shut down and started to be cleaned), in library services in college, and even in city government..... So this is just something you better get used to if you want to get a paycheck...
  • morgansmom02
    morgansmom02 Posts: 1,139 Member
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    I actually never thought of grouping my items together on the belt. I usually plop them on the way I take them out of the cart. That is good to know!! I didn't know that you get timed!
  • Ayeshat
    Ayeshat Posts: 209
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    I think everyone should have to work in some kind of service job once in their lives. I use to work as a cashier and a waitress. It has made me a much better consumer.

    I totally agree, i work part time at a sushi bar where I'm a waitress/ cashier/ cleaner :-s and tbh just as customers can be rude, so can service people. U get angry at people for asking a simple question like 'are u open' because u've heard it a million times but lookin at it from the customers point of view, its a pretty reasonable question... but u do get some real douches that really wipe the smile off ur face and make u wish u were a bad enough person to spit in their food lol
  • pen2u
    pen2u Posts: 224 Member
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    You've got a certain number of hours at work and a specific job description. As long as the tasks fit that description, what does it matter how your time is filled? Tick-tock, done, go home, forget about it 'til your next shift..

    Teachers have to take their work home and also deal with disrespect from parents, students, administrators, politicians, etc. They often pay for classroom supplies and clean their own classrooms since budgets have been severely cut.

    Sometimes while grading papers and lesson planning on my own time I consider working in retail again, even when I remember the woman who fiercely javelined her child's rental skiis at me over the shop counter because he fell while on the bunny slope. The snow conditions/his lack of skill were my fault, apparently.
  • jamk1446
    jamk1446 Posts: 5,577 Member
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    I don't think I've ever been rude to a cashier unless they treated me poorly to begin with. HOWEVER, I have talked back to that canned voice at the self checkout - she is totally rude and pushy!! LOL

    This is me too! I never have a good experience with those things and a few stores around here don't have express lanes with a cashier anymore, only self checkout, so sometimes they are unavoidable. I've gotten belligerent quite a few times with the virtual cashier.

    My biggest frustration is with bagging. I like to use reusable bags but don't always remember them. When I forget, why is it that I buy 10 things but walk out with 15 bags?
  • thatsnumberwang
    thatsnumberwang Posts: 398 Member
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    Some of the stuff you mention, however, isn't going to go away just because you change jobs. People will always comment on your weight if, as it appears, you're a full-grown woman who weighs less than the average-sized cocker spaniel. I was shocked when I saw your profile and your pictures. I'm sorry to say that, but it's true. So are the people who go through your line.

    What you do about that is up to you.

    OP has a mental disorder. As sad as it is (and it is very sad - while the rest of us are gaining or maintaining control of our health, she is losing control without realizing it), a bunch of strangers on the internet aren't going to be able to do much about it.
  • MFPAddict
    MFPAddict Posts: 2,303 Member
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    I think everyone should have to work in some kind of service job once in their lives. I use to work as a cashier and a waitress. It has made me a much better consumer.

    Excellent point.
  • Siannah
    Siannah Posts: 456 Member
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    makes you bitter.

    Yeah, I got that bit. Maybe try to find another job?
  • treetop57
    treetop57 Posts: 1,578 Member
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    - 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.
    I use to accidentally on purpose drop a few coins which makes them scramble to pick it up. Only if they put the money on the counter instead of in my waiting hand.

    In some countries it's considered rude to hand someone money. You always put it on the counter, not in their hand. I bet a lot of customers who put their money on the counter are doing so for cultural reasons.
  • Mrsfullwood
    Mrsfullwood Posts: 172 Member
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    No but if I post all the complaints than nobody else will have anything to add. =P I don't know how much it varies. That was just my experience at Target.

    Let me suggest, as diplomatically as I can, that you should consider another line of work, if you haven't already. Clearly, you don't have the temperament to work with the public.

    But neither did I at your age. I worked at a 7-11 store from the time I was 15 until I was about 21, I guess. Jesus, I hated people. In fact, I actually wore a button on my 7-11 jacket that said, "I hate people." No kidding. It was my uncle's store and that's the only reason I got away with it, I'm guessing.

    Some of the stuff you mention, however, isn't going to go away just because you change jobs. People will always comment on your weight if, as it appears, you're a full-grown woman who weighs less than the average-sized cocker spaniel. I was shocked when I saw your profile and your pictures. I'm sorry to say that, but it's true. So are the people who go through your line.

    What you do about that is up to you.

    I'm pretty sure she knows that some of the things are not going to go away but maybe she just needed to vent. She can't tell the customer how she really feels so this is her way of doing so.
  • Mrsfullwood
    Mrsfullwood Posts: 172 Member
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    I think you said it all! I couldn’t stand when I have my hand out and they put the money on the counter and when they are talking on the phone when they are trying to check out.
  • donnantx
    donnantx Posts: 76
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    **All items have been rung up and you still haven't even pulled your wallet out of your pocket or purse !! Come on what are you waiting on? The person behind you to offer to pay for it?**

    **People still writing checks in this day and age...come on use that plastic debit card in your wallet and save us all some time**

    **Once your transaction is completed..get the hell out of the way and stop talking to your long lost friend**

    **Chatting on the phone while unloading your cart with ONE hand**

    **Cashier not greeting the next customer**

    yes this is from the next customer in line....oh and btw...I miss my Walmart Greeters!!
  • jaymek92
    jaymek92 Posts: 309 Member
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    *Don't ask me if I'm 'open'. I'm standing right here, my light is on, I'm looking at you, YES I'M OPEN.
    I can't tell you how many times your light ISN'T on. I respect it and go wait in a longer line. There are people who pay NO attention to the light and walk right up and start putting their items on the belt. You (generic cashier you) are open but just never bothered to turn on the light. Bugs me when I follow the "rules" when no one else does.

    So if you're gonna get snarky when I try to ask politely if you're open, I'm gonna give attitude, as well.
    chances are they actually aren't open though. at my kmart, the registers take like 5 minutes to load because we got them secondhand from another store in the mid-90s. i don't want to show up to work, punch in, get my till, start to open the register and have some impatient jerk standing there yelling at me for 15 minutes because i have 20 screens to go through and then the computer froze so i had to restart it. just stay in another line. if we see that there are longer lines and we don't have anybody, we'll call you over (if we actually are open) or realize that our light's not on because the manager was screaming at us for no reason at all so we're a little flustered.
  • CherylPierce
    CherylPierce Posts: 73 Member
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    "*While unloading your products onto my conveyor belt, please let it make sense. Don't give me two things of cleaner than a long line of random food items followed by clothes, more cleaner and other random crap. We have to bag things a certain way, cold food with cold food, cans with cans, cleaners/non-food items separate, not to mention we're scored on our speed, the longer it takes you to unload your belt, the more likely it is I'll get 'talked to' about being to slow."


    I always do my best to be kind and polite to cashiers. I know your job is difficult. Please be patient with us, though. We really have no idea what the bagging rules are or what order makes sense on the conveyor belt. We're just trying to unload the cart as quickly as possible so we can get home.
  • rml_16
    rml_16 Posts: 16,414 Member
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    I don't think I've ever been rude to a cashier unless they treated me poorly to begin with. HOWEVER, I have talked back to that canned voice at the self checkout - she is totally rude and pushy!! LOL

    This is me too! I never have a good experience with those things and a few stores around here don't have express lanes with a cashier anymore, only self checkout, so sometimes they are unavoidable. I've gotten belligerent quite a few times with the virtual cashier.

    My biggest frustration is with bagging. I like to use reusable bags but don't always remember them. When I forget, why is it that I buy 10 things but walk out with 15 bags?

    Blame other customers who yelled at the cashier for bagging the way she was taught. People are weird about their groceries and cashiers are afraid to put the wrong thing in a bag with something else or to make the bags "too heavy."
  • brendaj39
    brendaj39 Posts: 375 Member
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    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.



    I hate this the most....and when it is crumbled up in their pockets, sometimes wet with sweat...ewe!!!!,,,,sometimes i would love to crumble their change up and give it to them...and when they throw their money at us...like we are to fetch it...I've been a cashier for 23 years....part time, and i agree, some people really think they are above cashiers....but then, there are some really nice and wonderful people you get to meet and know...
  • mzhokie
    mzhokie Posts: 349 Member
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    I have always been nice to cashiers etc. But about a year or two I read an article on how we are forgetting to say Please and Thank You to strangers for things like holding a door open or ringing up our groceries. Every since then I have tried to be even more conscious about it.

    I don't think I would last very long in a customer service job like that. I did phone customer service and at least then I could make faces, roll my eyes or whatever while talking to someone that was annoying me. In person, you would be so much harder. I really do appreciate anyone in that position.

    I laugh now because the guys who work the deli at our local grocery store are so nice to me and wait on me immediately. I know it's because I always say Please, Thank you very much, have a nice day, etc. There is no other reason .... I live in a town of college students and I don''t look anything like a hot college co-ed so it has to be because I'm nice to them! LOL
  • classycouture
    classycouture Posts: 888 Member
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    *Don't talk on your cell phone while we're checking you out, it's rude.

    This is the ONE thing that pissed me off the most! I would purposely create coversation with the customer on the phone to show them how rude it is.

    Another thing I learned while cashiering - Kill that mean, nasty customer with kindness. It pisses them off EVEN more than they already are, and it puts a nice smile on your face!

    I think the craziest thing I ever saw while working as a cashier at a grocery story - A woman came to the express checkout with about 8 items, some fruits/veggies, some canned goods, and a box of cereal. She made me cover the scanners with brown paper bags, and made me type in every code manually, because she was afraid that the scanners would irradiate her food. I just stared at her then entire time hahaha. I felt bad though, because she was wicked serious. I couldn't imagine living my life in such fear like that!
  • ckmama
    ckmama Posts: 1,668 Member
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    I've been both a cashier (at a box store and grocery store) and a customer---

    And being a cashier sucks and being a customer who has to deal with a snarky nasty attitude "i hate my Job" cashier sucks too.

    Oh well, that is why it is such a high turn over job. :wink:
  • cindymarguerite
    cindymarguerite Posts: 52
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    I'm currently a cashier at Target and here are some of my peeves...

    - *item won't scan* "OH SO IT'S FREE THEN HARHARHARHAR" .....no.

    - "sir could i see your driver's license for the alcohol?" "WHY? I'M OLD ENOUGH. YOU'RE STEALING MY IDENTITY!!" At Target whenever we ring up alcohol/cough medicine/lighters our register immediately freezes and prompts us to scan a driver's licence. we're not taking any information from you. yes i know you're old enough but the computer doesn't so why are you yelling at me? if you have a problem then take it up with corporate or the government instead of complaining to the cashier.

    - *customer comes into your line with a cart full of items. puts everything on the belt" "how much is this? and this? and this? and this? and this? and this? no. take it off. i don't want it." really? do you even look at prices before throwing the WHOLE STORE in your cart?

    - "are you open?!" i get asked this even when my light is on and i'm in the middle of checking someone out.

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