Grocery Cashiers, tell me!

[Disneyrsh]

The girls and I went grocery shopping today, and I found myself wondering if the cashiers notice trends of what skinny people put on the belt for checkout and what overweight people do?

I had to laugh at myself because I had a ton of healthy stuff like broccoli, apples, v-8 fusion, salmon, and then I had a jar of Marshmallow Fluff. I don't know what made me put it on there. It commanded me.

When my husband goes food shopping the cart consists of: ice cream, beer, and usually some sort of jerky or sausage. The cashiers must think he's either single or whipped (because I won't buy that crap).

So, can you look at someone's cart and go, oh yeah, that person's got Issues with food? Or go, how on earth does that person stay skinny eating like that!

Me, I have Issues with chocolate. I refer to it as a love affair gone terribly wrong...

 

[CF'er]

a time during my first marriage. My ex-Dh was in the Air Force and we were out late on base (like after midnight) . Had to run into the store to get milk and the guy in front of me was buying:

Beer
Gum
Condoms

'nuf said.

 

[Lisa loves Pooh]

I used to observe all the time.

The saddest was the bulimic who worked at a BBQ place who bought boxes and boxes of correctol. She was skin and bones, her teeth were wretched and she did not look well. It was very obvious what she was doing.


There are skinny people out there who do buy non-healthy food as well and some overweight people who buy healthy food.

I tended to notice the more unusual purchases like the large qty of laxatives.

 

[Poohbear123]

I have been on a diet for about 2 months now, and have lost 11 pounds. I diet very slowly, anyway, whenever anyone places Ding-Dongs/Ice cream/Cookies/Candy/Frozen stuff on the belt I say to myself: "Can't have that, that or that or that!" I see this a lot with people on food stamps, hardly ever do I see fresh veggies or fruit when they buy!

 

[CF'er]

"I see this a lot with people on food stamps, hardly ever do I see fresh veggies or fruit when they buy! "

DSil is a grocery cashier and we talk about what ppl on food stamps buy vs what we do.

Like fresh vs frozen or meal prep stuff vs ready made.

Fascinates me. Also, I think if I were a cashier... would it open up a world of unknown products to me.....

 

[Lisa loves Pooh]

"I see this a lot with people on food stamps, hardly ever do I see fresh veggies or fruit when they buy! "

DSil is a grocery cashier and we talk about what ppl on food stamps buy vs what we do.

Like fresh vs frozen or meal prep stuff vs ready made.

Fascinates me. Also, I think if I were a cashier... would it open up a world of unknown products to me.....

I know why they do this.

I chatted with a custy many years ago b/c my fellow cashiers and I were impressed that she was buying 2 cart loads of food for a modest amount.

Fresh is expensive--preserved and neon colored is not.

They can get more food by eating less healthy.

Sad the way that it works--but often that is why you will see less fresh stuff. It is just the way the cookie crumbles.

 

[disneyfav4ever]

I'm going to agree with the food stamps thing. Yesterday I was ringing up an order of mostly junk - chips, soda, pre-made sandwiches, not exactly necessaties, and she told me not to bother getting the store savings card for her - which would have saved her at least $10.

Then, on another order, still mostly junk food. At the end of the reciept the food stamp balance always prints up, and her balance was over $1,000. Why would people need that much? That seemed like an excessive amount to me. And aren't food stamps renewed every month?

 

[mssocks]

And this would be why I cringe when I go to the check out line. I am a large person and I can see every person in line and the cashier watch every item I put on the belt. Just like being at an all you can eat buffet - my plate is the most fascinating item in the room!

Not saying this was the OP's intention or what they were asking. Just commenting on how I feel at the store. I buy myself one treat a trip ( every 2 weeks or so ). And I HATE how I feel when I put it down.

I will confess to checking out other people's stuff - just to see what they found in the store. I've had very nice conversations that have started with -Oh! That looks interesting, where did you find that? It makes people less concerned with what I'm buying when they are talking to me as a person.

 

[MushyMushy]

I hope nobody ever judges ME based on what I buy at the store!

OMG, they'd be so wrong.

The produce at one local store can't be beat, so I load up on fruits and veggies there. The meats at another store are better, so I get all my meats there. Then I go to Walmart for all the boxed and canned goods.

The people at the store where I buy the produce must think I'm on the most UNsuccessful diet ever!

 

[Disneyrsh]

I star

 

[curiouser]

One of my dear friends quit her first job after getting reprimanded on her second day. I guess a guy came through her line with a box of Whitmanns chocolates, Old Spice, a bottle of wine (this is a drug/convenience type store, mind you) and a box of condoms -- she thought it was so tacky she started laughing once she saw everything and the customer got offended.

 

[mudnuri]

Lot's of stereotyping going on here today huh?

Here's a thought on foodstamps- to go again with what a previous poster said.

We've had the discussion here about how much we spend on groceries per month etc.. always- the people who eat more fruits/veggies and fresh stuff pay more than those people who eat pre-packaged foods, canned veggies and frozen stuff.

When your on food stamps- your food budget is dependent on what you get for foodstamps- I would assume they dont have extra cash to supplement what they get for food stamps....therefore they have X to spend, no room in the budget for anymore. They are going to try to get the most food for the X they have,

And- here foodstamps do not expire for 3 months. I know a woman with 4 kids, going through a divorce, in school full time, who gets just over $600 a month in food stamps- if she only spent 200 last month- her 'balance' that you the checker see- would say $1000...doesnt mean she gets 1000 a month, just means she didnt spend much the month before.

If you looked at my cart, you'd think we were vegetarians, I only buy meat at the butcher LOL...and buy a lot I do!

brandy

 

[NeverlandClub23]

I started noticing the soda when my husband quit drinking a 6 pack of coke a day and switched to unsweet black tea, and dropped 22 pounds in 1 month.

Coke and unsweet black tea, what a change! My taste buds would be shocked!

I too have given up soda for awhile (6 months). Lost a few pounds. Missed soda, so now I only drink one diet caffeine free clear soda a day (didn't gain any weight back). After seeing the insides of a person who drinks dark regular soda every day (good old Anatomy class) I changed my ways!!

The strangest thing I've ever seen at the checkout line is a lady had 20 huge tubs of "chitlins" and a pack of diet pills.

 

[Laurajean1014]

Most cashiers could care less about what you're putting on the belt.

 

[MushyMushy]

FWIW, the skinny people seem to have weirder things in their carts, and the people that I would say are overweight seem to always have soda in their carts.

I buy pop for everyone BUT myself, because I drink water 99% of the time. So, on a day I'm buying pop for the family, you might see me with a six pack of Diet Pepsi (for DH), a six pack of orange pop (for DD), and a six pack of Dr. Pepper (for DS). I'm sure the cashier would assume one of them was for me.

Oddly enough, the kids aren't overweight, but DH is, and he's the one drinking the diet.

 

[kimmikayb]

Coke and unsweet black tea, what a change! My taste buds would be shocked!

I too have given up soda for awhile (6 months). Lost a few pounds. Missed soda, so now I only drink one diet caffeine free clear soda a day (didn't gain any weight back). After seeing the insides of a person who drinks dark regular soda every day (good old Anatomy class) I changed my ways!!

The strangest thing I've ever seen at the checkout line is a lady had 20 huge tubs of "chitlins" and a pack of diet pills.

Even more off topic....what did the insides look like? Dark regular soda? Does diet do the same? I know, I am naive (or stupid, however you look at it, )

 

[ktulu]

Back in my day as a cashier at a grocery store, I worked the overnight shift and saw my fair share of interesting characters. Strippers coming in after 2am paying with all ones, drunks from the bar trying to buy beer. We had a rugby team from England come in and a guy wanted a sombrero from a display, so he just traded the hat he was wearing for it. They also commented on how our money was hard to use since it was all the same color, I told the guy we just go by the faces. He fell for it too Then his buddy goes back to get some soda, and come back with diet orange soda. He is like "oh no, diet!" and the other guy goes "no problem mate, we'll have a diet tonight..." yet they are buying nothing but junk foods.

That reminds me, we also had a large college population shop with us, and the college girls would buy junk food, and then diet coke. I always had to chuckle a bit, and sometimes I'd just suggest that if they are going to eat junk, they might as well go for it and drink regular coke too. A few agreed (especially during finals week).

So yes, cashiers do watch what people buy.

a time during my first marriage. My ex-Dh was in the Air Force and we were out late on base (like after midnight) . Had to run into the store to get milk and the guy in front of me was buying:

Beer
Gum
Condoms

'nuf said.

I had a customer come through and get just condoms and a pack of cigarettes. He was the only customer who was never slightly discreet about what he was buying, just slapped them down, looked me square in the eye, paid and left. Maybe it was a guy thing, who knows.

darren

 

[Breezy_Carol]

Fresh is expensive--preserved and neon colored is not.

They can get more food by eating less healthy.

This is so true. We went out for pizza this weekend and wanted more than just pizza but are trying to watch $$. Two salads would have added $10 to the meal but an order of fries large enough to share was only $4.

 

[clori]

I worked evenings as a cashier/supervisor/service desk for 6 years. I didn't pay attention to people's sizes. What I always wanted to know was when snow was predicted why people needed to stock up for a month. Also why did people need to get a new flashliight everytime they thought we would loose power but at the same time need to have ice cream on hand for a power outage. Once I was talking to store security (non security issue) and we watched a guy come in the store go to the formula section grab a large can then walk to the service desk and demand his money back on the can. He couldn't believe it when the cops were called.

 

[JVL1018]

LOL! I was a cashier at A&P in high school and the first year of college and I never noticed what kind of food someone was eating and what size they were.

What I DID notice was the guy who came in two times a week and alway ALWAYS bought 2 or 3 bottles of hydrogen peroxide along with the rest of his stuff.
What on Earth do you need 4-6 bottles of peroxide a week for, for years!??

Or the guy who came in every single night and not all the time, but often bought beets and Newports.

Or the customer who said every week..Hey honey, what do you call a deer with no eyes? No idea. Get it? hardy har har.