Grocery store Check-out pet peeves...

[Saffron]

I don't think that Poohbear is saying anything in general about people buying Twinkies in general as much as she's saying that it's strange that some people comment about "it depends what the bill is" when they've bought extras that have inflated the bill.

What does "extras that inflated the bill" mean? Any item someone is purchasing anywhere is a purchase they want or need to make. It shouldn't matter to anyone, not even the cashier asking for a donation, how someone spends their own money or doesn't spend their own money, budget or no budget, it's no one's business but the purchaser's.

Sometimes people only have a certain amount of cash on them. I don't think it's odd at all that someone would say, "it depends on what the bill is", that's like saying "let me see if I can afford to, if I have enough left over to give something". What if all they have left over at the end of checking out is ten bucks and they need that ten bucks, they don't have anything extra to give? I think that's what people mean when they say something like that. What anyone purchases shouldn't factor into anything.

I've never once been bothered by a cashier asking for a donation, and I've never once turned anyone down that I can remember and I've never even thought about it until this thread. Now I think I'll be wondering if the cashier is sizing up what I purchase before they ask me.

 

[delilah]

My personal all time top pet peeve in the grocery store check out is the people who can not/will not get off their cell phones. Actually anywhere someone has to deal with another person. I mean that is just rude. It is as if the person helping them is a second class citizen, not good enough to even be acknowledged.

My pet peeve is being paged by the hospital operator while I am in the check out line at the grocery. sorry if it bugs you for me to talk to the hospital operator and/or my patient while I'm standing in line behind you. I am a working parent, just like alot of the rest of the customers and the check out clerks. If I want to buy groceries for my family, I have to do it on the weekend, when my husband can watch my son for me for an hour or so.

I'm another one who doesn't like to get hit up for donations at the check out. I like to write a check, and need to keep track of donations for itemizing my taxes.

 

[kydisneyfans]

My pet peeves are the opposite of some-

-when the cashiers says nothing to me-no greeting, nothing.
-When a 90 year old woman is running the register in the express lane-it is called express for a reason.
-coupon cops
-when only 1 item is placed in a plastic bag-I hate buying 22 items and carrying 20 bags into the house-maybe less bags used would help the store lower its prices.
-long conversations between the checkout clerk and other people in line, making the wait for everyone else longer.
-when the cashier does not give me the red "catalina" coupons that printed our during my order.

-and-

being asked to donate to a charity-if I gave money to everyone who asked, I wouldn't have any left for myself.

Plus twinkies are a good thing, it keeps Hostess in business providing jobs for our country.

 

[Poohbear123]

My pet peeves are the opposite of some-

-when the cashiers says nothing to me-no greeting, nothing.
-When a 90 year old woman is running the register in the express lane-it is called express for a reason.
-coupon cops
-when only 1 item is placed in a plastic bag-I hate buying 22 items and carrying 20 bags into the house-maybe less bags used would help the store lower its prices.
-long conversations between the checkout clerk and other people in line, making the wait for everyone else longer.
-when the cashier does not give me the red "catalina" coupons that printed our during my order.

-and-

being asked to donate to a charity-if I gave money to everyone who asked, I wouldn't have any left for myself.

Plus twinkies are a good thing, it keeps Hostess in business providing jobs for our country.

Thanks for the laugh, I used Twinkies as an example, but if you pay with a Food Stamp card, I KNOW not to ask!

 

[jackskellingtonsgirl]

OP -
Bless your heart, I know grocery check-out can be brutal! I did check-out as a second job for awhile and it could be thankless. On the other hand, that IS how I met DH so it turned out OK in the end. He spent 17 years working in grocery retail, but not as a checker.

What REALLY peeved me was people who would come through my line with a bunch of items and then hand me a WAD of coupons. Coupons for items they DIDN'T buy! This was back in the days before the scanner would recognize if the coupon matched the items in the order. The people would get snarky with me because I wouldn't just accept whatever was handed to me. Well, Bucko, it isn't a voucher saying "Take $25 off your grocery order, regardless of what you purchase!" I betcha those folks didn't come through my line after the first time.

I really only shop at 3 stores, and they are all the same chain. Very similar to Publix, actually. The checkers are nice for the most part. If they ask me to donate I politely decline. My own charitable donations are to limited agencies, and when I am shopping for my bosses I am using their credit card and I'm not authorized to make donations on their behalf.

I am the queen of choosing the slowest line in the store. If it was the fastest line a minute ago it will come to a screeching halt as soon as I queue up.

 

[diznygirl]

Yes CAnn we actually have a Quota we must meet everyday! We have to sell AT LEAST 20-30 a day EACH cashier! ALL day long! So, sorry about that.

Would it bother you if a customer asked, "Have you met your quota yet?" Now that I know, I think I'd be interested in helping out my favorite cashiers!

(Although, they shouldn't have quotas - it's not a grocery store clerk's reponsibility to raise money for a charity).

 

[maxiesmom]

Not really a check out pet peeve, but a grocery store pet peeve. Yesterday I went to get groceries. It was raining. You probably know where I am going with this. Why can they not have someone drying the cart off for customers? Do the stores really think I want to put all of my stuff into a wet grocery cart?

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[Tigger&Belle]

What does "extras that inflated the bill" mean? Any item someone is purchasing anywhere is a purchase they want or need to make. It shouldn't matter to anyone, not even the cashier asking for a donation, how someone spends their own money or doesn't spend their own money, budget or no budget, it's no one's business but the purchaser's.

Sometimes people only have a certain amount of cash on them. I don't think it's odd at all that someone would say, "it depends on what the bill is", that's like saying "let me see if I can afford to, if I have enough left over to give something". What if all they have left over at the end of checking out is ten bucks and they need that ten bucks, they don't have anything extra to give? I think that's what people mean when they say something like that. What anyone purchases shouldn't factor into anything.

I don't care what someone purchases and am the last to look at someone elses cart. OK, I look, but I sure wouldn't think anything terrible, and I sure wouldn't say anything!

I hadn't thought about it from the cash angle since I pay with cc, but that would make perfect sense.

 

[tevagirl]

I might give back my Twinkies but don't mess with my Ring Dings.

 

[Tigger&Belle]

I might give back my Twinkies but don't mess with my Ring Dings.

Not to get snarky with you , but what's a ring ding? Sounds non-DIS friendly...

 

[eeyoresmountainpals]

I'm following along and saying why should someone put back twinkies (or anything else) to give to a charity. I give to certain charities and I wouldn't give at the grocery store line. If the clerks were required to ask me everytime I would complain to the management. If they didn't stop, I would shop elsewhere. Sorry, people should not be expected to give to every single charity.

I wish some people would complain to management, or better yet to the corporate level. Because it's the corporate level that comes up with these ideas of "asking" customers for donations.

I work in a grocery store and several times a year we are "required" to ask customers to donate to a charity. We have been told that we will ask each and every customer and if we don't we will face consequences. (No, switching jobs is not a possibility for me right now so for now I need to go with the flow.)

I feel that it is inappropriate to ask a customer in a store setting and put them on the spot like that. Also, I have several charities that I support and many times the ones that I'm required to ask people to donate to I don't support for personal reasons.

So, next time the cashier asks you to donate, remember they're usually only asking because they've been told by the store "powers that be" that they must do this as part of their job!! And if you want to complain about it...please by all means go to the management or corporate level! But remember the cashier can't do anything about your complaint!

 

[twinklebug]

Not to get snarky with you , but what's a ring ding? Sounds non-DIS friendly...

You Ding Dong!
Don't you know what a Ring Ding is?
It's Yodels and Devil Dogs that we can't be talking about here.

 

[tevagirl]

Not to get snarky with you , but what's a ring ding? Sounds non-DIS friendly...

You have to get out more, Tig.

 

[JVL1018]

I was a cashier at A&P for an eternity..okay it was only junior and senior year of HS and freshman and sophmore year of college, but it felt like forever.

I am the nicest customer as a result though because I know how it feels to be on the other side.

My big pet peeve from those days: I would have my hand out for the cash and the person would put their bills and change down on the counter instead. Drove me insane, it's like you don't even exist.

I think everyone should be forced to work in a grocery store and a bank(did that too) in their life to see how it feels to have people taking out all their frustration on you..it makes you a better person.

Once at the bank I asked a guy for ID,(found out later he had opened his account 2 days before so no way did I know him yet)he started screaming and cursing and threw the contents of his wallet at me..I smiled and told him just two would be great.
He kept cursing at me..and now years later I see him at church every week. He was the ONLY customer that I had that was a jerk to come back and apologize for his behavior though.

I did have waaaaaay more nice customers than mean ones, though.

 

[Tigger&Belle]

You have to get out more, Tig.

They don't look that good! They'd probably give me a migraine!

Off to the urban dictionary .com to look up Yodels and Devil Dogs!

 

[Saffron]

I feel that it is inappropriate to ask a customer in a store setting and put them on the spot like that. Also, I have several charities that I support and many times the ones that I'm required to ask people to donate to I don't support for personal reasons.

I think it's awful to put the cashiers in a position like that. No one should be doing something that makes them uncomfortable.

Honestly, I think our grocery store just started asking for donations, maybe last fall. Before that, any charity they wanted to get involved with, like the local food bank, always left $1, $2, $5, and $10 coupons by the cash register. You just tore off the coupon with the amount of money you wanted to donate, put it with the rest of your groceries and it was added to your bill, there was no asking involved. I thought it was a great idea. Maybe they should go back to doing something like that.

 

[Marseeya]

So, next time the cashier asks you to donate, remember they're usually only asking because they've been told by the store "powers that be" that they must do this as part of their job!! And if you want to complain about it...please by all means go to the management or corporate level! But remember the cashier can't do anything about your complaint!

It's not the asking that bothers me, it's the reaction I get when I politely decline.

 

[Tigger&Belle]

OMG, don't I ever learn?

OK, back to the topic.

I think our Safeway does ask for donations, but I don't go there often. They are not high pressure, though. Giant does not ask for donations, which I'm glad about.

 

[J.Cooper]

I have a pet peeve!! I HATE it when I'm in line at the grocery store and the person behind me is all on my back and neck. I feel like they are trying to push me along. Hello, step back and wait your turn. I'm not going to rush the person in front of me. Just last week DH & I were in line at the grocery store and this man & his wife were talking very loud. I should say the man. First off he smelled like alcohol and I felt like he was breathing down my neck. He was loud and it felt like he was screaming in my ear. Even DH noticed how close he was to me. Why do customers have to be all on your back in line I don't know. Leave a little room. Sometimes I barely have room to put my groceries on the counter when people behind me are all on my butt.

Lately we've been having some "rude" cashiers. Some don't even open there mouth. Just look mean. I know of one cashier lady in particular that never smiles or speaks. I just assume she either hates her job or may have some personal issues at home. You never know what people are going through .

 

[tevagirl]

They don't look that good! They'd probably give me a migraine!

Off to the urban dictionary .com to look up Yodels and Devil Dogs!