What would you do?? Deli line etiquette...

[Gumbo4x4]

Good grief, how long does the staff at your deli take to replace the flap of plastic and toss the ham back in its place? And "maybe it's regional," but around here people know exactly what kind of brand, style, etc. they want and would not just take whatever is up on the slicer. But even if they did want the same, they'd still need to specify amount and kind of cut (shaved, thin, etc.). Seriously, I think you'd get yelled out of the store if you tried that around here, but hey, that's what visiting NJ would get you!

Swapping the meat around is easily the longest part of the process - just like any “manufacturing” process, “setup time” is dead time. Changing thickness is nothing - click, you’re done. That’s why the most popular cuts are already sliced up in the display case, sometimes already bagged in popular weights. And it’s not a flap of plastic here. The meat gets entirely unwrapped & rewrapped each time it goes on & off the slicer here. Doing it as I suggested is a far more efficient process and the 30 seconds you might lose today will likely save you 5 minutes next week if everyone could just embrace the idea. I suspect if the cutter lead the charge & made this the new norm, you’d come to appreciate it.

And meat preference is definitely not regional. Still, if you’re 8th in line, and you assume everyone ahead of you is getting 2-3 different things, and all you want is 1/2 a pound of ham & you have the chance to grab it NOW, odds are better than 50-50 you jump at the chance. Trust me, while I may have gotten some strange looks, there have been no glares. And the only comments have been positive.

Now, I doubt you & I are going to see eye to eye 100% on this, SO let me throw out another’s scenario. It’s just you & me in line, nobody else. It’s my turn & I’m getting several things. As we go from meat to meat, I offer you the chance to get some of what I’m having sliced. Do you appreciate the gesture? Or, same deal as before?

 

[NYCgrrl]

Number system rules. Around here people jump off and on the line to grab something at hopefully for them nearby aisles. Generally if their number is called and they aren't there it's get a new ticket for them. Of course the truly bold will jump up waving a past number and loudly proclaim they've been skipped. Life is too short for me to be more than amused.

 

[sunshinehighway]

If the person was there before me, I'd let them go first. If my number was skipped because of that, I'd just speak up and say I have number X.
I wouldn't feel good about my behavior if I played line monitor in a situation like that. Technically right and the right thing to do aren't always the same.

 

[GaSleepingBeautyFan]

Number system wins.

It's amazing the folks at JoAnn Fabrics who just get in line to have their fabric cut without picking a number. Yet everyone around them is going up to get a number and there is a very large electronic sign with the number that is being called. I witnessed 2 ladies who got in a disagreement because of that and the person doing the cutting said everyone needs a number so whoever has the number goes next. Turns out I had the next number and I'd just walked up because I was in the button aisle and keeping an eye on the numbers. You can bet the 2 arguing ladies were peeved about that!
But they both walked over and got their numbers.

 

[Julie's Haircut]

Just so its clear. If one person walks up to a deli and no one is there, then someone else walks up and grabs a ticket knowing the other was there first and gets called, the person who showed up first who was waiting gets priority. Why grab a number and waste the paper at an empty deli? The workers should always recognize who the first customer is regardless.

If just one other person is at the deli already being served, I usually won't take a number. I agree it's senseless to waste the paper ticket. But if another person then approaches 10 seconds later and grabs a ticket, I get prepared to defend my position. Not that there has ever been a problem.

Okay, since this popped back up, I handle the deli a little differently when there is a big line.

I typically get 3-4 different kinds of meat when I go to the counter. After each, the cutter has to wrap the old meat up & put the old meat back before moving on to the next selection. So, when my portion of meat #1 is finished, I’ll turn toward the line and shout out, “Anyone else need ham while she’s slicing?”. Typically, 2 or 3 people will want some, so the cutter gets their portion done as well before moving on to Turkey, salami, and pepperoni.

“My” belief is that it speeds up the overall process, but I get some weird looks when I do it.

Thoughts?

Good grief, how long does the staff at your deli take to replace the flap of plastic and toss the ham back in its place? And "maybe it's regional," but around here people know exactly what kind of brand, style, etc. they want and would not just take whatever is up on the slicer. But even if they did want the same, they'd still need to specify amount and kind of cut (shaved, thin, etc.). Seriously, I think you'd get yelled out of the store if you tried that around here, but hey, that's what visiting NJ would get you!

Yeah, I wouldn't recommend trying that in New Jersey.

Besides seriously upsetting any customers behind you who don't want what you've ordered, I doubt the deli clerks would go for your idea. Someone is sure to complain to management about their deli clerks serving later arriving customers before them.

The supermarket I frequent most often doesn't wrap most meats between uses until the last half hour or so before closing, only the really obscure ones. They're just placed cut side down back on the metal trays.


This whole number thing reminds of the chocolate babka episode of Seinfeld where Elaine and Jerry arrived at the bakery before other customers but neglected to take a number and then tried to cut in line.

 

[Cannot_Wait_4Disney]

We don't need numbers around here. This is my deli's soup line. Works like a charm. Nobody cuts either because if you're caught, well you don't get any soup.