My Pet Peeves as a Cashier

I work for a large retailer that I will not name. As the title of this blog post implies, I am a Cashier at this time. This is not my first job working with the public or with people, so these are not first timer problems. These are things I have watched for many years--31 to be exact as I began working when I was 13 (at the Dairy Queen in Greenwood, SC).

These are not presented in any order other than as they come to mind I will write/type them out and expound.

1. Getting in the checkout line while still on the phone. Cell phones can be a great thing or a bad thing. Staying on them while in a checkout line is a bad thing. You are on the phone and paying attention to the conversation and not to unloading the buggy, loading your bagged purchases or paying for for your purchases.

I see this hold up not only the person on the phone, but everyone in line behind them, on a daily basis.

People are talking or texting and literally stop in the middle of aisles, blocking the whole aisle off from both directions. Other people may need to look at or purchase something on that aisle.

People will be talking or texting and pushing their buggy and they run into other people, carts, even strollers with children in them!

And be forwarned--I am NOT referring to kids or teenagers but adults!

2. Turning the bag carousel while I have my hand and arm in a bag. It takes a time, not much, to properly bag your purchases. Note-the arms that hold the bags are heavy and metal. When I am actively bagging your purchases please do not grab the carousel and turn it--those metal bag holders leave bruises on my arms.

3. This relates to Number 2 above-complaining that I only put a few items in your bags when you were turning the carousel while I was trying to load each bag. If you are turning that carousel, I am going to move my arm out of harm's way asap.

4. Separating your non-food purchases from your Food Stamp (or whatever it is called in your state) purchases. Having two separate orders is needed at times, but not for this reason. We live in a technologically advanced era. The computer will separate your order into food stamp-able and non food stamp-able items on its own.

5. Trying to purchase items with food stamps that you know you can not buy with food stamps. This one is self-explanatory, but click here to be taken to the USDA web page explaining just what you can buy:

benefits can only be used for food and for plants and seeds to grow food for your household to eat. SNAP benefits cannot be used to buy:

Any nonfood item, such as pet foods; soaps, paper products, and household supplies; grooming items, toothpaste, and cosmetics

Alcoholic beverages and tobacco

Vitamins and medicines

Any food that will be eaten in the store

Hot foods

6. Not selecting the correct WIC items. Please, I know it gets confusing as the program changes so often. Your worker or nurse will give you a paper listing what foods are allowed. Most of you toss it away. Don't. Keep it. Read it. Glance over it before you go to in the store. Refer to it as you select your foods. Each time you go to pick up vouchers--ask for a new handout on what foods are allowed--if it has changed you will have the new one.

7. Not having your ID ready when you are purchasing alcoholic beverages or fussing at me for asking for it. This is law in Tennessee and has been since 1 July 2007. It only applies to the the retail sale of beer. It does not apply to bars and restaurants that sale alcohol for on-premises consumption. If you have a problem with this law, please do not fuss at me, throw your ID at me or demand I break the law. Please, be a good citizen, obey the law until it is changed and in the meantime, contact your state lawmakers with your desire to have the "Responsible Vendor Act" repealed.

8. Being impatient. Computers do not always work properly. When a store is busy, they do work slower--your computer at home gets slow sometimes so why do you expect other computers to never have a problem? You have days when you are slower have things on your mind. Why do you get so upset with another person for having to dig a little bit for the exact change or another dollar? I have noticed that the ones that complain the most about the previous customer being "so slow" usually end up holding the line up in some way themselves.

9. Trying to tell me something was marked down when you know it was not. Yes, things get moved around and put in the wrong places and things get priced wrong.Please do tell me and I will have it checked and do what store policy says do. But bringing a $50 item to the check-out and telling me it was on sale for $5 is not acceptable.

10. Putting items you have decided not to buy any where you are at the moment you decide not to buy it. Please, just hand it to the cashier so they can have it put back. this is especially true for frozen or refrigerated items. you wonder why prices are so high? Part of it is losses the stores must recover--when a hundred people place a pack of steaks under a box of candy bars at the register, that is about $1,000.00 lost. Multiply that by 365 and you can see a fraction of the loss from this type of thing happening.

Bottom line? Remember your basic manners when shopping. Be considerate of your fellow human beings. Think before you say or do something.