Sunday, August 30, 2009
A Quick Word About Plastic Bags
Ten pounds of apples need to go in a plastic bag. 3 mushrooms do not need to go in a plastic bag.
All you need to know
Say you come into my store and want to purchase groceries using some form of plastic payment card. Your friendly checker has bagged all your items and now it is time for you to pay. Okay, here is how it works:
Read the instructions on the machine in front of you before you just go ahead and slide your payment card. These instructions should tell you how to proceed.
Yes, they are all different, aren't they?
In my store, this is the order of steps that you will follow. I will detail each step and give an example of how things can go wrong quickly. Don't worry, it is not that hard. Really!
1. Slide your store's rewards card or enter your phone number that is connected with the card so that you can get special savings on your order. Your checker can help you with this or even give you a card if you are still unfamiliar with this program. And many people are! They have no idea what a club card is or what it is for. Just use it. No one is compiling your secret shopping information to get you later. You will save some money instead of giving it to the store just because you are being paranoid.
2. Right now our store is collecting donations for MDA. That's Jerry's Kids. The screen will ask you if you want to make a donation. There will be a YES button and a NO button. Press either one. Do not slide your payment card, yet. It does not say to do that. Read the screen. Read what it says. If you are having trouble seeing the screen just ask your checker for help. Don't keep sliding your payment card. It won't work!
3. You will see a screen that says "Select Payment Type". Press one of the buttons depending on how you want to pay. Your choices are Gift Card, Debit/Credit (one button for either one), SCheck or EBT. First of all- THERE IS NO BUTTON TO PRESS IF YOU ARE PAYING CASH! You just hand us the money. Second- EBT does not stand for Debit. It is for the Food Stamp Card. SCheck does not mean that you are writing a check, but that one is confusing. Just write a check and leave that button alone. Gift Card is for all store gift cards. Just remember- PRESS THE BUTTON AND THEN SLIDE YOUR CARD.
4. Okay, NOW SLIDE YOUR PAYMENT CARD! Yay!
If you follow these steps even a fraction of the times that you visit the store your checker will think you are a genius and will treat you with reverence and respect. Thank you for your efforts.
Whew! I am glad to be getting that out of my system. As you might be able to tell, this is just about my number one pet peeve about working at the grocery store. If these instructions make one customer or checker have a better day, it was all worth it.
Read the instructions on the machine in front of you before you just go ahead and slide your payment card. These instructions should tell you how to proceed.
Yes, they are all different, aren't they?
In my store, this is the order of steps that you will follow. I will detail each step and give an example of how things can go wrong quickly. Don't worry, it is not that hard. Really!
1. Slide your store's rewards card or enter your phone number that is connected with the card so that you can get special savings on your order. Your checker can help you with this or even give you a card if you are still unfamiliar with this program. And many people are! They have no idea what a club card is or what it is for. Just use it. No one is compiling your secret shopping information to get you later. You will save some money instead of giving it to the store just because you are being paranoid.
2. Right now our store is collecting donations for MDA. That's Jerry's Kids. The screen will ask you if you want to make a donation. There will be a YES button and a NO button. Press either one. Do not slide your payment card, yet. It does not say to do that. Read the screen. Read what it says. If you are having trouble seeing the screen just ask your checker for help. Don't keep sliding your payment card. It won't work!
3. You will see a screen that says "Select Payment Type". Press one of the buttons depending on how you want to pay. Your choices are Gift Card, Debit/Credit (one button for either one), SCheck or EBT. First of all- THERE IS NO BUTTON TO PRESS IF YOU ARE PAYING CASH! You just hand us the money. Second- EBT does not stand for Debit. It is for the Food Stamp Card. SCheck does not mean that you are writing a check, but that one is confusing. Just write a check and leave that button alone. Gift Card is for all store gift cards. Just remember- PRESS THE BUTTON AND THEN SLIDE YOUR CARD.
4. Okay, NOW SLIDE YOUR PAYMENT CARD! Yay!
If you follow these steps even a fraction of the times that you visit the store your checker will think you are a genius and will treat you with reverence and respect. Thank you for your efforts.
Whew! I am glad to be getting that out of my system. As you might be able to tell, this is just about my number one pet peeve about working at the grocery store. If these instructions make one customer or checker have a better day, it was all worth it.
Saturday, August 29, 2009
Don't be so sorry!
So, here is the first entry on Check it out! I have been a grocery checker for 8 years. I am very grateful to have a steady job in these difficult times. I stand in one place for eight hours every day and I see a lot.
While the job itself is routine, every day is different. Every customer is a new adventure. Customers keep me employed, so I am always prepared to assist them in making their shopping experience as painless as possible.
Unfortunately, this is not always what the customer has in mind. For some reason there are people who want to create drama and draw it out for as long as possible- in the grocery checkout line of all places!
Only god knows why these people act the way they do, although it usually starts long before they reach my line and attempt to make their purchases. Maybe they just had a fight with their kid, or their boss told them off, or traffic was bad, or they didn't get eight hours of sleep last night. I don't know.
What I do know, and what many customers do not realize, is that I have to deal with dozens of customers an hour while each of them only has to deal with one of me. I feel that I am pretty consistent in my treatment and behavior as each new person approaches me with their cart of items and most customers are very friendly or at least cordial as we go through the procedures of unloading, checking, bagging, paying, loading and saying goodbye.
But sometimes things go wrong. Not usually very wrong, just a little off. Not a big deal, at least not to me. Here are a few things that seem to worry some customers and give them an unneeded level of anxiety that can make the shopping experience more uncomfortable than it needs to be. Remember- I am getting paid to help you. I do not mind dealing with these things at all. It is a part of my job. Really, I do not mind!
When you do not need to apologize-
Paper vs Plastic- You do not have to apologize when you get paper bags! It is okay to ask for paper. Do not say "Sorry" every time you ask for paper bags. And you do not have to tell us a long story about what you use the paper bags for-RECYCLING- and why you can't use plastic- because they ALWAYS break and your stuff roles around in the car. If you like paper just ask for it. We don't mind.
You do not have to apologize when you have to pay for a candy bar with a $20 bill! It is okay to pay us with a $20 dollar bill. As long as it is real you can buy a candy bar with a $100 dollar bill (unless it is 7 AM. We don't have a lot of money in the drawer that early).
We are a grocery store. We take money and sell you things. Don't apologize for writing a check either. Many people still write checks and it is okay for you to do so.
If you come into the express line you do not have to apologize for the amount of items in your cart. If you are in the express line and you are paying attention you probably have close to 15 items. You do not have to say, "Sorry, I may have a few more than 15 items." Just unload your cart and come on up.
You do not have to say your are sorry for the amount of junk food you are buying! We are not the food police. We will sell you what ever you want to buy. If you want to get beer, ice cream, cigarettes and beef jerky, just do it. You don't have to tell us a story about how they are for your neighbor or your mom. You do not have to tell us, "I shouldn't be getting this." If you took the effort to put it in your basket and carry it around the whole store, you probably want it. Who says you shouldn't get it? We don't care what you buy.
I guess what I would say to customers who spend a lot of time worrying about these things is to just lighten up on yourself. Checkers are not watching your every move or judging you for your normal behavior. We save that for the customers who REALLY go crazy. More on that later.
So, if you see yourself in any of the above scenarios, just take a deep breath. Next time you find yourself about to say "Sorry", stop and save your apologies for when they are really needed.
While the job itself is routine, every day is different. Every customer is a new adventure. Customers keep me employed, so I am always prepared to assist them in making their shopping experience as painless as possible.
Unfortunately, this is not always what the customer has in mind. For some reason there are people who want to create drama and draw it out for as long as possible- in the grocery checkout line of all places!
Only god knows why these people act the way they do, although it usually starts long before they reach my line and attempt to make their purchases. Maybe they just had a fight with their kid, or their boss told them off, or traffic was bad, or they didn't get eight hours of sleep last night. I don't know.
What I do know, and what many customers do not realize, is that I have to deal with dozens of customers an hour while each of them only has to deal with one of me. I feel that I am pretty consistent in my treatment and behavior as each new person approaches me with their cart of items and most customers are very friendly or at least cordial as we go through the procedures of unloading, checking, bagging, paying, loading and saying goodbye.
But sometimes things go wrong. Not usually very wrong, just a little off. Not a big deal, at least not to me. Here are a few things that seem to worry some customers and give them an unneeded level of anxiety that can make the shopping experience more uncomfortable than it needs to be. Remember- I am getting paid to help you. I do not mind dealing with these things at all. It is a part of my job. Really, I do not mind!
When you do not need to apologize-
Paper vs Plastic- You do not have to apologize when you get paper bags! It is okay to ask for paper. Do not say "Sorry" every time you ask for paper bags. And you do not have to tell us a long story about what you use the paper bags for-RECYCLING- and why you can't use plastic- because they ALWAYS break and your stuff roles around in the car. If you like paper just ask for it. We don't mind.
You do not have to apologize when you have to pay for a candy bar with a $20 bill! It is okay to pay us with a $20 dollar bill. As long as it is real you can buy a candy bar with a $100 dollar bill (unless it is 7 AM. We don't have a lot of money in the drawer that early).
We are a grocery store. We take money and sell you things. Don't apologize for writing a check either. Many people still write checks and it is okay for you to do so.
If you come into the express line you do not have to apologize for the amount of items in your cart. If you are in the express line and you are paying attention you probably have close to 15 items. You do not have to say, "Sorry, I may have a few more than 15 items." Just unload your cart and come on up.
You do not have to say your are sorry for the amount of junk food you are buying! We are not the food police. We will sell you what ever you want to buy. If you want to get beer, ice cream, cigarettes and beef jerky, just do it. You don't have to tell us a story about how they are for your neighbor or your mom. You do not have to tell us, "I shouldn't be getting this." If you took the effort to put it in your basket and carry it around the whole store, you probably want it. Who says you shouldn't get it? We don't care what you buy.
I guess what I would say to customers who spend a lot of time worrying about these things is to just lighten up on yourself. Checkers are not watching your every move or judging you for your normal behavior. We save that for the customers who REALLY go crazy. More on that later.
So, if you see yourself in any of the above scenarios, just take a deep breath. Next time you find yourself about to say "Sorry", stop and save your apologies for when they are really needed.
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