"You COULD bag something...!"

[Amethyst Hunter]

Dear (not) Marshmallow Bitch,

Our transaction would've been just fine, and my evening not ruined thanks to a cranky parent (who chewed me out when I complained to him, but that's another story), IF YOU HAD JUST STFU.

But noooooooooooooooooooooooooo.

You HAD to cap off what was otherwise a halfway decent shift by making your snippy little comment, "You COULD bag something...!" to me.

Let me explain to you why I did not immediately drop everything and rush to Obey Your Almighty Summons: When I saw you taking matters into your own hands, being that you had a small order, I thought that this was what you wanted to do. We often have customers/crapstomers who prefer to bag their own orders, because they a) are picky about what goes in which bag, b) prefer a certain type of bag, or c) figure they can do it themselves faster. I am not a fucking mind reader, so if you want something a certain way, TELL ME UPFRONT and that way we don't waste either person's time.

You had a small order and were nearly done bagging it by the time I turned around to give you your total, and I was standing there for no more than five seconds, and you just HAD to open your mouth and spoil everything. Thanks to you, I told my dad about you, and he in turn ended up bitching me out (again, long story), and my whole night and likely the next day have now been ruined thanks to your bitchery because he is now in a foul mood.

I hope your bags split open and spilled everything on the ground when you got them back to your house. Bitch. :pissed:

Absolutely no love whatsoever, Me :cs:

[BrightEyedKitty]

Why in the world would your dad bitch you out about that?

[powerboy]

Yeah, that is what I am wondering also. He bitched you out, for getting told to do something, by a customer:confused: I know I am missing something.

[Zombi]

Presumably, she got the same line as my dad would have given me:
"Well, that's what you're there for, isn't it? Aren't you SUPPOSED to bag their stuff? They pay your wages!"
:rolleyes:
:banghead:

[batmoody]

Alot of times if it is a small order, I might ring it all up first before I bag. Sometimes their "like" groceries, that I would want to bag together, are spread out all over the whole order. So its better if I ring it up and sort it my own way before I bag it. We can only bag one bag at a time, so the way the stick it on the belt, isn't always the way its going to go into the bag. I can make it a heckuvalot quicker for both of us if you prefer me to direct bag everything as you put it on the belt......except,I notice your eggs are first.

Or, it could be small enough, that I know I will have time to finish bagging it up while they are writing their check or trying to make sense of the letters on the debit screen (its called the alphabet....really)

Either way, it is going to take the same amount of time. Bagging as you go is going to slow you down just as much as bagging after you ring everything up. Except that the crapstomer gets impatient that you are now still bagging after they've done paid.

The gears in my brain really are working here.....I do asses each order.
Its painfully habitual after 18 years.

This is especially true for me when bagging in paper bags. I like to get the stuff rung and then figure out how I am going to bag it. Otherwise I am putting stuff in, taking stuff out. Its more like a puzzle and I am much more anal about it. Its harder for me. I hate paper bags. I can't wait until we start charging for them....(I forsee the day is coming)

[batmoody]

"Well, that's what you're there for, isn't it? Aren't you SUPPOSED to bag their stuff? They pay your wages!"


And there is no doubt the items would have been bagged. Some customers are just picky about when you do it. Yes, it is what we get paid for. By the hour. I could spend 2 hours on this order and it would be all the same to me. :angel:

[ditchdj]

Yep, gotta love those "armchair quarterbacks". In case you never heard that term before that's the kind of idiot that thinks he/she knows everything about everyone's job even though they dont know a damn thing about the said job they're putting down the workers over.

[protege]

Either way, it is going to take the same amount of time. Bagging as you go is going to slow you down just as much as bagging after you ring everything up. Except that the crapstomer gets impatient that you are now still bagging after they've done paid.

There's a hobby shop near me that bags everything. Well, the small stuff--magazines, jars of paint, and other little things like that get their own brown paper bags. (Don't bother asking for plastic, since the shop owner hates plastic bags, hehe) Larger things, like model kits get wrapped up in brown paper and taped up. I'm sure some people have bitched about how long it takes...but so far, I haven't heard anyone complain.

I'd rather have my hobby goodies wrapped up that way. There's less chance of a box coming open. Trust me, losing model parts in the car sucks :cry:

[AFpheonix]

I'll ring up things all together before bagging too, usually if the customer is handing me stuff and they give me the light breakable things before the heavy cans of dog food. :doh:

[Worker-Intellectual]

The gears in my brain really are working here.....I do asses each order.

Okay... I know it was a typo but I just can't stop laughing :lol:

[batmoody]

Okay... I know it was a typo but I just can't stop laughing :lol:

oh ooops!

No really...I do do asses each order!
Freudian slip perhaps?.....

:beam:

[georgiab]

Okay why is it that customers feel so entitled that they can not bag or even help bag their own items. i mean yes it is our job to assist customers but really why is it such a presumption that they do not and will not assist with bagging their purchases? I agree their are many who are extremely picky about how their items are bagged so at times it seems that their is no pleasing them. I work at a thift store and when we receive donations people have the habit of assuming that I have to lift and bring in all their donations when actually we are not supposed to do this because of insurance and the whole work man's compt thing in case we get hurt...I mean thank you for the donations they are much appreciated but I did not ask for them nor to I intend to lift them all without your assistance..

[chainedbarista]

bag something you say?

*slides plastic bag over woman's head*

there you go, it's bagged!

[Azalea]

Okay why is it that customers feel so entitled that they can not bag or even help bag their own items. i mean yes it is our job to assist customers but really why is it such a presumption that they do not and will not assist with bagging their purchases?

Have to side with customers on this one. I had some jerk at Wal-Mart the other day tell me, "You can start helping me with your bags now. Uh, sorry dude, I spend my checks at Wal-Mart, I don't earn them there. If I do part of your job for you, do I get part of your check too? Sorry if this sounds snotty, but that's just my opinion.

[MadMike]

Have to side with customers on this one. I had some jerk at Wal-Mart the other day tell me, "You can start helping me with your bags now. Uh, sorry dude, I spend my checks at Wal-Mart, I don't earn them there. If I do part of your job for you, do I get part of your check too? Sorry if this sounds snotty, but that's just my opinion.

He actually had the nerve to tell you he expected you to help him bag? That's just wrong.

That being said, it's nice when the customer does decide to help, especially when they have a huge order, and I was without a bagger. I do the same thing myself if the cashier doesn't have a bagger. It makes their job a little easier, and gets me out of there faster.

It used to annoy me to no end when someone who was perfectly healthy and able-bodied would bring a full cart (or two), and then just stand there and watch me bag the entire order myself, sometimes tapping their foot impatiently. Of course, I'd never say anything, and having the customer help bag is something that should be appreciated, but not expected.

[Lace Neil Singer]

It used to annoy me to no end when someone who was perfectly healthy and able-bodied would bring a full cart (or two), and then just stand there and watch me bag the entire order myself, sometimes tapping their foot impatiently. Of course, I'd never say anything, and having the customer help bag is something that should be appreciated, but not expected.
I've had that before; sadly at my supermarket we have to ask every customer "Would you like some help packing?" Notice it says "some help" not "would you like me to pack all your shopping for your lazy arse"? :rolleyes: If said customer is eldery, disabled, or has kids, I don't mind in the slightest. It's when a customer is perfectly able bodied and seems to think that I should pack their entire trolley for them that it pisses me off.

That is when I pull my trump card; I ask the customer "Would you like me to get a packer for you?" If they say "yes" then I can sit tight and wait for a packer to arrive; if they say "no" then I'll say "I'll start your packing off then." However, I do tend to pack slowly, due to the fact that I do it properly... ie, frozen with frozen, not forgetting rule number 8, so a lot of the time they'll pitch in and help me once they've done unloading. :D

[Becks]

I must admit, I hate bagging. Just before Thanksgiving, they made me go up to the front end to bag. Ugh. I suck at it, but not for the reason you think. Either the customers don't group their items, or the cashiers don't care. I can't tell you how many times I had to have seperate piles for the groceries. I had a bag waiting for canned goods, another for chips/bread, a third for meat, another for frozen and a pile of health and beauty aids. Most of the customers were nice about it all (they could see that my name tag did NOT say "Front End" on it), but I also had the occasional asshat who just stood and watched while making faces. You don't like how I'm bagging, do it yourself. It's not MY job.

Ah, well. The Thanksgiving rush is over, and hopefully they'll never make me do that again.

[greensinestro]

Does this often happen to you? If so, maybe there is a reason this customer said this to you, then your dad bitched at you later on. Then again, I know nothing about you.

So, why should customers be expected to bag their own groceries or merchandise? When I worked for Publix back in high school, we were trained and later on paid to do that job. It was not up to the customer to bag their own stuff. I know how I would feel about that. I already went around the store shopping, and the last thing I want to do is bag it myself. It's bad enough I have to put it away when I get home.

[pbmods]

My take on it is that it is your job to bag the customer's groceries. However, it's your job to bag the customer's groceries *properly*. If the customer wants everything bagged a certain way, he's welcome to do it himself. Otherwise, you're gonna bag his groceries in a way that you see as appropriate.

I wonder also if the people that say, "Don't help him; he gets paid to do it," think that they would "lower themselves" to the cashier's level if they tried to help.

Vote YES on proposal 92b, allowing cashiers to stock their register stations with a heavy, blunt object for purposes of "Customer Desuckification"!

[greensinestro]

My take on it is that it is your job to bag the customer's groceries. However, it's your job to bag the customer's groceries *properly*. If the customer wants everything bagged a certain way, he's welcome to do it himself. Otherwise, you're gonna bag his groceries in a way that you see as appropriate.



My take on it exactly. Nowadays, particularly in Florida, baggers are terrible at bagging your groceries correctly. I've had my ice cream bagged with my bread, or my eggs put in with my bananas. Plus, they don't seem to have paper bags anymore, which were much better than the plastic ones.

[Jester]

Okay why is it that customers feel so entitled that they can not bag or even help bag their own items. i mean yes it is our job to assist customers but really why is it such a presumption that they do not and will not assist with bagging their purchases?

I don't bag my own groceries for a very simple reason: I know that 99% of the time, the cashier/bagger can do it quicker and more competently than me. I am not picky. All I ever ask for is double bagging. (Those plastic bags are cheap, and I live in an apartment and can't exactly pull the Jestermobile right up to the front door.)

Would I help if I thought it would expedite things? Yes.
Do I think I am above the person bagging my groceries? No.

Would *I* allow someone behind MY bar just because they didn't think I was pouring their drink correctly? Hell no. Are you kidding me? Rare is the bartender that will let ANYONE back behind their bar, let alone a customer who is going to "show them how to do it right." I am there to work. You are there to drink. Shut up and drink and let me work.
:cheers: