Customers in a hurry: Demophobia, Suspiciousness, or Stupidity?

[HALFHUMANHALFZOMBIE]

Some of the Crap I don't put up with is Shoppers who need to go through fast because they are all of a friggin' sudden in a hurry for an appointment, work, or nothing. And some of the SC's tell me when I worked express one time that "The Express lanes are very slow", "You need to speed up, I would gotten through faster if I was on a regular lane" or "If I was going any slower then we'd go in reverse. Okay, woman if you thought going to a regular lane is faster than my till why just go there instead of waiting at my till to tell me bullsh!t about speeding up. I'll have to repeat this over and over I'm not the only till open.. you come to my line and I try to fix a mistake I made don't think I'm performing a magic solution to my problem by asking me how long it takes! Many tills have hardly any people STFU and go to them. I Sometimes wonder if the shoppers in a hurry are performing something illegal? I think just slowing down for hurried people might be a deterrant for Loss Prevention to find the suspected individual! Some hurried Shoppers just wander around after they are finished their purchases. I think it's ridiculous the things they buy when they are in a hurry like one person did a post here about someone rushed for time to buy a pet bird or something and the associate was asking some question and the Customer couldn't stand waiting I mean WHY WHY? Don't people know better? Obviously not!!

[DesignFox]

I like when people tell me they are in a massive hurry. I go about 200% slower as soon as they do that.*

*only if they are sucky about it. I don't do that to the average person.

[myswtghst]

I never understand behavior like this. If I know I'm running late, I don't run errands beyond stopping at Walgreens or 7-11 for necessities, and I never get snippy with the cashier, as I'm the idiot who decided to stop off even though I was running late.

[Pagan]

I had one like that this afternoon! She kept moaning about how much a hurry she was in, but kept wandering off looking at other stuff and asking questions whilst I was ringing up her purchase. Made me have to take about three times longer because I kept having to stop and go answer her question. All the while telling she was in a hurry! Judging by her outfit, she did get dressed in a hurry....just because your top and skirt are both green does not meant they match. Lime green top greyish-green skirt.

[Shengirl]

Didn't you know? Because it says, "Express," it's ALWAYS faster than the other lines! Even if there are twice the people in it! And when it's not, well, you're doing something wrong. Yes, you, not the customer holding everyone up because she's writing a check with a palsied hand, nor even the one refusing to believe her debit card won't go through.

If it makes you feel better, consider this: At the chain where I work, they impress on us the need to go fast. It's like a game to me, and I tear through large orders like it's...well, my job. Small children and adults alike have looked at me and gone, "Wow, you're fast!" and most people appreciate a speedy checkout that lets them move on with their day. But I still occasionally get the jerks who yell at me for "throwing" or otherwise abusing their food. Which I don't! I'm OCD about food placement!

In other words, you can't ever win. (Wait, wasn't I supposed to make you feel better?)

[WorkAtBBuy]

I can't stand customers in a hurry. If you're in SUCH A FKKN HURRY why the HELL did you stop at BBuy? What life-prolonging necessity could there POSSIBLY BE there? I don't care what your kid says, sir/ma'me. He/she is NOT gonna die if he/she doesn't get the (video game, DVD, CD, console) RIGHT NOW. If you're in such a hurry, COME WHEN YOU'RE DONE with (the human sacrifice, hitting the neighbor's mailboxes with baseball bats, what have you). Sorry, that's my pet peeve.

[Jester]

JESTER: "And what would you like?"
SC: "A steak (or burger)."
JESTER: "And how would you like that cooked?"
SC: "Well done, please."
JESTER: "No problem. I'll get that going right away."

Jester goes to enter the order. On his next pass by the table, the SC calls him over.

JESTER: "Yes?"
SC: "Will that be pretty quick? We're in a hurry."
JESTER:

Okay, you just ordered something WELL DONE. That takes TIME to cook. And you expect us to whip it right out because you are in a hurry?

There's a reason fast food is called fast food, and restaurants are NOT called fast food. We will get it out to you as quickly as you can, but if you think that telling me you are in a hurry is going to make your food, especially your well done food, magically appear, you are completely out of touch with anything resembling logic, reality, or the real world.

Sadly, this kind of thing happens in restaurants all the freakin' time. People like this make me want to jump in the harbor!

[Luna]

I had a customer tonight (well yesterday now) come in 15 minutes to close. Bought some stuff, kept complaning the entire time about how she was in a big hurry. Yet she kept walking away from her purchase to go look at other things. I needed her information for the frequent shopper card. She kept leaving the register. Then she upturned her purse to look for the frequent shopper card. Then she decided she didn't want one. Then she did want one. Then she and her daughter wanted to get more things. Then they didn't.

I...wanted...to...smack...her

HARD. With a 2 X 4.

And yes, throughout the entire transaction - she kept telling me how she was in such a hurry and had to leave.

[Catwoman2965]

I get that all the time. And its always the customers who take 20 items into the fitting room, try every one on, and come out to ask the associates opinion on EVERY SINGLE one, then go back for more, and spent maybe an hour or more looking and trying on clothes. Then they come up to be rung up,and they are bouncing up and down in impatience, saying how much of a hurry they are in.

Um, if you are shopping for clothes, then come back when you have time! When i am rushed, i make mistakes - so don't take your time and then make ME rush becasue you realize you need to pick up Jr. in 5 minutes!

[air914]

I'm guilty of being in a rush at a restaurant, but not wanting fast food. Usually though, I'll tell the waiter or waitress that we're on a time schedule, or we don't have long, or have to be somewhere - and I ask if we can order right away, and if they can bring the check with dinner - that way, they don't wait on us to see if we want dessert, they don't have to even bother to ask if we want appetizers or anything - and when the food comes out, the bill does too so we can pay quickly and be gone. I hope that's not really annoying.... I do tell them just about when I sit down.... and I don't ask for food well done b/c I don't order steak or anything that needs to be well done.

[Catwoman2965]

I'm guilty of being in a rush at a restaurant, but not wanting fast food. Usually though, I'll tell the waiter or waitress that we're on a time schedule, or we don't have long, or have to be somewhere - and I ask if we can order right away, and if they can bring the check with dinner - that way, they don't wait on us to see if we want dessert, they don't have to even bother to ask if we want appetizers or anything - and when the food comes out, the bill does too so we can pay quickly and be gone. I hope that's not really annoying.... I do tell them just about when I sit down.... and I don't ask for food well done b/c I don't order steak or anything that needs to be well done.

I don't think that's being annoying at all. I've done that sometimes if I have time to eat, but say are going to a movie after. I'll ask nicely, when they bring the food, if we can have the check when they get a chance, and explain that we are going to a movie, or something, and have NEVER had a problem. When you're done, you pay and go...and everyone is happy.

[HALFHUMANHALFZOMBIE]

I'm guilty of being in a rush at a restaurant, but not wanting fast food. Usually though, I'll tell the waiter or waitress that we're on a time schedule, or we don't have long, or have to be somewhere - and I ask if we can order right away, and if they can bring the check with dinner - that way, they don't wait on us to see if we want dessert, they don't have to even bother to ask if we want appetizers or anything - and when the food comes out, the bill does too so we can pay quickly and be gone. I hope that's not really annoying.... I do tell them just about when I sit down.... and I don't ask for food well done b/c I don't order steak or anything that needs to be well done.

I'm glad you brought that up because My family has been through the same situation. You asked in the kindest way possible and everything is in one convienient setting including the bill now for a restaurant to provide that It's all a stress free eating environment. I admit I was guilty for being an SC for coming to a restaurant before they opened "Doors not locked" and waiting impatiently at A&W before work to get my meal but that's before I knew about this Website and I totally changed!

[BookstoreEscapee]

Some hurried Shoppers just wander around after they are finished their purchases.

I had a woman once who came in 15 minutes before we opened, so she waited in Starbucks. At 9:00 we opened the front doors and I was at cashwrap, and waiting for the manager to come with the key to open the gate between us and Starbucks. This woman starts bitching to me through the gate that she needs to pick up her book and she needs to get to work and she's been waiting for 15 minutes <sorry, not my fault you came 15 minutes before we opened> and blah blah blah. I told her I didn't have the key and the manager would be up in a minute, or the front door was open if she wanted to walk around. She didn't. (Of course.) So finally the manager opens the gate, I give her her book from the hold shelf, and she wanders off into the store somewhere.

Half an hour later I see her leaving, and she never even bought the book.

[Zombi]

I was on the cash only lane one day, where you can only serve the next customer when the one before has taken their stuff off the packing end. I was waiting for the previous customer to pick up all her bags, and the next woman snaps at me:
Her: 'You don't need to wait for her, you know!'
Me: 'Actually, I do, since there's only room for one person's things at a time. It's just easier to wait.'
Her: 'Well not when you've got ten minutes to get to work, it's not!'

What get me is that this particular store is way out in the middle of nowhere (for those who know Perth, it's in Baldivis), so you can't exactly drop in for a few things on your way to work, you have to make a special trip out there. Now, if you know you only have a short time to get to work, why go to a place which is notorious for being packed and is miles out of your way? The stoopid makes my brain hurt.

[Andara Bledin]

Her: 'Well not when you've got ten minutes to get to work, it's not!'

What you wish you could say:
"Well, I'm already at work, so it's not a problem."

^-.-^