Announcement

Collapse
No announcement yet.

I HATE THE EXPRESS LANE!!! (Language Within)

Collapse
This topic is closed.
X
X
 
  • Filter
  • Time
  • Show
Clear All
new posts

  • #16
    I remember "10 items or less" signs in the mid-1980s (UK), and nobody was in any doubt of what they meant. Back then, of course, cashers did have the power to enforce the limit - though they also had dscretion to waive it.

    Comment


    • #17
      Quoth freespirit114 View Post
      I've always wondered WTF is the point of having a 12 items or less lane if it's not at least somewhat enforced? As a customer I hate this! If I have my youngest son with me and I'm behind one of these people I encourage him to practice his counting...out loud...just loud enough for the person to hear. They usually turn and give me the cat butt face but hey, my 4yr old can count to 12, you should be able to too!
      That is classic! I will have to see if I can find any small children nearby when I am at the supermarket and find out if they mothers would like them to practice their counting, too!
      "Bring me knitting!" (The Doctor - not the one you were expecting)

      Comment


      • #18
        Reminds me of the family that, when I told them I could take five items or less, broke up their 30 item order among the 6 people there (three generations shopping together, it'd be sweet if they weren't such assholes) and each bought 5 items. *Headdesk* the whole purpose of the 5 item limit was so I didn't have to ring out *30* items while trying to watch the four extremely glitchy self check machines. Entitled bastards.

        Comment


        • #19
          Quoth freespirit114 View Post
          I've always wondered WTF is the point of having a 12 items or less lane if it's not at least somewhat enforced?
          It's to always give corporate a reason not to apply raises. They either get you on the not following rules, not somehow enforcing rules that you aren't allowed to enforce, or on customer service complaints. Doesn't matter the reason, so long as they can point to it as why you don't get more pay.

          Comment


          • #20
            I'll try to make this story short...like the Express Lane! LOL.

            Last week, I was doing my shopping as usual. I only needed a few things, really. I show up at one Express Lane, with a "20 items or less" sign at the register. The cashier is already waiting to scan my items, but I said, "Wait!" and counted through my items rapidly. This took a few seconds, and I said, "I have only SIXTEEN items. That means I'm right under the limit!"

            The cashier looked stunned. Her jaw dropping, she said in surprise, "You know how many people I get through here that don't care about how many items they have? I was thinking this sign here was just for show! I haven't had any people like YOU in a while!"

            "I understand that!" I grinned. "I used to work Retail."

            She smiled real big, glad to see she had a customer of experience, and we chatted for a while about our "Retail Hell" stories. She also said enthusiastically, "Thank you for being so nice and considerate! I don't get a lot of those kinds either."

            Glad to see I made someone's weekend!

            Comment


            • #21
              Quoth Grendus View Post
              *Headdesk* the whole purpose of the 5 item limit was so I didn't have to ring out *30* items while trying to watch the four extremely glitchy self check machines. Entitled bastards.
              I sometimes get asked to open up the register closest to the self-checks if it gets busy; always express and the fewer items the better (I'm allowed to tell people this). What I'm not allowed to do is call people out on splitting up their massive order to get by the limit...passing one store card down the line (I see what you did there) is just UGH. And I get the doofus on the SCO right behind me flailing at me like a deranged chimp--I SEE YOU. No, I can't just "give [you] the special card to do it" (how the hell do you know so much about it anyway?).
              "I am quite confident that I do exist."
              "Excuse me, I'm making perfect sense. You're just not keeping up." The Doctor

              Comment


              • #22
                See, I rather liked working the express lane. Oh, the Sucktomers were horrible, but they'd be horrible no matter which register I was on.

                I had to put up with the over-the-item-limit folks, too, but they actually had a legitimate excuse. They were buying cigarettes, which-- per the Cigarette Tax Board of Northern Virginia-- could only be purchased at the express lane. In the event the express lane was shut (which did sometimes happen), they could be purchased at one other register. As the customers did not want to write more than one check, they'd come to the express lane, and I had to take them.

                Some of these "only write one check" people were actually buying cigarettes for the purposes of reselling them at their business, so they were often buying upwards of ten cartons of cigarettes, and then filling out the form that the Cigarette Tax Board said they had to fill out. (Anyone buying 5 or more cartons had to fill one out.)
                PWNADE(TM) - Serve up a glass today! | PWNZER - An act of pwnage so awesome, it's like the victim got hit by a tank.

                There are only Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse because I choose to walk!

                Comment


                • #23
                  Quoth downforit2008 View Post
                  and we chatted for a while about our "Retail Hell" stories.
                  Hope you gave us a mention!

                  Comment


                  • #24
                    I regularly direct frazzled retail and other workers here.
                    "Bring me knitting!" (The Doctor - not the one you were expecting)

                    Comment


                    • #25
                      Quoth Jay 2K Winger View Post
                      They were buying cigarettes, which-- per the Cigarette Tax Board of Northern Virginia-- could only be purchased at the express lane. In the event the express lane was shut (which did sometimes happen), they could be purchased at one other register.
                      WTF? Why would the CTB care whether the "coffin nails" were sold at the express register, or elsewhere? Or was it a case of "You are only allowed to sell tobacco at ONE register", and the STORE chose to put it on the express lane?

                      Quoth Jay 2K Winger View Post
                      Some of these "only write one check" people were actually buying cigarettes for the purposes of reselling them at their business, so they were often buying upwards of ten cartons of cigarettes, and then filling out the form that the Cigarette Tax Board said they had to fill out. (Anyone buying 5 or more cartons had to fill one out.)
                      Why would the store even sell wholesale quantities? After all, an unexpected large purchase would leave them out-of-stock on a popular brand, and piss off a few dozen people who came in for a pack of smokes. I know I've seen (at truck stops) signs on the tobacco displays saying "$Tobacco_company does not permit sales of over 5 cartons per day to any one customer".
                      Any fool can piss on the floor. It takes a talented SC to shit on the ceiling.

                      Comment


                      • #26
                        My guess is that it's a ploy to make obtaining cigarettes less convenient, so as to reduce the burden on the health system. If so, it's not working - it is inconveniencing everyone *else*.

                        Comment


                        • #27
                          Quoth wolfie View Post
                          WTF? Why would the CTB care whether the "coffin nails" were sold at the express register, or elsewhere? Or was it a case of "You are only allowed to sell tobacco at ONE register", and the STORE chose to put it on the express lane?



                          Why would the store even sell wholesale quantities? After all, an unexpected large purchase would leave them out-of-stock on a popular brand, and piss off a few dozen people who came in for a pack of smokes. I know I've seen (at truck stops) signs on the tobacco displays saying "$Tobacco_company does not permit sales of over 5 cartons per day to any one customer".
                          Well, understand that the wholesale club did not sell cigarettes by the pack. Only by the carton. Understand also that the wholesale club by and large DOES keep a lot of cigarettes in stock, so even those resellers weren't coming anywhere close to depleting our stock.

                          As for the CTB and the only-at-these-registers rules, I believe there was a bit of controversy or something over whether some of the bulk purchasers were genuinely buying multiple cartons of cigarettes for resale purposes. I live in Northern Virginia, where cigarettes are going to be cheaper than they are in Maryland or the District, or points north. I know for a fact that some customers would buy a couple of cartons at our store, and then take them up to relatives in New York or New Jersey, where cigarettes are much more expensive. (I know this because they point-blank told me that's what they were doing.)

                          It was harder, I think, for the CTB to keep track of all the taxes, etc. when cigarettes were being rung through at all the registers, as opposed to just one or two. So they cracked down. Customers didn't particularly like it at first, but they understood our hands were tied about it. "Uncle Sam says jump," and all that.
                          PWNADE(TM) - Serve up a glass today! | PWNZER - An act of pwnage so awesome, it's like the victim got hit by a tank.

                          There are only Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse because I choose to walk!

                          Comment


                          • #28
                            Quoth KatherineB View Post
                            I regularly direct frazzled retail and other workers here.
                            There's a business card design (w/ the choking clerk) floating around somewhere, but a quick search didn't cough it up.


                            Quoth Jay 2K Winger View Post
                            I live in Northern Virginia, where cigarettes are going to be cheaper
                            Cheapest anywhere, afaik.

                            Comment


                            • #29
                              Quoth sms001 View Post
                              Cheapest anywhere, afaik.
                              That's possible. I wouldn't know, not being a smoker, myself.
                              PWNADE(TM) - Serve up a glass today! | PWNZER - An act of pwnage so awesome, it's like the victim got hit by a tank.

                              There are only Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse because I choose to walk!

                              Comment


                              • #30
                                Grrr, express lanes! When I cashiered, I wanted to yell, "Either let us ENFORCE the rules or just do away with the damn things!" In fact, the whole "enforcement/non-enforcement" issue was so bad, I'd get my butt chewed for enforcing it on one shift and not enforcing it on another and not from the customers.

                                My store became the regional manager's haven.. so when she was there, we had to enforce the rules. When the store manager was there, we had to enforce the rules. When the assistant store manager was there, we had to enforce the rules. When the department manager was there, we'd get our asses chewed for enforcing the rules. And complaints to the regional and store manager got brushed off, because it was our word against his.

                                The only time I ever saw the rule not enforced with the other managers were around was that Crazy Day after Turkey Fest, called "Black Friday." Then it was all hands on deck and managers were out with the scan guns scanning buggies so all the custy had to do was hand us the slip for us to put into the register.. and it was STILL NUTS. But if there was any placed I'd rather be in the store during that hell, it was behind the register.
                                If I make no sense, I apologize. I'm constantly interrupted by an actual toddler.

                                Comment

                                Working...
                                X