Cell phone at checkout

[JLRodgers]

Now this was many a years ago, back when I had the misfortune of having to checkout people. I was a floor person that was able to run the entire floor by myself (and did so many times). Basically my department was the "run everything but the cash registers" department. If we were on a register, managers were answering the phones and helping customers on the floor (and many times they'd replace us on the register since they didn't know the floor as well as we did overall). You know, really busy. The only people not on registers were cart people and they weren't generally trained for registers so they couldn't (generally).

Anyway, one day I had to be at the register. This lady decided to place a call while in line. Now I didn't mind people using the phone at the register - given that they actually paid attention to me and didn't make me wait for them. Many were kind enough to do that, or at the very least just pay attention to when I was done and they needed to pay -- so even if they ignored me, they could pay and everything moved smoothly. She, on the other hand, wasn't one of them.

After placing the call seconds before I started ringing up her merchandise, she started talking loudly about dinner or some such nonsense that could've waited a minute or two.

And it kind of went like this:
me: "$89.47"
{waits for woman to do something}
me: "ma'am?"
{woman turns around since I'm bothering her}
{I look back at the manager and signal that there's a slight problem -- I had a line of ten or so people, in the FAST lane}
me: "you're total comes to 89.47"
her: "Can't you see I'm talking here?"
{I probably stared at her open mouthed on that one, I know I was shocked}
{manager hears and takes over the register beside me, literally, our elbows hit -- he motions for the people to move over to his lane}
{time passes}
me: "ma'am I'm starting to get a line again" [an understatement -- they called in the few cart people that could check out and had others checking out that weren't dressed for work yet]
{woman acts like she's going to flip me off}
{time passes, manager flips my sign to closed so no others come to me -- it annoys some in my line since other lines were still pretty fully, but when they realize what's going on, some apologize to me after they get checked out probably because they're leaving and I'm still with the same woman.}
{woman gets done on the phone, after almost five minutes}
her (give or take): "here's your money, see it didn't kill you."
{pays $80}
me: "I'm sorry, you need 9.47 more"
{she gives me a dirty look and gives me a ten}
me: "53 cents your change" {said with a smile just as with all other people}
her: "I want to speak with your manager, you're a rude cashier."
me: {start to speak, but cut off by manager who's over my shoulder}
manager: "Yes"
{she realizes he was inches from me this entire time, i.e. he knew what happened}
her: "nevermind"



Is it even common for people to place a call seconds before being checked out?

[karath]

Is it even common for people to place a call seconds before being checked out?

Not exactly common in my experience, but if people are like me than you remember something you might need to call about at the exact wrong moment (i.e. as you're about to check out). I still make sure to pay attention to whatever else I need to do (since you don't know cell phone hatred until you deal with one of them in a fast-food drive through), but it IS known to happen.

[TTAZ]

The pharmacy I use has a sign taped to the counter and both registers:

"We will be happy to help you AFTER you have you finished your call".

Loved it.

[jerkface11]

The jackasses do it in the drivethru at work too. They'll say "hold on" then you get to listen to them fight with their wife over some pictures she found for 5 minutes while the line backs out all the way to the street and people start honking.

[iviles]

What a B---h!!!! Iwant to know in what universe she lives in that the sun revolves around her! Im glad that your manager was there to help but I would have voided her transaction and helped the next person in line if i was your manager.

[Andara Bledin]

Oh, no, that is not acceptable.

I think some other cashiers here have put either put sales like that on hold to help other people, or voided the sale and made them wait in line again when they were ready to actually take care of business.

I know I'd have kicked her out of line after about two minutes. And if she complained I'd just ask whether it was better to have one rude lady who wouldn't pay me after I told her the total pissed off at me, or the 20 people behind her who were being held up because she refused to finish the transaction all mad instead.

Cripes, what an EW.

^-.-^

[RecoveringKinkoid]

When I was at Kinko's, I would pointedly IGNORE anyone on a cell phone when their turn came. If I didn't actually hear the words "I'll have to call you back" or "goodbye" coming out of the person's mouth, I would say "Next, please" and just take the next person. You would lose your place in line pretty much instantly.

Nobody was ever stupid enough to say anything, either. They shot the stink eye my way, but they all at least had sense enough to keep their mouths shut. We didn't play around in that store. It was BUSY. We were busy. Our customers were busy. If we'd let that sort of stupidity go on, the other customers would probably torn the person limb from limb anyways.

Most people learned pretty quick. I only had to actually do that a couple times the entire time I was there.

[ArcticChicken]

Man, I've had some pretty rude cell phone people through my line, but they all were in a conversation long before I started ringing them, and they at least tried to keep the line moving as little.

[Namrepus221]

A coworker told me that he had someone on the phone at the counter, talking very loudly.

She finishes up the call and says "I'm sorry, that was very rude of me" basically attempting to apologize for it.

All my co worker says is "Yes. Yes it was."

Game. Set. Match.

[AKWalMartCartGuy]

I don't directly deal with many customers(it's rare for me to have more than 4 or 5 carry outs in a shift) so I don't get it alot, but usually when people are on their cell phones it's an incoming call, calling a cab(that one's not too common, and they almost always say we can go do something else if we need to), or calling a friend that's in the parking lot to tell them to drive to the door, so I don't have a problem with it.

but if someone placed a call to just bullshit while we were doing the carry out I would be highly annoyed

[Norton]

you don't know cell phone hatred until you deal with one of them in a fast-food drive through

I used to get those at my old job. They'd pull up to the speaker, and proceed to read the entire menu to the person on the other end of the phone, as a line of cars began to snake around the building.

[Lace Neil Singer]

I had a woman like that; maybe your customer went on holiday to England once. -.-

It was actually quite funny; she was ignoring my "Excuse me!" and happily yacking away, right until this old guy pokes her in the back and says, "If it's alright with you, young lady, I'd like to be out of here before midnight." She turns and says, "What's it to you?" He replies, "It's my business cuz while you're driveling on, I'm being held up."

She just shut up, paid and left. I love having customers like that old guy who aren't afraid to butt in when an SC is operating.

[Gerrinson]

Back when I worked at the grocery store, I was a supervisor in addition to being a cashier, so I'd simply suspend the order and then start on the next person. The person on the phone would end their call really quick at that point. Of course, I made them wait until I was done with the next person to finish them up. I got a few complaints about that. Each time I got one, the store manager tore it up in front of me and congratulated me on keeping the lines moving.

[Mongo Skruddgemire]

I have an answer to that. I carry one of these with me everywhere I go.

Whenever I have someone who can't @#$%ing unplug from their phone I do it for them.

Mongo

[Finance Gopher]

And it's not just at registers, though that's ruder than what I encounter. You'd think that people would give their financial adviser their full and undivided attention because, you know, we're discussing those things you remember and have to deal with right away--retirement, death, education of children, taxes. But you'd be wrong. They'll receive calls, make calls, text, and so on. The blackberry people always put it on the desk and check it every five minutes. The best was when someone was making dinner plans while we were trying to review their deceased parent's estate.