15 pet peeves I'd Like to share as a cashier.

[Gabrielle Proctor]

I think my biggest pet peeve when ringing was "Oh, it doesn't have a tag! it must be free **hyuck, hyuck**"

That one gets me too. I hate that! I know they're only joking, but I always feel so awkward after they say it. What am I supposed to say back to them? If I think of something funny, it will come off as a smart ass comment. If I say nothing, I come off as rude.

Usually, I make them feel like an ass by saying, "Well, if I did that, I'd be fired."

It takes them from this: to this:.

[Lachrymose]

That one gets me too. I hate that! I know they're only joking, but I always feel so awkward after they say it. What am I supposed to say back to them? If I think of something funny, it will come off as a smart ass comment. If I say nothing, I come off as rude.

Usually, I make them feel like an ass by saying, "Well, if I did that, I'd be fired."

It takes them from this: to this:.

That would annoy me too if I heard it all the time. If you are geniunely looking for something to say where you wouldn't feel awkward and wouldn't make them feel awkward, you could say something like "I wish!".

Of course, they could comeback with something more annoying, but I'd be willing to bet most times they would just laugh it off if you did.

[Becks]

One customer bought me a candy bar because I would be working through the "normal" dinner hour and she thought I'd be hungry. It was dreadfully nice of her.

How sweet!!!

If I ever had a customer do something like that for me, I'd...I don't know what. But good things.

[Mark Healey]

2. The question of "how are you doing?" . I need to make a push button device that can play my mood of the day. I get asked this over and over and fing over. I used to just tell people fine. Now I tell them the truth or even tell them if I told you the truth it would get me fired. (I like catching people off guard). The people that really want to know how I am doing always talk to me more than just the opening line "How are you doing".

I hate that one in general. No one wants to hear anything but a positive answer and all of us are sometimes not doing so well.

Funny thing is my doctor greeted me with that the other day. Um, I'm visiting the doctor.

[Irving Patrick Freleigh]

I hate that one in general. No one wants to hear anything but a positive answer and all of us are sometimes not doing so well.

Funny thing is my doctor greeted me with that the other day. Um, I'm visiting the doctor.

"Well, I'm about to get nekkid and gird my loins in a paper dressing gown that isn't big enough to keep my manparts from swinging around in public view or keep my ass crack hidden away from prying eyes, and have icy-cold fingers galavanting around my various bodily parts and even colder medical implements shoved God knows where, and maybe get an illegible prescription for some miracle drug that costs about as much as a Leer Jet and is gone almost as fast as one."

"I'm absolutely peachy. Why do you ask?"

[Jay 2K Winger]

1. Are you open?

This is the part where I usually get a blank expression on my face, turn around and stare up dumbly at my light, scratch my head, and go, "My light is on, so yeah, I think I'm open." Ninety-nine times out of a hundred, this passes without comment or suck. In that odd one time, they usually just give me a Look and things progress anyway.

2. The question of "how are you doing?"

Cue me doing a deadpan and explaining how long I've been there, or how long until my break, or whatever. Sometimes, I just shrug and go "Meh." On some days, I wear a shirt that says "I'm really excited to be here," so I'll just open my vest and show it off, often to laughs.

3. The weather especially on a nice day.

Yeah, I usually work afternoon/evening shifts these days, so I just shrug and mention what time I'm getting off, implying that I won't get a chance to appreciate the nice weather. Or, sometimes, when they say "Great weather we've been having," I'll pull a Shatner and say "But - for - how - long?"

4. Do I have to put this up on the belt.

I, too, keep a "cheat sheet" in my vest pocket, since the store doesn't allow us to keep them posted at the registers. I advise all my coworkers to pick one up themselves ($0.50 or so at Wal-Mart!) and write down all the trouble SKUs. Me, I went around on my break to the soda, water, and beer aisles and wrote down the SKUs for all the most common ones, and also added produce SKUs and a few other cart-bottom items.

So I can often get away with them leaving things in the cart, although I do tell them, "Just leave the big and heavy things. Put the milk and all the rest up." And usually they'll do it.

6. Did you take my $10.00 OFF?

Yeah, I get people wanting to know if the instant rebate came off, and so I have to tell them, yes, it comes off automatically when I scan the item. Then there's the items with mail-in rebates, the form for which prints at the end of the receipt, but the customer doesn't always realize it, and wants to know why their $5 rebate wasn't taken off.

8. Customers asking what time I get off.

The only time I get this question is on Sundays, when they comment on how tired I look, and I deadpan, "I've been here since 5AM." They'll say, "What time do you get off?" "One o'clock." "Oh, well that's okay." "Yeah, apart from the fact I've been here since FIVE AM!"

9. Wait don't check me out yet.

Only time I get this is when they have two or more separate orders and haven't finished putting things on the belt for the first order. But then, I also have to wait for them to hand me their membership card before I can start checking them out, so it's different for me.

Worse are the idiots who will put everything on the belt, and then go, "I forgot milk!" and rush off to get it -- without handing me their membership card. And the milk, of course, is ALLLLLL the way at the back of the store. So there's me, left standing there, with customers waiting behind them, and I'm damned if I do, damned if I don't. If I wait for them to come back, the customers behind them get pissed 'cuz I didn't stop them doing it. If I put their stuff aside, or ring up the person behind them, the customer who rushed off gets pissed, 'cuz I didn't wait for them.

11. Customers who complain about the self checkout.

I fully agree. When they give me the "They put cashiers like you out of work" line, though, I tell them, "Actually, we installed those toward the end of the summer one year, when we were losing a lot of our workforce back to school anyway, so we didn't really lose anyone we wouldn't have lost anyway."

12. Cell phone users at checkout.

Ohhhh, I hate it when they do that. I have a story about them that I'll save for my own thread.

13. Smiling at me when they walk up to the check out.

When they smile at me, depending on my mood, they'll either get a friendly-enough smile and greeting from me, or they'll get a tired, "and there was much rejoice, yay." smile.

14. Walking up to me making smart ass comments. - Comments such as " You look bored, or I thought I'd give you something to do, or you look lonely"

"You look bored." "I'm always bored."

"I thought I'd give you something to do." "Oh, you didn't need to do that."

"You look lonely." "I'm not lonely! I've got the voices in my head to keep me company!"

15. Lights off I'M closed

I've told this story once before of a woman who rushed up to my line and started throwing her things on my belt, ignoring my attempts to tell her "Ma'am, I'm closed." I finally had to put her stuff back into her cart, look her right in the eye when she GLARED at me, and tell her, "Ma'am, I'm closed, you're gonna have to go to another line."

[katie kaboom]

2) A lot of your complaints are legitimate, but the fact that you seem to get so very irritated when people are just trying to be nice (by smiling, commenting on the weather, asking how you are) makes me think that maybe you need 1 of 2 things: a new job (within the store even) for a change of pace, because you sound pretty burnt out. Or maybe some help with anger management. I don't mean to criticize, I'm actually a little concerned for you. Getting so upset over little things is usually a warning sign that you need something like a change of pace or someone to talk to.

Maybe some of us are just getting irritated at having to justify why every little thing that bothers us, bothers us. It's almost getting to the point where it's not even worth venting on here anymore.

[Chromatix]

Regarding heavy items... try IKEA. A furniture shop with checkout belts.

Standard practice there is to put heavy items on the warehouse trolleys, try to keep them countable and the barcodes visible, and let the cashier come out of her desk with the special scanner on the extension cable.

Everything small enough goes on the belt as usual, after emptying it from the store bags they use instead of baskets, or possibly the conventional trolleys they have for large numbers of smaller things.

Guess who went through there one day with FIVE warehouse trolleys in quick succession? Two at once in one case? By himself? Yeah, I still haven't finished putting all that lot together.

[Bramblerose]

you know, a bunch of these are just standard human pleasantries that you treat as if this is some sort of assault. Maybe you need to figure out why you find a smile and basic conversation a problem and fix it.

Some of them is just being human. I am sorry it gets you down, but if you be patient with my human-ness, I will be patient with yours. If you reach perfection, let me know.

[Ree]

Well, here we go again with another thread where people are playing, "Your story isn't sucky...it's just you being asked to do your job and resenting it."

I would like to know at what point this place turned into a free for all where people question every little thing posted and find fault with people who have come here to vent about things that bother them.

Yeah, the OP was being especially nitpicky about some of the things on that list.

We complain about customers who treat us like non-persons, yet we have someone complaining about them engaging in light conversation, "How are you?"; "Beautiful day," etc. I found some of the items on the list just a bit mean-spirited.

The thing is, this is supposed to be a place where people should be free to post that those things bother them without an entire thread erupting into arguments and attacks over what is deemed sucky enough to complain about.

Not every customer is sucky, and, when all is said and done, we wouldn't have a job without them, but that doesn't mean people don't have a right to vent when things start to get to them.

I am sick and tired of playing go-between with a group of people who come off suspiciously like customers themselves, as they always seem to side against the members who are venting, regardless.
As I said very recently in another post where infighting and bickering had taken over, it's great to educate and inform when we see how a person's own behaviour has contributed to the suckiness that took place, but there is a difference between educating and criticizing.

As always, if you don't like what someone has posted in reply, use the report button and keep the bickering off the board.

If this continues, the thread will be closed.

[nomorecarts]

#2-I have to ask every customer that. do you think a give a shit? not a chance. that's why I like self check

#4-I get the opposite, people see a guy that can easily lift their items and EVERYTHING goes on the belt. the problem with this is, I don't have any place to put it. if the items are shaped right and in the right order I can stack them, but usually they were stacked in the cart, so they go on the belt in reverse and I have to put their large items on the floor because they haven't gotten their cart around for me to load yet

I've never asked this of cashiers I don't know, but will ask it of random co-workers that I find myself stuck small-talking with. I don't really care what time they get off, I'm not going to wait outside the door and follow them to their car or invite myself over, but it's an attempt to add some cheer - "So, what time do you get off today? 3:00? Oh, that's nice, you only have two more hours left to go! Bet you're excited!" Going for a little positive thinking.

yea, but if you know them, or are affected by their schedule it's different. you're not some random person, who could be a serial killer or rapist waiting to follow you home and rape/kill you


most of the things on there don't bother me, but not very many things do, and most of them are stupid little things, and when they do i'm over it in less than 5 mins, I think I'm well suited for retail

[Lace Neil Singer]

1. Are you open?

When I worked in the supermarket, that question used to seriously grate on my nerves. A few times, I'd answer "If it was closed, I wouldn't be sitting here," which strangely enough, as it's a bit smartmouthed, never got any complaints. Maybe the customer realised how dumb their question was after I said that.

2. The question of "how are you doing?"

I never minded that question, cuz some people I know regularly use it as a form of greeting. It's only a problem if you start to reply, and the customer talks over you. I really hate people doing that, I had to almost physically restrain myself from shouting, "Why ask if you're not interested in my reply?!"

3. The weather especially on a nice day.

That would be my cue to answer, "Well, I'm actually sorry for everyone who is out there in non air con hell." I'm not too bothered about discussing the weather; maybe it's cuz I'm English.

4. Do I have to put this up on the belt.

That would usually be asked regarding crates of beer or packages of bottled water. If I had the bar code, then nope; otherwise, yes. If they said something like, "Can you lift it out the trolley for me?" I'd reply, "Sorry, I have a bad back; let me just call for a supervisor." That is what would get the glares and nastiness; sorry SCs, but young people as well as old can have bad backs. There's no age requirement.

5. Is it coupon Thursday?

Over here, it's mostly petrol vouchers that everyone goes nutzo about. They are only given out for a limited period, yet for the rest of the time all the customers keep asking the cashiers, "Are you handing out petrol vouchers?" Well, if we were, it would have come out of the reciept machine after the reciept! Duh...

6. Did you take my $10.00 OFF?

I find that irritating too, mostly cuz it always seemed to happen right after I'd just totaled up and they'd watched impassively as I took off every coupon.

7. Credit/Debit card Machine

Only irritating if a person is abnormally thick; such as the moron who kept yanking his card out too early so the transaction was cancelled. In the end, after two such occurances, I took his card and used the slot on the till to process his card where he couldn't reach to pull it out. Using a chip and pin machine; it's not rocket science!

8. Customers asking what time I get off.

Doesn't bother me, unless said in creepy stalkerish tones. In which case I pretend not to have heard.

9. Wait don't check me out yet.

The correct reply to this is, "Good, then I can have a rest." And do so. I used to welcome customers who said that they wanted me to not put their stuff thru til it was all up on the belt, as it meant I could rest my tired arms for a couple of minutes.

10. Customers who just choose me.

Very annoying; especially when there's at least four people down the aisle who have no customers. I just used to tell them, "There's tills down there with no people."

11. Customers who complain about the self checkout.

There isn't one at the supermarket, yay! Apparently, the manager hates them.

12. Cell phone users at checkout.

I just used to not talk at all to said moron. If they don't want to talk to me then I won't talk to them. At the petrol station, I always get the fun of telling them that they have to finish their call in the shop cuz phones aren't allowed to be used on the forecourt. From overhearing such calls, I am a big meanypants for making them do this. It makes me happy.

13. Smiling at me when they walk up to the check out.

Depends on the smile. Normal, pleasant smile; fine with me. Manic grin; not OK. O_o

14. Walking up to me making smart ass comments. - Comments such as " You look bored, or I thought I'd give you something to do, or you look lonely".

That gets on my nerves. Also; "It must be free!" or "Made it this morning." I used to reply to that last one with, "Is that a confession of forgery?" which used to stump most people. In petrol, that doesn't seem to happen, for which I am grateful.

15. Lights off I'M closed

In the petrol station, once we have put the bollards up and turned off the pumps, you'd think that would show people we are closed. We still get idiots who walk up to the store and try to get in, and occasionally a moron will either drive over the kerb at the side of the pumps or run down the bollards. No dice; pumps are off and locked up. You fail at life.

[marasbaras]

Fair enough, Ree.

[BookstoreEscapee]

#1: I used to work as cashier in a bookstore - 1 line/1 counter/multiple cashiers setup. I would be the only person behind the counter, the only other person in the vicinity, even, and standing there looking directly at the customer as they approached, and they would still say, "Are you open?"

#7: I stopped at the grocery store the other night and the guy in front of me in line was paying with a card. He swiped it and was fumbling with the machine (really, just read the prompts, it's not that hard) so the cashier was telling him what buttons to press, which came out as "Yes, yes, yes." The guy (who was a kind of skeezy looking guy to begin with) made a comment like "You're good" (to which I pointed out that she's probably done this a time or two before). Then he said he wished he could find a girl who would say "Yes, yes, yes." Ew.

I've had customers ask what time I get off work, but it's always been in a friendly conversation, usually involving the weather. More like, "It's such a nice day, how much longer until you get to enjoy it?"

Ditto. Many of these complaints, though I can appreciate them, seem relatively minor to me.

Problem is, they add up over the course of the day, week, etc... it gets old sometimes. Especially when you're tired they're more aggravating than they otherwise would (or should) be. Sometimes the little things just bug you, even though you know you are overreacting; knowing that doesn't necessarily change the way you feel.

I always feel really rude if I don't make small talk. It feels like I'm trying to act better than myself.
"Why; lowly peon! Ring my groceries but don't look me directly in the eyes!"
Yeah, it's a little melodramatic, but I'm easily guilted :C

I feel that way, too. But sometimes I'm tired and I just don't want to interact. I'll always smile and say thank you, but sometimes that's all I've got. Sorry.

Confession time: a couple months ago I was on the phone while being checked out at the grocery store. In my defense, I had a slightly disconcerting text message asking me to call Ex before he got off work, so I did while I was in line behind two other fairly large orders. Since he was at work I didn't expect it to be more than a minute or two, but it was and I didn't get off the phone until I got outside. I did acknowledge the cashier, though, and bagged most of my stuff and said thank you and good night, though. Even if I find myself distracted by something, I still will not totally ignore someone who is helping me. When I got those people, I also did not say a word beyond asking if they had a member card and telling them their total. Then I'd say, all bright and cheery, "Thank you, have a nice day!" as they walked away having not acknowledged me once in the entire transaction.

[clod75]

The thing is, this is supposed to be a place where people should be free to post that those things bother them without an entire thread erupting into arguments and attacks over what is deemed sucky enough to complain about.

that was what I was thinking.... it is one cashiers feelings. Not a right or wrong.