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Why do I always get behind these people in the shortest lines?

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  • Why do I always get behind these people in the shortest lines?

    I went to Publix during lunch to pick up a sandwich, and at check out, three cashier lines were open. Two, including the express, had about three people each, while one had just one person, who was just completing having her items rung up. I picked that line.

    Even though this was the shortest line, it did not mean in any way that it was the fastest. The woman was probably in her fifties, although she looked about eighty due to years of heavy smoking and drinking, I think. She had to chat about her dogs with the cashier, talk about how she takes care of them, think about how she was going to pay for her groceries, etc. Plus, when she finally did finish up, she had the cashier give her some extra plastic grocery bags, probably to clean up the dog mess when she walks them. She took about a dozen of them. Meanwhile, the two previously mentioned lines had already finished up with their customers by the time my turn came along.

    By this time, three other people had piled up behind me, while dog woman didn't care. You just want to smack these people, and mention how she's one of the reasons the grocery bills are going up since she probably always gets free bags on check out. If she did that on this visit, she does it on every visit.

  • #2
    You never want to go shopping with me, because this kind of stuff always happens to me.

    I will somehow always pick the line with someone who doesn't have enough money on their card and starts having the cashier remove items one-by-one, re-trying until the payment goes through. Or the person who waits until the cashier is done ringing up items and then starts to pull out a checkbook. Or the one who argues over coupons. Once I got behind a couple of ladies who each had about $50 in groceries, and they each brought out stacks of $1 bills and ziploc baggies of change that they had to count through. Another time, I got behind a woman whose kid had found a toy that was tucked away in some weird section; the toy had been recalled due to safety reasons but this one had obviously not been pulled, and despite the cashier explaining this to the woman multiple times she stood there for over 10 minutes arguing she should still be able to buy the toy.

    I'm cursed or something. Seriously.
    Knowledge is knowing that a tomato is a fruit. Wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad.

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    • #3
      It's to the point with me, I expect it when I get in line.

      The worst was when I was at the Mart of Wal, and watched the cashier and Customer in line in front of me get into a bit of a spirited discussion over the pricing of something. End result was the cashier calling for a manager who was taking so long to come over, that before they came over, both the customer and cashier walked out.
      Just sliding down the razor blade of life.

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      • #4
        It happens to me too. So aggravating and it's getting to the point where I just always expect it now.

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        • #5
          I ALWAYS get in line behind the person new to WIC. WIC is an awesome program, used it myself. But these people never read the list of ok items. So the cashier rings everything up, tells them their total. Then they pull out their WIC voucher. Then the cashier has to go back and tell them you can't get fruity pebbles with this. You can't buy the 5 pound block of cheese, it has to be 16 oz, etc. while the person stands there and argues and then asks the cashier to wait while they run and go get the right things, and then argues when the cashier tells them they have to wait in line again.

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          • #6
            Quoth April View Post
            I ALWAYS get in line behind the person new to WIC. WIC is an awesome program, used it myself. But these people never read the list of ok items. So the cashier rings everything up, tells them their total. Then they pull out their WIC voucher. Then the cashier has to go back and tell them you can't get fruity pebbles with this. You can't buy the 5 pound block of cheese, it has to be 16 oz, etc. while the person stands there and argues and then asks the cashier to wait while they run and go get the right things, and then argues when the cashier tells them they have to wait in line again.
            Same here.....it's one of the reasons I started using the store's SCO machines. (especially if I went there on my lunch break)

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            • #7
              Or EBT... One time I was at the only store in town which doesn't take credit cards (I think they should post it somewhere, but that's another gripe) but it was okay because the guy had a EBT card. It was so bent the cashier had to put in the numbers by hand. Then the guy didn't have enough, and the cashier has to plug the numbers in again to see the balance. Then the guy tries to use a credit card. Cashier explains that this store only does cash/debit/EBT/check payments. Guy says "It's a debit card! I just want to run is as credit!" But he couldn't remember the PIN for the debit because it was his friend's card. So in the end they had to cancel the transaction. Which was hard because the cashier had used the balance of the EBT card, and had to put it back and call a manager to cancel it entirely. I believe that was the last time I used the regular checkout, SCO all the way.

              At the store I do my big grocery shopping at, I have started to go by the cashier. This place is huge, it has something like 20 or more regular lanes and 10 SCOs. Yet I recognize some of the cashiers and know which are really fast. It's not foolproof though. It's not so much chatting that I see (that was my hometown *shudder*) it's arguing. Two items and they argue over both. I seriously want to say read the exclusions!
              Replace anger management with stupidity management.

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              • #8
                This is exactly why I stopped looked at how long the lines are, and how fast the cashier moves! While it won't help getting behind someone who has a complicated transaction, it does help to move things along. I learned that lesson after standing in line one day at Bradlees, for what seemed like an eternity! Packed store, all lines 5+ deep. I happned to get a cashier slower than a turtle. and i only wanted hangers but needed them or i would hav walked out.

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                • #9
                  Been there, done that, got the shirt way too many times.

                  If I can help it, and I don't have the roommate with me, I WILL use SCO because the majority of the time customers don't want to use one. My Mart of Wal doesn't have any, so I generally have to go by the cashier and the line. There is seven cashiers that I refuse to even touch any of my purchases, and I check to see if they are there or not. If all seven are working at the same time, and it's only them, I have walked out and gone to another location before.
                  Eh, one day I'll have something useful here. Until then, have a cookie or two.

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                  • #10
                    This never seems to happen to me when I'm a customer, but when I'm a cashier it's constantly. But of course, anyone working at my store will run into this.
                    "Is it hot in here to you? It's very warm, isn't it?"--Nero, probably

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                    • #11
                      It happened again yesterday at JCP while buying some socks. The nearest register had one and only one customer checking out. Only problem was, she was checking out with stuff that "rang up wrong" and with gift cards that "needed to be swiped again" as they weren't accepting. She also had stuff removed, probably in the hope of affording the other stuff. I decided to head off to a far away register where two people were there, then checked out, and it became my turn.

                      After checking out, I passed by that register again, and that woman is was still there, arguing with the cashier, and now with other customers piling up behind her.

                      Beware: Snowbirds start heading back soon. Can't wait!

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