It was either 8 items or 14, depending on how you look at it . . .

[Samaliel]

I think the customer was wrong too, but the store staff handled it the best way they could.

The only problem I have with them being so indulgent is that it may encourage Sucky Customers to be Sucky.

One day, this lady will come to the express lane with well over 20 items, but only 8 distinct items, and will blow up in full EW mode when she'll be told that 10 items mean 10 items.

[iradney]

I side with the store. It says TEN ITEMS. not TEN BRANDS. Otherwise, I could get 5 items of ten different brands.
That lady needs a smack upside her head with a maths lesson

[friendofjimmyk]

I've read the OP and the subsequent responses and I side with the store. No, the customer. No, wait...the store. No, no - it wasn't that big a deal - the customer.

No...wait...it's the PRINCIPLE - the store.

No, on second thought.....



{morning came to soon today}

[SpyOne]

In this case, the customer clearly had 14 items.

There are, however, instances where it is not so clear, and that helps create the confusion.

For example, we all agree that a 6-pack of soda is one item, not six. But if the store sells individual cans of soda, then a 6-pack is just a special price for buying 6. And some stores will even let you mix-and-match their sodas. So any six sodas would be one item, a 6-pack.
This leads some customers to believe that any time a price is given for multiple items, the multiple counts as one item. Two for $5? Means that 10 of them would only be 5 items, right?
What about those now-nearly-ubiquitous 10for10 deals? We all know that really means the items are $1 each, but it could lead someone to believe that 10 of them would count as one item (priced at $10) for their "12 items or less" item count.

This could be solved, if the stores would all agree to be more explicit with their advertising. No more "10for10" deals, no more "2for$5", instead it would clearly state either "$1 each" or "Save $0.49 when you buy two!", making it abundantly clear whether "2for$5" means one is $2.50, and that if you buy the two for $5 that counts as 2 items.

[tamezin]

Having 14 items in a 10 items or less line really isn't that bad. I have seen far worse. When the 10 item or less lane is also the tobacco lane in a store, you will see people with entire shopping carts loaded to the brim. I just don't get that at all, especially when there are two adults together. How hard is it to have one person go through the tobacco line for smoke and the other go to a regular checkout.

Most cashiers won't say anything unless they can catch the overloads before they hit the belt, after that it is almost too late.

[Samaliel]

My take on this is : one pack = one item. Even if they sell soda by the can, a 24-pack is still one item, and 24 cans out from the fridge are 24 items. Two packs of cereals are two items. If they're shrinkwrapped together, it's one item.

Pretty self explanatory to me.

[unclejampuff]

With the store. When I shop, I tend to buy just multiples of the same thing(I pack my lunch, but don't eat much after work). By the customer's logic, I'd have 5 items, but it'd be more like 20 by the store's logic.
But I don't think 14 was enough to warrant asking the manager. If a customer went through my line or something and had 15 or so, I'd just do it. I'd love to smack people upside the head for doing that, but it's not worth the energy to even register(no pun intended) something like that.

[donruss]

I have to side with the customer on this. If you have multiple items of the same thing and size only though. If I have 5 boxes of 28 ounce Frosted Flakes goodness, then that is 5 items but in most stores only 1 needs to be rung up and then they just press the magic button that tells how many it is. So even though we have 5 items, only 1 must be scanned. I actually did this when our store ran out of soda. I got a whole cart load of 2 liters of the same type. Must have had around 40 of them. I DID ask the express cashier 1st however if I could bring them through and ring them up once. She rang one up, hit multiple times 40 on register and I was out in literally 30 seconds. If the items are the same brand and different sizes, then no, its not one item.

[Samaliel]

It depends on the store policy, I guess.

[dawnfire]

my supermarket solved this problem by having baskets go through express rather than putting amounts on things.

[iradney]

I

For example, we all agree that a 6-pack of soda is one item, not six.

Ah, but when buying a six pack of soda, you only need to scan it once, as there is only one barcode. Maybe that's another way of looking at? 10 items = 10 barcodes? So you can buy that 10 pack of whatever, but because it only has one barcode, and only needs to be scanned once, it could count as one item?

[Samaliel]

Not getting you anywhere : 10 identical items will have the same barcode, and the SC will display the same logic, stating that there is only one distinct barcode. You can't win against that kind of logic.

[rerant]

I agree with Chanlin. She only had 4 more items. They clearly fit on the register. The transaction took maybe 10 extra seconds. I don't see the problem. And for the record, I work on an express lane for most of my shifts at the grocery store.

But when someone sees her buying for extra items they want to buy four extra, then someone wants to buy five extra, then 10 extra, then... you can see where I'm going with this.

Give people an inch and they'll take the whole damn ruler and demand a store credit to go with it.

I'm on the store's side with this and I refuse to be on the express lanes at my work because they simply irritate me too much, and since I hate my job and everyone who sets foot in the store to begin with I really don't need one more thing to annoy me.

I love what one of our cashiers does, though. When he's on express his answer is, "The register is set up to allow only eight items, no quantities." If they insist on staying in his line he'll make them split everything into eight-item orders, even if they have a giant cartload of things.
I'm willing to bet the people who are forced to make 10 eight-item purchases won't be missing the express lane sign again.

[rerant]

Not getting you anywhere : 10 identical items will have the same barcode, and the SC will display the same logic, stating that there is only one distinct barcode. You can't win against that kind of logic.

How's this... if I count the items in your cart or basket and I get higher than eight, you have to go to another line.

A 10-pack is ONE PACKAGE with 10 articles inside it. ONE package.
10 10-packs are TEN PACKAGES, regardless as to whether or not they have the same barcode.

[rvdammit]

My way to thinking sideways is each thing that could be scanned individually is an item.