In a hurry: was I sucky?

[Sapphire Silk]

Just wondering if I was sucky here:

Pinning was today. My Fall class of nursing students have their big day when they get their pins, marking their official graduation from nursing school. For us it's a bigger deal than commencement, which isn't until May.

I had to stop at the grocery store to pick up a lighter; one of my colleagues and I had the role of lighting the lamps after the graduates got their pins and I only had one.

I find what I need quick enough, and there was no line. The girl is checking me out and I've paid cash and am waiting for my change when this woman comes up. She knows the cashier and they start jabbering and chatting. Meanwhile the cashier is standing there with my change in her hand . . . and making no move to hand it to me.

I have to get going. So I interject, "I'm in a hurry . . . I need my change."

The cashier gives me this really sour look as she hands it to me.

I was curt, I will admit. It's not that I cared about her having a conversation with a friend . . . it's just that I had a problem with her being so distracted it was holding me up.

So, was I sucky?

[Latekin]

I wouldn't think so. I've always thought you were supposed to wrap up what you were doing before starting a conversation with the next customer. Even if it's unavoidable, and you have to talk to someone else while serving, you can't really just be grinding the first transaction to a halt.

I think you were justified in asking her to finish up. Unless you went bananas at her, simply letting her know you're in a hurry and need to finish is no biggie.

[MoonCat]

Nope, not sucky at all. She was chatting with a friend in the middle of her transaction with you. Not okay to do. She could have told the friend, Hi, I'll be with you in a minute, then completed your business with her attention on you, which is where it was supposed to be.

You didn't yell or make a scene. I think you were fine.

[Teefies2]

OMG you were not sucky at all! She had your change in her hand ... all she had to do was hand it to you. She could have done that while talking to the other person and still wish you a pleasant day. Boo to her!!!

[EricKei]

No, you weren't sucky at all! If anything, their convo shouldn't have progressed past "Hi, X!" "Hi, Y!" until you were done. If anything, it should have inspired the cashier to get your tx done *faster*.

[shanarocks]

Not at all! Its really bad customer service to hold up a transaction with one customer to chit chat with your buddy. The cashier needs to realize that they are there to work. They have a duty, as an employee, to servive the customers of the company they work for. If that's too hard, they don't need to be an employee. They can easily be a customer.