Stupid questions...

[fireheart]

Within five minutes of me rocking up and being placed onto a register, I get these two questions.

1) Where are the cigarettes?

Uh...maybe behind the service desk. Seriously, barring cigarette shops, I challenge you to find a supermarket that doesn't keep their cigarettes behind the smoke counter.

2) "I'd like to do a return here."

OK, three things:

1) You did not get in line.
2) Unless you bought something else while you were in the store AND informed us at the service desk, no way can I do a return from my register.
3) I'm not authorized to do a return.

and I got this several times.

3) "are you open?"

When my light is on, my closed sign is down and I'm standing there waiting....

[Midnight_Angel]

1) Where are the cigarettes?

Uh...maybe behind the service desk. Seriously, barring cigarette shops, I challenge you to find a supermarket that doesn't keep their cigarettes behind the smoke counter.

Actually, this might not be that dumb a question... if you are serving a customer from outside the US.

For example, supermarkets in germany tend to have their cigarette displays at the registers.

[Nyoibo]

In Australia cigarettes are pretty much always behind a counter, and from memory can only be served by someone who is 18 or older.

[radx]

3) "are you open?"

When my light is on, my closed sign is down and I'm standing there waiting....

Actually I have asked that myself from time to time. But it's not like I am stupid or something, it's just more like a um.. being nice or something.. I dunno.. get a dialog with whoever is sitting there all alone.

Maybe it's just me but I like to talk a little while standing there

[fireheart]

In Australia cigarettes are pretty much always behind a counter, and from memory can only be served by someone who is 18 or older.

Unfortunately my workplace is a bit lax on that particular policy and we have one 16-year-old serving smokes as well, but he does it with a supervisor or someone old enough assisting him, unless it's a dire emergency, he is never left to work smokeshop on his own.

ETA: I did check the SA Government website on tobacco sales and it stated that while people under 18 are allowed to sell cigarettes, it's not recommended that they do as they can be pressured into selling to their underage friends. In other words, while they can, most places won't allow it.

[Digitalpotato]

I get the "Are you guys open yet?" at least three or four times a day. (I work mornings) The plague of people who don't know that when the gate is up that the store is open in a mall-like store really isn't just exclusive to this Subway...

And in fact it's not even exclusive to the people who come in when the store IS open. Some people are coming down at 6:30 AM and asking if they're open when the lights are off and there's one person who is unlocking the gates. In fact he even reported that someone came in and started ordering at 6:30 AM.



Seriously the lights are OFF! You can't order when the equipment isn't even TURNED ON!