Am I an SC? Or just anal?

[friendofjimmyk]

Okay, this is for all the folks on here who work in grocery...

(I was a cashier breifly once, but it was not the job for me, I left after two weeks...kudos to those that can handle it)

When I get to the checkout after grocery shopping, I arrange the items on the belt according to the way I think would help them pack the easiest...

I put all the boxed packages of stuff together, all the refrgerated stuff together - milk, juice, lunch meat, cheeses, - stuff in sort of flat refrigerated packages, the bread and eggs together (I figure that the bread can go with the eggs because neither would do much harm to the other plus if they are in one bag, I am not fumbling with two separate fragile parcels), then cans and jars, then toiletries.

Boy, now that I lay it out in writing, I guess it's more anal than anything. I don't fuss if they take things out of order, but I wonder how many of them look at me like I am crazy!!..even though I am maintaining my ever cheerful attitude...(especially more cheerful after reading all the posts here!)

(when I went shopping yesterday, I thought about this board!!!! I was on the look out for SCs to write about! )

[Lehk]

most of the time i hear cashiers/baggers commenting on the issue this is the preferred way of indicating how you want your bags packed, and it makes things easier on the bagger having all the same types of items come together rather than all mixed together

[friendofjimmyk]

That's what I was thinking, however, sometimes, they don't do it the way I have it set up. I still end up with a few bags that only have 2 or 3 small items in them. I feel bad if I try to stop this as I see it and add those smaller items to another bag...as I said, I never make a fuss, I remain nice about it, I just don't want them to think I think they are not doing their job correctly...

[Ree]

I worked as a grocery cashier for a few years, and I do the same thing when I'm putting my groceries on the belt.

[Kiwi]

Im the same to, I usually put them together in groups of likeness, box with box, cold with cold, meat with meat etc

however...

I will hand my bananas to the cashier, let them weigh them, then take them straight back. I just can not eat an imperfect banana, I cant do it, I will gag and throw up if there is the slightest bruise on it.

so now you know someone whos even more anal...

[Lehk]

I just can not eat an imperfect banana,...
so now you know someone whos even more anal...

well if you didn't stick em in yer bum they wouldn't taste so bad

[CherryB]

I would just be happy if the baggers didn't pack my frozen food in with the detergent, or cans of dog food on top of my bread, lol.
Most of the time I try to bag myself (this is how I supported myself thru college-cashiering/bagging in a grocery store).
What really gets me though, are the entitlement princesses who just stand there and wait for the cashier to bag everything. I see this a lot on busy days at the local Safeway-(seems they are always short on baggers) and cashiers get these huge orders -$200 or more-seems like the customer would figure out that they would get out of the store a lot faster if they simply pitched in bagged a few of their own sacks. I am not talking about old folks-I am talking about young healthy people who stand there and watch the cashier struggling to get it all bagged while the line grows.

[South Texan]

I have been doing it this way for years. Not only does it (I hope) make it easier and quicker for baggers to get all the like items into bags, It gives me a little assurance that the heavier items will go through the scanner first and thus not be thrown on top of the fragile items.

I guess I look anal, but I really don't care.

[Zombi]

(I was a cashier breifly once, but it was not the job for me, I left after two weeks...kudos to those that can handle it)

LOL, we don't. Listen closely next time you go through a checkout - you'll hear them quietly whimpering to themselves.

What really gets me though, are the entitlement princesses who just stand there and wait for the cashier to bag everything

Grr, they annoy me too. I mean, will it friggin' kill them? Who do they think's going to unpack everything when they get home? (Oh wait, there's a grocery fairy who does it, isn't there?) We don't have those rolling checkout thingies where I work (yes, we're very backward), and we have to physically lift everything over to the other end. The bagging area gets fuller and fuller, and they still stand there staring at me like a freakin' moron. I usually make a point of stopping what I'm doing, packing their stuff for them, then going on with putting stuff through. Takes twice as long, but at least I'm not straining my already injured neck and back any more than I need to.
Bah.

[orcprincess]

What really gets me though, are the entitlement princesses who just stand there and wait for the cashier to bag everything.

I try to bag my own stuff, just because I dislike grocery shopping, and want to get out quickly. Usually, I get dirty looks from the baggers, or the cashiers, and they have actually said things like "we pay people to do this, ya know"

So, sometimes, I just let them bag it, and go about my merry way.

[WHShit]

Ha! The bread HAS to be in the same bag as the eggs. I do that too!

[blaubent]

When I am shopping with my mother, I will bag her groceries. I bag her groceries the same way I bag my customer's groceries: bread on top of eggs, milk double bagged, cans together (enough in the bag not to make it too heavy), and so on. My sister tried to bag some groceries. I gave her "the look" and she quickly turned it over to me.

It really irritates me when I buy one item (usually small enough to put in a purse) and the cashier puts it in a bag. I am forever constantly saying, "No bag, please."

[Brighid45]

I shop at the same two stores usually, so I know when it's okay to bag and when the cashier prefers to either do it herself or have a bagger come up and do it. If I'm in doubt, then I'll ask: "Is it all right if I go ahead and bag?" And yeah, I hate it when people stand there and give the cashier the fish eye because s/he isn't ringing up stuff and bagging at the same time. If you're in such an all-fire hurry, get busy and start helping out!

[trunks2k]

When I get to the checkout after grocery shopping, I arrange the items on the belt according to the way I think would help them pack the easiest...

I do the same thing. It just makes life easier, it also helps to keep things from getting crushed at the other end of the register, i.e. putting bread last. Except that when there is somebody else is bagging, he/she normally doesn't get the idea.

[JustAGirl]

I do the same thing.

And I absolutely HATE it if they stuff ALL my bread into one bag (i.e. two bags of burger buns, two bags of hot dog buns, and STILL try to get my loaf or two of bread in there!). Put eggs in then one loaf of sammich bread, next bag the buns please... I will not eat any smooshed sammich bread (or any other bread for that matter).

The baggers are usually pretty good at bagging like items, though sometimes they overpack and have crappy bags.