Victor Meldrew is alive and well

[Lace Neil Singer]

This happened last night; this customer came up to my till with a basketfull of shopping. I greeted him and asked him if he would like help packing. He gave me a sour look and said, "Next time you see your manager, you can tell him that I find being asked if I want help packing extremely insulting. Not all elderly people are useless, young lady." I said nothing more, just got on with putting his shopping thru. The following points are how I felt about this crochety old git.


1. We have to ask EVERYONE. Regardless of age, disability and gender. Get that? Everyone.

2. If you want to put in a complaint, then do it your bloody self. I am not a messenger girl.

3. I am not on first name terms with the manager. When I see him, all I say to him is hello. Even if that wasn't the case, I refer you to 2. Do your own dirty work.


That is all. Anyone else encounter customers who either want you to complain for them, or expect you to be bestest friends forever with your manager?

[crazylegs]

Too lazy to complain himself, thats got to be some kind of new record!

You have my sympathies Lace.

[Gerrinson]

Given that the local grocery stores now offer one 10 minute video as bagger 'training' with zero hands on training, I prefer to bag my own groceries. However, I don't think it's rude for a bagger to ask.

What I find rude is when I say 'I'll bag them myself' which the bagger acknowledges - and then starts bagging anyway. It happens all the time around here unless I physically invade their space until they back away from the bagging rack.

The last kid that did this tossed my two loaves of bread into a bag, followed by a half gallon of milk as I was putting my credit card back in my wallet. Then he gave me a pissy glare when I sent him to get new loaves of bread. On the bright side, it did get him away from the bagging rack so I could bag the rest by myself

[sarahj]

Over here us cashiers have to scan & bag at the same time. lol. I get some customers who bring their re-usable bags over to the far side of my register, on their side of my plastic bag racks. They pull open a bag and hold it, and I ask, "would you like me to bag?" knowing that 50% of my self-bagging customers really, really suck at bagging. The less experienced ones usually take that as a cue to relinquish their bags.

However, if any customer requests to bag their own items, I'll happily scan them and pass them down to the end of my register. I'm not lazy but if a customer wants to do part of my job, they are welcome to. Bad baggers are annoying but when you don't have to do your own grocery shopping, it can be hard to distinguish between "fit plenty into the bags" and "don't squash things or overfill the bags." More training is the obvious answer, but we all know that if it makes sense, it's not allowed.

Just realized that I didn't address the OP's main point. I get whiny older people too. I'm actually acquaintances with the managers of the store, cos I work in the office for half of my shifts and they like me to count and record the money nicely. But I wouldn't waste their time with "oh this customer said all cashiers should smile more." Because a managers' time is worth more than a second-hand complaint with no actual point.

[Gothicsmurf]

Some baggers really drive me nuts.

When I unload my cart, I unload it in a certain order so certain items are bagged together:

-Cold/ frozen foods first (along with an insulated bag)
Then I unload things in groups:
-Cans
-boxes
-Cleaners (You get the idea)
then last
Soft items- bread eggs etc.

I figured it will be easier for a bagger to understand that I want those items bagged in groups. NOPE. I get home 90% of the time to find the apples in with the now leaking shampoo, the bleach with the ice cream and the boxed items in the insulated bags and the eggs crushing the bread in another bag.

And yes, I ask to have my cold foods in the insulated bags in the very least, but only once did the bagger listen to me.

Yeah, I'm cool with the ice cream melting all over the trunk of my car, as long as all the boxes are fit neatly in that insulated bag. I'm just relieved the crackers and cereal are protected from the hot and cold, forget the ice cream! Let it melt!

I also ask for paper bags, but almost always get plastic. Ick.

So baggers, how can I address these issues each time with out being sucky?

[rerant]

I've had people who wanted me to tell managers that paying for bags is disgusting, and, the most perplexing, that our boxes are too heavy.
This man somehow wanted us to make a gigantic piece of furniture magically become lighter.
I bet he's the same person that complains the bag is too heavy when all that's in it is milk.

[Apathy]

When I unload my cart, I unload it in a certain order so certain items are bagged together:

I do this anyway to help the cashier. Here they have to scan and bag as well.

[tigerlily0]

As my user title says, I'm a former cashier, although it was so long ago it was before there were plastic bags, paper bags only. So I think I'm a pretty good bagger. If I'm at the grocery store and the cashier doesn't have a bagger and I've got more than a few items, etc, I'll just go ahead and go down to the end of the register and start bagging. None of the cashiers has ever complained.

[powerboy]

Some baggers really drive me nuts.

When I unload my cart, I unload it in a certain order so certain items are bagged together:

-Cold/ frozen foods first (along with an insulated bag)
Then I unload things in groups:
-Cans
-boxes
-Cleaners (You get the idea)
then last
Soft items- bread eggs etc.

That is how I unload it also. It is easier on me to bag

[marasbaras]

Wow, I think if I were Lace, I'd have paused and just looked with amazement and disguest at the piece of dog waste complaining about an offer for help.

[BaristaTrav]

Rule #7863 in the SC Bible: Let no good deed go unpunished.