Supermarket fun!

[repsac]

Guilty as charged!

I hate to admit it, I'm one of those who's eaten something before paying for it. Though, given that the only time I've done that were in situations where my sugar was off and I'd begun to tremble and saw no other option. And yes, I paid.

[Kogarashi]

Guilty as charged!

I hate to admit it, I'm one of those who's eaten something before paying for it. Though, given that the only time I've done that were in situations where my sugar was off and I'd begun to tremble and saw no other option. And yes, I paid.

I've done that too (low blood sugar while pregnant and going grocery shopping. Not Fun). I've never eaten weighable merchandise before, though (like apples, bananas, etc.), and I always pay for whatever I eat.

I've had customers come up with a half-eaten apple they'd given to Junior and try to hand it to me to ring it up. ::gag:: I either double-ring one of the apples they're buying that isn't covered with toddler slobber (and I grab the largest one I can find when I do that), or I head over to produce to grab a weigh-in substitute instead. Most of these customers "conveniently" forget that the drool-slimed apple is going to weigh less when half eaten, and thereby cost lest.

And Jester, thanks for the laugh.

[Bigevilogre]

But wait, there's more! This part reminded me of something that I witnessed. It's funny, yet sad at the same time. I wasn't insulted or anything by it and I couldn't blame the guy.
I was at my meat counter when working in, of course, the meat department and saw this little old man scootching on by. He wasn't even picking his feet up off the ground. Poor ol fella was probably notlong for this world. A customer stood behind him in awe and looked to me and pointed to his feet. I looked over the counter just in time to see a little butt nugget roll out from his pant leg. There were more, he was leaving a trail. Naturally I page the service counter to have a carryout come take care of things, I didn't want the old guy to have more attention drawn to him. Still, I laugh when I think of it, I just pray that if he isn't with us, he is laughing with us.

[QUOTE=Jester;37305]
Later in my sojourn through the groceries, I came upon one aisle that had a lot of black stuff smeared on the floor. At first I wasn't sure what it was, and was thinking the worst, but it turned out to be chocolate cake. (I looked closely, I did NOT touch it or taste it, thank you very much!)
QUOTE]

[powerboy]

A couple of times of my job now, I took a soda, without paying. I would do it, and of course think about it, after the store closed for the night.

[Jester]

Jester, you're a smartass.

Yes...and your point being?

And Jester, thanks for the laugh.

Anytime! Just living up to my name.

[MadMike]

The thing that bothers me, besides just people eating things and leaving the containers in the store without paying for them, are people who decide at some point in their shopping that they don't want something cold, and just leave it on a shelf somewhere.

That was probably the one thing that pissed me off more than anything. It was bad enough when they did that with a non-perishable item, but that was really nothing more than a minor annoyance. But when I found say, a fresh fish among the laundry detergent (or at least it was fresh when they left it there), I used to get so angry. Do these people do this at home? I hope they never invite me over for dinner.

I hate to admit it, I'm one of those who's eaten something before paying for it. Though, given that the only time I've done that were in situations where my sugar was off and I'd begun to tremble and saw no other option. And yes, I paid.

I've done the same thing myself once or twice, but only in that situation. I did get a few weird looks when I handed them an empty candy wrapper for them to ring up, but I figure they'd rather do that than have to drag my 200 lb ass off the floor because I collapsed.

[Primer]

But when I found say, a fresh fish among the laundry detergent (or at least it was fresh when they left it there), I used to get so angry. Do these people do this at home? I hope they never invite me over for dinner.

I have actually caught myself trying to put the milk away in the pantry...don't recall ever having succeeded, tho.

[Becks]

Guilty as charged!

I hate to admit it, I'm one of those who's eaten something before paying for it. Though, given that the only time I've done that were in situations where my sugar was off and I'd begun to tremble and saw no other option. And yes, I paid.

In your case, you have a valid reason for doing it. I think the complaint is geared towards others, who use the supermarket as their personal snacking venue. And even worse, who snack and DON'T pay for what they took.

[RecoveringKinkoid]

Never having working in a supermarket, I can't really speak for that, but at least the person is paying (no, I am not a supermarket snacker )

People would come into Kinko's all the time, put together an entire projects, (tape, glue. labels, markers, binders, etc.) then bring me a sheet with all the price tags carefully stuck on for me to ring up after they are done. Or they might bring me a pile of discarded packaging to ring up (and dispose of for them) I did not mind this in the least. It was easier than me trying to do refunds on stuff they thought they might need but turned out they didn't. At least they were honest, and willing to pay for what they used. Plus, with the pile of packaging, at least they were not leaving a mess out in self serve work area. They brought the trash to the counter, where they knew I had a big trash can.

Most people who did this even asked first if I minded if they settled up after they finished.

Again, while I am not a supermarket snacker, I don't really see it as the worst thing someone might do while in the store. I can see myself buying my kid a little treat to entertain her while she's in the buggy, and paying when I get to the register. Not something I might choose to do all the time, but I would hope in an emergency no one would mind terribly.

[Seanette]

I have actually caught myself trying to put the milk away in the pantry...don't recall ever having succeeded, tho.

My husband has at least once put the ice cream in the refrigerator. (grumble)

[DGoddessChardonnay]

I wonder how much shrink is caused by people leaving perishiables hidden behind non-perishibles, compared to employee theft...

I haven't a clue, but that's something you'll never hear a store manager/DM/LP/corporate suit of choice mention in a store meeting.

You will, however, hear so much about employee theft you'll be able to recite it in your sleep.

I can't even bring myself to even utter that godawful myth . .

[Discourtesy Clerk]

My pet peeve is the jackasses that stick their perishables and produce in the magazine racks. Hey, lackwit, you are buying things already. It takes you no more energy to hand your unwanted item to the cashier than to nestle it in comfortably with the National Enquirer.

As carts go, I love it when a customer not only takes the time to put their cart in the corral (most people don't!), but recognises that it's a grand pain in the rear for the courtesy clerks picking up all these carts from odd-ass places. (Once, I was walking by my work after I'd been off for a good two hours, and saw a cart tipped upside down in the bushes by the street. I knew my co-worker wasn't even going to see it, so even though I was on my way going somewhere, in the middle of the night, I took the time to push it into the lot. ) I have had two customers in the time I've been working ask me, "Don't you hate it when people leave their carts around like that?" They are now among my favourite customers of all time.

I love it when non-grocery people take into consideration all the crap that grocery workers go through. So, Jester, thanks, on behalf of all grocery grunts. You are officially an Awesome Customer.

[Kogarashi]

I've done the same thing myself once or twice, but only in that situation. I did get a few weird looks when I handed them an empty candy wrapper for them to ring up, but I figure they'd rather do that than have to drag my 200 lb ass off the floor because I collapsed.

To be honest, I silently thank the customers who hand me empty candy wrappers or soda bottles to ring up and then toss. They're the honest ones. The customers I silently (or sometimes vocally) curse are the ones who leave those empty wrappers and bottles tucked among the merchandise in the store instead, thus indicating they never bothered to pay for it. ::shakes fist::

[ShockQueen]

It reminds me of the winters working for the Big Blue Box Store, when it would snow like the dickens, and then the plows would plow out the lot and leave nice LARGE snow mountains at the edges of the lot.

Guess where some kids liked to put those carts? Made for interesting times to be sure.

[heather124]

I was shopping once and there was a woman in the meat aisle, picking up packages of beef and popping a hole in the plastic cover, pulling it aside and turning the meat over to look at it and smelling it. If she didn't like what she saw (or smelt!) she'd put it back and grab another one. Like someone else is going to pick that meat up and buy it now!

Another time I was walking down the bread aisle and a woman in front of me was walking too closely to the shelves and her cart knocked over a loaf of bread. She walked for a second and then stopped, I figured, good she's going to pick it up! Nope she turned around and kicked it under the shelf and kept walking. I just said in a loud voice "I can't believe how lazy some people are, they can't even pick up something they knock over" and got on my hands and knees to pick it up. She just kep walking.

I think I've been working retail too long because I know how annoying it is when people don't put stuff back in the proper place, so much that when I'm shopping I'll walk half way across the store just to put back something where it belongs. Even if I'm trying something on in a change room and don't want it, I can't just leave it there, I fold it back up nicely and take it back where it belongs. Sometimes I even find myself picking stuff up while I'm shopping that has been abandoned and putting it back where it belongs