Tales from my first day

[Dreamstalker]

My first day was Monday night, not too bad. Just a bagger so far. I learned well from bagging groceries for mom when I was a pup, I'm trying to find a balance between speed and being careful (not putting yogurt with melons like I spotted a customer doing). I do have a few tales, which I call:

"WIC Woes and Coupon Crazies".

For some reason, this past Monday night had a ton of WIC transactions, including these gems:

One woman had an eligible-items book from 2007, as a result about 80% of what she bought would not process under the new rules. Cue arguments with a cashier and two managers, in the end she left everything (even the stuff that could have been purchased). I had to put most of it back (annoying, but at least it was something of a break).

A few people trying to run WIC transactions through the SCO. I think one person actually put her check in the coupon slot...I didn't see what happened with that.

One customer didn't have the proper ID.

And the one coupon tale...

A woman got a Catalina coupon for free eggs at the end of her order, and wanted to use it for the stuff she just bought (which did include eggs, but the wrong brand). So she completes the order, LEAVES HER CART blocking the bag area and goes to the back of the store to get her eggs. I need to move the cart a few feet so do so. She slips through an empty lane, tosses the eggs in one of her bags (giving me a CBF for daring to move her cart, then slams it back catching my foot between the cart and counter--OW) and barges in on another order to wave her coupon in the cashier's face.

"FREE eggs!"
"Ma'am, you'll have to go through the line again, I'm with a customer."
"FREE eggs!"
"I still need to scan them, I'm with another customer."
SC takes her FREE eggs and swipes them across the scanner, then leans over the counter glaring.
"Manager to lane 6, manager to lane 6"
I was rescued by another cashier so didn't see the outcome, except the SC left.

I was wearing my 'police boots' so luckily my foot was fine, just a large random scuff on one boot that came right off. I also got to meet our upstairs neighbors' new baby, so that was (I should pop upstairs and offer my grocery-fetching services)

[purplecat41877]

Where I work, WIC can't be used in the self checkout lanes. WIC customers have to use the regular checkouts.

[NateTheChops]

Congratulations on the new job though. Looks like we've both had a bit of good luck at long last.

[Dreamstalker]

Thanks Nate Only 12 hours a week so far, but it's something (and more importantly, we can show a slight income increase to the housing foundation so they'll be more inclined to help us).

Same procedure here with WIC (needs to go through a cashier); maybe some of the people also get foodstamps and figure since that can be used at an SCO...or maybe they were trying to sneak some unapproved stuff through. Or both. I saw one of them trying to scan the WIC check like a coupon

[Raveni]

SCs are SCs, WIC or not... It's a shame that they don't build in an electric shock to take care of them at the SCOs.

[CrystalynRose]

Sounds like the store I recently started working in. I've been there 3 weeks and its been interesting to see the people who attempt to use their WIC checks at SCOs. Then get all pissy when they're told they have to go to a regular line. There are SIGNS posted at each SCO that WIC can't be used there but they still... oh wait, that requires reading...

[Dreamstalker]

Apparently "free egg" woman is a repeat offender; mom's seen her there before and she always comes in with this smelly cart, parks it right at customer service/coinstar/bottle machines (blocking everything) and acts like she owns the store. Now that I think of it, I've seen her pawing through the building's recycle bins.