creepy encounters with cashiers
- Thread starter sonak
- Start date
again, all these assumptions are based on the idea that customers are there to engage in some kind of discourse with a cashier. If I'm running in to some place to grab a box of cigarettes(I don't smoke) and I throw ten bucks on the counter while I'm talking to someone on my phone, I'd be pretty miffed If I was told that I'd have to get off the phone just to have the cashier hand me change.
I'd probably complain or not visit that particular store again. I am not obligated to say "hi, how are you?" to the cashier. I'm not an employee there and service is therefore not part of my job.
When I've worked as a cashier, and had to say my greeting to the customer, if they ignored me, I just shrugged and went on.
According to some here, I should have petulantly refused to serve them until they were nice to me.
You don't have to do anything. It would be a nice respectful thing to do though.
Yeah, you don't have to get off the phone, but a "Hey, can you hold on one second?" to the person on the other end would at least show the cashier a minimal amount of respect. I realize that they're just there to perform a service, but they're still people.
Of course, I talk on my phone maybe a half hour every week, so I have a hard time understanding why anyone would need to be on their phone while shopping in the first place.
i think everyone's forgetting the fact that someone on the phone can visually acknowledge your existance with a look and give you money with one hand, etc.
sure, if someones just standing there in the way, oblivious to their surroundings then thats a problem.
to refuse someone in that first situation would be rudeness on the part of the cashier.
sure, if someones just standing there in the way, oblivious to their surroundings then thats a problem.
to refuse someone in that first situation would be rudeness on the part of the cashier.
I would like to see more of these signs where I shop.
Precisely. Some people, however, just do not understand the concepts of courtesy and mutual respect. I was raised to practice them, but I am noticing that more and more people just don't get it.
Several years ago, I stopped to fill up the gas tank. I was on the phone, because my employee had just been robbed. It is a 75 mile trip each way to get to that store.
I told my employee, who was very upset and frightened, to hold on just a moment while I paid for the gas. The cashier refused to take my money until I hung up the phone. I let her know I was not talking, as I had asked them to hold... she still refused. I called 911, told the police the situation, gave them my name, phone number and told them when the cashier was more reasonable, she could call me for payment.
To my surprise, the 911 dispatcher asked to speak to the cashier! Whatever they told her, she took my payment so I could be on my way. Since I had put my employee on hold, gave my full attention to the cashier, I felt it was wrong to be refused service... especially in an urgent situation.
My brother and I speak on the phone almost every day. We have an agreement that we put each other on hold if we are ready to order or check-out. It is just common courtesy to the people helping us with our purchases.
And I don't think anyone is saying that wouldn't be rude on the part of the cashier.
Oh, good. I was afraid I was being too subtle.
My customer service skills are sublime..
.. partially because I'm very picky about who I accept as customers. Nobody who says that to my face would be served at my establishment.
.. partially because I'm very picky about who I accept as customers. Nobody who says that to my face would be served at my establishment.
Except they wouldn't say 'hi could you serve me?'because they'd be on the phone.
So this is a hobby business?
how dare I suggest that someone who works in the customer service industry is supposed to serve customers!
When I find myself stuck behind someone who didn't notice the Express Lane sign, or is just so self-absorbed that they don't think it applies to them, I start doing my Sesame Street Count von Count impression. "One grocery! Ah-hah-hah! Two groceries! Ah-hah-hah!" One time, the person behind me in line joined in.
I'm actually a little surprised that this thread has gone as long as it has without a mention of Kristen Wiig's "Target Lady" SNL sketch - in which she loudly comments on every customer's purchases, shares her own experiences with the product, or sometimes runs off to get one for herself because she didn't realize it was on sale until she rang it up. I've never actually seen service like that, but it sounds like the sketch is exactly what's being described in this thread.
For me, it's not about who is getting paid to do what. Common courtesy should be, well, common. Although, I know it's often not.
Be polite because it's the nice thing to do, not just because you're paid to be polite.
Mr Awe
<Shrug> Guess you didn't have much of come back.
Not surprising because advocating politeness, even when you're customer, is about as far from hyperbole as you can get!
Mr Awe
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