Oh Abby!

Recently, a Dear Abby letter caught my attention:

DEAR ABBY: I am writing to protest something that has made shopping increasingly frustrating. I'm referring to rude people who cut in ahead of customers who have been standing in line when the clerk calls out, "Next, please."

I place the responsibility solely on store management to ensure that lines move smoothly and fairly. Stores that have such arrangements are more likely to get my business. Management must empower clerks to insist on fairness in this regard. I have seen too many weak salespeople accept whoever rushes forward first.

I'm sure that many other readers have experienced the same frustration I have. If you print this, I promise I will copy it and send it to the store management where I've had these experiences. Abby, this would be a great service to shoppers and would make shopping much more pleasant for everyone. -- AVERAGE SHOPPER, OAKLAND, CALIF.

DEAR AVERAGE SHOPPER: Unfortunately, most cashiers are usually so preoccupied with ringing up or scanning and bagging the purchases that they can't concern themselves with the occasional line-jumper. Therefore, it's up to you to assert yourself by saying firmly, "Excuse me, but I was next in line" when someone steps in front of you.

I admit it, I'm addicted to her column.

   Oh, Abby!  If only that were the case!  Often times, cashiers not only notice line jumpers, but we DO concern ourselves with them.  Allow me set the record straight as it is according to the company I work for.

Our store encourages the cashiers to take the person from the back of the line, rather than the front.  For example, if the open register is backed up and I open a new one, I absolutely have to take the person at the end of that line, or as close to it as possible.  Sometimes, people are kind, and will allow the person that was already ahead of them to move over.  Actually, I take that back.  Most of the time, people are kind that way.  But we, as cashiers, are not allowed to "concern ourselves" with the jumpers.  If someone gets angry and makes a scene in the store, the only result is that everyone else feels awkward.

Oh look, they cited it for me!

This policy is in place because, oftentimes, the next person in line has already started or completed the unloading of their groceries.  It's also in place because moving a person out of one line and into the next one when the cash registers are turned the same way and against one another can be difficult and unwieldy work. It's just easier to move the last person in line rather than try to rearrange everyone in the line at the same time. 

Yeah, you tell her to put all that back in her buggy and move.

If someone does jump, we can say nothing about it.  We are gagged by the store's policies.

And another thing:  The reason cashiers say, "Next, please!" is because we KNOW people jump the lines.  If I was to point at someone and say, "Please step over to the next line so I can take care of you," someone will have inevitably beaten them to the line and cause even more frustration to the customer that has just given up their place in line to move.  Once again, when this happens, we aren't allowed to ask people to move away.  We avoid this by simply saying that we can take the next person.  This forces customers to make the choice about who is next, because we get sick of dealing with people who are angry about waiting and blaming us for it.

Come on, Abby and Average Shopper.  Cashiers are not out to get you, we are not out to ignore your wants and needs as a customer, and we are not simply "weak" about saying something to the rude person who cut you off in line.  We try to get everyone out of the store as quickly as possible so that we can help each person in a timely manner, but we would lose our jobs if we did more than simply notice the wrongdoings of the customers.  We are concerning ourselves with the problem, we are bothered by it, we are just unable to do anything about it.

On the other hand, thanks for telling the customer to take the problem into her own hands.  We always feel a slight thrill of victory when this happens, as if the customer standing up for his or her right to be there is a way to get back at the rudeness we see all the time.


Find the full 6/20/2012 letter here.

After 2 Years Away...

So I've been promoted.

Should be a good thing, right?

Not so much.

The pay is better, and I don't have to do some of the regular chores.  That's always nice.  But I work directly with an incompetent person who, through a combination of well-placed ass-kissing and well-timed/well-hidden tantrums at lower staff, has managed to convince corporate that she deserves certain titles and accolades.  It takes a lot of work to do my own job, let alone hers.

If you're asking if this is you, it's probably you.

But for the most part, that's all coming from one douchenozzle of a person.  This person, we'll call her Eliza, spends all day chattering on the phones and openly admits to ignoring work, even going as far as throwing a screaming fit when forced to wait on a customer.
 

You had to help how many people today?  Poor baby.

 Then there's the customers themselves.  When people come to customer service, typically, they're already angry or just want some lotto.  Lotto is easy, and for the most part, I can solve the anger issues pretty quickly and smoothly as well.  I guess that's why I got the job.  But some things are out of my control.

Please understand that when I can't solve your problems, or give you a massive discount because you misread the sign, it's not because I hate you.  That's only a sidenote.  It's typically because I simply can't.  Don't like it?  Call corporate.  Or even my manager.  They'll side with me.

If you don't like the price of an item, I do care to hear your complaints.  It's what I'm here for.  But I cannot, no matter how hard you demand, walk over and mark it down myself.  If you tell me that another big chain *cough* Wal-Mart *cough* is cheaper, I'm going to suggest the best route there.

You have plenty of options!

On that note, don't hand me fake checks and/or fake money.  We are trained to spot this, and even if we weren't, we touch and see more bills every single day than you will see in your entire lifetime unless your last name is Hilton.  I know what's fake and what's real at a glance.  For some of the poorer examples I've come across, I could do it blindfolded based on how it feels.  Fake coupons suck too, and all three could cost me my job just because you don't want to pay full price for Febreeze.

Sweet, sweet Febreeze.

My new job entails bossing around and rearranging cashiers.  Some are slower than others, so if I tell you that a line with two people will be faster than the line with one, trust me on that.  I know how my people operate and I truly am trying to get rid of you as fast as possible.


For the record, I rotate the sucky job (I can think of one in particular).  We do this so as not to pick on anyone, despite speed.  

I try not to let it be me.  -.-;

If you ask me if something is in the back....probably not.  If I think there's a legitimate chance of it being there, I'll check for you 9 out of 10 times.  If I tell you there's nothing there and you insist, or if you ask rudely, I'm going to just go stand around and joke with the staff in the breakroom til I think you're done being an asshole.  We don't stock a lot of major things ourselves, so I can tell you immediately if we have them.

If I get a call for help while I already have 5 customers in line, I try to make time to get the person that called me too.  It might not be immediate, and will probably put the person in line on hold for two minutes.  Thus far, I have been fortunate with sweet people willing to wait a moment for their tickets.  These rare gems of people will forever have my gratitude and always receive a warm welcome when they come in.  Those that get angry that I'm not AT THE DESK ready to serve their demands when they first walk in the door get their patience tested.  I can make the wait much longer than it ever needs to be.

The new job is hard work, as it requires a lot of general tolerance and patience. 

MORAL OF THE STORY:  Treat me like a goddamn human being.  I might just respond in kind.