Local Supermarket Checkout: Bullying and Relief in "In the Nick of Time

[wolram]

Shopping at a local supermarket i am waiting in line at the checkout with two people in front of me and a guy paying his bill at the counter, this guy was obviously bullying the checkout guy, he had a hand full of change and no matter what the checkout guy told him he deliberately gave him the wrong amount, interspersed with some personal comments, he must have known him, after a minute or two i began to see red, and the possibilities and repercussions of any action i took ran through my mind, with my blood boiling i was just about to do some thing when a young supervisor stepped in, within seconds the situation was solved.

The thing is ever since i have felt like explosive when i should feel relief.

 

[Evo]

I was at the supermarket the other day and I was 4 pennies short, so I was digging around in my purse looking for more change and 3 people handed me money.

 

[wolram]

I was at the supermarket the other day and I was 4 pennies short, so I was digging around in my purse looking for more change and 3 people handed me money.

Most people would forgive a cute babe for dithering, i have paid the odd pennies kids were short for their sweets, my bad, but a 6ft plus bullying bone dome, no way.

 

[Moonbear]

Shopping at a local supermarket i am waiting in line at the checkout with two people in front of me and a guy paying his bill at the counter, this guy was obviously bullying the checkout guy, he had a hand full of change and no matter what the checkout guy told him he deliberately gave him the wrong amount, interspersed with some personal comments, he must have known him, after a minute or two i began to see red, and the possibilities and repercussions of any action i took ran through my mind, with my blood boiling i was just about to do some thing when a young supervisor stepped in, within seconds the situation was solved.

The thing is ever since i have felt like explosive when i should feel relief.

Sounds like a scammer. That's a pretty common one. Confuse the clerk with all the wrong change while getting him flustered as if he's the one who can't make change (though, that's what makes the scam successful is that the clerks usually can't add quickly enough to make change in their head and defeat the scam). That's probably why a supervisor stepped in when he saw it happening, to stop the guy from making away with more change than deserved.

 

[turbo]

I was at the supermarket the other day and I was 4 pennies short, so I was digging around in my purse looking for more change and 3 people handed me money.

Here in Maine, it is usual for there to be a "penny bowl" on the counter. If you get a penny or two in change and don't want to be bothered with them, toss them in, and if you're a few pennies short, just grab them out of the bowl. In fact, the cashier will often grab them out of the bowl for you to save time. Seems to work pretty well.

 

[wolram]

Sounds like a scammer. That's a pretty common one. Confuse the clerk with all the wrong change while getting him flustered as if he's the one who can't make change (though, that's what makes the scam successful is that the clerks usually can't add quickly enough to make change in their head and defeat the scam). That's probably why a supervisor stepped in when he saw it happening, to stop the guy from making away with more change than deserved.

Another two seconds and he would have not scammed again.

 

[Evo]

Another two seconds and he would have not scammed again.

The Wrath of the Ram.

 

[Thrice]

Don't they have self-checkouts? It's much faster & you don't have to deal with crap.

 

[wolram]

Don't they have self-checkouts? It's much faster & you don't have to deal with crap.

Affraid not, this is a small store where everyone says hello and is usually nice to each other, not a place for a bully, not in my mind anyway.

 

[Moonbear]

Don't they have self-checkouts? It's much faster & you don't have to deal with crap.

They aren't any faster around here, because there's inevitably an item without a barcode or number on it, or it refuses to scan an item, that you have to stand around waiting for the ditziest cashier in the place to find for you (if you can find them, since they are usually wandering off somewhere just when you need them). I never use them if there's any kind of line for them...a line meaning there's someone already using all available checkouts...because it's usually one of the few remaining people on the planet who don't know how to operate a touch screen monitor, or barcode reader...or one of the unfortunates who gets stuck waiting for a cashier to show up and override an error...that's in front of me. Our one grocery store is really pathetic about how they set it up too. They don't put the bags right up next to you so you can scan and then toss stuff straight into a bag. No, you have to let it run all the way to the end of the conveyor, if you have a large order, it then reaches a sensor that tells you the conveyor is too full and you need to bag some items (but then you still have stuff in your basket, so have no place to put them anyway), so you pay, and then have to run to the end and bag up everything. Another inevitability on that is some oblivious flake is in line behind you, and while you're still standing at the end bagging your stuff, they start ringing up their order and sending it down the conveyor too! I usually end up having to point out to them that Hey, I'm still here bagging my order, where do you think your stuff is going?

So, nope, I don't use the self-checkouts here. Very few people do, actually (they're often quite empty), probably because they all find it as annoying as I do, and would rather wait in line for a person.

 

[Thrice]

Heh that sounds horrible. The implementation here is much better. The bags are right next to you & there's plenty of space without the conveyor. The stores are usually quite busy (when I'm there) & I guess most people prefer a person so I end up breezing through the self checkout. I also forgot my PIN & the machine doesn't seem to need it. I hate having to explain it to the cashier every single time.

 

[wolram]

They aren't any faster around here, because there's inevitably an item without a barcode or number on it, or it refuses to scan an item, that you have to stand around waiting for the ditziest cashier in the place to find for you (if you can find them, since they are usually wandering off somewhere just when you need them). I never use them if there's any kind of line for them...a line meaning there's someone already using all available checkouts...because it's usually one of the few remaining people on the planet who don't know how to operate a touch screen monitor, or barcode reader...or one of the unfortunates who gets stuck waiting for a cashier to show up and override an error...that's in front of me. Our one grocery store is really pathetic about how they set it up too. They don't put the bags right up next to you so you can scan and then toss stuff straight into a bag. No, you have to let it run all the way to the end of the conveyor, if you have a large order, it then reaches a sensor that tells you the conveyor is too full and you need to bag some items (but then you still have stuff in your basket, so have no place to put them anyway), so you pay, and then have to run to the end and bag up everything. Another inevitability on that is some oblivious flake is in line behind you, and while you're still standing at the end bagging your stuff, they start ringing up their order and sending it down the conveyor too! I usually end up having to point out to them that Hey, I'm still here bagging my order, where do you think your stuff is going?

So, nope, I don't use the self-checkouts here. Very few people do, actually (they're often quite empty), probably because they all find it as annoying as I do, and would rather wait in line for a person.

Moon be, calm down. LOL

 

[Moonbear]

Heh that sounds horrible. The implementation here is much better. The bags are right next to you & there's plenty of space without the conveyor. The stores are usually quite busy (when I'm there) & I guess most people prefer a person so I end up breezing through the self checkout. I also forgot my PIN & the machine doesn't seem to need it. I hate having to explain it to the cashier every single time.

Yep, the stores in the other two states I lived in had ones more like that, and it worked well enough (aside from those people who were unable to use a barcode scanner for some reason). I don't know why the store here isn't set up the same.

Actually, my favorite setup was at a grocery store in Cincinnati. There, they had a couple "bag your own" lines. So, they had a cashier, so you didn't have to deal with the glitches of the self-scan lanes and the mysteriously disappearing clerks, but then the conveyor was split into a Y. As they checked you out, someone else ahead of you could still be bagging their stuff on the other side of the Y, which really sped up things since it's usually the slow bagging that holds up a line. I also liked that because I knew if I used that line, the cashier wouldn't be putting my bread and tomatoes in with the canned goods. I wish more stores would take up that approach.

 

[Far Star]

Actually, my favorite setup was at a grocery store in Cincinnati. There, they had a couple "bag your own" lines. So, they had a cashier, so you didn't have to deal with the glitches of the self-scan lanes and the mysteriously disappearing clerks, but then the conveyor was split into a Y. As they checked you out, someone else ahead of you could still be bagging their stuff on the other side of the Y, which really sped up things since it's usually the slow bagging that holds up a line. I also liked that because I knew if I used that line, the cashier wouldn't be putting my bread and tomatoes in with the canned goods. I wish more stores would take up that approach.

I've shopped at stores with the same setup. When it's busy it gets to be a contest as far as how fast you can bag so the next person doesn't have to wait. I always expect someone to shout "Time!" over my shoulder when I'm done.

The self checkout option was intimidating at first. One of the teenage checkers walked me through it. Bless her heart for not rolling her eyes. Of course I'm still getting the hang of swiping a credit card. Whatever direction I choose seems to be the wrong one.

 

[Far Star]

The thing is ever since i have felt like explosive when i should feel relief.

I've felt the same way under similar circumstances. Not that I wanted to plummet someone, just vent my frustration in some meaningful way.

 

[hypatia]

The self checkout option was intimidating at first. One of the teenage checkers walked me through it. Bless her heart for not rolling her eyes. Of course I'm still getting the hang of swiping a credit card. Whatever direction I choose seems to be the wrong one.

I think all the credit card swippy things should be the same, it always bothers me that I can be made to feel so stupid by some young cashier..saying "the otherway" even tho the little photo clearly shows the black strip up!