Grocery Store Etiquette

[LibChick]

My grocery store has great, cheap clothes, but I'm scared to put any clothing on the convery belt because it's so dirty at times. 

Once I did put a top down...and the cashier 'swiped' it through some wet spill on the belt.

I made her take it back.

Cheap or not, I'm not paying full price for something that I would have to immediately wash...

I wash everything before I wear it. I've worked in retail and you have absolutely no idea the things people do to clothes on the racks.

[Julia Mercer]

If you find refrigerated items such as mixed cut veggies sitting on a shelf or somewhere away from the refrigerated area, PLEASE bring them to someone working there, and don't put them back in with the rest, someone did that before, and my fiance and I got one that had gone bad (I mean it STANK when we opened it up, even the csr agreed it was nasty), I wouldn't wish that on my worst enemy, it was that nasty!

Jules

[dks64]

My grocery store has great, cheap clothes, but I'm scared to put any clothing on the convery belt because it's so dirty at times. 

Once I did put a top down...and the cashier 'swiped' it through some wet spill on the belt.

I made her take it back.

Cheap or not, I'm not paying full price for something that I would have to immediately wash...

I wash everything before I wear it. I've worked in retail and you have absolutely no idea the things people do to clothes on the racks.

I do too. I think the poster meant wash it to remove a dirty spot/stain. You don't know if it's going to come out and if it doesn't, often the store won't return it because it's been washed. No one should have to buy a dirty item because the cashier wasn't careful.

[LibChick]

My grocery store has great, cheap clothes, but I'm scared to put any clothing on the convery belt because it's so dirty at times. 

Once I did put a top down...and the cashier 'swiped' it through some wet spill on the belt.

I made her take it back.

Cheap or not, I'm not paying full price for something that I would have to immediately wash...

I wash everything before I wear it. I've worked in retail and you have absolutely no idea the things people do to clothes on the racks.

I do too. I think the poster meant wash it to remove a dirty spot/stain. You don't know if it's going to come out and if it doesn't, often the store won't return it because it's been washed. No one should have to buy a dirty item because the cashier wasn't careful.

Ahhh, I didn't see it from that point of view. Color me enlightened! 

[snugglegirl05]

This is regarding WIC

I was a cashier at a grocery store back in the 1990's. There are very specific guidelines regarding WIC. Please follow the guidelines. You cannot get name brand peanut butter. You cannot get cocoa puffs cereal for you kid. It does not matter if another grocery store allowed it. The grocery store I worked at did not. If you want to get brand name peanut butter with your WIC card, then go to that grocery store.

[princessdolly]

My grocery store has great, cheap clothes, but I'm scared to put any clothing on the convery belt because it's so dirty at times. 

Once I did put a top down...and the cashier 'swiped' it through some wet spill on the belt.

I made her take it back.

Cheap or not, I'm not paying full price for something that I would have to immediately wash...

I wash everything before I wear it. I've worked in retail and you have absolutely no idea the things people do to clothes on the racks.

There is also loose dye on new clothes so it's best to wash them.

Do not put your child in the part of the cart where food goes. They have been walking outside with those shoes on.

Do not allow yous kids to sit on the scales at the self-scanners. They will freeze and you will need assisstance. If this happens do not roll your eyes at staff who explain why it happened. Then allow your child to climb on again and glare/scream at the staff for saying 'I told you so'. The same goes for handbags and shopping from other stores. This isn't rocket science.

The self-scanners are pretty self explanatory. No, the one member of staff overseeing ten of them cannot scan your items and pack it for you.

Attacking the machine with a baguette will get you nowhere but it will make me giggle. And you have wasted a perfectly good baguette for nothing.

At the express checkout you should pack for yourself when possible. If you are getting a sandwich and a newspaper please do not stand there staring at them as if a bag will magically form around them. Then exclaim 'But I'm late for my train!'. You wouldn't be late if you had just popped them into a bag while the cashier was sorting your change. Now run along, buh-bye!

When I have a huge cart only half-unloaded do not start unloading yours until I am finished. I dont understand how you think this is going to work. Do not glare at the cashier for halting the belt. They clearly have better spatial awareness than you.

And lastly, if you continue to push your cart into my leg while I am in the queue I will turn around and push it back at you. At that point you should just count your blessings that it is between us.

Wow. That made me feel muuuch better lol   

[Elfmama]

And lastly, if you continue to push your cart into my leg while I am in the queue I will turn around and push it back at you. At that point you should just count your blessings that it is between us.

Wow. That made me feel muuuch better lol   

More than once, I've said to the cart-nudger "I'm sorry, but banging into me with your cart is not going to make me move faster.  Please move back."  Ditto with the person who is looming over me as I go to enter my PIN.  Except in that case, I'll plant myself facing him (almost always a man), ask him to step back, and stand there looking at him with my arms crossed until he does.  Mom Look-of-Death is optional.

[JennJenn68]

And lastly, if you continue to push your cart into my leg while I am in the queue I will turn around and push it back at you. At that point you should just count your blessings that it is between us.

Wow. That made me feel muuuch better lol   

More than once, I've said to the cart-nudger "I'm sorry, but banging into me with your cart is not going to make me move faster.  Please move back."  Ditto with the person who is looming over me as I go to enter my PIN.  Except in that case, I'll plant myself facing him (almost always a man), ask him to step back, and stand there looking at him with my arms crossed until he does.  Mom Look-of-Death is optional.

Not to mention that I will be unable to pay for my groceries and get out of your way if you block access to the direct debit terminal with your honking big cart...    And yes, I have a lot of items today, three bins' worth.  This ain't the express line, so don't sidle up behind me with one item (in the aforementioned honking big cart) after I've already unloaded everything and sigh, "Oh, this will take forever!" in a not-quite-inaudible voice.  That's why they have the 8-items-or-less lane, y'know, and it's always open at the place where I shop...  (I refuse to cater to the passive aggressive "hinters" who expect me to allow them in front of me.  Lady, I've already waited ten minutes, and you could have been out of here five minutes ago if you had managed to get up the energy to walk the extra twenty metres to the express line!)

Can you tell that I went grocery shopping today?

[MommyPenguin]

I'm really curious... what do y'all think about using a reusable grocery bag from a different store?  Does it matter at all if the stores aren't direct competitors?  For instance, I have a bunch of bags from "Market Basket," a really small chain located only in New England.  I'm currently in the Midwest and shop at Meijer (located only in Midwest) or Kroger (located only in the Midwest and South, I believe).  So there is no place in which the stores compete.  As a military family, it would be really annoying to have to have multiple sets of the bags depending on where in the country we live.  And I happen to really like the Market Basket bags, because they have little snaps, so you can fold the bag up and snap it when you aren't using it and it makes them really easy to stack/store in another bag.

[Yvaine]

I'm really curious... what do y'all think about using a reusable grocery bag from a different store?  Does it matter at all if the stores aren't direct competitors?  For instance, I have a bunch of bags from "Market Basket," a really small chain located only in New England.  I'm currently in the Midwest and shop at Meijer (located only in Midwest) or Kroger (located only in the Midwest and South, I believe).  So there is no place in which the stores compete.  As a military family, it would be really annoying to have to have multiple sets of the bags depending on where in the country we live.  And I happen to really like the Market Basket bags, because they have little snaps, so you can fold the bag up and snap it when you aren't using it and it makes them really easy to stack/store in another bag.

IMO, that's fine. I think it would totally defeat the waste-saving purpose of reusable bags if you had to buy a set for everywhere you might conceivably go.

[DottyG]

I don't think it's a problem to use bags from other places.

Plus, think about it.  The bag may be from the competitor, but what you're putting into it is from their store.  Do you really think they're going to complain?

[dks64]

A reusable bag is a reusable bag.

I once used a Trader Joe's bag at my local Sprouts and he joked that I should buy the bags they sell. I replied with "Well, once your company starts making better looking bags, I'll consider it."  He got that I wasn't being mean, just joking back. But really, their bags are ugly and not deep enough. Trader Joe's bags are my favorite.

[Elfmama]

Given that I'm not the only person I know who was charged again for the bag I bought last week, I'd be MORE inclined to use the bags from store A in store B.

[Lynnv]

I have never had any difficulty using bags that are not from the store I am shopping at.  I have picked up loads of bags at assorted shows, so mine tend to be car companies and insurance companies.  But even if the store was a direct competitor I would still use my bag there. 

I am spending my money at X store, even if my bag says Y store.  So X store should be pretty happy-they are getting my money that day.

[elephantschild]

As a customer:
I understand that sometimes you (general you) need to peruse the shelves, not just pause to pick something up. I've been there. But while you're doing it, please be aware of those around you. Parking your cart perpendicular to the shelves behind you ... thereby blocking the entire aisle ... is rude. So is ignoring those who politely ask you to move it. And so is snapping at someone who finally breaks the gridlock by gently moving it!

As a former cashier (and daughter of a current lower-level manager/cashier):
Many stores are cutting employee hours and keeping store hours the same (or extending them). If you feel like there is not enough service in the store, please take it to upper management (or corporate) instead of screaming at the cashier. She or he is just as unhappy as you are. The lower-level managers aren't able to do anything about it either. My mom's store was recently purchased by a corporation after being family- and locally owned for decades. She gets flack from people even when she's not at work about how service has gone downhill. (Small town.) She's very unhappy.