Grocery Store Etiquette

[MamaMootz]

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.

This happens to me frequently and i thank you for posting a way I can deal with it. Because these people drive me batty.

[Nikko-chan]

Please, when you buy an alcoholic beverage in the store I work, provide your birthdate when the cashier asks you. If she asks for your ID please hand it over. There could be any number of reasons she wishes to see it. Perhaps you look younger than your true age, or perhaps she is in training, and was instructed to ask for EVERYONE's ID, just to get used to asking for ID.

Kind sir, when you come through my till and I ring you through, cheerfully asking "ID please?" with a grin on my face do not, and I repeat do not tell me "I left it in the car, you really need to ID me blah blah blah,"

When I turn to confirm with OtherAwesomeCashier that you are a regular and it is okay not to ID you, just to put your birthdate in, do not start cursing at me and walk away, leaving the beer at my till. I will not be a happy cashier.

Also: My fellow customers (for even though I am a cashier I am a customer as well), when your cashier is ringing something up and the scanner will not cooperate with her, do not ever say "Guess it's free right?" or some variation. Because we have heard it all before and we are sick of it. We will smile at you, we may even laugh with you, but inside our heads we are most likely screaming.

And umm: Fellow cashiers? I am so sorry if I have ever ever ever said that to anyone. I didn't realize it was so annoying!

[Barb3000]

just two points -

I hate self-scanners. IMO it is much faster to go to a person cashier, even if I have to wait for one. For some reason they only have to scan each item ONCE, whereas when I am at the self-scanner it takes multiple swipes for the machine to recognize what I have.

To the management -- if my SO has to go to the CS desk and point out that there are a lot of customers in line, and not enough cashiers, and you then put more cashiers on, you are not doing your job. YOU should be noticing the problem before it becomes a problem.

[CrochetFanatic]

There's an interesting...I don't know if "loophole" is the word...at the Walmart near us.  The "15 items or less" line has to ring up a customer who exceeds the item limit (sometimes a hugely full cart) if they are buying a tobacco product.  The reason?  That is the only line in the store that sells cigarettes, cigars, and chewing tobacco.  I guess that makes sense, but it sort of makes me wonder why they have an express lane at all.  I think the last time I got held up there, I was behind a lady with a cart stacked almost to over-flowing because she had decided at the last minute to buy one pack of cigarettes.  I was standing there with two skeins of yarn, a magazine, and a pack of gum, thinking to myself, "I could have been half-way home by now..."  No big deal, really...just a bit of an inconvenience.

[Slartibartfast]

I'll make a pact with you, fellow shoppers: I promise that I'll try to hurry as much as I can when my baby starts fussing, so I can get out the door before she goes into full-on tantrum mode.  In return, I'd ask you to not glare at me and make PA comments under your breath (but loud enough to be audible) when I pass by.  I'd rather cut my shopping trip short but actually buy what's in my cart than just abandon my cart and walk away to spare you a minute or two of baby grumpiness.  It's easier for the store to not have to re-shelve everything I tried to buy, and it's definitely easier for me!  I promise, I'm trying to go as fast as I can!

[Shoo]

I'll make a pact with you, fellow shoppers: I promise that I'll try to hurry as much as I can when my baby starts fussing, so I can get out the door before she goes into full-on tantrum mode.  In return, I'd ask you to not glare at me and make PA comments under your breath (but loud enough to be audible) when I pass by.  I'd rather cut my shopping trip short but actually buy what's in my cart than just abandon my cart and walk away to spare you a minute or two of baby grumpiness.  It's easier for the store to not have to re-shelve everything I tried to buy, and it's definitely easier for me!  I promise, I'm trying to go as fast as I can!

I don't think anybody thinks shoppers like you are the problem.  It's the parents whose children start crying and screaming, and they CONTINUE to shop as if nothing is wrong.  I encountered this just yesterday while shopping for BTS clothes for my daughter.  A woman with 3 children, one of them in a stroller, was walking around, browing the racks, and the toddler in the stroller was screaming his head off.  She acted like she didn't have a care in the world. 

A parent who hurries along and purchases what's already in her cart and then leaves is not a problem.  I appreciate parents like you.  Now, if you'd continue to shop while your child screamed, then that would be a different story.

[Elfmama]

I'll make a pact with you, fellow shoppers: I promise that I'll try to hurry as much as I can when my baby starts fussing, so I can get out the door before she goes into full-on tantrum mode.

A parent who hurries along and purchases what's already in her cart and then leaves is not a problem.  I appreciate parents like you.  Now, if you'd continue to shop while your child screamed, then that would be a different story.

Or if your child is old enough to know better.  Babies crying are annoying but tolerable.  Eight-year-olds throwing a screaming tantrum are not. 

[Cami]

I'll make a pact with you, fellow shoppers: I promise that I'll try to hurry as much as I can when my baby starts fussing, so I can get out the door before she goes into full-on tantrum mode.  In return, I'd ask you to not glare at me and make PA comments under your breath (but loud enough to be audible) when I pass by.  I'd rather cut my shopping trip short but actually buy what's in my cart than just abandon my cart and walk away to spare you a minute or two of baby grumpiness.  It's easier for the store to not have to re-shelve everything I tried to buy, and it's definitely easier for me!  I promise, I'm trying to go as fast as I can!

I don't think anybody thinks shoppers like you are the problem.  It's the parents whose children start crying and screaming, and they CONTINUE to shop as if nothing is wrong.  I encountered this just yesterday while shopping for BTS clothes for my daughter.  A woman with 3 children, one of them in a stroller, was walking around, browing the racks, and the toddler in the stroller was screaming his head off.  She acted like she didn't have a care in the world. 

A parent who hurries along and purchases what's already in her cart and then leaves is not a problem.  I appreciate parents like you.  Now, if you'd continue to shop while your child screamed, then that would be a different story.

I JUST returned from a trip to Target I cut short because of a baby screaming endlessly with the father endlessly saying in a very lackadaisical tone to the baby, "What do you want?" I really had to bite my tongue to keep from saying, "He's a BABY. He can't answer you. Figure. It. Out. It's either food, a diaper change, or some, oh I don't know? Attention?"  After 20 minutes of listening to the screaming, I had to  leave.

[HorseFreak]

I'll make a pact with you, fellow shoppers: I promise that I'll try to hurry as much as I can when my baby starts fussing, so I can get out the door before she goes into full-on tantrum mode.  In return, I'd ask you to not glare at me and make PA comments under your breath (but loud enough to be audible) when I pass by.  I'd rather cut my shopping trip short but actually buy what's in my cart than just abandon my cart and walk away to spare you a minute or two of baby grumpiness.  It's easier for the store to not have to re-shelve everything I tried to buy, and it's definitely easier for me!  I promise, I'm trying to go as fast as I can!

I don't think anybody thinks shoppers like you are the problem.  It's the parents whose children start crying and screaming, and they CONTINUE to shop as if nothing is wrong.  I encountered this just yesterday while shopping for BTS clothes for my daughter.  A woman with 3 children, one of them in a stroller, was walking around, browing the racks, and the toddler in the stroller was screaming his head off.  She acted like she didn't have a care in the world. 

A parent who hurries along and purchases what's already in her cart and then leaves is not a problem.  I appreciate parents like you.  Now, if you'd continue to shop while your child screamed, then that would be a different story.

I saw a couple literally drag their screaming 3 year old INTO the local Super Walmart yesterday. You would have thought the kid was being doused in acid! Once they entered the store the wails echoed off every surface and people scattered. I really don't get why one person didn't stay outside until Junior calmed down.

[Piratelvr1121]

I put the divider bar (I call it a 'kid thwacker') down myself, behind my stuff, so the person behind me can start putting their stuff on the belt.  Usually they are not in a position to reach the bar, and it's really no skin off my nose to put it down.

Same here, and I don't want to have to reach pass a person's order to do so. So whenever the cashier starts my order and puts the divider in its little groove, I pick it up and place it behind all my stuff if there's someone in line behind me. They always seem to appreciate it.

[Ginger G]

[If there is an express lane (or multiple express lanes), and there are also self-check lanes, please don't get behind someone in a regular lane and roll your eyes, sigh loudly, and shift from one foot to the next in an attempt to guilt the person with a full cart of groceries into letting you, with your few groceries, go ahead of them.  Use one of the speedy lanes available to you!  You are making me question your intelligence!!/quote]

This exact thing just happened to me this past weekend!  I had a pretty full cart, and just as soon as I had unloaded everything and the cashier started scanning, a guy with one item gets into line behind me.  They made several announcements over the intercom that the self-scans were open and nobody was using them at the time, but this guy stood behind me sighing, rolling his eyes, stamping his feet...the whole routine.  I can understand some people don't like the self-scans (personally I love them when I'm only buying a few things), but if you're that impatient, maybe you should at least attempt to use one.

My other grocery store pet peeve is the people that stop their carts in the middle of the aisle and just stand there looking for something and make no attempt whatsoever to move over to the side.  Then they act annoyed when you want to get by.

[Piratelvr1121]

Makes me think of a guy who got behind me at a light when I was learning to drive a stick shift.  There were two lanes for turning left, I was in one and the one to the left of me was wide open.  I stalled since I was still trying to master that dance called managing the gas and clutch.  What does he do? Go around me? Nope.

Honk and honk at me as he sat behind me. 

Makes me question the intelligence of people like that as well.

Back to the grocery store though:

When the staff and their carts are in the aisles for restocking purposes, please do not park your cart next to the one they've got their boxes and pallets loaded onto and then just sit there while traffic piles up behind you. Other people might want to see what you're blocking.  And yes, people could go around, but why make them by taking longer than you really need?

[suzieQ]

This may have been mentioned but please, do not go to another line and ask someone in that line if they would like to come to your line and get in ahead of you. Because that will seriously irritate the people behind you. I had a lady do that in Sam's Club. I told her that I was in a hurry and did not want someone to cut in line ahead of me. (the lady who was asked to come cut into our line did not come over, thank goodness)

[Syrse]

I know this topic is old, but as a cashier, I just had to speak up about the dividers: the person in front should put it down. Suppose there is nobody after you, and there is no divider, the belt keeps going and going, and it pisses off every single cashier I know to have to stretch all the way to grab one, and slam it down. We are supposed to slide them towards the customer, which puts them way out of reach and seriously why is it so hard to pick one up and put it down?? Ahem.

In the same street; if at my checkout (no belt, cart to cart type) I move your bag to the front of the cart and you YANK it back and refuse to let it go, guess what, I will not bend over and put the items in, I will put them in the front of the cart and let you put them in yourself. You are only here 5 minutes, I am here for live and I need my back for the remainder of that career. Yes, that's a work instruction. That means the boss won't side with you, as company policy forbids me to bend over, period.

Oh, and if I say 'good morning', the correct response is not 'no I don't have any coupons with me'. That is not what I asked.

And for the love of all that is holy, do NOT talk on the phone while at the check out! Extra SS points if you apologize to the person on the other end of the line for the inconvenience of my presence  Same goes for headphones.

And dogs are not allowed in grocery stores. I don't care how special you think you are, if health inspection walks in they will shut us down, and we will all be out of a job. And no, nobody is going to steal your dog if you leave it outside (seriously?)

All things aside, I really do love being back in retail 

[Library Dragon]

And for the love of all that is holy, do NOT talk on the phone while at the check out! Extra SS points if you apologize to the person on the other end of the line for the inconvenience of my presence 

POD

Also, if you have to give your card or cash to the cashier do not put it in your mouth. No one wants to handle your card/cash after its been in your mouth.