Open Another Freakin' Line!

[eltf177]

Just returned empty-handed from my local WayUnSafe after walking both ways in 15 degree temps. And once again the same stupid scenario plays itself out...

It's almost 9 am and there's only _one_ checkout lane (15 items or fewer) open. There's _five_ customers in line already, three of whom are way over the 15 item limit (really can't blame them as it's the only lane open).

The cashier easily sees how huge the line is, but as usual doesn't bother to call to have another lane open. Two more people are now behind me and this is ridiculous. I ask them to step back as I walk out of the store, leaving all my items in my cart. One customer asks where I'm going and I said "outta here!"

How hard is it to open a second freakin' lane?

[Broomjockey]

Could be incredibly hard, if they don't have anyone there to open a lane. Did you see any staff standing around? 9 am they may not have everyone in yet, or people called in sick, or they're doing stocking, or freight, etc.

Then again, everyone could just be really unreliable, and the cashier knew there wasn't a point in calling anyone up to help, as they wouldn't come.

[Summerfly413]

Sometimes they just don't have more cashiers scheduled until later in the morning. At my store they usually have one cashier from 8am-9:30 or 10:00, and then another cashier comes in.

Though stores do usually have some kind of service desk that they can use for check outs, so unless that person was busy with returns or other duties that needed to be done, they could have helped with the line.

[bainsidhe]

Ouch. My former store didn't have a problem in mornings, it was always right after 11pm shift change. They may have 2-3 overnighters working, but only one register would be open and that line would be long. Since customer service closes at 11pm, that single line also handled returns/exchanges/whatever. The other 2 overnighters would sometimes jump on register, but not always. I blame the store. Because one would be a manager trying to close out/switch tills and therefore was walking around with a mini-bank that couldn't be left alone. The other was running around trying to get other overnight shift duties done to start out the night. From what I hear, overnights were never a relaxing shift and there was a ton of work to do.

[Zoom]

Keeping prices low = less money for paychecks = lower pay

BUT

Union = guaranteed wage = same pay = fewer hours per week = fewer checkers/baggers = fewer lines

Usually they cut the baggers' hours, so checkers have to do bagging, which means the orders also take longer.

A new wrinkle in the equation, however, is that our "low prices" initiative ended a month ago, but we still have fewer baggers/lines. I'm certain there's extra money that's going somewhere, but I'm not 100% sure it's into corporate pockets; perhaps they're saving up the money for when (Deleted to protect the space-time continuum!) happens.

[JLG]

How hard is it to open a second freakin' lane?

Many times we only have ONE cashier for the first hour we are open. This cashier has do returns, exchanges and purchases. If our lazy assistant opened the store he ignores his pages as he is the only other person to ring. And usually they are taking truck at this time and the manager can't leave if the back door is open. Or we have like 5 other associates in the store and NONE of them are register trained.

I hate it when I have nobody else to call and it is me and one other cashier ringing our butts off cause the manager uses a lot of her payroll on associates that are not able to be back up cashiers.

[Hobbs]

I agree with everyone here. I've worked shifts where every other cashier calls in, leaving me and possibly someone else as the only registers open...for the whole day.

Still, at least you didn't take it out on the cashier. I hate people that do that.

[jjllbb]

99.999% of the time more lanes can't be opened. That's probably why they didn't bother calling for backup.

Even in a case where other employees may be seen around the store they may not be able to work a cash register for various reasons.

It's a sucky situation.

[bhskittykatt]

Often they simply can't. I feel your pain. My fav grocery store seems to be frequently understaffed whenever I'm there. There's often one cashier, and when it gets busy the GM will dive in as well, but really there's no one else. I feel bad for them, since they're really nice folks and probably get a lot of crap slung their way because their company can't meet staffing needs.

[Irving Patrick Freleigh]

Well, welcome to retail.

At 9 am, the store probably wasn't teeming with people who could just be called to stop what they're doing and run a register to get the lines down.

You're got your corporate suits to thank for this. Sometime not too long ago, some corporate bean counter someplace figured the store could save lots of money by getting rid of most of cashiers, and having everybody else hop on a register when the lines backed up too much.

Thing is, enough people seem to be okay with this, or at least don't complain to corporate, that they keep doing this.

[Can I Help Your A$$?]

Just like pretty much ALL stores right now, hours are cut for the whole month of January.

My hubs works for Safe, I work for the red bulle-eye, and there is ONE opening cashier. And no courtesy clerks 'til 11. And they can't check out. They CANNOT check out. Nun-uh. Not allowed. At my store, same sitch.

More hours are opening up this week.

I got 15 hours last week.

[Food Lady]

Just like pretty much ALL stores right now, hours are cut for the whole month of January. My hubs works for Safe, I work for the red bulle-eye, and there is ONE opening cashier. And no courtesy clerks 'til 11. And they can't check out. They CANNOT check out. Nun-uh. Not allowed. At my store, same sitch. More hours are opening up this week. I got 15 hours last week.

Same here. I opened and 2nd cash came in at 9:30. Didn't have a service desk person until 10:30. We open at 8.

[Jay 2K Winger]

I've been that cashier being the only one open on the Express register. I'm sure I've even posted about one particular day in which the only other opening cashier had called out, so I'm busy ringing up tax-exempt business orders (and hence, very large) or orders with cigarettes (this was after the Cigarette Tax Board of Northern Virginia mandated that we only sell cigarettes at one register) and any order in which a customer didn't want to use self-checkout.

One angry customer stormed up while I was ringing up a large tax-exempt order, and snapped, "I thought this was the Express line!" in a tone designed to inform both myself and my current customer that I shouldn't be ringing up orders with more than eight items.

I looked the angry customer right in the eye and said, "Sir, when I'm the only cashier, there is no Express line."

Angry guy left without his order, and I went on with my day.

[jjllbb]

Complain to their corporate offices.

I've mentioned the exact same problem to my own District Manager many times and all i got in return was being screamed at for not handling those situations properly.

Customer complaints are taken much more seriously.

Don't mention which store it was though because all that will happen is that the complaint will filter back down and the poor people working there will simply be punished.

The corporate jerks need to know that it's a problem with their set up, not with the employees.

[ShadowTiger]

There have been occasions where it's been the morning of a truck day, and two cashiers have called out, leaving only a manager to ring, and a Hardware guy, a paint guy, and me to unload the truck. Thing is, the only person who is even allowed to operate the forklift is the manager stuck at the register.

You could practically hear the gears of the store grinding to a halt.