All I get is mouth-breathers.

[rerant]

Recently I've been pulling as many shifts (including doubles)as possible in a desperate attempt to pay for my upcoming tuition without a student loan.
So far I'm not doing too bad, and I have a few months left before I have to hand over my hard earned riches.
But what do you get when you work more hours? More SCs.
Here's a neat little run-down of this past week.

Some of these aren't so much sucky as they are stupid and annoying.

SW = Sucky woman
SW= Sucky man
ME = Awesome cashier extraordinaire

Postal Codes

We ask for them, I hate it, my manager is up my ass about increasing my "numbers" (since I usually don't bother asking people for them), so to placate her I've been making an effort.

ME: And may I have your postal code please?
SW: Why?
ME: We just use them to see where people are shopping from in case we ever decide to build another store.
SW: I don't want any calls.
ME: (entering 00000 as the default for no postal code) Oh we don't call anyone.
SW: Yeah but you sell the information.
ME: No, ma'am, we wouldn't ever do that.
SW: I get too many fucking calls from people like you.
ME: (why, why didn't I just shut up and let it go?) Well even if it were true that we sold the information no one would be able to get your number based only on your postal code, since all your neighbors would have the same one and it would be impossible to tell which household had shopped here.
SW: So you DO sell it then!
ME: No, ma'am.
SW: But you just said -
ME: I just said that "if" we did. Your total is $xxx.xx.
SW: This place is so damned expensive.
ME: Here's your receipt, have a nice day (you unfeeling wench from the deepest reaches of Hell).

Tree Coupons

It's simple, we're selling trees for $20, and when you buy one you get a coupon for $20 off a purchase of $75 or more before taxes, valid January 2nd to March something-or-other. All of this information is, of course, written in bold on the coupons.

SW: (who was a bitch through the whole transaction to begin with) And I have this for $20, too.
ME: (thinking she probably just means a gift card) Ok. (sees the coupon) Oh, no we don't accept those until January 2nd.
SW: You're fucking kidding me!
ME: Nope. It says it right there on the coupon.
SW: Well they could have told me that when I got the fucking tree.
(Note: "they" are children about 10-12 volunteering through their Air Cadets troop, supervised by an adult.)
ME: I'm sorry they didn't tell you, but it's written right there on the coupon.
SW: Right, and I'm supposed to know that how?

Now there is no way for me to answer that without sounding like a smart ass, so I opted just to repeat to her that I couldn't accept it.

SW: Well maybe I should just fucking return everything then.
ME: (Thinking: you haven't paid for anything, so exactly what would you be returning?) If you'd like I can void this all out no problem.
SW: So what, you think I just came shopping for the good of my health? I need these things, you know.
ME: Your total is $xxx.xx.

No Checks

SW: If I show ID can I pay with a check?
ME: Nope, we don't take personal checks.
SW: Oh, you used to.
ME: Never since I've been here.
(Note: I know we've never taken them at all except for credit card payments, so why I didn't just say that I don't know.)
SW: pfft, And just how long have you been here?
ME: Two and a half years.
SW: hmmpf, well that's not very long.
ME: (Thinking: long enough to know more than you, bitch.) Your total is $xxx.xx.

More Bag Follies

ME: Are you going to need to purchase any plastic bags for your things?
SM: (getting all up in my personal space) Any what? Purchase? Huh?
ME: (backing away, making it obvious he needs to do the same) Bags are now five cents. Do you need any for your things?
SM: Oh I love a good cash grab.
ME: Actually every cent we make from the bags goes to Tree Canada to plant more trees. We don't keep any of the money.
SM: Oh so that's what they want you to tell us, eh?
ME: ...
SM: (to his daughter) Go grab a bag. We need to pay for them because the store needs more of my money.
ME: Yeah, even though we give it all away. But we need it real bad. (Today was Don't Fuck With Me day.)
SM: Yeeeeah yeeeeeah.
ME: Your total is $xxx.xx.

Granted he wasn't being so much of an asshole as he was annoying, but still, either buy the bag or don't, but STFU about the whopping five cents, please.

Hypocrisy? No, you lose.

SW: Has anyone pointed out to your the irony of the fact that you're making us pay for bags and expecting us to believe you're giving the money to Tree Canada when you have hundreds of Christmas trees in the parking lot?
ME: For every tree we cut down for Christmas trees we plant another in its place. We even have tree planting events during the summer where coworkers volunteer to plant new trees for an entire day.
SW: Oh... well... isn't that convenient.

Uh, yeah, It is pretty convenient, considering we're doing everything we can to both accommodate the customer's wishes (people expect trees and want trees) as well as maintaining our environment.
I'm sorry if that doesn't give you a good basis for the argument you were so desperately seeking but you're just going to have to suck it up.

Thank goodness I have not one, not two, but three days off in a row!
Though I'll be calling and begging for hours on one of those days, I just know it.
Damn post-secondary education costs.
Something tells me that between now and September I'll be posting a lot more.

[Dave1982]

SW: So what, you think I just came shopping for the good of my health? I need these things, you know.

"Actually, since this is a supermarket, yeah, I DO think you're shopping for the good of your health!"

[You DO work in a supermarket, right?]

[Can I Help Your A$$?]

How can people not know that Christmas trees come from farms where they are planted, and then re-planted? Why would a Christmas tree farmer want to just chop down his trees and not re-plant them? Well, I guess he would if he used SC-sense.

[Bright_Star]

How stupid do you have to be to think that someone can get your phone number simply by giving them your zip code?

[bainsidhe]

I don't know, I think there is a bit of subtle irony about the whole christmas tree vs. tree planting thing myself Maybe it was the delivery of said phrase that was sucky.

Good luck saving for school, that's quite an undertaking. You might check with your bank what interest/saving options there are to gain interest on your money while you wait. Make your money work for you and all that.

[rerant]

"Actually, since this is a supermarket, yeah, I DO think you're shopping for the good of your health!"

[You DO work in a supermarket, right?]

Nope, Ikea. We do sell food though.

[Sliceanddice]

you know yesterday at ikea (btw they over charged me for two things, my mom one, my sister one for a total of 6 dollars... wasnt worth complaining) i was tlaking to the pretty cashier at the debit credit only lanes. WHY?irsed when my sister bought her stuff by having her drawer open up and cashing being in side, i asked her about she laughed and her pervious till broke down so she switched which lead to this
Me- Oh then i guess you cant tell me how many people you get an hour who miss the giant yellow signs (i was sleepy, high off ikea fumes and planing something evil so it popped in my head)
Her- actually i usually work it alot and trust me, one out 4 people.
Me- wow....... im so sorry.
Her- yeah i just stare at them and point to the sign.
Me- Your pretty!

yeah...

[rerant]

you know yesterday at ikea (btw they over charged me for two things, my mom one, my sister one for a total of 6 dollars... wasnt worth complaining) i was tlaking to the pretty cashier at the debit credit only lanes. WHY?

I don't know about other stores, but we never used to be able to refund anything at the registers, though now we're able to do that so long as the purchase was made that day, so getting the over-charges fixed would have been no problem.

I'm actually pleased to learn that other locations have implemented the debit and credit only lanes as well, since even though they may not seem logical to customers on the surface they really do make a difference.

[Geek King]

How can people not know that Christmas trees come from farms where they are planted, and then re-planted? Why would a Christmas tree farmer want to just chop down his trees and not re-plant them? Well, I guess he would if he used SC-sense.

Hell, even clear-cuts are replanted. Paper mills and lumber yards learned real quick about the price of wood going up if you don't. The bigger outfits even spend money funding research into genetic fiddling to create trees that will regrow faster. There's a tree now that grows 20-30' in the first five years, and is becoming very popular for growing natural privacy fences.

[Dave1982]

Nope, Ikea. We do sell food though.

Ah damn. Sounded like classic supermarket stupidity to me. Sorry.

[Imogene]

How stupid do you have to be to think that someone can get your phone number simply by giving them your zip code?

I've had a couple customers give me that crap too.
It's required for us to get a zip code from the customer, so we can get receipts/credit slips/whatever from the register. Seriously, the printer won't print unless it gets a zip code (and we can just use our zip code, it's really not that big a deal) but I've had people refuse to give it to me, on the basis that: "You'll have my info then."
Oh, gods, no! I'll know your zip code! Just like all the other people who come through here! I only notice the trends in zip codes, and even that's only for one day, then forgotten.

[Boozy]

SW: Oh... well... isn't that convenient.

That's the response you'd expect from someone who was running their mouths about something they know nothing about.

It can be translated as:

"Oh shit. This person knows more than I do about this topic. If I admit that, I will be admitting that I am not perfect. So I will use a sarcastic comment to imply that this person is lying because they know that I am right."

[Hobgoblin]

I hate the postal code/phone number crap. I get to ask for a phone number and an address and apparently email as well. For someone who just wants to buy a video game, that's a bit much. I can't fudge it either, as corporate logs that info and wants us to be at a 90% rate for getting it all. As far as I know, the numbers/addresses aren't sold, but it still sucks and is suspicious.

[protege]

I don't like the phone number/zip code crap either. I mean, is it *really* necessary to buy a 9-volt battery? With that said, I'm not rude about it--but I don't give my home number either. After my father's advertising agency closed, I was giving out that number, along with the address. No danger of it annoying the current tenant--the building burned down a few years back, and is now a parking lot

[tphillip]

Zip codes can be important

Some places need the zip code to charge you the right sales tax. In New York part of the sales tax goes directly to the state and the other part goes to the county you either live in or are purchasing in (Depending on what you're paying for).

The Corning Museum of Glass is required to charge you the sales tax that applies to your county of residence. For most places it means 4% goes to New York and 3% goes to whatever county you live in and for out of state visitors they only get charged the state portion. It's a real PITA, but New York *loves* it's silly tax laws.