The invisible cashier

[retailwrkralum]

One thing that really bothered me when I worked at the grocery store was when customers would stand at an empty register waiting to be rung up? Not all registers are open at all times but I guess it would be too logical to actually go to a register where you see a cashier working! One time I was working the express line and the register in front of me was empty. This old lady pulls her cart up and is looking around as if she were a lost child! Then starts screaming at me "ISN"T THERE ANYONE WORKING HERE?????" I so much wanted to say "Do you see anyone standing there????" but I just politely replied no, that register was closed.

[Boozy]

She was obviously a bit confused with this crazy, modern world.

Most people understand that grocer's have multiple tills and not all of them will be open.

[marasbaras]

Or, more likely, she's just a piece of crap that happens to be a little older.

[Imogene]

I've had people stand three deep in my coworker's lines, meanwhile, I'm standing there, 6'5", waving my hands futilely in the air, and nearly screaming at them. "Hello? I'm open. Get your sorry ass over here so my coworker doesn't start killing people!" and no one even looks my way. I'm invisible when viewed from the front, but once you see me, you'll shit bricks.

[ArcticChicken]

I've had people stand three deep in my coworker's lines, <snip> and no one even looks my way.

Yeah, that one is weird, especially when your till is located between two other open ones.

[VenomX]

I so much wanted to say "Do you see anyone standing there????" but I just politely replied no, that register was closed.

I do that at work. If a pump is down we will put up a sign, bag the nozzle, and block that pump. People will pull up to that pump and just sit there. After some time they will get out and ask if I am going to give them their gas. I then ask them what part of the out of order sign or the pump being blocked dont they understand?

Or they pull up to the pump and jump out and ask if the pump is working. I just say What do you think? That garbage can didnt just grow there infront of that pump...

[Lingering Grin]

I don't get people who do this.

It happened ALL the time at my old job (movie theater concession stand).


One morning, we just opened maybe 30 minutes ago, and like all mornings there is literally NOONE in the lobby.

I am standing there in my stupid little monkey vest, behind a register. I'm the ONLY person who is actually visible from the front of the concession stand. This lady walks up, goes to the OTHER side of the concession stand, walks up to an empty register, and stands there... and waits... I wave at her, she doesn't respond. I say "I can help you over here", she looks AWAY from me. Eventually she looks over, see me, and asks if I can help her, I say yes I c an help you at this register... and she gets peeved she has to walk the 5 feet over to where I'm standing.

Just to show you, this is how the stand is setup

o = registers
M = Me
H = Her.

--o--o--o--o--M--_____--H--o--o--o--o--

The indented space in the center is where all the fried food was delivered to, it's actually a small rounded counter top about 3 feet across, and with NOTHING blocking her view of me. I'm not kidding when I say it took her over 5 minutes to realize that I was even there.


Also, related to this, we would close one side of the concession stand about half-way through the night when things started to slow down. So you'd have the left side with employees working like crazy, with LINES in front of them... and the other side would be completely empty. Well, at least once every night when I was restocking the candy cases, someone would see me walk behind the right side of the stand, carrying 2 or 3 boxes of candy, not even looking at customers, and not stopping. Then they would walk over to the closed side of the stand, and try to order... as if the 20 other people standing in line are just there for their health.

[Sableonblonde]

That happened all the time when I was a cashier too. We had two lines that were always full, and most of the time when we would call people down to the empty third or fourth register, no one would move. They would glance over to the empty line, then just look away and keep standing where they were, even if they were behind like four or five other people. I'm not sure of the psychology behind it. Are they too lazy to walk an additional foot? Or is it that once they have chosen a line to be in, they feel a certain kind of devotion to that particular line and don't want to abandon it?

[Lingering Grin]

We had two lines that were always full, and most of the time when we would call people down to the empty third or fourth register, no one would move. They would glance over to the empty line, then just look away and keep standing where they were, even if they were behind like four or five other people.

I've done that ^

but it's usually because I'm trying to get ahold of the person in front of me so they can go over there. They got in line first, so they should get the empty lane first.

Of course, if they don't want it, or don't respond.... then I bust over and get checked out right quick.

Then again, I also usually refuse to go in fromt of someone who offers because they have a huge cart full of grocies and I have like 3 or 4 items. I appreciate the gesture sure, I'm just usually not in that much of a hurry. I can wait

[mattm04]

I do that at work. If a pump is down we will put up a sign, bag the nozzle, and block that pump.

Along those lines, our soda machine broke down. I printed up three out of order signs and plastered them on the front of the machine, including over the triggers. It took a day before people ripped them off tried to get a soda and yelled at me for not posting a sign.

[Sylvia727]

It took a day before people ripped them off tried to get a soda and yelled at me for not posting a sign.

Heh, the same thing happened at our bakery. We ran out of Dr Pepper syrup, so posted an "Out of Order" sign over just the Dr Pepper nozzle. Ten minutes later, someone tells me that our Dr Pepper tastes funny. Yes, the sign is down already. We post a new one. Fifteen minutes after that, a 13-year-old girl, sweet as can be, politely informs me that we're out of Dr Pepper. After the third time, my manager went out there with packing tape and laminated the entire thing down, as well as another one on the actual machine that said "Out of Dr Pepper". By the end of the night, one corner had been peeled up and scraped off.

[Eddie The 'Ead]

By the end of the night, one corner had been peeled up and scraped off.

*Facepalm*

[tropicsgoddess]

It's so funny how some people (mainly SC's) will go to an empty till, but when they come up to yours when you're finishing your last customer and tell them they're closed, they a: give you dirty looks b: bitch about it.

[Hon'ya-chan]

The fact that people will throw their books onto the handicap counter, while i'm standing right next door at the other register irk me to no end. Not even a "NEXT REGISTER PLEASE" even fazes them.

[starglitter]

Once where I work, this lady went up to our express lane, which was not open at the time, and waited to be checked out. She stopped one of the cashiers, who was literally on the to clock out for the day, and asked if she could check her out. The cashier was like, "That lane is closed, but lanes 7 and 9 are open," then she clocked out and left.

That stupid lady found a manager and complained and the next day the cashier was told that she should have just opened the lane. But that was our old manager, he was a jerk.