Customer Loaded Merchandise on Belt of Closed Register

[purplecat41877]

Yesterday, a customer decided to load his groceries onto one of the belts and the register happened to be closed and no one was there. I went over and rang him up since his stuff was already up and other customers also got into the line. At first, I figured someone told the customer to load his groceries onto the belt but it turned out that no one did. My service desk coworker ended up paging the dairy guy to take over for me so I could start closing the tills.

[marasbaras]

And you encouraged this behavior .... why?

[purplecat41877]

Around that time, it started getting busy. The customer probably would've complained if I sent him to another line since there were only 2 other registers open and both had lines. I did try to close and the closing bagger even closed me off. Unfortunately, the other 2 lines got long and I had to reopen.

[thehippie777]

What in the world posessed this person to just unload their stuff in a clearly closed line? The world does not revolve around individuals... I mean, I have walked up to closed lanes or just closing lanes...I move elsewhere!

[poofy_puff]

Ooh ooh, I have one!


I was buying stuff at the Harvest Co-op in Cambridge (if you know the place you'll appreciate this that much more) last weekend. I only shop there a few times a year when I need to stock up on bulk dry goods, despite the fact that I work in Harvard Sq. The reason for this is because of the other people who shop there; they are pretentious and all trying to out-do each other at saving the planet (this coming from a retentive, compulsive recycler, so you know it is bad). I don't shop there often because I don't want to belong to that club which would have me as a member.

Anyway - I got in line where there were two people ahead of me. The line (or "queue") moves up and the cashier puts out the "This register closed" sign on the belt after my stuff. Two seconds later, guy comes and stands in line behind me. It took him a minute to notice the sign, then he says to cashier in a regular American (not UK) accent:

SC: "Will you open another register, there is a queue - a LINE."

Cashier: (Who had just started on my stuff): "There are three other lanes open, sir."

SC: "They all have 2 or 3 people waiting already!"

UberCashier: (Who had just appeared behind Cashier for some change or something): "We're changing shifts, there will be another register opening soon. We have three other lanes open right now."

SC: <scoff> [goes to another line I mean QUEUE]


Who can find the SUCK in this picture???????11???

[chainedbarista]

*GASP* two or three other people in line? i'll be here for all eternity! NOOOO!

crap, if that's the worst thing in your day, be grateful; what an ass.

i do the same as the hippie, i notice my mistake *with a bit of embarrassment for not catching it beforehand* and move elsewhere, and get on with life.

priorities...for some, it's just a word.

[poofy_puff]

Seriuosly, and I had checked all the "queues" myself and picked the shortest line, but most people didn't even have very large amounts of items in their baskets. I probably had the most stuff out of everyone already in line. The SC just wanted someone to open a checkout JUST FOR HIM so he could be first in line. I was ready with my ANTI-SC pistol, but the situation solved itself.

I guess saving the environment puts so much pressure on SC's who shop at a FOOD CO-OP for Chrissakes. That means most of the employees are actually customers who work there to get an extra 2% off their organic kitty litter.

At least in my current job (lab tech at _Not_Yale_University_) I can order people to get out of my neck of the woods when they have no business being there.

[Whyme]

Reminds me of the time I worked at Home Depot. I had my closed sign up and had just sent my money up the tube (tube goes to their cash office). A lady came up, took down my closed sign and put her stuff on the counter.

I said "I'm closed ma'am". She said I was there and the other line was long so I was going to take care of her. Heh. I said "I have no money in my register and I have to clock out, sorry.". Hell, I just put my closed sign back up and left. I guess I was rude, but HD was really going after people for not clocking out on time at that point and I wasn't going to get into trouble for someone who didn't care that I was closed.

[booger]

I have a similar problem. I work at a customer service desk with four registers. I work on the end register, and I am usually by myself for two hours at the end of the night. So why is that even though I stand there and say, "Hi, I can help you over here!" they come and pile their junk in front of one of the registers at the other end of the counter and then blink at me? And then, when I repeat that I can help them, they say "Oh, you're over THERE?" like they either don't understand the concept or they are mad that I won't move to another register.

Sometimes they even do this while I am helping a line that formed properly in front of my register. I just act like I don't see them and stay focused on helping the people who got in line. If they start asking why I won't help them, I look up all startled like and tell them that my line is over here and that there is no one at any of the other registers.

I would love to live in a world where invisible cashier fairies help you so that you don't have to wait in line to be helped by an actual human. That would be awesome.

[Rine]

Sometimes they even do this while I am helping a line that formed properly in front of my register. I just act like I don't see them and stay focused on helping the people who got in line. If they start asking why I won't help them, I look up all startled like and tell them that my line is over here and that there is no one at any of the other registers.

I do this too--it's my favorite game to play. I sometimes work in a cac that has four registers. I usually pick just one to use and I'll have a line going and some moron piles their stuff on the register behind me (I can't see them anyway) and then stands there for minutes upon minutes. Usually I finish ringing my line through that lined up correctly on my till where I could actually see them and I start doing paperwork, still ignoring the customer behind me. (I've only done a full out ignoring on my bad days). Then, people clear their throat and I turn around...

"Oh, I didn't see you there! You were behind me. I'm sorry. I'm open on this side."

Hello people--get a clue!

This is also why I don't cashier much anymore...stupid things like that just get me all worked up.

[poofy_puff]

I would love to live in a world where invisible cashier fairies help you so that you don't have to wait in line to be helped by an actual human. That would be awesome.

I live in a world sort-of like that. Some places I shop have "self-checkouts" (where you can check yourself out!) but sometimes they still have a QUEUE.

[bainsidhe]

I have a similar problem. I work at a customer service desk with four registers. I work on the end register, and I am usually by myself for two hours at the end of the night. So why is that even though I stand there and say, "Hi, I can help you over here!" they come and pile their junk in front of one of the registers at the other end of the counter and then blink at me? And then, when I repeat that I can help them, they say "Oh, you're over THERE?" like they either don't understand the concept or they are mad that I won't move to another register.

Heh. Amateurs. If I see someone open, believe me I will be sprinting up there so I don't lose my place in line. You show up first, I will begrudgingly let you have the spot, even if you aren't fully in line yet. But that's only if you are heading for the line. Stand like an idiot and I'll be passing you by.

[marasbaras]

I said "I'm closed ma'am". She said I was there and the other line was long so I was going to take care of her. Heh. I said "I have no money in my register and I have to clock out, sorry.". Hell, I just put my closed sign back up and left. I guess I was rude, but HD was really going after people for not clocking out on time at that point and I wasn't going to get into trouble for someone who didn't care that I was closed.

You weren't rude at all. Just stating a fact she should've gathered from the sign she took down.

[Slow-Jo]

i would have just ignored him and pray that he would have gotten the hint.

[BookstoreEscapee]

priorities...for some, it's just a word.

Yeah, one they don't the definition of...