More wet belt drama

[Lace Neil Singer]

What is it about a newly cleaned belt that brings out the drama queen in people? Today, this guy came on to my till just after in my boredom, I'd cleaned the belt. He expected me to unpack his basket, cuz he didn't want to put his shopping on the wet belt. I can't do this, as I have a bad back. I politely told him this, saying he could hand his shopping to me one by one, and I could put it thru. He retaliated by claiming his daughter was allergic to all types of cleaner and he couldn't have his shopping anywhere near a cleaned belt.

Break for voice of reason here... Then why come to a till with a recently cleaned belt when there were at least 3 tills open with dry belts?! Oh, sorry, I forgot... if it makes sense, it's not allowed! I told the customer that if I'm forced to stand up and dig shopping out of a basket, I strain my back. So, could he please just hand it to me one by one like I suggested before? He then dumped the lot down in front of the scanner, meaning that the shopping ended up going in several times over before I could stop it. So I then had to go thru the shopping on the till and void off several repeats. He then started tantruming about how there should be a warning sign on the till if it's been cleaned, paid for his shopping and left.

*Deep breath* Yes, I understand that having a child with allergies must be worrying, but I had no sympathy for this man at all, for the following reasons:

1. I am not a mind reader.
2. He completely disregarded my bad back.
3. There were at least three other empty tills with dry belts he could have gone on.

Also, the cleaning spray we use is not only extremely weak, but we have collegues working for us with allergies who can use it with no ill effects, making me wonder if the customer was merely being a drama queen for no reason. I will stress that yes, it was possible he was telling the truth, just that his callous indifference to my bad back made me wonder.

[calulu]

Did he actually have anything in the basket that would have been harmed by the wet belt? Say magazines or a paper bag of sugar? I could maybe see being concerned then but it does sounds like he seriously overreacted.

[Apathy]

"Let's see... I could go to the three dry lanes, or I could walk into the one wet one... which means I could be a total douchebag for no reason. I haven't done that in a while."

Also, he says there should be a sign (which is a stupid request anyway), but we all know he wouldn't have read it.

[Lace Neil Singer]

Did he actually have anything in the basket that would have been harmed by the wet belt? Say magazines or a paper bag of sugar? I could maybe see being concerned then but it does sounds like he seriously overreacted.

He had two loaves bread (wrapped in plastic), carrots (also wrapped in plastic) and a bag of apples. So, nothing that could have been hurt by a wet belt, but I'm trained to pander to customer's paranoiac behaviour by offering to pass shopping thru one by one. -.-

[csever01]

Break for voice of reason here... Then why come to a till with a recently cleaned belt when there were at least 3 tills open with dry belts?! Oh, sorry, I forgot... if it makes sense, it's not allowed!

Tell me about it. That's just like when I'm seating a table at work and the customer points to the ONE obviously dirty table in the whole restaurant and says, "We want THAT table." *fake I hate you smile comes across face* "Sure, let me just clean that off for you."

Also, about the sign request...if we all put up signs about all the things SCs say there should be a sign about, all of our workplaces' walls would be covered corner to corner with these signs.

Ugh.

[Boozy]

If all his food was bagged, then the residual cleaner on the belt wasn't going to contaminate his stuff.

My guess is that he purposely picked your lane despite the other three being dry because he wanted to be a prick and start a fight. Some people are like that.

[Lace Neil Singer]

Yeah; tho I did the whole "fake smile and when I get home, take it to CS.com!" thing rather than retaliate to his stupidity. XD

[Golden Phoenix]

Wait....so his daughter is extremely allergic to the cleaning fluids.

The cleaning fluid dries on to the belt leaving residue....it's no longer wet but it's still there...

I see a flaw in his claim...

Also, she's allergic to *all* types of cleaner? Their house must be disgusting and she can't be able to leave in that case.

[Kogarashi]

I haven't had the allergies excuse, but I have had drama queens myself. Most kind of dance at the register like they have to use the restroom, or have a bug up their butts or something, holding out clothing on hangers for me to take because they can't possibly put it on the still-wet belt. Or they saw me wiping the belt, and even though the belt is dry now, they still can't put it on because of "what if!?!?"

And yet I get the same sort of drama queens when the belt is dirty because I haven't yet had a chance to wipe it down. Ugh, some people.

Nevermind that goodness-knows-what has gotten on the clothes from people trying it on, associates with dirty hands thanks to how dusty stuff gets in the store handling the clothing, and clothing being dropped carelessly on the floor by browsing customers or unruly children. It's like the people who handle money, product, etc., yet refuse to touch my pen because "everyone in the world has touched your pen." (Yes, that last was actually said to me once.)

[Imogene]

Can you see how the belt is darker in spots? It's wet, what the hell kind of sign do you want...?
Oh, I know! Here's yer sign!

[crazylegs]

Allergic to all cleaners I here you say?

Even this one? http://www.dhmo.org/ it is a particularly dangerous chemical I admit...

[Imogene]

http://www.dhmo.org/

*giggles, not even letting the whole page load* All I needed was the title bar... damn you! Yes, very deadly it is. Agrees, Yoda does. Hhrrrmmm.

[tollbaby]

Heck, at my grocery store, our "cleaning product" was a weak bleach solution. Didn't even contain any other detergents or solvents. Still got drama llamas.

[Barefootgirl]

I wouldn't put clothes or paper stuff on a wet belt either, but I wouldn't feel the need to make a huge song and dance about it. I'd put the rest of my stuff on the belt and hand the specific things to the cashier.

Of course, that wouldn't be SC Fun.....

[Lace Neil Singer]

The one we use is called "Enbac"; you drop a tablet into a spray bottle and fill with water. It's basically so weak, that I can't see it harming anyone.