Does the express line really live up to its name?

[DGoddessChardonnay]

My workplace was once like that... until the manager decided to make the basket only tills 15 items or less, and the kiosk 10 items or less. And to make the cashiers enforce the rule. Well, that's all well and good, but I don't see the manager there when an SC is bitching about a cashier not serving him/her and their overflowing basket.

Of course not. That would require having a spine.

Let the SC come thru w/more than the limit: The other customers bitch at you

Don't let the SC thru w/more than the limit: Get chewed by manager after SC complains and plays *insert* card.

It's a no-win situation. One that could easily be remedied by retraining managers and making them undergo a spine transplant.

[Cyanocobalamin]

..... managers and making them undergo a spine transplant.

Hell, some of these managers will need some extra vertebrae. (This means you, Blueberry) Instead of getting involved in the situation, he'll just say "Make it happen!" to the cashier.

[staticradio]

I'll usually enforce the 10-15 items or less rule when it's busy...otherwise I'll help people who have 40 items or less...no $300-400 order, mind you. most of the time, the express lane clerk would probably get bored.

[Tito]

One that could easily be remedied by retraining managers and making them undergo a spine transplant.

Yes! I could not agree more. I think that if more managers would have the nerve to stand up to SCs, that the SCs would not be as out of control as they are.

[Lace Neil Singer]

The problem is that we rarely, if ever, see the manager; any SC bitches are dealt with by the supervisors. If they insist on seeing a manager, we have to save their transaction and send them to Customer Services, where a tannoy announcement will be put out for a DUTY manager. Nope, they never get the real manager. So, whinging just means they shoot themselves in the foot as they're the one who has to wait for ages, not the other customers and the cashier never gets a chewing out... unless they give in and let an over item customer thru. No matter how nasty a customer is, we're not allowed to give in or face a bollocking.

[greensinestro]

I forgot to ask a good question in this post. If a customer buys a 12 pack of Coca Cola, does each can count as one item? If I buy a pack of Life Savers, does each candy count as one item? LOL

[DesignFox]

Yes! I could not agree more. I think that if more managers would have the nerve to stand up to SCs, that the SCs would not be as out of control as they are.

Having been a manager myself, I have to respond. A lot of you think that managers are just spineless- now I'll agree that some are...but mostly we aren't. The problem is that if we stand up to these SC's in some instances we CAN lose our jobs. A lot of times a manager would LOVE to say no to an SC, but we know for a fact that as soon as we do, that person will just call corporate, who will apologize and send coupons and may even take action against the manager- regardless of the fact that policy was followed. So, either the manager says no, and the person gets around policy via corporate anyway, or the manager just shuts that person the hell up and gets them out of the store- saving time for the other customers, the poor cashier getting screamed at, and saving their own hide that corporate would flog with a cat-o-nine tails for not having found a solution that made the dope happy. Depending on where you work, and whether your corporate offices/customer service ACTUALLY uphold policy, will depend on how much of your spine you are allowed to keep. It's really a no-win situation.

[AFpheonix]

I forgot to ask a good question in this post. If a customer buys a 12 pack of Coca Cola, does each can count as one item? If I buy a pack of Life Savers, does each candy count as one item? LOL

Heaven help you if you buy a sack of rice

[MadMike]

If I buy a pack of Life Savers, does each candy count as one item? LOL

Of course. In fact, if you open up the roll and look closely, each piece has a tiny bar code etched on it. I thought everyone knew that.

[DesignFox]

Of course. In fact, if you open up the roll and look closely, each piece has a tiny bar code etched on it. I thought everyone knew that.

So does this mean that cashiers will have to start wearing rubber gloves at the check out...?

[Dips]

So does this mean that cashiers will have to start wearing rubber gloves at the check out...?

Sure. If you think about where some customers keep their money, rubber gloves should be required safety equipment for all cashiers.

[greensinestro]

Sure. If you think about where some customers keep their money, rubber gloves should be required safety equipment for all cashiers.

Got that right. Ever seen people who dig for money in their shoe or sock? And we know some women keep their money in places not worthy of mentioning here.

[Lace Neil Singer]

Some men too; if you've ever seen a trashy man dig cash out of his sweaty wife beater you'll know what I mean! O.O

[greensinestro]

Had it happen again today! I was at Target, buying only four boxes of Christmas lights for my house. One express line was open, 10 items or less, no checks allowed, and three other registers were open. Well, wouldn't you know it? I got in the express line behind this big woman who had maxed out her credit card (trying to get 15 items, no less), then was digging in her purse for.....................her checkbook! All I wanted was four things, which was under 10, and I had to wait for this chick to break all the rules! I had my debit card ready, which had enough money on it, thank you very much. Meanwhile, I should have picked one of the other lines being at least two or three other customers went through them in no time at all!

[greensinestro]

Had it happen again this week, actually on Valentine's Day. I stopped in at Albertson's to pick up a rose for my wife and some Valentine's cookies, nothing else. The express line only had one customer in it, so I thought "OK, I'll get out of here fast!" Boy, was I wrong!

The check out line was 10 items or less, and of course, the lady there had 15 and would not move to another line after the cashier had told her about the policy. Then, after she had her stuff rung up, I had to wait while a bagger fetched a pack of smokes for this woman. After the smokes arrived, she paid and it was finally my turn. However, after my items were rung up, this woman still would not move out of the line, and was standing right in front of the card scanner where I needed to swipe my ATM card. I must have said "excuse me!" three times before she finally moved out of the way, and she only moved after all of her bags were loaded into her cart.

This was about ten long minutes spent for two freaking items!