We're almost out of bags.

[simplyanother]

Well, we are. We were yesterday. Now, today there was a truck, so perhaps they had bags on it, but they've been saying that for the past three weeks. Luckily I was off today, so I didn't have to deal with anyone.

I GET that it isn't the customers problem if I run out of bags after them, I get that I have enough for THEM, but would it kill some of them to be a little less pissy when I tell them I can't give them 1 bag for each item?

Though, since I've only got the really really really small bags and the really really really big ones. And since I've got way more of the larger than the smaller, sure I'll give you another bag for your item. It's just going to be the ginormous one.

Or the bitchy people who instead of addressing me, address the person they are with. They want their stuff in two bags, but instead of saying "could you please put them in two bags" they tell their friend, parent, or child.."she'll put them in two bags". You know what, I won't. Because you didn't ask me. Because I'm in a pissy mood too. And I'm at the point where I just don't give a..darn.

There was one customer like that, with her 9 or ten year old daughter. It was her icy tone and bitchy demeanor that made me want to stomp on her items, but I didn't. It might have been that she sort of had that whole "cashier is a non-person" attitude throughout the whole transaction. So, I guess it wasn't really about the bags at all. Well, except for the part where I told her we were having a bag shortage...and she dismissed it. "Yes, but I want two bags". Just grrr. I KNOW it's silly and stupid and really she wasn't bad at all, but I swear, she just pissed me off. Bah. Well, I showed her. I didn't wish her a good day. So there. lol



"Ugh, do you have anything smaller....?". I do, but your crap won't actually fit into the bag. You still want it?

Or the people who respond like I've grown another head when I tell them to NOT hold the little bags by the handles. I don't even know why the itty bitty bags have the hole for a handle... because you can't use it as a handle at all. Unless you want your stuff to fall on the floor. So I tell people the bags are not strong enough at that point. Then they ask..."Ugh, don't you have another bag". They don't want the giant bags.

The best customer I had was from a store in the mall, who is apparently going through the same bag shortage. And actually just about every customer gets that it's beyond MY control.

[karma_gypsy]

"Ugh, do you have anything smaller....?". I do, but your crap won't actually fit into the bag. You still want it?

O.k., uhhh, "We have little bags and we have big bags . . . let's review . . . little bags . . . BIG bags."

OR, the normal sized bags are just hidden away . . . you have to say the magic word before you get one. . .

[RecoveringKinkoid]

Oh, I had some fun with the bag sizes at Kinko's, usually getting a and then frequently a from the customers themselves.

We had three bags at Kinko's:

1. Paper, exactly big enough for a small stack of 8.5x11 sheets.
2. Long, narrow plastic bag for sliding rolled up oversize into and
3. A plastic bag big enough to carry a stack of large mounted posters, a dead body, and a rowboat.

They'd come in, see the little paper bag, and ask for a bigger bag. Or, it would be raining and they'd ask for plastic. I'd smile apologetically, then unfurl the giant bag and say "This is the next size up."

Frequently, I'd poke a hole into a bottom corner, then put it over the entire CUSTOMER, with their head sticking out. Hey, all they wanted was to keep their order dry. I'd go them one better. During suddent storms, we'd run out of the big bags from the customers using them for raincoats!

[ShinyGreenApple]

Ugh, I feel your pain. I can't count all the times we dealt with bag shortages at the evil smiley face place. And it was always the same dumbassed manager who somehow would order one BOX of bags or four BOXES of bags instead of pallets. And when cashiers would teasingly try and ask him where the bags were all at, he'd keep on walking and say "You have a customer you need to wait on!"

By the end of the day, all our backs and shoulders hurt really bad from manipulating with the huge bags, and our nerves were in even worse shape. Sad thing is, it would generally happen right away again within two weeks.

[Sandy]

Oh man, bag shortages! The supermarket I work in is part of a chain, and their aim was to reduce bag usage by 50% by the end of last year. So how did our manager attempt to do that? She'd delete orders of bags that the supervisor had entered onto the computer, and she'd lock the existing bags away in her office and only give us like one or two boxes for the entire day! Apparently the store was without bags for 2 HOURS one day. It was so bad I even contemplated quitting over it.

[Zinjadu]

Bags, bags, bags!!!

And I thought it was only my grocery chain that was implementing the 'reduce your bag usage' crap. In a way it's funny, but it also makes me angry, cuz we have to deal with the backlash.

We have actually run out of bags on a couple of nights that I was working. We ended up getting boxes from the produce section to pack customers' groceries in! And apologized to all the customers for the inconvenience. So much for 'superior service'! Yeah, we'll give you all kinds of service, but no bags for your groceries...

Right now, the bags are locked up somewhere and only the AM has the key. We get so many boxes of bags to use each day and that's it. We also have to average 7 items per bag. Good friggin' luck on that. Sorry dear customer, but I have to pack another 6 items in with your 20-pound turkey - it's company policy; and no, I 'm not allowed to double-bag that for you, either. Sheesh

Yeah, I needed to vent a little on this!

[cheese]

One time we completely ran out of bags and had to resort to giving out strong bags which are normally 50p each - for free (until they finally had the idea to send someone out to the next store to get some - must've been interesting to see them chugging back with their back seat laden down with bags) I wonder how much money we lost there from someone being disorganised

[alphaboi]

You think running out of bags is bad? Try running out of register tape and having to close down an entire supermarket because it's impossible to check anyone out. That was one of many things that led to that SM being fired.

[Becks]

I'm sooooooooooooooooo glad I'm not a cashier when there's a bag shortage. Maybe I should volunteer to bring in some of the mountain of plastic bags I've got trapped in my kitchen...

[Cyanocobalamin]

Anyone have SCs get pissy because you... gasp... double bag heavy items?? I can fit 2 reams of paper in one bag but one bag isn't enough..

Me: I can single bag them if you like.
SC: That's fine. {Can mean either yes or no}
Me: I don't want the handles to break on you since our bags are really flimsy.
SC: *whatever*

[Kiwi]

we ran short on gift boxes and large bags this christmas

then the supervisor took it as a personal insult that we were running low....as if we were saying "your to stupid to check if we need more bags" when we informed her of the situation....

so she rush orders some, but were out for three days...so my co-irkers in retalition....to punish her I suppose started asking every single person if they wanted a gift box....for every single item

way to screw over the non profit organisation you guys...

[zzapp the witch]

/ponders the many ways to arrange a stack of large mounted posters, a dead body, and a rowboat into a meaningful presentation.

[powerboy]

the supervisor took it as a personal insult that we were running low....as if we were saying "your to stupid to check if we need more bags" when we informed her of the situation....

That is how my Main owner took it, the time we ran out of bags. Now we have 3 different types. One regular plastic bags, the other little brown bags, which is for the Manga(comic's), and the other is a clear type of food bag, which we never use. I guess if push comes to shove, and the clear ones were the last ones we had, then yes, we would have to use them. But other then that, they are useless.

[simplyanother]

You think running out of bags is bad? Try running out of register tape and having to close down an entire supermarket because it's impossible to check anyone out. That was one of many things that led to that SM being fired.

Ya'll, I would flip if this happened. I'd stand at the doors and taunt the customers. "Neener neener neener"... I totally would. Heh. Thankfully there is nothing necessary at my store. lol (Unless someone might die from a critical lack of pipe cleaners or ribbon).

We did get bags. I was overcome with Joy.

MY Least favorte bag people--on normal days are the folks who act pissed if I ask them if they want/need a bag for their 1 tiny bottle of testor model paint (or other teeny tiny item). Or the ones who must think about it long and hard before saying no, then letting me finish the transaction--start on the next customer and then saying "oh I think I'd better have one". I have no idea WHY it annoys me, it just does.

Or the people who just KNOW you're going to improperly bag their shit. Thankfully we don't sell milk and bread, because I think I'd totally stick the milk on top of the bread. "oops... I'm just too danged stupid to know how to do this, because after all, I come from a cave. on mars." Seriously, I'm not going to bend your stupid scrapbooking paper. On purpose. Usually.

Oh, my...I witnessed two customers who didn't understand that there were size limits on the things that could fit into bags. A man bought a big ass artist pad or a canvass (he was in the line next to mine). There are no bags for those things. He asked the cashier if she had any big enough. Which of course was no. He pouts and shouts "UNACCEPTABLE!". Which totally cracked me up. They fashioned some sort of plastic covering with bags...but what a dumbass. He was not joking either.

Then there was the lady who bought the ginormous poster today. I don't know the diminsions...just big. I thought she understood that there was no way in hell that thing would fit into a bag (unless she took it off the cardboard and rolled it)...because she didn't hand it to me, she held it up for me to scan and then sat it next to her feet. But no, after the transaction was complete... "ugh, don't you have a bag or something for this?". No.

I do generally make a point of telling customers when their items are too big for bags before I start. Most understand. The others point to the big bags and try to prove me wrong. "sure we can fashion you a bag out of the other bags and tape...here ya go" It is a craft store, after all. Perhaps we'll glue on some embellishments from the scrapbooking section.

[chainedbarista]

we ran out of the neat fuzzy holders for gift cards a couple of days back; the biggest shock is that most people are perfectly ok with that.

i must say that this year, we've been fortunate, with few sc's to deal with and for me, none so bad that i want to kill or tear all my hair out.

i have a small bit of hope restored...