Not taking items out of the basket

[hotpinkpride]

My customers lately like to take the hand held baskets in my store, and just put it on my belt without removing their items. I have to take the item out one by one, when I think they should take it out as I do not normally take the items out of their cart.

I don't think it is a HUGE deal, but they'll have about 20 items crammed into there, and while they are waiting they could be taking it out. :/ I just think it is rude.

[Nyx]

Hmmm, honestly, I think I prefer when they just hand me the basket. That way I can bag things in a way that makes sense. Also when they take stuff out themselves they tend to leave the basket on the floor in front of the register. I have had one customer trip over a basket left by another customer, when I wasn't looking.

[Tama]

YES! THIS!

I am a short woman and this gets VERY irritating sometimes, especially when you have, say, a trash can on the belt that you decided to fill with items. And I can't see into it much less empty it.


On a different note, I hate the same situation but with frozen bags that have been filled with many different items. And then they get huffy when you dump the bag out.

[r2cagle]

I always ask the cashier if I need to unload it. At the dollar store, the counter space is limited, so they prefer to remove it from the basket themselves. At the grocery store, they prefer it unloaded. I guess it really depends on the type of store, and size of checkout space?

[bainsidhe]

Yes, a big pet peeve. Every moment of cashiering is carefully calculated so as not to strain my back. How I lift, how I scan, how I bag, how I pull crap over to me. And how I pull things out of a basket. This may seem silly, but a little improper standing/pulling and the rest of my shift will be spent aching or in pain. Sometimes it's not suddenly pulling something and hurting your back, sometimes it's a progression of doing something improperly over a number of shifts and weeks. I'm developing carpal tunnel in my hands/fingers, so I'm also more careful how I grab and key things in. I'm quite conscious of what will make things hurt.

The basket is off to the side, which means leaning and lifting stuff out in order to scan. This puts added strain on my already tired back and body. Plus, it's hard to see what's in the basket at that angle and heaven forbid I put a smudge on clothing or something equally earth-shattering. I tend to just upend the basket and dump stuff out, though I try to be polite about it. Yes, I politely dump the basket.

[EricKei]

YES! THIS!

I am a short woman and this gets VERY irritating sometimes, especially when you have, say, a trash can on the belt that you decided to fill with items. And I can't see into it much less empty it.

That's the general idea...they don't WANT you to empty it out and charge them for everything...

[tollbaby]

See... this is a tough one for customers. I've had cashiers get snotty with me for emptying my basket, just as I've had them get snotty with me for not emptying my basket. It's hit or miss. Some cashiers want you to, others don't, and it's not like y'all wear signs

It seems to be a matter of personal preference, and everyone feels strongly about their own opinion.

As a cashier, personally, I always preferred to have the customer empty their basket, that way if anything opened or broke, it wasn't my fault, and I could do my job normally, but I've seen people rabidly opposed to that viewpoint (cashiers, I mean, not customers).

[Enjis]

s'true. I never know what to do...but I usually try to take the stuff out if I'm behind another customer. Then I try to put the basket away on my way out of the store.

[ralerin]

YES! THIS!

I am a short woman and this gets VERY irritating sometimes, especially when you have, say, a trash can on the belt that you decided to fill with items. And I can't see into it much less empty it.

Yes, yes, yes! God, so ANNOYING.

How I lift, how I scan, how I bag, how I pull crap over to me. And how I pull things out of a basket. This may seem silly, but a little improper standing/pulling and the rest of my shift will be spent aching or in pain.... I'm developing carpal tunnel in my hands/fingers, so I'm also more careful how I grab and key things in. I'm quite conscious of what will make things hurt.

I tend to just upend the basket and dump stuff out, though I try to be polite about it. Yes, I politely dump the basket.

Pah, screw politeness. 99% of people pull it out of the basket either by themselves or with me gently prompting "Sir/Ma'am, do you mind giving me a hand please? I have carpal tunnel...". The 1% who don't get it impolitely dumped everywhere. I figured-cannot or will not see cashier with a wrist brace who needs some help? Then your crap gets treated like the crap it is.

[Trixie]

Count me in as another one who would rather the customer empty their basket. I just find it takes me longer to empty a basket where all the stuff is just dumped in there awkwardly.

When I use a basket I like to empty it myself just to make sure I get everything. I guess it comes down to personal preference.

[trailerparkmedic]

I hated it when people did this at the grocery store! It was hard to get stuff out of the basket and all of their stuff ended up in random bags, instead of similar items together like I usually did.

[Pagan]

Also when they take stuff out themselves they tend to leave the basket on the floor in front of the register. I have had one customer trip over a basket left by another customer, when I wasn't looking.

That drives me nuts when I see people do that. They seem especially bad at Sunflower. That's not what that little space under the front of the register belt is for. How do you expect anyone else to be able to use the hand baskets if they're all there? And you know they'd be the first ones bitching about there being no hand baskets to use.

[Magpie]

Wait... I thought that you were supposed to put the baskets at the front of the belts. I never know what to do with them in stores that don't have a space left for them. I tend to assume that anywhere where the displays between the cash lanes stick out further than the belts do I can put my baskets there (that's why there's always a stack and people go around to pick them up), even if there isn't a holder.

[Athaelia]

When I was a cashier for (Southeast US Grocery store where Shopping there is a Pleasure)
if we didn't have anyone in line, we were required to stand out in the aisle and corral people into our lines. Helped even out the number of people in lines. These two snotty, fake-affluent type women roll up TWO full shopping carts to me and, without unloading them, say "Here ya go!". (Expecting ME to unload both of their full carts of groceries). OH HELL NO. I said, firmly but politely, "And you two ladies will be helping unload, right?." They both smirked and just stood there, looking at me expectantly. I said, "OK THEN" and walked back behind the counter and shot them a HUGE smile and said, "Ready to start loading now?"
Dont get me wrong, I would have HELPED them if they were nice, or if they were disabled I would have unloaded both carts onto the belt. But they weren't either. Just stuck up. With me, the "princess" act will get you nowhere.

[Wenchie]

It might be a cultural thing too... I regularly shop at two Japanese grocery stores (one in Novi, MI & one in the Chicago suburbs) and both stores prefer you to leave the items in the basket. Those are the only stores that I shop at where I just put the basket on the belt.