Short stories from the supermarket

[fireheart]

this is a combination of sucky customers and sucky coworkers.

I understand but...

I understand you want cigarettes. However, PLEASE do not ask my coworker to go and get one item off of the shelf. If you can walk to the smoke counter and ask us for your Winfields (not her cigarette brand), then you can walk and get the one item you needed-we can put it through for you around the front. (on the upside, she did buy a ticket for our raffle)

Don't push me

Had some customers yesterday who after I told them about the reason why we can't violate certain policies for them, decided it would be fun to pull my leg. Cue me needing to run to the lunchroom to calm down and therefore blowing my chances at any sort of promotion whatsoever. They apologised, but I swear I'll be walking when the next customer pulls that stunt.

You arrogant sack of...

When I told our resident Justin Bieber look alike (*) the fact that several of us would walk out if he was EVER promoted before the staff who deserved it, he seemed to enjoy it. AND LOVED the fact that our manager seems to pamper him.
(as for me, I get the feeling that they'll not promote me and say that "I can't cope" when really my moods have gone UP when I'm left in charge)

Nice try but you FAIL

Some guy tried to steal one of our display phones. However when I had to call my coworker over to grab the keys to the case where said display phones are kept, my coworker took his time hunting for said key, so the guy left.

Newbie brain burp

This isn't the first time I've seen this happen, but one of our new staff members walked out the store the second the store closed up for the day. We're ALWAYS scheduled for up to 30 minutes beyond closing time. He won't be getting fired, just will be getting an explanation as to why he can't do that. (the first time was at my old store with one of my favourite former coworkers)

Smoker oddities

I had THREE people yesterday ask me for "4 by 40 of the Longbeach <something>"

How hard is it to say "I want a carton of <brand?>"

PLEASE do not ask me for "8's" "4mg" or a strength number, while I know that generally you're referring to the lower strength cigarettes, companies strength names change between brands, so what Original is in one brand might be different in another (for instance, one brand may have their 12mg cigarettes as the blue, while another brand might have them as their red)

When you say "mid-range" cigarettes, ALL of us will assume that you're referring to strength unless you say otherwise. Consequently, very few of us smoke and those that do, will smoke different brands.

Also Picky Meat Guy has a new nickname now-Bipolar Picky Meat Guy. Reason why? He always seems to be friendly to us if there's no meat, yet the second he has meat, he becomes a psychopath. He also almost set off another coworker. He keeps this up, I pray he's banned.

[Green_Fairy]

Don't push me

Had some customers yesterday who after I told them about the reason why we can't violate certain policies for them, decided it would be fun to pull my leg. Cue me needing to run to the lunchroom to calm down and therefore blowing my chances at any sort of promotion whatsoever. They apologised, but I swear I'll be walking when the next customer pulls that stunt.

i'ma thinkin' this one needs more explanation...

[zombiequeen]

i'ma thinkin' this one needs more explanation...

Seconded...

[fireheart]

To explain story number 2: we have a policy at work that you can't split transactions to get petrol vouchers (that's about as vague as I'll keep it). I enforce it TO the letter. That is, if someone says they're splitting it for their mum, that's fine, however if they're hardasses and they're making me stop every 30 seconds to reach the minimum then that's a no-no.

These guys complained and then still made me do it.

Oh and the (*) was the fact that the Justin Bieber lookalike has since changed his hair to something else, but because we ALL use that nickname off the clock, it's easy to find.

[Shalom]

PLEASE do not ask me for "8's" "4mg" or a strength number, while I know that generally you're referring to the lower strength cigarettes, companies strength names change between brands, so what Original is in one brand might be different in another (for instance, one brand may have their 12mg cigarettes as the blue, while another brand might have them as their red)

Do you mean to say that your cigarettes are marketed by their nicotine content? That's very interesting.

They couldn't do that here, because if they tried, the FDA would then declare cigarettes to be "drug delivery devices", and therefore subject to regulation like any other such device... including, probably, proof of safety, which obviously they wouldn't be able to do.

[Nyx]

To explain story number 2: we have a policy at work that you can't split transactions to get petrol vouchers (that's about as vague as I'll keep it). I enforce it TO the letter. That is, if someone says they're splitting it for their mum, that's fine, however if they're hardasses and they're making me stop every 30 seconds to reach the minimum then that's a no-no.

I think I get it, you mean they made up a story, not that they literally grabbed your leg? I think the title is what threw me off, when you said "shove" I thought 'physical violence'. So I couldn't figure out why a customer actually grabbed your leg and pulled it, and why you didn't deck them.

[fireheart]

Do you mean to say that your cigarettes are marketed by their nicotine content? That's very interesting.

They couldn't do that here, because if they tried, the FDA would then declare cigarettes to be "drug delivery devices", and therefore subject to regulation like any other such device... including, probably, proof of safety, which obviously they wouldn't be able to do.

Close enough. We used to have the labels "Light" "Low-Tar" and so forth on the cigarettes, along with the strength number in some cases. However, Federal Government ruling in around 2005 or so changed all that. The reasoning behind it was that people were thinking that lower nicotine content was safer to smoke. So the requirement was to remove the labels "Light", "low-tar", "8mg" and so forth on ALL cigarette brands. Nowadays most people ask us for cigarettes by packet colour or by name i.e. "Longbeach Fine".

[EricKei]

including, probably, proof of safety, which obviously they wouldn't be able to do.

"Proof" of such things can be purchased, I'm afraid. Remember, it wasn't THAT long ago that the government -- and certain influential groups of tobacco "researchers" -- insisted that the stuff was GOOD for you.

Gonna stop right there before I cross the fratchline >_<
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I dislike "light" labeling, as well. My personal favorite is that fact that, depending on the spelling of the word ("light" vs "lite" etc), it might not have to indicate anything more significant than the color of the product itself!

[flutes_and_fabric]

wait, I think a couple of these need a little more explaining. I get the scs with the vouchers were probably being douches and all, but what exactly did they do? And why would going to the back to cool your head disqualify you from a promotion? And how did you know that dude was trying to steal the phone? Did he hold you up and then get bored?

[Dave1982]

Gonna stop right there before I cross the fratchline

Too late...

This isn't the only fratching comment in this thread. Keep to the original topic or this one gets closed and infractions will be issued.

[Naaman]

wait, I think a couple of these need a little more explaining. I get the scs with the vouchers were probably being douches and all, but what exactly did they do?

Sounds like it's a "Spend X on groceries and get Y off petrol". If the SC has 3X groceries they're not allowed to split it into 3 transactions to get 3 "Y off petrol" coupons.