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Hi everyone! I don't post much, forgive me. Maybe it's because I don't post often, but this is a long one.
Just to get this story started you need to know I'm a cashier in a discount (rhymes with Allmart) grocery store.
It was extremely busy last night. Two call outs and a girl who quit because we unreasonably expected to take only 60 minutes for her hour lunch instead of the 2-2 1/2 hours she has been taking. In other words folks, we cashiers were screwed. I was working customer service, there was one other cashier and the CSM working a register while running self check at the same time. I would like to give a shout out to the girl from Deli who gallantly helped me bag while she kept an eye on the Deli counter so she could run over there when Deli had customer.
With the entire city in our store, a manager who was MIA and a handful of employees, well, eventually we were going to run out of carts and by gosh we did. Most people were pretty good about it. When I explained we had no people and all the carts were most likely in between the parked cars in the parking lot most customers said okay and turned around to get themselves a cart. Occasionally I had people say "I have to get it myself?". Yep, you do. I can't stop serving customers, run out from behind customer service, run into the parking lot, grab a cart, and run it back inside for you. If I did that the mile long line I had at customer service would take that time to organize and become a lynch mob. I'm not taking that chance. The few "I have to get it myself?" people seemed stunned when I said "Yes, you do." they would stand there anywhere from 30-60 seconds looking around. Maybe they were looking for the candid camera people, maybe they thought I was kidding, I don't know, but eventually they would get themselves a cart.
The sucky customer was a man with his teenage daughter (I hope it was his daughter or some form of family). He told me there were no carts, I explained the situation, he said the expected "I have to get my own cart?"line. Correct me if I'm wrong, but don't customers normally get their own carts as they come in the store anyway? We don't have a greeter or an official cart handler who hands each person a cart as they walk in the store. I told him "Yes, sir. We have no one to get them." He starts yelling about the outrage of having to walk "all the back" to the parking lot to get a cart. I say "I'm sorry sir but I can't leave my post and neither can anyone else." He stomps into the store. A little later he comes up with three items and throws them on the conveyer belt of an unused register across from customer service and teenage daughter watches these items while he goes outside and returns with a (trumpets sound) cart. He starts yelling at me that it's ridiculous he has to carry his own items. I blatantly ignored him. I prefer to pay attention to the customers who aren't causing a scene and who patiently waited in line.
Maybe five minutes later he's back. "Don't you have any more cashiers?" More cashiers? What a brilliant idea! Why didn't we think of that? Of course! Thank god this man came in! Lines from the registers going down the aisle and it never would have occurred to us to put on more cashiers! Of course I bit my tongue and said "There is no one else sir, we're shorthanded tonight." "You can't hire more cashiers?" he asks. What, right now? The hiring kiosk is right over there if you would like to apply but I guarantee we won't be checking your references in the next five minutes and throwing you on a register. I simply said "We're hiring if you're interested." Ah, I couldn't resist. "I want a manager! Now!" was his reply. Heck, I want a manager too. I've wanted one for awhile and can't get him to come up front.
I page the manager and say "for immediate customer assistance". I have to do this a few times before the manager shows himself. I suspect he thought it was a ploy to get him up there and he wanted to see if I was serious. The customer starts complaining (well, he's been complaining the whole time really) that he told me we had no carts and I "just didn't care.". The manager said "I'm sure she cares. Was she with a customer at the time?" SC ignores this question and blathers on and on. Finally he's sort of calmed down though he got nothing except an apology from the manager that we had no one to get carts. The lines are a bit shorter and he gets himself into my line. I guess we have bonded and he won't tolerate anyone except me checking him out. When he comes up he puts five items on my counter. Three yogurts, a carton of Soy milk, butter and a microwaveable soup. He needed a cart for this? He didn't speak to me while I checked him out. Either he was speechless or his jaw was tired from yelling. Either way, it was a blessedly quick checkout.
To add to tonight's craziness a co-worker of mine seems to be having hallucinations, but I'll put that story in the co-worker section.
Just to get this story started you need to know I'm a cashier in a discount (rhymes with Allmart) grocery store.
It was extremely busy last night. Two call outs and a girl who quit because we unreasonably expected to take only 60 minutes for her hour lunch instead of the 2-2 1/2 hours she has been taking. In other words folks, we cashiers were screwed. I was working customer service, there was one other cashier and the CSM working a register while running self check at the same time. I would like to give a shout out to the girl from Deli who gallantly helped me bag while she kept an eye on the Deli counter so she could run over there when Deli had customer.
With the entire city in our store, a manager who was MIA and a handful of employees, well, eventually we were going to run out of carts and by gosh we did. Most people were pretty good about it. When I explained we had no people and all the carts were most likely in between the parked cars in the parking lot most customers said okay and turned around to get themselves a cart. Occasionally I had people say "I have to get it myself?". Yep, you do. I can't stop serving customers, run out from behind customer service, run into the parking lot, grab a cart, and run it back inside for you. If I did that the mile long line I had at customer service would take that time to organize and become a lynch mob. I'm not taking that chance. The few "I have to get it myself?" people seemed stunned when I said "Yes, you do." they would stand there anywhere from 30-60 seconds looking around. Maybe they were looking for the candid camera people, maybe they thought I was kidding, I don't know, but eventually they would get themselves a cart.
The sucky customer was a man with his teenage daughter (I hope it was his daughter or some form of family). He told me there were no carts, I explained the situation, he said the expected "I have to get my own cart?"line. Correct me if I'm wrong, but don't customers normally get their own carts as they come in the store anyway? We don't have a greeter or an official cart handler who hands each person a cart as they walk in the store. I told him "Yes, sir. We have no one to get them." He starts yelling about the outrage of having to walk "all the back" to the parking lot to get a cart. I say "I'm sorry sir but I can't leave my post and neither can anyone else." He stomps into the store. A little later he comes up with three items and throws them on the conveyer belt of an unused register across from customer service and teenage daughter watches these items while he goes outside and returns with a (trumpets sound) cart. He starts yelling at me that it's ridiculous he has to carry his own items. I blatantly ignored him. I prefer to pay attention to the customers who aren't causing a scene and who patiently waited in line.
Maybe five minutes later he's back. "Don't you have any more cashiers?" More cashiers? What a brilliant idea! Why didn't we think of that? Of course! Thank god this man came in! Lines from the registers going down the aisle and it never would have occurred to us to put on more cashiers! Of course I bit my tongue and said "There is no one else sir, we're shorthanded tonight." "You can't hire more cashiers?" he asks. What, right now? The hiring kiosk is right over there if you would like to apply but I guarantee we won't be checking your references in the next five minutes and throwing you on a register. I simply said "We're hiring if you're interested." Ah, I couldn't resist. "I want a manager! Now!" was his reply. Heck, I want a manager too. I've wanted one for awhile and can't get him to come up front.
I page the manager and say "for immediate customer assistance". I have to do this a few times before the manager shows himself. I suspect he thought it was a ploy to get him up there and he wanted to see if I was serious. The customer starts complaining (well, he's been complaining the whole time really) that he told me we had no carts and I "just didn't care.". The manager said "I'm sure she cares. Was she with a customer at the time?" SC ignores this question and blathers on and on. Finally he's sort of calmed down though he got nothing except an apology from the manager that we had no one to get carts. The lines are a bit shorter and he gets himself into my line. I guess we have bonded and he won't tolerate anyone except me checking him out. When he comes up he puts five items on my counter. Three yogurts, a carton of Soy milk, butter and a microwaveable soup. He needed a cart for this? He didn't speak to me while I checked him out. Either he was speechless or his jaw was tired from yelling. Either way, it was a blessedly quick checkout.
To add to tonight's craziness a co-worker of mine seems to be having hallucinations, but I'll put that story in the co-worker section.
BTW You could have loaned us some of those "robots" when I worked at Wendy's and we were getting slammed beyond recognition and some woman was throwing a fit in the dining room because the trash cans were overflowing and nobody was able to get around to them.
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