Wednesday, September 17, 2008

Renovations are a PAIN in the BACKEND !!!

Well, every day that you walk into work now there is more of a mess. Its actually a little disgusting for a grocery store. There is dust on everything. When you have cashiers that don't seem to like to clean, like The Spawn and The Princess, it makes for a messy work place, especially if you happen to have to work that lane after them.

Now I admit I am not the world's best housekeeper, but I know how to keep the work surface clean. I think if people are buying FOOD they should be able to put it down somewhere that is clean. Granted they are going to wash a lot of it when they get home and what's not washed is safely packaged, but still....

Also, we have an outside company in now that is clearing shelves off and rearranging items. They have NO customer skills and one of them yesterday nearly ran over a customer with a buggy. Just came barreling up the aisle and she had to really swerve hard to avoid him. Plus, I have heard that they are not very helpful when the customers ask them things. Okay, they don't work here, but they can at least say I'll get someone for you.

AND, there is no parking at the store. We have a large lot, part of which is taken up by two waste bins. BUT, why are all the spots closest to the running store and the restaurant, both across the street, taken up with cars?

I don't think it fair to the employees or especially the customers, a lot of whom are elderly.


THAT said, the parts of the store that are sort of done look pretty nice. Again, it is still Walmarty; but definately fresher and more modern looking. They took apart the bakery counters yesterday, during the store's rush hour, and made a heck of a lot of noise doing it. Once, when they were taking away an older display case it crashed and we all held our breath waiting for the breaking glass. But it held up. I guess because it was so bleeding heavy! Took two guys and a special tractor to move it properly. Come to think of it, it would have made a nice cage for my snake.



I wasn't on express last night, again. Turns out that they get more work from The Princess if they put her on there. She is very slow but at least she does some work rather than reading magazines. She still gives the impression that dealing with customers is extremely annoying and I wish she could greet more than two of them with a smile.


Oh yeah, THE FULL MOON Monday night.

Get into work and the regular express is out of commission so I go on the 1 - 16 items instead. Second customer is Mrs. Pinchpenny and I am still dealing with my first customer, on EXPRESS, when she puts three DIFFERENT SIZED tomatoes on the scale and wants to know how much they are. Now she is already interrupting and I am just NOW getting the money from the first person. So it will be a minute. I look at her and smile because I AM talking to this customer and figured that would let her know.

I finish with him and ask her how I can help. Again she says "how much are they?"

$1.26 says I.
“Oh. Well how much a pound are they?”
I don’t know. The scale is in kilos.
“Well, I need to know what you’re charging me.”
$1.52 a kilo.
” but how much is that a pound?”
I don’t know ma’am, about 70 cents I think. (I’m older and was trained in pounds not metric but I have a rough idea, just through experience)
"But the sign says they're 69 cents a pound." (I refrained from strangling her.)
“well, I want to know whether I should buy the basket.”
I would. Its a better buy. (meanwhile my line-up is getting longer.
“but that’s $3.99”
I know.
“Well how much are they each? Because there are 8 in the basket but there are only two of us at home ”

WHAT!!!!!!!!! They are all different sizes! Get the frig out of my line. (Unfortunately said inside my head)


So two more 'normal' customers, then someone buying two bags of grapes. I ring them up and put them in the bag and the customer asks how much they are. I said '$6.59 a kilo'
"But the sign said they are $2.99 a pound."
'$2.99 a pound is $6.59 a kilo.'
"Oh, well that's too much."
' But that's the same price, just one is kilos and one is pounds.'
"No, I don't want them. Its too expensive."

(How come they weren't too expensive when you picked them up and thought they were $2.99 a pound?????????)

Very next customer puts some plums on the scale. Same exact situation!! Now I can understand that the kilo/pound thing is confusing but we are not cheating them. The prices are displayed but seeing as the metric thing is a royal pain most prices are displayed in large print in pounds and smaller print for metric. SO it is clearly there.

Next customer: bought about 8 things that totaled $23.65.
"But I only have $20.00."

What do you want to put back?
"I need it all."
Okay, I look to see which items she can put back to bring the total down.
When I tell her she says:
"No, I need those things."

Well ma'am, you can't have them all because you don't have enough money.

So finally she gives me two items worth .75 each and asks if that's enough? Well, no, that totals $1.50 and you are still $2.15 over.
"But I need everything else."
But you don't have enough money. Anyway to make a long story short, we got it down to $19.53 and when she goes to put her change in her pocket she has twoonies, loonies, quarters, etc. More than enough to have paid the original bill.


(the body is under my register in case anyway is looking.)

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