The Unknown Cashier

And Furthermore . . . .

2012-01-17T15:02:00.000-05:00

Also at work yesterday I had one of my regular customers come in and we started talking. She was telling me about going to 'the enemy' across the highway. We got to talking about cashiers and things and she told me about the attitude they have there. Being one who is concerned about customer service I had to hear more.

Turns out she was in there, with her own bags, and a fairly large order, the cashier rings stuff up, barely acknowledges her and just keeps piling groceries up at the end. My customer was trying to bag it, but is used to us doing it.

Sidebar: When we started charging for bags and accepting customer supplied bags it was, and still is, our policy to pack the customers groceries. Unless they don't want us to. Nothing changed because we were charging or because they supplied bags.

Back to the story:

My customer was falling behind and then the cashier turns to her and asks if its debit or credit. Arms folded across her chest, looking at her like how come she's not finished already. Then after the cashier processes the order, she is making it clear that the customer is now in her way. After all, there is another customer she can be rude to. ZING !

The cashier did not even ask if she could help her at all. I do that when customers are bagging their own groceries. I also try hard to be polite to people that insist on doing it themselves and are holding me up. In that situation I try to move their groceries to the side so I can continue on. But I always offer to help.

I can not believe that they do not bag your groceries. And yet people still go there. I hear comments about how rude they are. I know from experience that they don't treat you very well when you bring returns. Granted that could have changed in the many years since I stopped shopping there. But none the less, its kept me from going back there.

Oh, I have occasionally stopped in when i am looking for a certain product or something. But 99% of the time I can not find what I want. They seem to have a lot of groceries and products etc, but they do not have a variety of sizes. I have often looked for a large size of peanut butter or the large decaffeinated tea. Never find it. They have a lot of their store brand stuff. A LOT of it. I have yet to be impressed with any of them.

And, I've had customers tell me that we are more expensive than them. Maybe that's true on what they buy, but on what I buy, sorry. Wrong.

There are two things that will tick me off, though. People that ask me to bag for them, then proceed to rearrange everything when I'm done.

AND, people that are packed and ready to leave but hold up my job because they have to get their mittens on, or a scarf just so, or yap on the phone. Get out of my way. Have you no consideration? There is usually an empty register next to me, and if not there are always the cases of water along the front. You could actually put your stuff there and get ready to leave. That way you aren't holding anyone up.

Who the hell is in charge down there

2012-01-17T11:22:00.004-05:00

We have these plastic triangle shaped dividers that we use between customers orders. We then know where theirs ends and the next one begins. Pretty simple design. As I said its a triangle and closed on all sides. That 's good, because as you start an order you need to be able to get that picked up, put in the slot and give it a quick push for the next customer to grab.

The slot is just a small, long tray, I guess, just wide enough for the divider. The slot also has two walls on it of about 3/8" in height.

Sooooo. Someone at the divider making company sold some advertising to an online bank and we got these terrible open bottomed dividers. Plus they have some kind of cut out shapes in the top. You can sort of see it in the first photo, to the left of the black one. Anyway, when you grab it and try to put it away it usually catches on one of the outsides of the slot's tray. You have to stop and fiddle with it to make sure you can get it in there.

The more savvy of us last week, tried them for a little while and determined what a dumb idea that was. They were slowing us up so much that we traded them out for the old ones.

I show up at work yesterday, and we have the first ones back and some other new ones, again open bottomed, cut out tops, and our old ones are in hiding somewhere. These second ones came from the OLG, Ontario Lottery And Gaming Corporation. They are NOT provided by our store. The OLG can come in with their signs etc and change the advertising, as we are a selling agent for them. I think the bank had to ask us to put them up but NOT the OLG. I kept two of them, even though I would have preferred to not use them at all. But customers really do like to have them. A few hours into the shift, there was a gap between two people and I got a good look down my belt. I mean the dividers are annoying and all but I didn't study them when I got to work. Anyway, in front of the second order is this new divider and it suddenly hit me what was wrong about the thing. Have a look at this:

It was the second picture that made the image show so bright in my mind. What were these people thinking? Have they never heard of World War 2? Hitler? Nazis? Auschwitz?

For a stupid lottery?

I don't know which is worse. The person that designed this or the person that approved it.

If I was the schmuck that had anything to do with this campaign, I'd make sure I had somewhere else to be for the next several months.

What ? ? ? ? ?

2012-01-02T10:05:00.003-05:00

Okay, I was on express the other day. That means you pretty well deal with just customers. You also keep an eye on customer service and page for lottery or Western Union or what ever. But you don't wander away and do baskets or things like that.

Anyway, this lady comes over to me with a small soup container and says she wants a large soup. I said that if there aren't any there we are probably out of them. I also said I don't have any containers but if you ask at hot foods they should be able to assist you. She looks at me like I am totally weird and extremely rude for not helping her RIGHT NOW. And why the hell DON'T I have the containers at my register?

She goes over to the counter and asks and is told that we are indeed out of the large. So she takes two small ones and complains to me that her friend asked her to pick up a large. I said well at least this way she has more soup and I'm sure she'll appreciate you getting it for her. I asked if she needed a bag and she said no. So I finished her order and she then says 'I need a bag.' All righty then. You have a great day.

* * * * *

Two days in a row I had the same register. That doesn't happen often but it was nice because it was still set up the way I like it. It means I was able to get down to business right away.

The second day the Diva was already there. She is annoying in that she seems to me that she can really set people's teeth on edge. I don't know how to describe it, other than she seems to ask questions in an argumentative (?) sort of way. One customer was obviously hard of hearing and had a hearing aid that you could see. She asks him, quietly, if he needs bags. He didn't hear her. So she asks him again, but also spots the bag he's carrying in his hand. At the same time he had turned and asked her what she said. She says 'never mind.' He said 'what' in a surprised tone. Again she says 'never mind'. He looks a little surprised so she tells him 'I asked you if you needed bags, but now I can see you don't.'

Maybe you had to be there, but it just seemed kind of rude, somehow. I just don't think that is the way to address an older person, whether they tick you off or not.

A little while later she sees that this customer has their own bags. She asks if they would like her to bag for them. They say no thanks and she proceeds with the order. Within a few minutes she is telling them that she'd be happy to bag. They, again say no, but she now tells them that she can do a better job. Well, maybe you can, but you don't imply that a customer is doing a lousy job when they think that they are being helpful or that they just want to do their own packing. I will wait and if I think they could have done it better I'll ask if I can give them a little suggestion.

Some people are not aware that even though we have switched to bags you pay for or that they bring themselves, we are still expected to do the packing for them. It doesn't absolve us of our duty as cashiers. The customer is spending good money. They are entitled to good service.

Another store in our area, from what I've been told by customers, just put the bags at the end for you and proceed to the next order. I think our store has an opportunity to capitalize on the fact that we still do the bagging. We need to go back to some of the old values.

The last thing The Diva did was, in my opinion, childish. There had been some kind of words between her and the customer and it was the tone that made me tune in. I hear her telling the customer that she has to scratch the 'thank you' sticker off the bag she just bought. She's making it very clear that this is a chore. She then asked me what my nails were like so maybe I could peel this label off. Yet, she doesn't offer me the bag to work on. She also has another customer in line. I said to her what's wrong? She said 'I have to void it off'.
Okay, just void off a different one and move on. I offered her one of my not sold yet bags to just scan the code. 'No it has to be this one. I just can't get the sticker off enough' . When I again said I have a bag you could use, she just glared at me. Then why am I even being brought into this?

She finally gets that done and then at payment time, waits until the woman inserts the card too soon before telling her she had to wait for the message. The procedure of setting the machine up now has to be repeated. And she tells her customer that in a condescending tone.

She, The Diva, gave me the impression she was cruising for a fight. Later she told me she was trying to make a point with this lady. While she was doing all this the customer was fiddling around in her purse, or checking her phone or otherwise occupied and not the least concerned with her grocery purchase. So the customer was totally unaware of the 'lesson' she was being taught, anyway.

The result was a confused cashier, (me), a customer made to wait unnecessarily, (next one in line), an oblivious to the world customer, (purse fiddler) and a cashier leaving a bad impression, (Diva).

Pick your battles, Diva!

* * * * *

And lastly, seeing that I worked New Years Eve, (yeah I know it was only the four hours over lunch, but it was New Years Eve,) I stopped at the dollar store and treated myself to some foil hats PLUS noisy horns. I started out the day with the hat on, but it was held with an elastic and by the second customer it let go at one end and smacked me hard right under my eye. In the garbage with the BAD hat.

So I just used my horn. Not on every customer, but almost. As they came to the register I wished them a Happy New Year and tooted the horn. I got a smile from nearly every customer and a laugh from several. I had such a fun time at work Saturday. Most of my customers did as well. I even, at one point, had three people in line while the cashiers on either side had none.I guess they just want to experience the party that is me sometimes.

Makes you glad to do your job and think that you are worth something.

Finally I have someone to replace The Princess

2011-12-08T23:29:00.002-05:00

I knew if I waited I'd get something good. We have a DIVA ! ! ! !

I'm not sure if that's what I'll call her yet, but it will do for now. This job is a step down in authority for her and now that she is settling in she's getting a little more . . . . . . . . pushy? assertive? not sure what you'd call it.

But she is rubbing lots of people the wrong way. She even had some kids asking her where she got her mouth from.

Now I am not a small person, I'll reluctantly, but truthfully admit. And the area behind the register is not what you'd call huge. When it comes time to switch out shifts and the other person actually shows up to relieve you on time, you have a cross over period where both of you are at the register at the same time.

What would make you think, when you're at least as 'tall' as I am, that you can come into the space before I have moved out???????

I was trying to get my tray and space sorted out for the next cashier when the Diva showed up. All polite and all, but basically squeezing me out of the space. Trust me, I love my job, but I am anxious to go home. Give me a second and I'll be out of your way.

She also has a habit of asking you something for help, so you go to the register to help her and then she does it correctly anyway. Not sure why she needs all the attention, but there is something that really rubs me the wrong way about her.

* * * * *

The thief lady was in again, not two days after her previous attempt at trying to openly steal.

Last week she was at my register and pushed the buggy through after unloading. I recognize her because when she unloads her buggy, she likes to toss her groceries on the counter. I get the impression that she is trying to act 'innocent' and not draw attention to herself. Problem is that the way she treats the food items is exactly what draws my attention to her.

I was working on her stuff and saw some potatoes in the buggy. She said that I had already rung them in. I said no, or they'd be in the bag.
"Well, I already paid for them"
"You told me that I just rang them in so if you had paid for them, why do I have all this money in my hands.?"

I asked her if she wanted them and she said they were hers. I said not until you've paid for them, do you still want them? She said no.

So not two days later she goes through one of the new girls registers two over from me. I heard a bit of ruckus about some can of tuna and the cashier resolved that. (customer decided not to 'buy' the tuna) Then cashier finds an apple and asks the customer if she wants it.

The cashier turns to me and says the lady says she brought it in with her. I asked the lady why she would do that and if she did why would you and why wasn't it eaten already? Or at least started? Or better yet why not have it in your purse when you come in.

I told the cashier that either the customer pays for the apple or we'll keep it. The customer stopped arguing.

I then told head cashier about it and asked if they could get a picture of her so we could show the other cashiers? She talked to the manager about it and they saw her on the tape, but didn't have a chance to print it off as we were so busy.

* * * * *

Our competition has a saying that they are the store with a heart. Well, I just finished four days in a row and not one day went by without at least one person mentioning to me how they like our store. They don't like the way they are treated at the other store. They make you pay for bags there and then don't even bag for you.

We, another few more mature people, and myself get comments about how well we bag groceries. The young girls are not very good at it at all.

My thought is: why don't we capitalize on the fact that we are a more caring store. Just saying.

That does it for now. I'll have something else tomorrow.

So, people actually DO listen ! ! ! ! ! ! ! !

2011-10-22T23:37:00.001-04:00

Today was like old home week for me. I had a customer that when I asked if he wanted me to bag his stuff he started to say no. He then looked at me and said "I know you. You're the Tetris lady!!!!

I said oh, you mean the way I bag. He said yes, you can get so much in there. He said he was glad to have me pack his groceries for him.

Then I had a young lady that started to smile when I was getting ready to finish her order off. She started out by saying, "When I first moved to Hamilton, in 2008, I came into this store for the first time and I came through your register. I asked for some directions and you were so helpful to me. I've never forgotten that. Thank you." She thinks of that every time she comes in the store.

* * * * *

I had a young lady whose credit card wasn't working for some reason. Behind her was a man with two pies, each about $7.99. After the second time, I told her it wasn't working. She asked if she could try again. I said you can but its been declined twice. It was a card from China and I've had them work before but for some reason her's wouldn't. Anyway, she said to me, "so I can't get this?" I hated to tell her no, but what else could I do? Then the man behind her, with the pies, said "I'll pay for it. Put it on my order."

I said "are you sure?" And he said "yes, I believe in Karma". She was flabbergasted (there is no other word to describe it) and you could tell she just didn't know what to say. She was so touched.

As a matter of fact, so was I. I actually got the warm fuzzies because of what he did. I felt my face flush with pride for him. What a wonderful thing to do!

* * * * *

We had some major flooding in the store couple of days ago. What a M E S S !!! It was just gushing in at the top of the front window. They had a WetVac, some mops, paper towels and finally they found some (lots) buckets. Of course I heard a rumour that the school next to us could really put our real estate to good use. I would HATE to see something happen to our store.

I have written to the people at their head office in Montreal to ask about opening a brand new store in Burlington. There is such a definite need for one there and I want to see my store in there before some other schmuk gets the space. It is a perfect place for a store. Nothing near it but a ton of apartments, so where can the customers go?

It has a good age range of people.
There is not another grocery store for miles around there.
It has a school behind it.
There are retirement living buildings.

* * * * *

Anyway, its late. I'm off to bed.

What do YOU think?

2011-10-17T14:20:00.003-04:00

Do you think it is important for customers, some not all, to have a sort of relationship with their cashiers?

I do.

I'll tell you why from a customer point of view first.

I like to go into a store and see a familiar face and know that my products will be bagged properly, or that I will be served in a polite and timely manner or that some one will be, if nothing else, civil to me. I like to see a familiar face in case I have to come back for some reason.

And now from a cashier point of view.

I have several elderly customers that can't carry heavy bags. They really appreciate having the weight split up between two bags if that is what they are getting. Or among several bags if they have to carry them up stairs. They also like having their cold items together, their produce together, their meat in plastic bags. Those are all things I was taught when trained to be a cashier back in 1968. One customer I have ALWAYS wants double bags and not much in them. Another wants very few items in each of several bags. They seem to be very pleased that I remember that.

An awful lot of my customers seem to wait in my line to see me. Whether its the service, the personality or the never knowing what I will say next I don't know. I think at the end of the day they like to see a happy face and someone that recognizes them in the line up. I couldn't tell you how many people I have had that have told me I made their day better.

* * * * *

I know I haven't got all the story straight but I will get it and amend this.

The other day we had a wack job customer. Luckily I didn't get her. She was two registers down from me. Apparently she was buying some food items for a funeral so wasn't in the best of minds at the time. But that is still no reason to be rude to the cashier.

She bought a bunch of tuna and said it was on sale. Turns out she had picked out the sodium reduced or something and that one was NOT on sale. The regular was. Cashier offers to get the other kind and the customer was not impressed with having to wait. She was also PO'd that we didn't have the flour she needed. The quote was "and of course you don't have the flour I need."

Then she starts in on how we charge 3% for using debit, (????) and we don't give that back. (again, ?????). Its something to do with credit cards charging some amount somewhere for the pleasure of using their cards.

She also started to tell the cashier how she wasn't very smart and should know these things, etc. The cashier even had a second customer come through and even though she was finished with 'crabby pants', she hung around, still haranguing her. Finally I called over and asked if she had a key, to give her a chance to get away.

She was relieved and told me she was about to go down this woman's throat.

I know I haven't got all the story straight but I will get it and amend this.

* * * * *

I am on my way in this afternoon for 4 hours. I hope I am on express but I don't think so. I'm starting a 1/2 hour too soon. That mean's I will be working a regular register, so I hope I am working with people that know how to work.

Something else I'll tell you.

I really want to talk to our manager about whether we can work on manners and packing a little bit with some of our employees. It seems to have been forgotten that with competition what it is, the difference comes down to service and perception.

Where have I been ? ? ? ? ! ! ! ! !

2011-09-01T09:12:00.002-04:00

Wow, I sure took a long time off. What up with that?

Its now coming into the time of year where we get our huge influx of students. Should be at its worst this weekend. Thank goodness I'm not working. I would rather work three Christmases back to back than work the week prior to the 'RETURN OF THE STUDENTS'.

But to be fair I'd rather work student return time than work Easter. Now THAT is some holiday. The orders are always over $300.00, sometimes over $400.00. And so many people. And stressed???!!!. It is such an important time of the year and so many people get together. More so, than at Thanksgiving and Christmas.

I just realized SO busy because of being closed on Good Friday AND Easter Sunday. So everyone has to cram their shopping into those few days. And, because a lot of what they want has to be fresh, they are left with Saturday!!!

Wow it only took me four years to figure that out.

* * * * *

We have a few new cashiers in. One has worked at a grocery store before and has five years experience. So she just has to learn the finer points of our 'system'. She's good with customers which is important to me. Bagging...??? not so sure on. I'll have to watch a little longer.

* * * * *

Okay now to the part where I bitch. (might as well. I get told this is more of a complaint forum than anything).

We had this bus that we apparently rented to bring elderly people to the store to shop. I think it was once a month, but I don't know. (I'll check and add the info later).

Anyway, I had an early shift yesterday so was there for these people to come in. I was told to remind them that this was the last day for the bus.

?????

Turns out, we can't afford it anymore. It doesn't bring in enough money. Okay, I understand that. One of the patrons asked how they could keep the bus going and was told "fill the bus". Its a friggin big city transit bus! ! ! ! ! !

How about looking into renting a smaller one? We have a rest home near us that has a bus supplied by a local business owner. Could we maybe rent that? How about a DARTS bus? They are small buses that will deliver people door to door for the same price as the regular bus. What about even approaching a car dealer and asking them if they would want to volunteer their services once a month?

Granted, there are maybe only ten or twelve people using this service, but at least they were using it. SO now we gain the money we were spending on the bus, but lose the money the customers spent in our store. Not to mention the bad publicity of them losing this service. Which do you think will cause more of an image issue????

Oh, by the way, we had coffee and cake out for them. Sorry, but to me you might as well have thrown a pie in their faces.

* * * * *

And last, but not least, there is still no sign that they will put one of our stores in the place I suggested. I KNOW they can make money there. There is N O T H I N G else along that length of roadway.

Do they seriously think customers will stay?????? (or, WTF)

2011-06-13T23:10:00.002-04:00

Today was another pleasant day at the grocery store.

I had a customer before I even had my tray set up. That's okay. Things were quiet for a little while then the students came in for lunch. Well, they must have brought their friends with them!!

There must have been a hundred of them. Only about 75% spent money, but apparently, when you're a teenager you MUST shop with an entourage. They are quite talkative as well. It gets pretty loud, I'll tell you.

Now, when the students are in we also tend to have some adult customers who have chosen lunch time to get their grocery shopping done. Its usually people that work in the area and run over on the lunch hour. That's fine. I like to be busy.

Notice I said busy!! Not run off my friggin' feet! At one point I looked up and the line up was halfway down the aisle!

I called for another cashier. No one came. Now, we had one on express and two that were on regular cash, plus one person in the office. The Express girl had to take a lunch so, the girl on 4 moves to one and I stay where I am.

Great. Now all the people that have more than 8 items are stuck in my big line. This is NOT the first time that I have not had support while I was being rushed off my feet. I HATE to have customers waiting. I still did not get another cashier. So I called again. Well, now I get a page pick up the white phone. I am very busy and don't really have the time to answer the freakin' phone, but I do. As I grab it, I end up pushing the speaker button. Unfortunately the words that came over the whole store intercom were "what you see is what you get."

OUCH!

I knew that it was meant as 'the hours have been cut so much that we don't HAVE anyone else', but that is NOT the way it sounded to the customers. I was not aware it went over the speaker until my next customer mentioned what a good job I was doing and that 'what you see is what you get' seemed rather harsh.

I agree.

I know people have to take their breaks and lunches, but why in heaven's name would you have 50% of the available cashiers on lunch ? ? ? ? ? ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! NO ONE available for back up.

I kept apologizing to my customers and explained to them that they should fill out a customer comment card. I told them it would be appreciated. The management does NOT appear to want to listen to us, but they sure as hell better start listening to customers.

We are not just chasing them away but are going after them with a big burning club. Also we are pissing a lot of people off with this buggy crap. First off they sprung the 25 cent deposit on them overnight. No warning that we were switching or anything. No signs outside, just suddenly a gadget that you have to stick a quarter in to unlock your buggy. THEN, we have three different SIZES of buggies. They are a bugger to put away as they will only nest with another buggy of equal size.

* * * * *

And I know prices are going up, but seriously, a 15% increase overnight?? They are starting to sound like the oil companies. A lot of items that are on sale are coming off the sale with a higher price tag on them. Do they really think people won't notice? I hear it at the counter all the time.

Now, I have heard from my customers that the cashiers at the 'enemy' have pretty much a rude lot of cashiers. BUT the difference is, that they have enough cashiers.

Most people want to get home after work. So where do you think they will go? They actually spend more for lots of items at the other store but they do NOT wait in long line-ups.

They had better turn this around pretty soon. And they are going to miss out on the opportunity to open a store where I suggested.

Apparently they prefer to sit on their butts and wait for the world to revolve around them.

Good Night ! ! ! ! ? ? ? ? ? ?

Why is management so STUPID ?

2011-05-26T10:12:00.007-04:00

Remember a couple of weeks ago that there was a late afternoon shift I worked where they had the girl on express and myself working? No other 'regular' cashiers. Sure there were the head cashier and the customer service girl but they have lots of other stuff to do besides help us out.

What had happened is that a girl who was supposed to come in called in sick and the powers that be decided not to replace her. It being summer and all, hours are being cut.

Okay, but how stupid do you have to be to cut them over the supper rush????

Anyway, I get a phone call yesterday afternoon, could I come in ASAP? I told them the earliest I could make it and that was okay. I show up and it was just like the last time. They had, only two cashiers, a snobby girl on express, and a newbie on regular cash. So I was called in for backup. When I get there and am talking to head cashier, come to find out that they will probably be in trouble for even calling me in.

One customer was smart enough to see me heading for the register so he was already there, waiting. So I get to my register, open up, and .... it starts. In no time the customers caught on and from then until three hours later it was nuts. Customer after customer.

I had said at the beginning of the shift that I would prefer to only stay until I wasn't 'needed' any more. That was fine as long as it was my choice. Legally they have to offer me 4 hours minimum. But I was okay with just staying as long as needed. After two hours or so, even though I am only staying three I was 'supposed' to take a break. I looked up and there were so many customers lined up, I asked if I could stay. I didn't need a break for that short of a time and I really, really can't leave with all those people waiting. It is part of my work ethic I guess.

So, in spite of me staying, we actually had two people leave. Two lost customers ! ! ! ? ? They only have to do the 'tell two people, who'll tell two people' thing before management kills off our customer base. Its freaking summer time. We need every customer we can get. The university and high schools and college near us have pretty much closed down for the summer. That represents a huge amount of customers.

I am not there many hours anymore but I have actually in the past two shifts talked to three people who were in our store for the first time, two of them last night ! ! ! ! ! ! ! !

So what kind of an impression do they get if they have to wait a lllloooonnnngggg time to be served?
What kind of impression do they get if the cashiers are so overworked that they are rude, frustrated, and slow?
What kind of impression do they get if there are mistakes at the register and we call to have a price check and no one answers?
What kind of impression do they get when they want to find something, or ask a question or, for that matter, just get customer service and they can't because she is on a register with a huge line up?

A bad one, that's what.

I was able to talk to several people and explained that they need to fill out customer comment cards in order for the management to listen. We can tell them all we want but they don't put any value to our input. Bottom line is the big thing. That is what they care about and apparently all they care about. No wonder more and more people are going to the store over the highway and paying more for the same products and having to deal with rude cashiers as well.

I really wish I could get somewhere there to listen to me. And this stupid place has still not made a move to build a store in the area I told them would be a sure winner. (a vacant lot and no grocery stores for a long stretch of road)

* * * * *
And the answer to the question is: I just don't know.
* * * * *
After all, I am ONLY an employee. What could I know?

Karma's a BITCH ! ! ! ! !

2011-05-10T09:00:00.002-04:00

So there I am, minding my own business, checking through groceries and talking to the customer. Things are pretty good until . . . . .

An older lady comes through and, as is typical, had her purse in the spot you'd put a child in. Down below her purse is an envelope, just sitting there. We are asked to clean out flyers etc, from the buggies as they go through our lanes, in order that the papers don't blow all over the parking lot. I picked up the envelope and asked the lady if it was hers. She said no, double checked her purse and again said no. I am about to throw the envelope out when I think maybe I should look inside. WOW ! ! ! $100.00 bill.

I asked the woman again if she was sure. I even showed her what was in the envelope, Again she said no. Very honest!

So I call over head cashier dujour and tell her what happened. She asked me a couple of times how it "went down" and then said that I should be getting it back if no one claimed it within two weeks. I thought that was good timing as I have been wondering why I even work anymore.

Sidebar: It used to be that what I made paid for the insurance, fuel and groceries for us. Now it is barely enough to pay for fuel only

I mean where and when the hell does it stop.! ! ! ! ! ! ! Its at the point where, if I quit, we don't really lose anything other than transportation for me.

So anyway, that happened one evening. The next shift I worked I was told that the money would not come to me. That it was considered 'found' money and belonged to the store.

WTF???????

I don't think that is fair or a very good idea. I think it will just teach people to keep their mouth shut and pocket it. That's what I plan on doing. I STILL get paid minimum wage after over 4 years working there. And now, because I was HONEST, you tell me I don't even get that little reward!!!!!????

If it happens again, in the pocket it goes. If its a large amount like I found this time I will tell someone and then take it to the police station and give it to them along with the story.

* * * * *

Not two days later on, one of the young cashiers took a P H O N Y $100.00 bill. I had a chance to touch it and knew right away that it was a fake. Then I did my eye ball test. There is some very finely written words at the very bottom of the swirl that goes across the bill. Now they are very, very tiny but can be read with the naked eye. That is one of the first things to deteriorate when they photo shop it. That line was just a blotch of ink when you looked at it closely. Plus the paper did not feel the way it should. It was too soft, like old, old blue jeans.

So I'm not sure what happened to that cashier. Whether they'll be red-boxed, (audit for next time you work) or green boxed (you are audited every shift you work for two weeks), will be interesting.

Anyway, I think it is really great that the company that made over eighty MILLION last year is losing their $100.00 'gain'. And I still make minimum wage ! ! ! And WE are unionized! ! ! !

Karma IS a BITCH.

By the way, why did I not even receive a thank you from SOMEone???? Not really a nice way to treat your employees. Also, I know for a fact that several customers have told the boss how much they think of me as a cashier, mainly because they tell me they talked to him. So why is it that I have not heard a word about this; but you accidentally forget to give a customer their money for cash back, the powers that be are calling you in to the office for 'counseling'.

Update on The Possible Thief

2011-04-04T11:57:00.003-04:00

This is about the guy from last week that looked suspicious around our salad bar.

Appears he wandered around the store for quite a while collecting items. But, then he went through a register and paid for every single thing!

Head Cashier told me he still made everyone nervous and that they were very surprised when he paid. The feeling is he may have been checking the store out and decided to be honest. This time.

* * * * *

When I go to work, I get in a zone. I sit in my car for a few minutes to get my mind in the game and then I head in for my shift. I get into customer/performing mode. I am especially like that when I actually have a customer. I ease off a little between customers but when there is one at my register they are my priority. I try to tune out everything else.

We have a few new people, again, and I was lucky enough to have one next to me the other day. I was to sort of keep an eye on him and help when needed. Problem was that he was at the next register to my left, which meant that when we were working his back was to me. I have difficulty hearing when I can't see a person's face. Its probably from all those years working under a huge fan. Anyway, every once in a while he'd ask me to help him with a code or a procedure.

Now, I tend to get involved in my job and am not really good at trying to do my work and someone else's at the same time. Add in the hearing disability, the background muzac, the ambient sounds and noises, and its no wonder I forgot to give someone their cash back.

CRAP ! ! ! ! ! !

This means, I am once again, green boxed.

Side note: If you make a mistake of under $10.00 on your tray you are red boxed. That means you are audited, whether scheduled to be or not, the next day you come in to work .

If you make a mistake of over $10.00 then you are green boxed. That means you are on audit for the next two weeks, starting the day after the mistake.

Don't you think that the red box should be the longer sentence?

Anyway, what I don't like is that now I have to be 'counseled.' That means I get called into the office by the boss and told I have to be more careful, etc, etc, blah, blah, blah.

I can beat myself up pretty darn good without being told that I should. I HATE to make a mistake. I have very high standards for my work and accidentally cheating a customer out of money is a BIG one.

I also don't like the fact that the reason this happened was because I couldn't seem to handle the kid asking me question after question and for me allowing it to disrupt my work.

To be fair he had some pretty odd things to ask me, but I find that when I get into my work I can't just switch to the other person's problem. I have to stop for a second, think of what I am being asked, answer or explain, then get back to where I was with my own customer.

I think with all the back and forth and the fact that I had to have him repeat himself, plus he would turn his back to look at his own computer and I couldn't hear him clearly, I just plain forgot to give the money.

This happened last Wednesday. I was in Saturday and the boss was walking around behind me with his clipboard. Way to make me nervous guy!!

I am not sure what he was doing but I was half way expecting the old "So and So" wants to see you. I hate walking over to that office.

You already feel bad enough about making a mistake, and letting yourself down. Why do I have to be reprimanded about it? That is why it is called a mistake!! If I'd known I was doing it then it would be called an "on purpose".

I am going in this afternoon, and will probably be 'counseled' today. I would prefer to just say "Look, I know I made a mistake. I was being yapped at by another cashier and it distracted me. I had a little trouble getting back to my own mind set. Can I go back to work now?"

We'll see.

Talk about a FULL service grocery store ! ! ! ! !

2011-03-30T10:09:00.002-04:00

So.

As is typical, the day I am NOT there something really weird happens.

It was later in the evening and it involved one of our head cashiers. She was busy working away on a register when this sketchy looking guy comes through. He had very intense looking eyes and made her nervous right off the bat. He doesn't have any groceries but he is REALLY looking at her. Now, she is very attractive but he didn't seem to be looking at her in that way.

Then he says:

"I'm homeless."

She says that she's very sorry but at this time of the night there is nothing she can do to help. He can't really stay in the store. Then she says she doesn't have the authority to give him any food and the hot foods counter is closed down already or she would buy him something.

He says:

"You're not listening to me. I'm homeless."

Now she says, well we don't have any money. It is all in the safe and I can't get to it.

He says: "That's not what I meant."

Now she begins to suspect the worst. She is very pretty. She is basically alone in the store as it is down to a skeleton staff for overnight and they are still upstairs getting ready for their shift.

So she says: "Well, I'm not here by myself. There are other people here."

Then he says:

"I want to turn myself in!"

She is not sure at first what he means by this.

As he grabs her around the fore arm, he says, almost right in her face, and very seriously:

"You're not listening to me. I want to turn myself in!"

Taken aback, she sort of stumbles a bit and says "oh, OH!!
Well, you wait here and I'll go take care of that."

She gets the stand-in manager for the evening and tells him. They call the police, go to look for him and at first they think he has left. As they get to the front of the store again, they see he is sitting very patiently on the bags of rock salt at the front window, waiting quietly.

Within minutes, three police cruisers arrive and they take him away. Unfortunately, we don't know what his problem was or whether he was unbalanced, or really wanted, or any number of other things that cross your mind as you regain your composure.

* * * * *

Then not three days later, just as I am signing my audit slip at the front service desk, I spot this guy walking around by our salad bar. INSTANTLY, the 'nutbar' alarm goes off and I start to watch him. He sees me and says 'hi" and has this big goofy grin on his face.

I mention it to my head cashier, who happened to be the same young lady as in the previous incident. We are both watching now and he looks over, again, and walks towards us. He asks if, with the salad bar, can you just pick the things you want to eat?

Yes, she says, it is charged by the weight. With that he starts to walk back towards the salad bar and then makes a left turn towards the back of the store. Then he reverses himself, says he needs something to carry the salad in and goes to get a basket (?) at the front of the store.

We think he is leaving as he gets near the door, but no he comes back and heads towards the back of the store. HC calls for the manager in charge and tells him, and they alert everyone (meaning floor staff) to keep an eye on this guy.

I had to go punch out and when I come back I am walking beside the lady manager of the hot foods counter. Now she tells me that he went by her and said something that she couldn't quite understand and then made some guttural sounds at her. She left because he gave her the creeps, and it was the best thing to do.

Unfortunately, I had to leave for home so I don't know what happened next.

Part of me hopes something happened, even if it is just that he left the store without anything. I'd be disappointed if my 'spidey senses' were OFF. Relieved that nothing happened, but still a little concerned that my radar may have been out of whack.

I should get some news today.

I hope.

HOLY CARP ! ! ! ! !

2011-03-16T11:17:00.004-04:00

Walked into the store the other day to get my schedule and a couple of items that were still on sale.

Surprise, surprise!!!

It now costs a quarter to rent one of our buggies. We have had a continuing problem of students (mostly foreign) walking off the lot with our buggies. Great but when you come back the next time you can't bring the damn thing back????!!!!

This has gotten a lot worse since we started charging for bags. The won't give you the 5 cents for a bag, but they feel perfectly fine about walking away with a $100.00 - $200.00 buggy ? ?

You can tell who is going to take off with them, though. For the first few years I never really said or did anything, but now that I am confident, or maybe over confident, about keeping my job I will ask them if they are driving. If they say yes I say "that's good, 'cause I'd hate to see you trying to get this stuff home like that." Now this is assuming that they even answer, because they are notoriously rude about making any conversation. I know you are uncomfortable with the language, but why did you come here to study then? I'm not being rude to you.

If they say no, then I ask them if they are aware that they can't take the buggy off the property. They get this 'deer in the headlights' look and tell me that they weren't going to do that.

Yeah??? Then how come if I am watch you out the front window I see you taking the thing across the road and down to the apartments???

Huh?? Tell me the answer to that one, you buggy thief !

* * * * *

I actually got like this because I really don't like theft. Really, really don't. I stole something as a child because I HAD to have this little, white plastic horse. After I got home, the guilt set in. I didn't enjoy my horse. I couldn't play with him. Whenever I was in that same store I was POSITIVE they were watching me. It scared the bejeebers out of me that they may catch me! ! ! I was sure I would do LIFE ! !

That little horse taught me how bad it is to steal. Probably it was really my conscience, but EVERY single time I looked at my little horse, I felt G U I L T Y.

Anyway, I don't like stealing. It is a horrible thing to do. I once had someone that I thought was a friend, steal a whole collection of miniature collie statues from my house when I wasn't there. It was one of the most impotent moments of my life.

You can't call any one. They're only priceless to me.
You can't confront the thieves, because they have suddenly disappeared from your life.
You can't replace the statues because they were something that is not made any more.
You have lost the enjoyment you had from knowing that you had either bought them all with your own 'little girl' money or your Mom had bought them for you.

And worst of all was the fact that they had all come from an area of my childhood that I hold most dear. It was the spot we went for many summer vacations and stayed in a housekeeping cottage by the Atlantic Ocean.

* * * * *

Back to the buggy story.

Where I think our store made a huge mistake was in not telling the customers, or at the very least putting up a sign, before hand. It was just one day you're getting a buggy for free, the next day you have to have a quarter. The reason this is a big deal is that most of our customers are either parents or grandparents. Parents almost always use a credit or debit card, and grandparents don't have any change because they have taken it out at home for the grandkids ! ! It would have been so much easier to have put up signs saying 'effective such and such we regret that we will have to charge for buggies'.

SSSSSSOOOOOOOO, we have had a fair number of angry customers. We have asked them to fill out a comment card that will go to head office, rather than to tell us. The powers that be will listen to customers before they will ever listen to employees telling them what the customers say.

* * * * *

The problem as I see it, is that 25 cents isn't a lot of money to pay for a buggy to get your groceries home.

Some people are just ornery for the sake of it

2011-03-04T08:27:00.003-05:00

I was working one day about a week and a half ago and this man comes up and asks if he could use one of my Purell sheets (disinfectant wash cloths). I had just finished serving a customer and I let him use one. He then asks if I'm going to use one. I said "no" and he asked me why not. I told him I had just washed my hands a few minutes ago. He said "but you touched her money". I told him that it was part of my job.

Then a young man comes and stands behind him. So he tells the kid that the next register is open, why doesn't he go there.

The young man reluctantly moved. He looked at how much stuff there was left to go (maybe three articles) and it was obvious he felt like he was being chased away. I guess the rudeness made him wonder. He had just come to my register because there was someone there and the next one had a light on, but the cashier was elsewhere at the time. (We are supposed to do baskets and fix the shelves and tidy up a little if we have spare time)

Anyway Mr. Clean starts to mumble about people who can't think and people who don't wash their hands.

I said "Just a minute. I find it insulting for you to tell me I don't wash!"
He backtracks, or at least tries to and says "Oh. I didn't mean you."

I said " well, how am I supposed to take it when you're standing in my line saying things like that."

Then he starts to tell me how the hospitals are the worst places, and you watch, you people will all have to wear gloves one day, and doctors should know better. Then he tries to pull a co-worker into it, but she explains to him that all the products on the shelf have been touched by countless people but we do the best we can. We use our wipes after handling meat and vegetables or anything that appears to be dirty.

He didn't like that. He was all miserable looking as I'm packing his bags. I did notice that he didn't bring his own bags, but was happy to take the plastic ones that have been hanging there all morning. I went to hand him the slip and he said "I don't want that." I sort of heard him but the hands were still going for the bag to put the slip in it. He very crossly says "I told you I don't want that." I apologize, throw it out and he leaves.

I determine that I no longer wish to serve him and am hoping to refuse to the next time he's in.

How cool is this ????? !!!!!!

2011-02-26T10:42:00.011-05:00

I just found another cashier blog! She has 207 followers ! ! ! !

She has had her blog a shorter time than I have but she has more than 4 times the followers.

I wonder if part of it is the fact that she doesn't pull any punches and seems just a tad more aggressive (?) than I am?

Here's a short, unedited quote:

"And before any of you say "But she's a paying customer too!", I've made it pretty clear before that I don't consider lottery customers real customers. Lottery sucks.

Anyways, for the past few weeks I've noticed that she will wait at the coffee counter until it starts to get busy in the store, and then will race up to the register to play her tickets. She does this every.single.day.

Now, since she's a fellow cashier, I don't want to be a bitch to her, but I can only come to the conclusion that she hates me for some reason. Either that or she reads this blog.

Which means that it will now be war. I may be lazy, but I'm not too lazy to go into her store and take up her precious cashiering time. And I'm sure I can be WAY more obnoxious than she is. I was born to annoy.

I'll first have to find out exactly which store she works at. Once I find that out, it's on. I'll just have to get some supplies together, some of which include a wrench and a midget blow-up doll. "

and another one:

"Every year my father plows some of the customer's driveways when the snow gets really bad. He does this because these people have been customers for years.

I don't understand why people get so pissy about needing their driveway snowplowed. Do it your fucking self. Don't call me at 3am and expect things to get done. And these are the same fucks that come in and cause me problems about the gas prices. They use the line that they "know the owner" thinking that will intimidate me.

I hope next year he quits snowplowing for these assholes. I'm tired of dealing with them."

I'm in love ! ! ! ! Maybe I should start talking like that?

* * * * *

So, do you remember the day I had the lady that was all pi$y because I didn't throw the lady in front of her out of my express line for having nine items? (see post:

YAY, I finally got one ! ! ! ! )

Well........

Thursday I stopped into the store to get my schedule and pick up a few items that were on sale. As I approach the bakery from the back of the store I hear this grating voice and knew instantly who it was. She's up front giving the cashier the business. Seems she had too many items for express and was sent to another line. There were only two cashiers at the time, express and regular.

She is bitching about the fact that she got turned out of the line for having too many. Then.... she sees me. She starts up with "And that's the one that let someone with nine items stay in the line the last time I was here." She says this at her usual annoying, loud voice and in front of several customers who looked at me and rolled their eyes.

I said: (and maybe this was poor judgment on my part, but, I was on my own time.) "Don't start with me."

She gets all pi$y again and starts going on about 'is that any way to talk to a customer?' And 'look at how I'm treated!' And 'I want to talk to the manager.'

Fine by me. (crazy old bat). Doesn't the manager come up and unfortunately I didn't hear what was said. I did end up having to be in the same line, fourth customer back. She starts to address me across the other customers and I just stared at her. When she finally left I talked to the cashier a bit about why she was so ticked.
She is probably going to be another one that I may not serve any more. Its either that or I tell her right off the bat to behave or I'll get her removed from the store.

Apparently, it wasn't okay for me to talk to her the way I did but its okay for her to harass my customers and myself?????????

* * * * *

So should I change up my way of writing or leave the real nasty stuff to "Confessions of a Cashier" ? ? ?

She sort of has the equivalent of a 'spitting in your coffee' attitude.

Next time: Mr Clean Freak

What the €%*+ is your problem???

2011-02-11T16:33:00.004-05:00

I really like working in the beginning of the day. But not when a certain co-worker is on. Well, she was there today and it was okay. At first.

If you're one of the first cashiers in, the trays could still be in the office. So you stop at the office and check. I did that this morning and because I'm on audit I knew I had to sign something. I was told to go to 5. Knew that was okay. I stop at customer service to look for the slip to sign, (you sign when you take the tray and when you give it back) and there isn't one there. No biggie, I knew no one else had been on the register. So I start working and everything is good. I run out of customers and because I know they will jump on you if you're not 'busy', I grabbed my cloth and cleaner and started to clean some of the surfaces that don't get done often.

I then get a customer and while I'm doing his order, I notice that co-worker comes out and talks to another (superior to me) co-worker. Next thing I know 2nd co-worker is telling me that when I get done with that customer could I put some of the spices or candies out. (restock shelves) Sure, says I. I got so far as to pick up a box of Tic Tac and get all of three feet when a customer comes up. I serve him and then they just kept coming. The box made it all the way from register 7 to register 6.

I never did get back to it. I know who wanted me to do restock. I guess because I showed initiative and was making myself busy we had to find something else for me to do. WHATever!!

Time passes and its getting close to my break. Now, I like to have my break as far past halfway as I can. It makes the day go faster. They like you to have it halfway through, but I don't remind them unless I am really hurting and need to sit for a while. Or if its a time of the day when we have a few more cashiers in and break times have to be co-ordinated.

As I said I'm not too worried about it and I'm working along with about three items to scan when I hear the printer make a funny sort of noise. It tells me that its out of paper. I look inside and it has almost a full roll. So I reset the roll, close the lid and wait for the sound it makes when its ready. No sound!!??

I try it again and it is making a noise like the head is running back and forth. That's not normal. So I look inside, again, and think maybe its the roll. I tried a brand new roll and it made its happy sound. I thought we were up and running so I continue to scan but keeping an eye on it. Now it is taking a lllllooooonnnnngggg time to process each function. It would scan, then it would print part of the item, then the next part, then the total. These things usually happen within a second for each item. But now its taking more than ten seconds to do each step. I get through the gentleman's order and ask him if he needs his receipt. Thank heaven he says no. I finally get his receipt about two minutes later. I call head cashier and explain the problem, told her I did all the things necessary that should have got it working but that it isn't and its making a noise like I've never heard before.

She comes out and fiddles with it a minute and then tells me to try it again.

I start the next customer and and it is still sick. The printer head is running back and forth, again, for each step that the computer is making. Unfortunately it is not able to do more than one thing at a time. Head cashier told me I'd have to reboot it. I was hoping that it would remember the items if I scanned a few of them in a row. It wouldn't, so I have to do one item, wait, the next item, wait, etc. The lady is being very patient but says to me that she is on her lunch (but she realizes that its not my fault and just has a 'why did this have to happen now' look on her face).

I had already closed down because this wasn't going to be a fast fix. I went to the office and asked head cashier if I should take my break as there is downtime while it reboots. She tells me to move to number three for now, until the other cashier's break is done and they'll try to fix it. Other cashier says she'll be done in a few minutes. Fine by me; the more time that goes by before break is less time to work after.

Sure enough, get through a few customers and its break time. YAY ! ! ! ! !

Come back and its still not a happy computer even after a reboot. I get to stay on three and I'm working away having a good time with customers as always. Get to a blank spot for maybe five seconds, and then I see a customer at the entrance to my register. Suddenly, I am paged to pick up the white phone (like the bat phone but not as adventurous). I do so and I am told that "if I don't have a customer, can I do something?"

I said "I have a customer right now!!!!"

"well . . . . . . keep busy."

$)*^%^*)*&%$#%*)@_(#&%@(@_!@(*!#

Which is what lead to the title of this entry.

Something I forgot

2011-02-05T11:38:00.003-05:00

This is a continuation of 'Full Moon last week???? Don't THINK so!'

When I was writing it I knew there was something I was forgetting.

This is from that blog:

"I end up sending the customer off with head cashier to do all the math again, with a calculator and see what is going on. Mainly it was to make sure the man got the correct bill. I move on to the next customer and every thing is fine for a the rest of the shift. Few odd people, but they are there all the time anyway."

That's actually wrong. The customer after the '2 for 1' guy was okay, but the next one was a wingnut AKA the crazy collie lady. Now mind you the dog is in beautiful condition and she hardly ever forgets to take him home with her. But she is a weird customer. She once came to the store on a very hot day and tied the dog up outside, in the shade, but still he shouldn't have been brought that far on a day like that. She bought some ice cream and a few other things and left the store.

One of the girls came in and mentioned the collie out front. I said "you're kidding, she left an hour ago! ! ! ! ! !

We were wondering what to do. We gave him water and then waited. She did return later. She said she went to get some ice cream and suddenly realized she left the dog at the store. I don't think she's a bad owner, but someone who is a little forgetful. One of the things she does that really drives me crazy is her way of just asking the weirdest questions. I'll still be dealing with another customer and she is already asking me to compare the prices of two items so she knows which one to get.

Anyway, this day she hears the problem I am having with the 2 for 1 customer, She says in a pretty loud tone "I'd better make sure to check my bill". I ignored her because I was still dealing with the customer in front of her. NOW, its her turn. I ask if she wants bags, she says "no", so I put the stuff on the back for her to bag.

She looks at the register and says " see, you did it again." WTF???!!!! I look and see that it is again something that is a buy one get one deal. I said "I didn't do it, the machine did. "

"Well, you scanned it."

So, what, I held my wrist funny??????

Anyway, we get it sorted out and she is talking about how many times this may have happened in the past. (insert a scream that would be me wringing her neck and her trying to breathe."

After HER, it was an okay shift.

Full moon continued.

2011-01-29T18:23:00.005-05:00

Well, here comes the rest of the 'sorry-its-so-long' post.

Thursday January 27

Go to work. I am on # 6. That's the one I like to say is in the suburbs. You are the last cashier in the row and the way you stand your back is towards everyone so you don't see a lot. Good thing is that you are facing the bakery department and get to see them icing cakes and stuff.

First couple of customers, fine, then I have a lady buying two bags of the BOGO coffee. Scan the first then the second and it takes off, not $12.95, but something like $5.63. Still don't know what I was supposed to have done. I looked at the receipt as I did yesterday. If I had scanned another item there should be still be the proper negative right after the second bag. But there wasn't. Again I have:

+ $ 12.95
+ $ 12.95
- $ 5.63 Total $ 20.27

Should be:
+ $ 12.95
+ $ 12.95
- $ 12.95 Total $ 12.95 (difference of $7.32 too much for the customer)

$7.32 too much, for us (again). Head cashier comes when I call her and she can't see what I could have done so we scan the coffee off again. We at first discussed the fact that if we had six positives we needed three negatives to represent the three lesser priced items in each pair. HC says to just take the coffee off and we'll leave it at that. The customer was happy and this time the computer put back what it took off (the $5.63)

Half an hour goes by and there comes this one older lady I really don't like to deal with. I have a lot of patience, especially for the older customers, but she just bugs me. I think its her voice or something but I really didn't want her to come through my register. She does, and the first thing that comes out of her mouth is that we have gotten rid of the chairs for the elderly folk to sit on.

This goes back to before we renovated the store. We used to have a spare chair for people if they were tired or winded or otherwise indisposed. This lady would come in, demand the chair, be a little ticked that she had to wait while we got it, and then proceed to buy some scratch lottery tickets. She would then settle herself into the chair to scratch her tickets. I understand that she may not get out much, but can't you at least sit out of the way (and keep your knees together or wear something a little longer). My first introduction to her was about three years ago when she plopped herself down opposite the end of my register where all my customers couldn't help but see her.

Anyway, I ring her order through, have to talk her through the interac process, again, and it comes back declined. I think, well maybe I mistakenly hit the button for credit instead of debit. We do it again; and again it is declined. I asked her if she had used the card any where before here. No. Well I'm not sure what could have happened, then.

Head Cashier has come over and offers to help. She asks if the lady has any cash and we can take that off and maybe the card will work then. We do it again and this time I look at the message and it says daily limit exceeded. So, I think what has happened is that maybe a trustee or something has put a limit on her account to protect her. Now we have to start taking groceries off. She had about $87.00 worth of stuff and only $35.00 in cash. That meant we had to get $52.00 off. She did ask if she could pay us the next day and I know she would have, but we just can't do that.

In the meantime, there was a man and his son waiting in line after her and then another one of my elderly fans came to the line too. She understood but the father was trying very hard to keep his patience and the son wasn't too pleased. To give him credit, he never said anything, but he sure was sullen.

By the way, these were my last three people before I was to relieve the express cashier for her break and then take mine after. So by now, what normally will take me a few minutes is up to ten. Its not that I am anxious for my break, because I will always stay to help customers. The issue is that the breaks are set in such a way as to not leave any shortage of cashiers.

I get through the two and thanked them for their patience. I had a nice little chat with my lady fan while doing her groceries, and she was concerned about 'declined' customer. I told her what I thought, about the protection thing.

Finally it is break time. Not for the express cashier though, as the time frame is now wrong and she has to wait for the next cashier to show up for her job. I walk past customer service and there's the customer sitting on her chair. She sees me and tells me I didn't give her one of her chickens. "One of them was free you know." I said yes I did give it to her and that she had asked me to put it in a separate bag as she was giving it to her friend. She remembered then and I took off before she could take any more of my break. I went out and tried to unwind in my car.

I had my break, played my scratch and sniff Crossword game, (won $3.00) and came back in. The elderly lady is still sitting there. I head back to my register and it actually didn't hit me until I got home, that she was playing her lottery tickets. I'm glad that she could do that but I have to admit that it also ticked me off. We had to scan off so many items from her bill and make these people wait so long. I got myself bothered because I hate having customers waiting like that and because the express cashier had to wait longer to get her break. And express is a place where you really want your break. Its fast paced and there is a lot of turning back and forth in it.

So, break is over and I have no more real incidents. Saw a few of my regulars and received compliments from most. (Not bragging, just saying).

* * * * *

This all brings me back to the original title of "Full moon last week???? Don't THINK so!"

I worked Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. The weird mojo was there on the Tuesday. I even mentioned to a couple of customers about the weird things happening and that if I didn't know better I would think it was a full moon this week. So, here's the last example of weirdness for my work week.

Towards the end of my shift, there is an announcement for security to go to aisle C. That'll perk your ears up. Didn't see anything but apparently they stopped someone from taking off with a whole buggy of steaks. $400+ worth.

The really stupid thing the guy did, because someone was watching and saw him panic, was that when he heard the announcement, he actually started to throw more steaks in a lot faster.

Are you STUPID?????

How did he think he was going to get to the front of the store, out the doors, and away in the (rutted in places) parking lot, with a buggy full of meat????

See, we can't charge him until he has actually left the store with the product. Technically, even though he is walking through the door, he could still come back and pay.

Thank heaven for the weird ones.

Full Moon last week???? Don't THINK so!

2011-01-29T16:58:00.010-05:00

I don't know if anyone of you have noticed but when there is a full moon the crazies and whack jobs come out of where ever it is they hide.

Except, the last full moon, which was January 19th, it stayed very quiet at the store. Suspiciously quiet.

Oh well, you take it as it goes and think 'great we escaped this month.'

Fast forward a week:

Wednesday January 26.

W E I R D ! ! ! ! ! ! ! !

Doing my job, minding my own business and scanning groceries. We had a 'buy one, get one sale free' going on. The way they have it set up in the computer is that you scan the more expensive item, then the other item and the computer takes the total of the lesser priced one off.

Been working fine until this nice man comes through. He has four steaks and two roasts (all bogo). I put the steaks through 1st price goes on, 2nd price goes on, and cheaper item immediately comes off again. It shows on the tape as a positive and a corresponding negative.

When I scan groceries I sort as I go and have my eye on what's coming next and where it will fit in the bag I'm working on. So, I had done his steaks and left the roasts till last. I scan the first one ($16.38), price goes on, scan the 2nd one($13.47), price goes on and a price goes off.

Yeah. Except that instead of taking off the price of the roast , it takes the cheapest steak ($2.79) off again. WTF ! ? ! ? ! ??? I look again to see if I may have accidentally scanned one of the steaks again, but I couldn't as they were already bagged. So I scanned the steak again to put it back on and it puts the $13.47 on but then takes $7.43 OFF.

Now, the tape looks like this:
+$16.38 (more costly roast)
+$13.47 (roast added to bill)
- $ 2.79 (price of roast taken off)(not)
-$13.47 (roast removed from bill)
+ $ 7.43 ($2.79 added) (not)

Total = + $21.01 for us. (Customer gets screwed)

Now, I am totally confused. I have been a cashier most of my life so I know how the math is supposed to work and this ain't it.

SO, what you should have is enough negatives to equal the positive cost of the lesser items in each pair. Nay nay!

I have no idea what happened. I call head cashier to show her. She has no idea either. She asks did I mistakenly scan the steak again. No.
Did I do the roasts in the wrong order. (no, and doesn't make a difference anyway. I've tried it with the cheap one first and it still takes the lesser amount off).
Are they for sure the right roasts, as in both Angus beef, both top round, etc. Yup, says I.
Call the computer input person then. So I do and she comes over and tells me she doesn't know what I did and that it must be something wrong with my computer. Call the computer room ? ? ? (she's the computer room)
I end up sending the customer off with head cashier to do all the math again, with a calculator and see what is going on. Mainly it was to make sure the man got the correct bill.

I move on to the next customer and every thing is fine for a the rest of the shift. Few odd people, but they are there all the time anyway.

* * * * *

You know, this is way longer than I planned and I have to go make some supper before the hubby passes out due to starvation.

I'll write the rest of it later today, or tomorrow.

Sorry for the length.

How are you? Where have you been?

2011-01-21T14:42:00.003-05:00

First off, when you work express you are dealing with a lot of people for a short amount of time each. I always start by saying hi. They usually say hi back and ask how you are. Its an automatic response. I always have something to say (who'd have thunk?). Anyway, it is usually 'wonderful' or 'marvelous' or 'pretty darn good". this usually elicits some favourable response from the customer.

BUT, because I may say this 100 or so times a day, I like to change it up. So, I started using the alphabet and starting each answer with a new letter. Like, amazing, brave, cheerful, delightful, effervescent, funny..........

I sometimes am stumped for a word, and the customer will ask what I'm doing. I explain it to them and they get a real kick out of it. They will even suggest words when I'm stuck. It doesn't happen often but sometimes can't come up with a word. See I don't want to be boastful about myself, just descriptive. SO, finding the appropriate word can be a challenge. I find it makes the shift a go a little faster and takes my mind off the pain in my knees and back. It also keeps the brain sharp.

* * * * *

I am trying to keep to either three days a week or, hopefully, no more than 16 hours. Four hour shifts are great but even an extra half hour is harder and an extra hour is almost brutal. My knees really get to hurting and my back is not good either.

What would really help is if they had the work station set up in an ergonomic fashion. But I won't hold my breath on that one. It seems to be okay to use the older methods of a work space but it is just not good to be reaching back and forth across your body. The muscles in your back start to tighten. Shoulder muscles get sore, the weight of the groceries, (yes even lettuce gets heavy after a while) moving back and forth across your front is not good.

Plus the area behind the register is not meant for anyone over about 5 foot 5. I find myself always leaning forward. However, I take the chance when ever possible to put one foot up on the ledge to take the stress off my back and right knee.

* * * * *

So, it seems like I am missed sometimes. The past few weeks there is not one day goes by that at least one customer asks where I have been. "I haven't seen you in a while!!" I explain that I am only working three to four shifts a week and that I am moved all over the schedule. "Well, I always look for you when I come in the store. You're always so pleasant and nice." (pinch cheek).

I will admit there is hardly a day go by that I don't think about leaving and just being retired. But the thought of giving up my customers AND the possibility of giving up my car. Sorry, just can't do it. (the car part is because with the price of gas and insurance my pay just about covers both of those items)

That's it for now. I have to go make supper.

YAY, I finally got one ! ! ! !

2010-11-28T19:26:00.006-05:00

I knew if I waited long enough I'd get a nut job.

I was on express the other day and had about three people in line at the time. The second one was antsy and hopping from one foot to the other. She's getting frustrated with my customer who is using the debit machine. Our machines are slow and she's going "why is this taking so long?"

I gave her a look and she shut up. For 5 seconds. She starts encroaching on my customers space and really starting to bug me. Finally, its her turn and I ring in her ice cream. They were ice cream novelties and they have tax on them.

"I don't have enough money. Why are they so much?" I explain to her that there is tax on them.

"I wasn't told there was tax on them. I'm not paying it."

Okay, then you can't have them.

"Well, why do I have to pay tax." I explain that they are novelties, and NOT regular ice cream. (This is just the way our taxes are set up. If its considered food, like ice cream, then no tax. If it is a 'treat' then you get taxed.)

"Well, I'm not getting them. I'll go get something else." Okay, could you put these back please?

I void off her order and carry on. Five minutes or so later she is back. By now I have about 4 people (she's #5). Third in line is a young lady with more than eight items. Big deal, I can get them through fast and I am not in the mood to chase her out. Besides it would take as much time to clear her out as to check her through.

Well, Miss Ansty Pants starts saying "this is 1 - 8 you know." And "you should get out of the line" and "That's not fair."

Now, none of the other customers could care less, and most knew me. I told her that it was okay and to leave her alone. She says "Well, I was in here with 9 items and they chased me out of the line." I just gave her an over the glasses glare.
Finally one too many comments and I told her in no uncertain terms and in a pretty loud voice: "This is MY register" and stared her down.

That did it. She came through, paid and left. I have had this woman before and she has been a problem before. Better not try it again.

The crazy cat lady was the same way. Always pan handling in the neighbourhood but at least she was buying treats for her cat. She usually has three to four pouches and when asked to pay, lays this pile of change on the tray. It is hardly ever enough. Anybody she goes through ends up arguing with her about the fact that she doesn't have enough money, which ones does she want?

One day she came through me and she tried to bargain the price down. I just took the $5.00 bill out of her hand and gave her the change for her items. Since then, she either comes through me with enough change or goes to someone else and has the money. SO I guess she learned.

* * * * *

Another customer one time was asked if she needed assistance for lottery. The first couple of times I asked her she looked at me like I was an alien, then finally says: "Yeah" She had her two young boys with her.

I said you meant "yes, please, didn't you"?

She didn't know what to do. I didn't see her for a couple of weeks and the next time she came in she came through my line and seemed very uncomfortable about having to face me. I acted like I didn't know her and treated her politely. She has been a changed person since. She is always pleasant. And the boys are nice too.

* * * * *

As my husband always says to me "You can't fix the world". I say, "Yes, but I can sure as hell fix my corner of it."

How do you tell when they are REALLY crazy?

2010-11-24T13:33:00.004-05:00

Okay, so I was working a 10:30 - 2:30 shift and it was pretty early into it. A lady comes through I have seen several times in the store. She has always been quiet but pleasant and is around 50 - 60 (?) years old.

She asked me if I have seen the tabloids and whether they are talking about the stars death list (?). "No" says I,

"And you won't, either!"

And the next thing I know I am hearing about how sonar is going to be the ruin of everything, she has studied astrology AND astronomy so she knows things.

"Did you know that Michael Jackson was in Scary Movie 3 and where is he now?"

"Dead.?"

"Yes, and the movies that Mel Gibson has done? Well first he did the Passion of the Christ and then Apocalypto. You saw what happened to Indonesia and then Haiti. A volcano and an earthquake."

"Really? (help? somebody? anybody? Please help?)"

"And There was a movie about space travel and life . . . ."

"Oh, you mean Forbidden Planet? That starred Leslie Nielson!" (idiot, shut your mouth)

Her eyes light up! ! ! !

"Well, you know, you should watch it again. There are lots of messages in that."

"Really?"

"Yes! And have you seen the Rocky Horror Picture Show? Well, you should. It has a lot of predictions too."

"And they have been sending sonar waves out to outer space and what pictures are coming back? This is what they are seeing. Hitler!"

Why don't I have another customer? Please?

10 minutes she talked to me about this stuff. TEN MINUTES! ! ! In the meantime I've smartened up and decided not to tell her that sonar is used underwater. I did find out though, that it is the sonar waves that are destroying everything and Mel Gibson has to quit making movies. Oh, and that stuff they talk about on Coast to Coast? ( a strange radio show that covers everything from the Cold war to tracking Sasquatch). Its all true, especially the alien parts.

Are you confused? ? ? ? ?

Yeah? Well try being in my shoes the next time she comes through. Because, guaranteed she is going to think of me as someone she can talk to and confide in.

Gawd, let it please just be because of the full moon.
Anyone know a place I can take 'rude' lessons???

Another crappy excuse . . . . . .

2010-11-19T10:45:00.005-05:00

SO.

The reason I haven't been writing as much is because there have not been any interesting characters at work. (Please see the last part of this post for a teaser). Even the new employees are, for the most part, 'normal'.

Of course this week has been a little different as there are exams going on, so a lot of them took the time off for that. The nice thing is the ones that didn't, seem to be mostly the ones that actually know how to work!!! What a treat that has been.

Oh, and management finally figured out that we were chasing customers away by not having enough cashiers on, especially over the supper rush. I have actually been getting some shifts on express too. The interesting thing is that several customers have mentioned how nice it is to see me on express again as the ones that they've been using are too slow. They were actually at the point of not coming to our store anymore because of the inconvenience of it being slow and not enough cashiers.

* * * * *

I have written to head office yet again about the possibility of them opening a store in an area where I feel it is really needed. There is an area coming from Burlington to Hamilton where you go more than 12 kilometers without running into a grocery store. The interesting thing is that going the other direction you have two stores within about 5 kms. Then, near our store you have three grocery stores within less than 4 kilometers. The place where I think a store would fit is about half way and right near a new exit off the 403 west bound. This exit has been sorely needed for a long time because if there is an accident out on the highway you were stuck for a long time. There was no escaping the lineups. Now, with this new exit, you can leave the crowded highway and go along Plains Rd. With the added traffic that will bring I can see a need for a store there.

Also there used to be a large department store that had a small grocery section and when it closed down all the people in the area had to go somewhere else for the bread and milk.

AND ! ! !
On that very spot they are in the process of building more condos! ! ! ! All those extra potential customers! You're still going to have loyalty to your 'favourite' store, but the convenience of a store on your doorstep is very hard to resist.

* * * * *

We have recently ( October 21st) acquired a new puppy. Because of the interesting dynamic of this situation, I have started another blog about the exploits of Sidney and Emma. There is a link on this page for it. So with three different blogs, there should be something new on at least one of them.

* * * * *

Please keep checking back, because two days ago I had a doozy of a customer and when I figure out the best way to write about it, it will be added. Also I don't want them to get the sonar or Mel Gibson after me.

All right, Mel Gibson is okay, but not the sonar.

Are you intrigued yet?

All Right, Already

2010-11-05T12:04:00.004-04:00

Okay, so I haven't posted in a while. But there hasn't been too much interesting happen. Until last week.

First off, we have a few new hires that are proving to be ....... interesting!?

I love (insert sarcasm) people that come in, work four or five shifts and start talking about how fast they are. Lets try to get accuracy before we even try to get some speed. Its important to treat the customer well. Its not to be talking to other cashiers (unless its for help) or, EVEN WORSE, to walk away from the register to go the the service desk to ask some one something that could have been done with a white phone!!!!!

Unless you have specifically gone to do something at the customer's request, stay at the register. Or if you can't get an answer for a price check ask the customer if they want you to go check it yourself, and do it in a timely fashion! ! !

Plain and simple.

* * * * *

And another thing, we are supposed to take the last bag around to put in the buggy. Okay. This means that unless you have an empty register between you and the next cashier, you are going to probably be disturbing a customer.

That's not great but, for crying out loud, excuse yourself if you have to get past them. You should NEVER, EVER try to just push past. I don't care who you are or who they are. You don't push past!!!!! You ask them if you can slip by, you say excuse me may I get by or whatever is appropriate. I am so very fed up with our cashiers that do that. Even some of the more experienced (3 to 4 year) ones seem to not have manners sometimes.

* * * * *

So last week I had this lady with a huge buggy load of groceries. She also had her son (12 years old?) and her daughter (7 ?) with her. Well the Mum realized she had the wrong milk and asked the son to go exchange it. ATTITUDE right away. "I don't know where it is" "why do I have to do it". Meanwhile the Mum keeps asking him to do it and he keeps ignoring. I finally got pi**ed myself and told him he better be back by the time I get to the end of the order. With that he gives me a sullen look and wanders off to get it. I keep on checking and filling bags which are now piling up on the end of my register. He returns to say there isn't any left. The Mum didn't buy that and goes to see for herself. She comes back with the right milk and says to him they must have put it out right after you looked, Spawn From Hell (or whatever his name was).

So now he's standing by the buggy and just playing with his hand held toy. I have no room for any more bags so I put a few in the buggy. He just looks on, like it's his duty to be a sullen little snot that needs a smack on the ***. Meanwhile the daughter had knocked something off by accident and picked it all up and apologized to me as she told me what she'd done.

Now the Mum spots this broom thing that she needs and hands it to me to scan in. I do so and then go to put it in the buggy but the little heathen is in the way. I told him to watch his head and swung it right above him into the buggy. I just gave him one of my best "if you were my kid" looks and he started to put a few bags in the buggy. The Mum seemed to be totally clueless as to what a little pri*k he was. Either that or she had given up. She didn't seem to notice the daughter being the opposite of the spawn.

Or didn't care! I don't know.

Even the next few customers in line were talking about this kid and all of them wanted to have a go at him.

I wonder if his name was Damien??

* * * * *

I finally got a day time shift (by that I mean something that I got to go HOME in the daytime) this past week. It was nice. I get to see a lot of the older customers and they were obviously glad to see me. Especially when I got on express for a bit. Anyway, next week I am back to the late afternoon crap again.

Its not that I necessarily don't like that shift, its just that I keep getting stuck working with slowpokes and/or not enough other cashiers. Its a hard time of it either way, because I tend to draw a lot of customers to my register when they see how bad the other lines are. Some nights we have customers so deep you can't see the front end for people.

At least last week the finally gave us one more cashier. It helps a little; but if its two new people then its equal to one regular employee.

* * * * *

One last thing I did to a new cashier yesterday. Not on purpose, although it turned into a good learning opportunity if he was paying attention. The customer was about to buy four of an item that was going to go on sale the next day. I decided to let him know that he could save a further $2.00 EACH by waiting one day. He was very appreciative and the cashier then had to void off the four items. that led to him needing a managers key because of the large amount voided.

See, if he had taken the time to look at next week's flyer he would have known that and scored brownie points with the customer.

Sort of like I did.

BWOOOOO HA HAHA

Why you don't use the 'B' word.

2010-10-12T08:34:00.007-04:00

I'm not superstitious. I'll walk under a ladder, let a black cat cross in front of me, just sweep up spilled salt, etc.

BUT ! ! ! !

I will insist that no one use the 'b' word in the store.

We can be going along at a pretty steady pace and then suddenly have a pause in the line-ups. And some one will say, "boy, its not b**y+ in here today." Usually a customer but sometimes it will be one of our own employees.

Our eyes fly open, we gasp and we say "don't use that word!!!!"

When they ask why, I have to explain:

Someone is sitting at their table reading the paper, watching tv, eating supper, whatever, and they hear the b-word. Their head jerks up, the nostrils twitch a little as if they can smell the fear. And they suddenly remember that they haven't bought groceries in twenty years, so they better go stock up now! Not tomorrow during the day when we aren't as busy. No it must be N O W. Someone said the b-word!!! And within 1/2 an hour we will be lined up all across the front of the store.

It has not failed yet. I'm sure they come from as far away as twenty MILES because of that one little mistake. They may have already been shopping yesterday or on the weekend, but they hear, the 'word', and they:

MUST GO SHOPPING NOW.

And then this happens:

They usually forget their bags and complain because they have to pay for some more.
Or they left the bags in the car or they have them with them but they are underneath all the groceries that they have just piled three feet deep on your belt.
Or they have a credit or debit card that you have to swipe a few hundred times.
Or they realize they forgot their money/purse/wallet at home. (I'll be RIGHT back [they live in Buffalo, NY])
Or they just realize that they brought the remote, not the wallet. (actually happened)
Or they say that an item was a certain price and you find out it was in last weeks flyer. Then they don't want it or they will argue with you that it should be that price anyway.
Or something scans at the wrong price or isn't in the system. So you page and no one answers. And of course they REALLY, REALLY NEED that bucket of aardvark heart soup for TONIGHT'S meal. So you wait till you can get someone to answer or you go and try to find it yourself.
Or they want cigarettes, but don't ask until you are done the order
Or they ask if you take this or that card, again after the order.
Or they have a card that is declined for what reason I don't know, but they insist on trying it a hundred times then walk away leaving a buggy of groceries behind including frozen and perishable items.
Or you ask if they have a reward-type card and they don't answer you or they start to search for something, or they mumble something to you. You will always pick the wrong thing to do here. Either you wait then they look at you, you ask them again and they say no. Or you go ahead and process the order and they then remember that they do indeedy have one. Sometimes they say yes and you wait and they don't have it or you ask, they say no, you process the order and sure enough they did have it with them. (new wallet, or changed purses) "Can you do it now?"
Or they don't understand English and just look at you as if you are puke green.

I'm not sure how this went from not using the 'b-word' to a primer on how to be a cashier, but . . . . . its my blog, so it goes where I go.

* * * * *

Last comment and pet peeve:

I really am getting seriously pi**ed about certain people that will refuse to shell out a nickel for a plastic bag but think it perfectly okay to STEAL a buggy that ranges in price from $125.00 to $150.00.

I have even gone so far as to tell them that they can NOT take the cart off store property and then watched helplessly through the front window as they do it anyway. I would so like to be able to go after them and say "whoa, what did I just tell you?"

It wouldn't be so bad if they'd bring the darn thing back the next time they come this way, but the don't.

You can tell when it will happen too. They are usually young, in uniform and have just said no to bags. You casually ask if they are driving, and receive either a grunted 'no' or a "deer in the headlights" look which tells you they know they have been caught.

BUT, because they don't really care, that's another buggy we are going to lose.

What's really bad is that there is someone in the neighbourhood that collects the buggies in his truck, brings them to the store and we pay him for them.

(+ B**y as a bee)

Busy time of the year

2010-10-12T07:55:00.002-04:00

We are now heading into the busy time. First was Thanksgiving, next comes Christmas and New Year's.
And then there is Easter.

Ahhh, Easter. Spring flowers, little birds hatching, bees humming..... and people buying groceries like there is going to be a famine.

I said last year I will never work another Easter. It is absolutely insane!!!!

I like to be busy, but WOW !

We just had Thanksgiving and sure there were crowds, but people weren't so panicked. They come in, get a buggy load of food, pay and go on their way. Christmas its a little more frenetic*.

*(Adjective: Fast and energetic in a rather wild and uncontrolled way: "a frenetic pace of activity")

New years the same. People are in a pretty good mood, they have company coming and they are excited.

But,....... you get to Easter and there are two 'holidays' going on. There is Easter and Passover. Both are pretty important to their respective peoples. Well, do we get busy???!!!!!

Holy mackeral ! ! ! ! There are customers everywhere. It gets absolutely nuts. You would seriously think that there is about to be a world wide food shortage. Customers come in and buy one of EVERYTHING. Orders are always kissing $200 or $300 totals. Most people are patient, but when you get the ones that don't celebrate anything, or that are just plain ignorant, they try to stir it up.

They are the ones that make it an unpleasant experience. They bitch about the lines, the service, the lack of a certain product, the price of a certain project, why they have no friends, why the cigarettes are so much, etc.

I forget what it was last year that made me say I will never work Easter again, but it must have been the customers and the lack of work ethic with some of the younger cashiers. They just don't know how to do a job fast.

* * * * *

One afternoon last week, I worked with a customer service person that was really great to be with. She is never afraid to step in and help. She makes sure the 'please see another cashier' sign is at the end for you to go on break, she tells the last customer in the line that they ARE the last ones. She is helpful, friendly, and runs a tight ship, but not pushy in an "I'm the boss and you aren't" kind of way. She takes a lot of crap from customers and employees. Not as much as she used to though. There were some cashiers that just did what they wanted, when they wanted.

She would ask them to do something and they'd either ignore her or look at her as though she had suddenly grown another head. Well that soon got resolved. I think it was because she is close to the same age as some of the cashiers and they just thought that seeing as she was their age they could goof with her.

WRONG! She has several things to get done, and that she is responsible for. She can't do them all by herself and she has to keep the front end busy or they will cut our hours more.

And that's another thing. I am really tired of being one of only three cashiers on when we have our afternoon/evening 'rush hour'.

So where have YOU been?

2010-10-05T23:08:00.006-04:00

Funny how cutting your shifts can result in so many people missing you.

I have cut back to 3 - 4 shifts a week, as any more is just too hard on my knees.
If I've had one I've had a hundred customers ask where I have been.

"We thought maybe you'd left."
"Haven't seen you in a while. Were you on vacation?"

They like me, they really like me ! ! ! !

* * * * *

So, what's been happening.

Well....... as it is the start of a new school year we suddenly have students using our parking lot to leave their car in while they bus to the university. Not nice ! ! ! ! It takes away from the space we use for customers. I think if I was going to park somewhere illegally, I'd at least make sure to put my car where it wouldn't be in the way and therefore not liable to be noticed.

Also, there is a certain faction of our young customers that are too cheap to pay 5 cents for a plastic but think nothing of walking off with one of our buggies. I have even told them that they can't take them off the lot and they pretend like they listen, and they think they have me fooled. But I can see them out the window. By the way, they are also, for the most part, very rude. They have no clue as to what please and thank you mean. I guess they're used to having everything handed to them on a silver platter.

It really irks me that we don't take more steps to keep our buggies around. We know have about 5 different styles, so when the guys go and get buggies and try to put them away in the corral, it doesn't work very well. Buggies are supposed to nest together. They can't because of the different types and styles of buggies.

* * * * *

Now most of you are used to me and they way I look at things. I think the customer, though not 'always right', deserves the courtesy of being treated like we appreciate them coming in. I DON'T think the cashier should be standing there and ignoring the customer. They should be making eye contact and talking to the person not over them.

I like to talk to fellow employees as well, but as soon as I have a customer, I immediately switch over to being the one that listens to the customer and give them all of my attention.

Anyway. . . . . A couple of weeks ago, there were two girls on cash and one girl on her break. It was over the dinner rush hour, and we were packed ! ! ! ! !

The girl on express and myself had line-ups 8 to 10 people deep. So many customers that you could not see the front shelves for 'people'!

I don't like to see customers standing in line looking a little more angry with each passing minute. I called for another cashier and was told by head cashier that "there is no one else." Next thing I know, (mind you the front end was FULL of customers), some one wants me to go on my break.

I can't walk out and leave those people standing there, even if the schedule must be maintained in order to get all the breaks done. So I kept checking and no one comes over to put my 'closed sign up and to close down my line. (Its better if head cashier does it then the customers are not so angry at us." I get told to go on my break and I said "I can't. I can't leave all these people standing there ! ! ? ? ? ? ? ?

So I kept working to get these people through and on their way home. I was leaving at 7:30 and finally got my break at 6:15. It is supposed to be around 5:30. But to be honest I really do like a late break so I didn't mind. It makes the shift go quicker.

What really bothered me was the fact that I called for an extra cashier which means that the head cashier is supposed to come out and start checking as well. But she couldn't. Why????? Because she was busy selling lottery tickets.

WTF????? They count for a small, very small, portion of our income. People will buy tickets for lottery, no matter what you do or don't do. Its not even like we (the store) get a prize of anything for selling a winner. The lottery commission has put a to the retailer winning for seli. I tell you, I was so pi**ed at the way things are handled when this one particular girl works. Its like she thinks she's special or somehow, above work. And she has a way of making people uncomfortable when she talks to them. She has a bad habit of looking over people's heads rather than make eye contact.

Its like she feels the customer's are not as good as she is. It doesn't even look good. She is one of those people that doesn't make direct eye contact. She also will laugh out loud in such a way that she draws attention to herself and it is usually just after dealing with one of the employees on some cashier type thing.

"nuff said on that, other than I wish I wasn't working these 'rush hour' shifts with people that are afraid of working. I miss the odd daytime shift that I prefer.

Having said that, I was fortunate to work twice this week with a few people that really know how to work. And actually communicated with the customers.

* * * * *

School's Back ! ! ! ! ! !

2010-09-09T08:44:00.003-04:00

Hooray!!!!!
The little darlings are back in school!!!

That means that we have more of the regular cashiers at work in the daytime. You know, the ones that actually work???!!!

It has been such a pleasure the past few days working with the people I work with. They all do a great job, they are friendly to the customers, they are considerate of their co-workers. And THAT is very important.

You know, you may not like having to deal with some of the customers we have but at least be considerate of your co-workers. The hardest shift is the 7:00 AM yo 3:30 PM shift. You're on express, you have to keep an eye on EVERYthing. You have to sell cigarettes, if we have them.
You also must keep an eye on lottery, get the candy shelves at each register re-stocked, handle and concerns that approach the customer service desk, AND serve any and all customers that come through. Because from 7:00 to either 9 or 10, depending on the day of the week, you are by YOUR SELF!!!!

By 3:00 you're ready to leave so its VERY nice when your relief comes in a little early. I have been burned a few times by somebody being late for their shift and that person goes in my black book. They get no help from me for when they have to take a bus, or have an appt. or anything else for that matter.

I think it is pretty inconsiderate of your peers to expect to leave 5 minutes early and show up 5 minutes late, because there is a built in 'grace' period of 7 minutes either side of shift start or finish. You might help them out once but when the favour is NEVER returned, then its "gloves off baby!"

* * * * *

Funny thing, I was thinking about my elderly gentleman friend who lost his wife a few months ago. He is such a wonderful, sweet man and I care deeply for him. I was thinking I hadn't seen him in a while and wondered if he was okay.

Sure enough doesn't he come through my line yesterday! He bought a few things, including his two items for the food bank, and was very happy to see me. (Not nearly as happy as I was to see him).

We chatted for a little. I asked him how he was doing and he said okay, some days are better than others. And then he said his days are always better when he sees me. Isn't that kind ?

He told me he always looks for me in the store, when he comes in. I gave him a big hug and a kiss before he left. His face just lit up.

* *

THAT makes the job all worth it.

Well, this has been an interesting few weeks . . .

2010-09-05T22:08:00.004-04:00

It sure has. I still can't get over the number of people who have asked where I've been because they haven't seen me in a long time. I am working only three shifts a week now, and it sure has made an impact on the number of people I see or that see me.
It is so nice to be missed! ! ! ! ! Hopefully, can add another shift sometime soon.

* * * * *

Lets see. What's been going on?

Oh, I know! ! ! !

1) We are losing our fresh seafood section. Not profitable.

IDEA: Why not have seafood day be one day a week, say a Friday, and publicize that date so people know when to come. It works for the Market downtown!

2) We are losing money because we are seeing people get there groceries through another source that delivers!

IDEA: If we had a delivery service, it would get used quite a lot, I'm sure. We have an elderly population near us and a lot of time their grown up children are getting items for them. I've mentioned a delivery idea and it has been met with great enthusiasm by the customers.

3) We hardly have any buggies left. Again.
Rather than going with getting a buggy for a quarter it needs to be a steeper price or more of a consequence.

IDEA: We either charge a hefty deposit which you get back upon return of the buggy, or for minimum wage we have some one sitting in the parking lot keeping an eye on people that leave with buggies. They can then be gently reminded that they can't remove the buggy from the lot as it amounts to theft. Even if we had someone doing that once a week, maybe they'd (the customers) start to get the hint.

4) Since they have been cutting hours all over the place, we seem to be losing more customers and more food. I don't know how many times I have gone to buy fruit especially and find that I must really pick through 8 to 10 packages before I get a good product. There aren't enough people to keep it straight.

* * * * *

So I get to work today and by the second customer I have this weird Karma all over the machine and myself.

Second customer!!! She has a chip card and I tell her to put it in the machine. She does so and I instruct her to enter her 'PIN'. She tells me she doesn't have one. I tell her its probably the same as her debit card. "I don't have a debit card" says she. Well, I don't know what to do and we try it a few times, different ways, and finally it turns out that she HAS the chip, but no pin and all she had do was hit the 'okay' button. It worked! ! ! ! ! The customer behind was 'helping' by saying that you don't need a pin with credit cards. I started to say that that wasn't true but thought it easier to just let her see how it works.

Sure enough, it worked just by her hitting the okay button and signing the slip!!?????

* * * * *

Then I had someone who wanted to buy some bread and other bakery items that all have discount coupons on them. Okay, so I ring in six loaves of various breads each with a coupon. Then there are some danish, also with a coupon. I ring them in but the machine registers it three times! (^%%*&%$$%#%). I go to cancel it and the machine says I have to reverse the coupon first? WHAT coupon? So I try to remove a coupon and then scan the item to remove it, but it doesn't work. I try it a few times different ways, and nothing. I call HC and she comes over and it turns out I have to remove ALL the coupons (6), the 2 extra items that were scanned, then put all the coupons back ON, THEN I can proceed with my job. Thank heaven the next people were patient.

Oh, by the way, when you remove an item, you first hit 'void' then scan the item, then put the paper in the printer, hit the button and it prints; that ONE item. You have to do that each time for each coupon. And you can't leave the paper in the printer. You must re-insert it each time as the printer, very kindly, shoves the paper out the top when it has printed its ONE item.

* * * * *

Later on I had a man with a wife (?) and child, that were from another country, and were buying about $30.00 worth of groceries. He hands me his credit card and I said that it had a chip so he has to put it in the bottom of the machine. He does and then I said you have to hit okay and then enter your pin. "I don't have a pin number." Well its not going to work then. He says he used it yesterday and didn't have to use a pin. I said i don't know how that could happen yesterday and then not allow it today. He kept insisting that he had done it. Finally, I call HC over, again, and she tries to explain to him that it is NOT going to work. He has to call his credit card company and get the pin. He keeps grumbling and finally says, "fine, put all that stuff back."

Okay by me. The couple next in line.... he wanted to pay for their groceries and the wife said no. I talk with him all the time and he asked what I thought. I said for him not to do it. He seemed surprised and the wife says "she works here, listen to her." There was just something a little strange about him trying to say the card worked the day before.

Not an hour later a coworker comes in and I'm telling him about the day and when I get to the last story he says he had someone doing that last night. I said really, what did they look like. He described my customers to a 'T'.

So . . . . . turns out the gut instincts were right.

* * * * *

This post was actually written on Tuesday September 7th, 2010.

Where have YOU been?

2010-08-22T05:59:00.004-04:00

I guess its not until you're gone for a while and come back that you realize how much you are missed.

How's that for an opening sentence?

Anyway, as you know I've had to cut back on hours and as a result I am only working two to three shifts a week. I wish it could be more because I really love my customers. But I can't right now. Too hard on the knees. I could ask for a chair, but that would be like admitting defeat and I've never been one to give in to pain.

So I don't ask and don't want one. The main reason being is that, because my knees only bend so far, the constant getting up and down would probably wear me out faster. Besides which there isn't enough room for a recliner behind the register, anyway. :-)

* * * * *

Things that make it hard to work in our store:

Flowers: We sell some plants and bouquets and lately there have been some absolutely beautiful arrangements come through. You get to enjoy them, if only for a few minutes. And you can speculate why that gorgeous dozen roses is going home with someone.

Customers: They are some of the best people around. How cool is it that you can come in on your day off to get a few items and people are genuinely pleased to see you?

Fellow employees: While there are still a couple of rotten apples, for the most part those we have now are wonderful. There are a couple of girls that I will miss terribly, when they go back to school. AND another couple that I will miss dearly when they graduate and go into their chosen fields.

Food: Do you know how tempting it is to work in a grocery store? Well try working over the late afternoon rush hour. People are on their way home to make dinner and its fun to guess what they are having that night. Best of all is when they come through with a hot chicken or pizza. The aromas are enough to make you crazy.

Variety: I will give this store credit where credit is due. I don't think there are many places where you can see such a cross section of humanity. We have everything from beggars to kings. And several obscure categories in between.

* * * * *

Now about that last one. I have NEVER worked anywhere where people were so forthcoming about their lives etc. The stories I have heard!!!!!

I have shared happiness, joy, sorrow, surgery, break ups, loss, life changing events and most of all friendship.

I love to see the smiles on peoples faces when they come through my line. Or, as I said, when I am in the store to shop and someone spots me and wants to talk. And people actually asking me for advice because they value my opinion!!!????

Even more amazing is to see someone in an entirely different place and have their faces light up when they recognize me and they seemed so thrilled to have run into me?????!!!!!

* * * * *

I know that I am negative a lot on here, but I try to call it like it is, when it is.

That being said, there may be better places to work but there are a LOT more worse ones. And I'm still proud to say that I work for - - - - -.

Now YOU go figure it out. :-)

Apparently, I'm too 'negative'

2010-07-28T14:49:00.002-04:00

I am trying not to be, but it happens. Most people will tell you that it is like that where ever you go/ I know that, better the devil you know than the one you don't.

BUT....

It's not fair to change the rules of the game part way through. This used to be a great place to work. Wonderful. Not too much stress, lovely customers, and great people to work with that really care about their jobs and doing it well.

I won't go on, again about some of the basically useless young people we have as cashiers, but suffice it to say I hope the batch that starts applying in the fall have some sort of work ethic.

Most of us are part-time and as such get paid minimum or, as you collect more and more hours. your pay rate goes up infinitesimally. That's okay, for me, as I can't make too much money or I have to give some back. And, the customers and work ethic used to make up for that. Well, it seems since we went to new ownership a couple years ago, that things are just not as nice.

Unfortunately, because it is a business, they really are only concerned with bottom line. I just wish it didn't have to be so.

* * * * *

The other day I was on express, and I was enjoying it as always, because you are almost constantly busy. You get to deal with a lot of people, and even though about 15% can't seem to count, what the heck. If you're lucky a customer will point it out for you.

Anyway, I'm working away and earlier that day I had been thinking of my elderly gentleman friend who lost his wife last year. I hadn't seen him in a while. I happened to look up and he was going by. He was really smiling. I said hi, and then I had to excuse myself from my customers and just go give him a hug and a kiss. He returned the gestures and it made my day and REALLY made several customers smile. I again apologized for leaving them standing there and every one of them didn't mind and seemed genuinely happy that I took the time to do that.

And, THAT, is one of the reasons I love my store and customers.

________

(So, management, don't screw that up.)

:-)

So what is going on in the minds of management? ? ? ?

2010-07-26T11:02:00.004-04:00

I am not sure what they are trying to do at my store. It seems that they may be trying their hardest to make every one, and I MEAN EVERYone, angry or fed up with the store. The workers are having hours cut like crazy and having to work harder and harder to keep the few customers that the store tries to chase away.

What do you accomplish when you keep cutting hours?

Well, you may save on wages, but..... the workers are getting tired and frustrated because they just see a line of angry people and take the brunt of the complaints.

Let me walk you through a customer experience as even I have experienced it at my store:

The customers are on their way home for supper and they stop in, quickly, at the store. They stop at produce, where, because hours are cut, they have to dig through the strawberry containers to find some that are nice looking and not moldy. (No one is there to take out the packages with bad berries in them)

They go to deli but there is no one there because they are covering hot foods. Another frustrating situation. Next stop is bakery and they have to wait for the one person working there to get back from her break because that's the only time she could take it as she's been running her a** off doing two people's work.

The customers end up waiting in longer and longer lines because there aren't enough cashiers to serve them. One regular and one on express??? And a customer service person that can help, only as long as they aren't selling lottery, doing money transfers, answering the phones, renting Rug Doctors, handling complaints, writing rain checks, auditing trays, or paging for a carry out, which can't happen any too quickly, anyway as the grocery clerk is out collecting the few buggies we have left.

So they wait in the line, some patiently, some not so much, and finally get to you and you scan an item that the price is questioned. You page the dept., and they don't answer because they are chasing buggies, having their break, covering somebody else's station, or don't like to speak on the phone. If you can, you run and check the price or in most cases you are lucky enough that the other cashier knows the price and can holler it to you. Or, you have to make an educated guess because you don't want to lose the sale and you don't want to hold people up. You are also handling question from customers because you are in one spot and they can't find any one else.

* * * * *

I have had several customers tell me that they come to our store because they DO NOT like the competition. So why do we try to chase them away?

Why are we getting some strange manufacturers that haven't been heard from before and making the store look more and more like a bargain basement with out the bargain prices?

And a lot of our prices are the same as our low price sister stores? Lets drive the customers to the competition there as well ! ! ! ! !

Why aren't we listening to customers when they ask for a certain item to be carried in the store?

Why do we insist that they put up with being treated so badly? They are NOT going to keep doing that. Sure the customers that walk to the store will, but the ones with cars? Its just a short drive down the street for them.

Anyway, I am really concerned about the future of our stores. I have even gone so far as to personally write to them with a location that would be ideal for them to open a new store. It is in a section of town where there are new apartments going up next to already established ones. The area has money. There is not another store along that stretch of roadway until you get to the next part of town. More than 5 KMS.

* * * * *

Well that's the rant for the day. Just wanted people to know why work has not been fun anymore. Also it doesn't help when some of the few people we have are kept on when they are constantly late for work or show no consideration for their fellow employees, by being late for work or late back from break.

THE END

New Look, New Stuff

2010-07-15T11:20:00.003-04:00

What do you think of the new look? I felt it might be time to change it up a little. As I was looking around I saw this little gadget for my blog that shows how many countries have looked at my blog. It's to the right and down a bit. It might be interesting to see how many people read me.

* * * * *

Still haven't heard from the police re: The Stalking. Doesn't that make that incident even more of a threatening action from the Red Light Runner?

* * * * *

Its quiet at the store lately. Well, other than irate nutbars threatening to punch me in the face. The students are mostly all gone so with the teachers off and the kids gone it is pretty much just the regulars. That's okay. It will be insane again in September.

* * * * *

I know what I forgot to put in here!!! Canada Day (July 1st, to anyone outside the country) the store was closed. I had taken the dog for a walk and the way I went I was going to pass within a block of the store. I decided to add the block and just drive by to see if anyone was banging on the doors trying to get in. As I approach I notice the parking lot looks messy. So I pulled into the lot and some schmuck(s) had been by during the night and thrown several of the 33 pound bags of soil around. Many had been stomped on so as to break them open, but luckily they were not spilled. Also, our garbage pail had been tipped and dumped. What kind of useless person does that? Why, just because we were closed? What did it accomplish?

I couldn't leave it looking like that. I don't know why I couldn't just drive by and let someone else worry about it themselves.

Its where I work!! I care about the look of the store. So I spent 1/2 an hour carrying them all back and piling the damaged ones to one side. Carrying 15 or so HEAVY bags was not easy. It was close to 500 pounds by the time I was done. And I was done. I didn't have it in me to pick up the garbage and I was hoping someone else would. Don't know if they did.

It was one of those things where I thought afterward maybe I shouldn't have done anything because the police might need to see it or whatever. Anyway, when I mentioned it at work no one really seemed to care so..... at least I did what I felt was right.

* * * * *

I've been taking a lot of pictures lately. I love to practice composing photos. I like to have pictures that make you say 'wow'. Hope you like this one:

It just kept getting better. (a long post)

2010-07-11T08:29:00.002-04:00

Sorry this is so long, but with all the excitement it caused I promised I would post the story.

*****

Yesterday my snake died. I really didn’t want to go to work because I knew I wouldn’t be thinking about just the job.

Anyway, I started in to work, and I go to Cathedral Park to sit in the shade a little. When it comes time to leave I pull up to the entranceway and wait until it looks like the way is clear. Also, I have to get across about three lanes to get to where I want to be. I pull out, and a car that was quite a way back comes up behind me pretty fast.

One of those “you’re not filling in my spot” people. He speeds up so that he’s right at the back end of my car and has to slow down hard. He then determines that I am going too slow and pulls out around me. He lays on the gas and promptly drives through a red light.

I get to the store parking lot and I’m about to turn in when I see his car sitting at the corner of Longwood and King. Being the impulsive person I sometimes can be I decided to go and see what an idiot looks like. I pulled up behind him and put my right signal on. He turns and starts to speed up Longwood, I sped up a little but then slow again as the speed is 40kmh on that street. He pulls away from me as I come to the stop sign that he just coasted through. I make a proper stop and look in all directions. Clear to go. I look up and he’s gone and I have to get to work anyway so I turn at the intersection. He’s sitting in the middle of the road at the other end of the street. I pulled past him, smiled and waved and stopped at the corner. I then turned right up Paradise and I hear a screeching of tires behind me. He has come around the corner very fast and is now right on my bumper. He stays there even as I slow down to a crawl. I make my proper stops and he follows me through. (apparently, my stop covered us both)

When I get back to King I turn right again then make the left into our parking lot. I have just got backed in when there is another screeching of tires and he has parked across the front of me. I look up and I smiled and waved because I didn’t know what to say to him. He yells at me “so you like f***** following cars do you?” With that he pulls away and goes back down Longwood.

One of my fellow employees came over and asked what that was all about. I briefly told him and he said the guy was an idiot.

We are still talking when I see the car again. He parks at the other entrance to the store, across the parking lot, and motions his fingers to me like “bring it on”. I just look at him so he points and indicates I come here again.

It’s almost time to go in to work but I still have a few minutes so I take my time. As I approach the store I can see one of the head cashiers looking out the door at me. By now my fellow employee has entered the store and is at my defense telling the guy to leave the store. I have now clocked in and got to the customer service desk where he is waiting for the manager. They are busy. Another person comes out and he proceeds to tell her what ever. I think he wanted me fired, killed, stoned, set on fire and other wise disposed of.

Because nothing happened on store property, they tell him there is nothing they can or would do.

He left and then came back again later to again speak to a manager. He thought I had left because my car was moved. (He appeared to me to be irrational enough to do something to my car, so I thought it best to move it where I could see it.)

After my break I heard that he came back and told them that he had got my license number and reported me to the police. They would be talking to me.I start to hear what his complaints were from what he has told people, All the things he says I did are what he did to me.

I cut him off, I tail gated him, I forced him through a yellow (it was red) light and the only reason I thought it was red was because I didn't have the guts to go through it?????

Now, I try to be a good driver. I really follow the speed limits and signs on the city streets. I have had my car rear-ended three times; two times by people that didn't think they should slow down or stop, plus one time on the highway by someone following too closely.

The next morning I drove over to the store to get some items that were on sale and as I am driving through downtown I see a white car out the corner of my eye. I glance over and son of a gun if it isn't the same guy. This was at 5:10 AM.

He never looked over at me and as soon as the light changed he went speeding off and left me in his dust. Within seconds he was several blocks ahead of me and crossing lanes without signaling. I wonder what he would have done if he'd seen me?

I am not sure whether I should contact the police myself. He has told lies about the situation. He has told people in MY store that he would punch me in the face. He has tried to scare me by telling fellow employees that he has my information.

He has basically threatened me.

* * * * *

While this was going on at work, no one from management asked if I was okay. They DID call me and tell me to "do something" and then later sent out a printout from a transaction I performed where I where I keyed in a quantity instead of a ten digit number six times. "You only use the quantity button for produce and bakery."

I know people think I'm weird but...

2010-07-06T10:59:00.006-04:00

I am extremely sad today. A pet I have had since it was 14 inches long and 1 month old, died last night. This was a beautiful animal. She has been at show and tell (so to speak) at the store a few times and always drew a crowd in the parking lot.

I was also invited to do a kid's birthday party and one person who was petrified of snakes actually ended up with the snake around her neck. THAT is how gentle this snake was.

I'd like to think that her and I enlightened a few people about how amazing these beautiful creatures are. I am going to miss Feather very much. Yes, I know they don't come when you call, or show any kind of recognition or emotion towards you, but they are very interesting anyway. When she died she was 8 1/2 feet long and twelve years old.

You say its your birthday

2010-06-09T10:55:00.005-04:00

Well it is.

Today I turned 59.

59????

When the hell did that happen? I don't feel like I'm 59.
Although, I must be if I have been knitting for just over 50 years.

Anyway, I should have taken the day off. I am down today for some reason, whether its the age or the rainy day. I don't know.

* * * * *

I still like most of my customers. I say most because there are still some whack jobs out there. Two ladies the other day. One putting the groceries up and the other wandering away doing more shopping. I ask the first lady if she want's bags. "Sure". Okay, I start to bag and ring through and am minding my own business, when the first one returns.

"I DIDN'T ASK YOU FOR BAGS!"

For a second I had to stop and think who she was because I didn't realize they had switched positions. With the tone of voice she used you'd have thought I just licked her packages or something. I take the stuff out and then I asked her if she wanted me to take the bags off the meat as well. Now THAT took a while to decide. Finally I just put them down and figured I'd continue with the rest of the order while she worked through her dilemma.

* * * * *

I have this lady who I know for a fact has a smoking machine for a husband and she may smoke as well. She never looks healthy and almost has a gray colour to her face. Anyway, she's friendly enough, but I absolutely hate having her come through the register because of the stench coming off her clothes. Its like an ashtray that has never been emptied. And for some reason she likes me so goes out of her way to come through my register. oh, yay!

* * * * *

Had to be 'talked' to the other day. I was over $50.00 on the tray which means there was a cash back that I didn't give. I think I know who it was but I also had two 'new' girls on either side of me that night and both had problems they needed help with. I am sure that it was during that time that my customer asked for the money. I rang it through and with the questions and the customer chatting with me I forgot to give it to her.

I was almost certain they'd come back for it. Too bad I can't remember the actual customer, just the situation. (damn)

* * * * *

I was away on vacation three weeks ago. Went to Gettysburg, PA again and just loved it. It was a nice rest and when I got back my knees weren't hurting at all. I was actually able to go up my stairs with ease. That has prompted me to cut my hours down to 16 - 17 per week. I also don't intend to work both days of a weekend anymore. That's what the young kids are for. I'd prefer not to work any weekends but that isn't practical. When I was a teenager working in a grocery store, I used to get the real early morning shifts and the evenings etc. All the stuff that the more mature people didn't want.

Well, now I'm one of those mature older people.

A Rabbi and a Priest go into a grocery store...

2010-05-03T11:42:00.002-04:00

Seriously, yesterday I drew the first cashier shift so it put me at work for 7 AM!!! Only had to go until 1:30 but its a longer shift than I like to do, mainly because its hard on the knees. Also, being on cash one there is no place to put a foot up to take some pressure off the back.

Anyway, about 3/4 of an hour into the shift comes the Rabbi. I really like this man. He is so sweet and he does a lot of cooking for his synagogue. He was buying a bunch of interesting stuff. I asked him what was going on and he said he was getting ready to cook a brunch for 120 people he doesn't even know. Then he said they probably won't appreciate it either. I had to chuckle. He is sometimes very serious and you can't kid with him but this time he started the fun. We ended up agreeing to arrange to get arrested and go to the jail my brothers work at in order to get preferential treatment. He was okay with that as long as they kept him for the weekend and confiscated his cell phone.

Not two hours later my line up is as noisy as usual when it suddenly gets sort of quiet. I look up to see a Priest standing there. What I also noticed is that everyone sort of changed attitude. They were subdued and polite, like they were afraid to say anything. Amazing what a white collar can do to a crowd.

It wasn't until I got home last night that I realized how close I was to hitting the trifecta and having the perfect joke. Where is a minister when you need one?

People are weird and ...? Yeah, just weird.

2010-05-01T17:58:00.004-04:00

We had boneless, skinless chicken breast on special a week ago. Had a lady come through and as I go to put the chicken in a small plastic bag (so as to prevent any transfer from chicken to other products) I notice a slight tear in the package. I mentioned it to her and asked if she wanted to get another one. She said it may have ripped on the buggy but she'll take it and repack it at home.

I thought, okay, I wouldn't but what the heck. So I go to put it down to get a little bag and notice as its sitting on the scale that it doesn't weigh what the label says it should weigh. I tell her and she says well I won't take it then.

I put it aside and continue with her order making small talk about how someone may have ripped it open and stolen one. Weird???? Yes but I have learned to expect anything when it comes to stealing. Just in my general conversation as I was bagging I commented on how we've had people stealing all sorts of things. She asked me if that happens a lot. I told her yeah, that we've had people steal pay for a tube of toothpaste and then walk out with two more 99 cent tubes in their jacket and get caught. As I get to the end of her order, she says she'll take it anyway. I asked if she was sure and she said she was. So I packed it up for her to take and charged her what the label said.

I am still wondering what the story was behind that chicken breast. There is no way in hell I would have taken that package. It looked suspicious. The lady behind her commented that her package also had the same number of breasts in it but I pointed out that hers was also a couple of dollars cheaper and didn't have a hole in the packaging.

Do you think maybe my customer was silly enough to think she was paying less by taking the breast out and just paying for 4 instead of five? And that the fifth one was in a small bag in her purse? HMMmmmmm

* * * * *

Had a new customer that told me it was his first time in the store today. I said "wow, and you got stuck with me for a cashier!!" He said he liked the store but it was me that will bring him back. :-)

* * * * *

As I walked in the store the other day a lady looked at me and my name tag and she says "YOU!!!".
I said "I didn't do it."
She says yes you did.

"Then, I hope I was supposed to do it."

She said yes, that it was her son that was always talking about this cashier and that she had been in the store and gone through my register. She remembered my name and asked her son if that was me. He said "Yes, she's my favourite cashier and I always go through her line. She always comments about how healthy I eat!"

My hubby is amazed that someone has a 'favourite' cashier.

The next day doesn't he see this story on CNN about a man who had a favourite cashier and always went through her line. One day he commented that she looked tired and it turned out she was on dialysis and she needed a kidney. He had the testing done and found he was compatible with her. They went ahead with it.

Just a little something for my customers to remember. Just in case, you know.

* * * * *

Today, was quiet at first and then started to pick up. The students in the area are moving. Some moving out, some in, some to another place down the street. So we had so much cleaning stuff leaving the store, today. I bet the shelves are nearly empty. PLUS, we had a "buy one, get one of equal or lesser value" sale on a LOT of stuff. One couple left with $180.00 (CDN) of groceries, etc. and EVERYTHING was a twofer. So she actually took home about $360.00 worth of stuff.

Those sales make for busy days. I just hope they never get the idea to have a sale like this over Easter weekend.

AAAAAARRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGHHHHHH ! ! ! ! ! ! !!

Why don't Bosses learn !!!?????

2010-04-24T18:39:00.005-04:00

1) Okay, so we're busy as the dickens, scanning our little fingers to the bone, all cashiers out front trying to deal with the line up, when head cashier gets paged to pick up the bat phone.
"Yes?"
your light isn't on.
(WTF) She has a line up of customers and you've just paged her to make her stop and listen to your dumb observation while taking her time away from her customer. I think they had figured out that she was open.

Several days later:

2) We have one cashier, temporarily, on express (me), one doing office work (priority) who is also to handle customer service (CS) when the first CS person is busy on cash (which she was), one on a regular register and one (the express cashier) that is on lunch at the moment. The line ups are not long and we are doing pretty good. Then a product demonstrator asks me to scan a plastic table gadget set for a customer as the little old lady wanted to know how much it was. Okay, I'm not busy right now so I scan it and its not in our system. (This in itself is odd because the same question came up the other day and its not clarified yet?)

The demonstrator says there are all these prices over there but its hard to figure out which one it is. So I leave the register (no customers at the moment) to see if I can figure it out. I tell her a low price that looked like it could be the product and suddenly she can read the sign enough to point it out to me that it says something slightly different. All the time she is talking but not listening to me. I now have a line up again, so I tell her I have to go back to work and that I will call someone to help her.

In the meantime, Big Brother is watching on the cameras and decides that he will send out the office worker. He calls the regular cashier to tell her to tell a customer to go to register 3 and office worker will be out to help her. Office worker (OW) comes out to help at customer service (her other priority) and customer has gone to 3. Express girl is back now and I return to my register. Regular cashier comes to tell office worker that BB told her that she (OW) is to go to 3, whereupon office worker is confused and slightly angry and says she is already helping a customer at Customer Service. Regular cashier is taken aback by the slight anger as she is only doing what she was told. (Obviously, BB didn't tell OW which customer he wanted her to help.) When I return to 4, my spot for the day, I see this lady standing at 3 with her groceries all piled up. (at this point I was unaware of the BB call) I told her that no one was coming there but that I would help her on 4 and I start to take her groceries over. She says okay, but she had been perfectly fine waiting at the other register in the first place.

So.... We have a cashier who got spoken to harshly, because she thought she was doing what she was told to do.

We have the office worker confused about what she should have done, because she wasn't told what she was expected to do, so did what she thought was the priority.

We have a customer who was confused and inconvenienced because she had to move and then left standing there and only one person knowing why she was there.

We have same customer wondering why she had to move, when she had been perfectly fine waiting where she was. She didn't have a problem with it.

We have customers picking up on the slight tension because the flow was disrupted. They thought all was okay before the stone got thrown in the pond. (mob mentality)

Before that silly little phone call, everything was fine. We have been doing this a long time and can tell when we need extra help. In fact this all started to happen because the little old lady wanted to buy this stupid little plastic thing that should have had its information cleared up a few days previous.

We have two cashiers who are upset because they did what they were told to do and it turned out to be 'wrong'.

If it had just been left alone, there would have been no tension on the floor, the customers would have been served, and none of them would have known there was a 'problem'. In fact there wasn't even a problem until the customer asked about the plastic table thing.

That same product came up the other day and BB said, then, that it was $10.00 or whatever, but it was never added to the computer. When OW tells the customer what BB says it should cost she points out that that isn't one of the prices on the display. If BB had just come out and dealt with the customer himself and left us to do OUR jobs we wouldn't have had a little ripple turn into a big wave that took several minutes to dissipate.

In other words.......

Have faith in your employees to do their jobs and don't try to micro manage or to try and curry favour with customers by making announcements that can't be fulfilled. Most people don't know there is a problem until you paint it red and put a big arrow over it.

Customers. Again.

2010-04-17T22:46:00.002-04:00

So, over the past week, there have been interesting goings on.

First off, its now officially five weeks since I was the victim du jour. Kinda neat. Makes the job so much more enjoyable.

* * * * *

The rest of this is about various customers last week.

- Had a guy who I've seen quite regularly for a long time. Always basically nice. Anyway, today he was a little louder than normal and a little inappropriate with some of his language. Too boorish, and a little rude. Also some cursing involved; or at least curse words. I think he was a tad hungover but wasn't close enough to smell booze. Luckily another customer finally came and he cleared out.

- One of the cashiers was busy counting change out of her tray when this customer comes up quietly behind her and asks her, in a hushed tone, "Do you have a fifty dollar bill?" Not a good thing to do when someone is busy and unaware of someone creeping up behind them. She nearly jumped out of her skin. Turns out he wanted a 100 or a 50 so he could give it as a gift. Still, don't creep up behind people. At least clear your throat or something.

- Some of our buggies have a child seat that is positioned in such a way as to leave a small gap under it where the odd few items can slide. I've learned to check that because you never know what you'll find under there, that a customer has forgotten about. So, this lady puts her stuff on the belt and I ring it through. There are about five items under the seat of her cart. I took them out and put them on the belt and this is what followed:

I asked her if she wanted the little package of salad dressing. She says "it comes free with the salad." I said not that kind and besides you didn't buy a salad. "Oh, well, then I don't want it."

Then you don't want the other one either? Looks at me a little wide eyed and says no.

Okay, do you want the blueberries.
"Aren't they free?"
Uh, no.
"Then I don't want them."

Same thing happened with a can of cat food, and two other smallish items.

Now she had paid for all the other stuff, it was bagged and she was going to leave with these items in her cart. She seemed quite surprised that I called her on them and that she couldn't just have them. I've never seen her before so I don't know if this is something she does all the time. I will give her credit for being the most brazen thief I've seen.

- Had a lady buying a giant watermelon for $4.99 and I asked if she wanted a bag. "Do you charge for them?" Yes, a nickel. She seemed a little perturbed that I wanted to charge her a nickel and she was NOT paying for a bag. Fine, thinks I. I'm not wearing a light coloured suit jacket and going to have to carry a dirty watermelon.

- A customer today told me that I was in the wrong business. I should be on an improv stage.

- A customer two nights ago said that her husband thinks I should be in a customer relations training position and that he wanted her to tell me that. That was nice.

- Two weeks ago a customer went out of her way to tell the big boss that we were wonderful cashiers and that she especially liked the way I treated her and her elderly mother, and that I bagged the items so carefully. I only know this as another cashier overheard her talking to him. None of the conversation was ever mentioned to me by management. In fact none of the good things customers say about us gets back to us. We no longer get an appreciation pin or certificate, either.

Sorry its been so long since the last post.

Two Actual Customers and a Compilation

2010-03-20T23:02:00.004-04:00

I had these two actual customers on Friday and forgot to mention them. The first one was this very elderly gentleman who came into the store for the first time last week. I don't mind helping BUT he expects us to load the groceries into his little bundle buggy ! He showed up again yesterday and it was clear that I was to get the buggy and again arrange everything in there so it would all fit.

In most ways not a big deal. BUT it would be so much nicer to be asked to do it than it be an expected service. It is further made difficult because the buggy is very low to the ground and my back just can't take being bent over like that.

* * * * *

The second customer is this woman yapping away on her cell phone who never said hello or even acknowledged me. She starts putting stuff up and I start to ring it in. I am waiting for her to say something to me about bags or whatever, and finally figured I should ask if she has bags. I didn't raise my voice, in fact I lowered it (my way of dealing with someone rude enough to be talking on the cell phone). She said she didn't need a bag so I finish putting stuff up on the end for her. She finally asks the person on the phone if she can call her back, "she's sort of busy".

Really?? What are you doing, besides being rude to me - the lowly wench ringing your groceries through.

She finally puts a bag at the end on top of everything and just leaves it there. I now have three more customers in line. I noticed she didn't seem to be doing anything so I asked if she needed me to bag for her, not expecting the answer I got.

"Yes."

The woman had no freaking manners! ! ! ! No consideration for any one else. She didn't care that she was holding other people up. And she never even tried to help. Just figured that is was her right to be waited on.

The other customers were shocked by what she did.

Just rude.

* * * * *

The third type of customer is again very inconsiderate. Or has no common sense, or something.

You ask if they want bags, they say "no." You ask would you like me to bag for you. "No, I'll do it myself."

Or they say they'll put it in their backpack or something.

Anyway, you put the items at the end and I arrange them by hot, cold, fragile, produce or whatever applies. I basically make a bagging 'kit' in that if you use common sense I have laid the groceries out in a way that makes bagging easier.

Here's where it gets good. One of three things happens:

1) they take their sweet ass time about getting the items in the bag, backpack, whatever and hold up your processing of the next customer.

2) they stand there, playing with a cell phone while everything is left sitting until they remember what they were doing. Again, leaving me no where to put the next customer's items.

OR

3) they stand there, trying to find the keys or money or bags or common sense, FINALLY load their stuff and then struggling to carry everything will walk around the buggy and just leave it there to block other people.

YOU ARE GOING THAT WAY. PUT THE GROCERY BAGS IN THE BUGGY, PUSH IT TO WHERE YOU GOT IT FROM, THEN TAKE YOUR BAGS OUT AND LEAVE THE STORE.

Simple.

More about buggy woes another day.

Woo Hoo ! ! ! !

2010-03-19T22:49:00.004-04:00

You know what was nice about today? I worked with three other people that know how to work. They got their jobs done, they didn't disappear on me, they were helpful and they were dependable. They actually only took 15 minute breaks too! ! ! !

What a PLEASURE! ! ! ! Thanks ladies! ! !

* * * * *

Guess what??!!!

I made it through a whole week without getting in trouble or doing something wrong. Correct that: being TOLD I did something wrong.

At one point I thought I was in for it. I was paged to pick up the white phone and I thought this is it. But turned out they wanted to know if I'd take a shift tomorrow (Saturday). I said no but afterward thought I should have said yes and given away a shift next week. I only have one day off next week. :-(

* * * * *

So yesterday, I'm working next to Molasses Girl, and talking to one of my customers about how we have to keep them moving through and the fact that I'm slow etc. Getting a chuckle out of it and some genuine surprise from the customer about the fact that I am SO SLOW !

Anyway, after the customer leaves MG turns and says "that's 'our' problem. We're too nice." NICE???? What in the hell has that got to do with how fast you do your job? I watched yesterday because I was behind her and saw that I do indeed scan at a much higher speed. Where I am losing speed, according to the way they time it, is that while I am waiting for customers to get their change or card or whatever, the timer on the keyboard is still running. So I am working hard at remembering to log out every time I am waiting more than two seconds for anything.
A N Y T H I N G! ! ! ! !

Lets see if that satisfies them.

There must be some other way you can judge how well the cashier is working.

Amount of money?
Number of customers?

I don't know.

The Latest Stuff

2010-03-18T08:42:00.004-04:00

Tuesday's drawer was over by 2 cents. Customer left a nickel in change and I used three pennies for customers who didn't have one.

I ended up taking yesterday (Wednesday) off. By Tuesday evening my knee was so sore I couldn't bend it to walk. Its rather hard to move around when your leg is straight. Anyway, I knew that if I was in on Wednesday morning, being second cashier in would have me in the position of having to put away the go-backs from the night before. (Those are items that people change their mind about and are left at the register.)

Rather than hurt my knee more I was able to find a young girl willing to take the shift for me. So, I gave it away. I don't like to do that. I prefer the early shifts as I am a morning person, but I just couldn't do it.

Plus the second shift in is not as pleasant as it used to be. Too much tension and watching to see if you'll make a mistake.

* * * * *

Its sad how something can be said between one employee and another, and then have that conversation overheard, partially, by a third person. The third person tells a fourth person and when you hear about it again the story is changed into you having tried to get something done wrong. And YOU did it to be snotty???!!!!

A Quickie

2010-03-16T12:54:00.003-04:00

Just a quick post as I am off to work in an hour.

Yesterday several of my regular customers came through and I proceeded to tell them that I have been told I'm too slow and too chatty. Were they EVER surprised by those comments!!

I will continue to tell my customers what happens to me.

I am trying to get the hang of logging out the terminal every time I stop for even a second. You then have to log back in which effectively takes time away from the customer and I'm sure by the end of the day/week/month/year those NANO seconds will all add up.

I worked with Slower then Molasses Girl and had two and a half orders through in the time she took to get one. And no it wasn't like my customers had two items and hers had a million. That must be why it takes her 20minutes to do a fifteen minute break. And why she is ALWAYS late for work.

I also had three different customers say how impressed they were with the fact that I got all their groceries into the bags they brought and did it so well.

* * * * *

Well, off to work now and we'll see how today's customers react. By the way, my cash drawer was over by three cents yesterday. The same three cents I found on the floor and did NOT put in my pocket.

NOW what ? ? ? ?

2010-03-12T23:33:00.003-05:00

So I got told, at the end of my shift, that the boss wanted to see me. I'm thinking WTF have I done now?

I knock on the door and am told to enter. I asked if I need a union rep with me. I was told if you needed one I'd be sure to have one here.

Anyway . . . .

Turns out I am too slow. They have this scan per minute crap that we are judged on. That would be how many items you can scan through in an hour. You can log the machine into sleep mode between customers, but apparently doing that in the middle of an order is good too. All well and good, I guess, because I do tend to get the older customers and they do take a little longer to get their cards ready or their change or what have you.

Oh yeah, and I should spend less time talking. Apparently the customer I'm dealing with is okay about it, but the next customer in line is pissed because I am taking so long. Funny, I am pretty good at reading my customers and I don't remember having too many aggravated ones. What I do see are faces eager to be coming through my line and people that seem to be pleased with the personal attention they receive. I also see people very happy to have their groceries packed in a decent manner.

So, I think I'll put a sign up that says "Please have the answers to these questions ready as I don't have time to talk:

Do you want bags?
Do you want me to pack your bags?
Do you have an Air Miles card?
Are you paying with debit?

Then I need to wear a sign that says "No personal conversation allowed. I don't have time."

* * * * *

Why is it that, once again, it is pointed out how bad I am at something but never am I called in to be told how a customer has been pleased about something? I guess I haven't pleased any of them. Hmmm

* * * * *

Yesterday, this woman comes through the line and says "oh, I forgot my purse and don't have a credit card. " I said, "that's a shame" , and then I expected . . . . I don't really know what I expected. I didn't expect her to just walk away and leave everything on the belt and not say another word to me. I think an "I'm sorry" would have been nice, but . . . nothing.

She just left about ten items on the belt and walked off. Three of the items were perishable and had to get back to their appropriate departments immediately. But she just left!

* * * * *

So in the past month, I have been told about my shoes, the $20.00 missing from my tray, my (non-dress) pants, my talking and my slowness. I wonder what's left that I can screw up? ? ? ?

* * * * *

PS. I don't know if I wrote about the $20.00. but about three weeks ago, I came up over (so I was originally told) on my tray. The only thing I could think was that I had forgotten to give someone their cash back. Normally a customer will come back to get their money. I then happened to go into 2 days off. I come back and am about an hour and 15 into a five hour shift when I am called off register and told that the boss wants to see me. (When money goes missing they have to 'counsel' you and tell you to smarten up) I was asked what happened to the $20.00 and I said I think I must have not given some one their cash-back and that was when I found out that I was actually under $20.00.

Then I am asked what happened? What the hell kind of question is that? How the heck do I know? I didn't intentionally give someone too much. And if I mistakenly did that then how would I know? THAT'S why its called a 'mistake'. I can understand the being careful and stuff, but I am usually within 10 cents or so of a perfect tray, so for something like this to happen is strictly a MISTAKE. It wasn't carelessness on my part, evidenced by the fact that I am so close the rest of the time. It was just a mistake. Maybe two bills stuck together. I DON'T KNOW! ! ! ! !

I see where they have their rules and crap, but geeeeees!!!

Why can't "Undercover Boss" (TV reality show) come to my store?

2010-03-09T13:12:00.007-05:00

I've seen two of these programs and it has been very interesting. The first one was the boss for Waste Management in the US, and the second one I saw was for White Castle.

It is really great when the boss comes in and no one knows who he is. They find out what it is like with their 'rules' and 'regulations' and how it can actually negatively affect the employees.

For example: We, as cashiers, have to wear a 3/4 sleeve on a shirt that you can basically see through. So not only do the sleeves bug you but the fact that you are half naked isn't comfortable. I guess you don't mind too much when you are one of the pert young things that get to wear the really cute bras, but what about us old fogies that have to wear an industrial strength one just to keep everything controlled?

And the blouses are very short in the body as well. They can't be tucked in so they are worn outside the pants and as long as you don't move much they stay down. But when you're bagging groceries and leaning over to put stickers on things, and making change or just about anything else besides breathing . . . .you are showing skin. And I DON'T want to do that!!! Thank you very much.

Also, such a big deal is made about uniform, including shoes when the cashier's feet can't even be seen by a customer. We have to stand for as little as four hours a day and sometimes as much as eight and a half hours a day. We have a corrugated mat to stand on and that is all. So, shoes factor into your comfort A LOT!!!!

There is also not really a place to put a foot up comfortably unless you are my height. The shorter girls have it tougher and if you work express there is nothing at all for comfort. You need to put a foot up once in a while to take the stress off the back muscles.

And while I'm at it, what ever happened to ergonomics in the workplace?? Huh?? That's what I want to know. How is it good for you to be crossing your body all day long while checking groceries? There were some things about the 'old days' that were better. You stood sideways to the groceries and passed your arm to the side of your body. You could also lean on one leg or the other to get some relief. But now, you cross everything in front of you and have to twist from side to side. Not good and NOT an improvement over the olden days.

* * * * * *

So, you may have got the idea from my posts that I am vehemently opposed to stealing. I absolutely HATE the notion of anyone stealing and sure as hell would NEVER steal anything myself.

So why am I being watched now because I "picked up a penny and put it in my pocket".

Yup, you got it. I am ripping the store off a penny at a time!!!

I pick up money sure. Then I put it on my register counter to be used when a customer doesn't have a penny or a nickel. I once found a $5.00 bill and turned it in and then got it after a month when no one showed up to claim it.

I AM NOT A THIEF and the thought that anyone where I work thinks I am is not only ludicrous but an insult of the highest kind.

They obviously don't remember the night I shorted myself $20.00 by thinking a customer had dropped the money and then when I realized it came out of my drawer immediately asked for a tray audit and then proceeded to cry uncontrollably because I was so upset.

I wrote about that in here previously.

http://theunknowncashier.blogspot.com/2008/12/to-newspaper.html

The End. For now.

Please

2010-02-16T00:25:00.001-05:00

Yesterday would have been my Dad's 93rd birthday.

I miss him and my Mom terribly.

Please hug your Mom and Dad today.

Odd and Ends

2010-02-15T18:09:00.004-05:00

I wasn't sure what to title this one. It covers a lot of little things.

* * * * *

We've hired a few new people lately. A total of about 6 or 7 I think. Anyway, its interesting to see what you get. I have had the pleasure of doing secondary training on two, a girl and a guy. Primary training is done by one of our head cashiers and then an experienced cashier will be assigned to watch them through a shift and to be there to offer help and advice as needed.

Its pretty 'easy' work but taxing because you aren't doing the job but have to be very alert to make sure mistakes don't happen.

I really like the young lady I worked with. Very smart, great with the customers and at ease with the job. The young man I trained, has worked one other job before. He didn't have to use his head as much as you do on this job and I wonder if he'll stick it out. I hope so. It is great training for the future for any young person.

Actually, I feel that EVERY one should have to work my side of a counter for at least a week just to know what it is like. Maybe they'd be better customers ! ! ! !

* * * * *

I have had more customers over the past few weeks comment about how nice it is to see me there. They like my attitude (always cheerful), they LOVE the way I pack their groceries, and they love that I treat them with respect. Conversely, I have also had several customers tell me they were wondering where I was as they hadn't seen me. That's strange because I have been there almost every day.

* * * * *

A week or so ago, I had a bit of a melt down at work. I have been working in pain for quite a while. I need my knees done and I shouldn't be standing for long periods of time. So I have myself to blame really. I could ask for a chair but then I think I'd be admitting defeat. (Yeah, I know . . . . stubborn).

So, I am working away, talking to a customer I deal with quite a lot, and putting his groceries at the back. He has bags, but hasn't given them to me yet. Okay. Then he puts them at the end and I just haven't grabbed them yet, when a superior comes over and tells me "the bags fit in here you know. (indicating the brackets we have). You are supposed to bag the groceries. " That implied to me that I wasn't doing my job. It was inappropriate and plain petty if you ask me.

Later that day I get told I have to go see the boss in his office. Immediately I wonder what I have done, because they have NEVER called any one into the office to tell them they did something good. So I close down when I can, go knock on the door, and get invited in. By now I am pretty upset. On the verge of tears, which really ticked me off. I guess I have been in more pain than I thought and more tired than normal because suddenly the stress got to me. When I am in the office I am 'counseled'. Apparently I forgot to write down the employees name after giving them a discount on their order. The silly thing about this rule is, that I, personally can't do a discount. I must call a head cashier person to come and key it in. So, it is NOT like I just arbitrarily did it.

Secondly, I am told that I am supposed to be wearing black dress pants and black shoes. I asked what these were that I was wearing and was told that they are jeans. That's odd, because when I bought them they were black dress pants. They even have a small stripe in them. I explained that and also said the reason I wore them was because "the arse is torn out of my other pants from all the jagged edges of metal on our registers." I further told him I had been promised new pants from the company over a year ago and still hadn't received them.

I said that I need to wear orthotics. My knees are bad enough without having to stand for long periods of time in dress shoes in a position where my shoes can not even be seen.

I then went on to explain that I thought it rather odd that we make a big deal about pants and shoes hidden behind a counter but nothing is done about people that show up late, don't show up at all because they were out drinking the night before they had a shift, leave early, don't stay at their register, take overly long breaks, etc, etc, etc.

All this was said by a blubbering cashier, who was fed up with being picked on about such trivial things when the service to customers is not even take into consideration.

I intend to talk to them again. The way people are treated there is getting to be a little much. For some reason every once in a while there is an "eat the weak one" attitude that pervades the place.

You know this job is a lot of work for very little money. When you get people that are good with the customers and do a decent job, then they should be given consideration and treated well.

It isn't right that we feel like we're walking on eggs sometimes.

* * * * *

My blog is international now (well, Canada AND The United States). I have a follower from California and one from Utah.

* * * * *

And last, but by no means least. I have met our customer who won the free groceries for a year. He is a really nice young man. He calls me by my name like he's known me forever and I saw him twice in three days. Yesterday, him and a friend were to be my last customers and they were goofing around while I served the person in front of them. I told him I saw what he was doing, and then when serving him and his friend I got yacking with him about all kinds of silly things. Just small talk stuff. I mentioned that he looked like he had party type stuff there, and he said" you want to come party with us?" I said sure, next thing I know he's asking me for my phone number. (Yeah !)

Anyway, we were just goofing and it was fun, but I told him that story would make it into the blog. So here it is.

Thanks for making me smile. :-)

Again... Why can't I have a taser with me?

2010-01-16T11:03:00.006-05:00

Okay, first off is the guy who walks up, puts his groceries on the belt and then holds out a little bottle of hand sanitizer for me to use before I proceed????!!!!!

Double U,
Tee,
EFF.

I appreciate that you may not want people touching your stuff, but what makes you think that the belt, for example, is cleaner than my hands? What gives you the right to assume I have not washed my hands or made every effort to keep them clean? Did you see me with my finger up my nose or something?

He came through my register about a month ago and it has been bugging me ever since. Well, he came through two days ago at the cashier next to me and did the same thing. It pi**ed me off a lot. I don't know why, it just did. I think if he does it to me again I am going to insist he wipe his hands with the Purell sani-wipes that we each have at our register. Why would I want to touch his money, credit cards etc? I have no idea where they've been.

There I feel slightly better.

*****

So, the other day, I had an early shift. Second cashier in. Its usually not too busy at that time of the day, BUT because you're second in, first cashier has been waiting for you so that she may have her first break of the day. All well and good except that six people showed up just as we were trying to make the switch over. They ALL wanted to get somewhere fast. So I go back to my register and open up when the debit machine at register one decides it doesn't like this customer's card. So she has to come to my machine to process the debit which means that both registers are tied up. Luckily the customers are all people we've dealt with before and are understanding.

First cashier finally gets to go on break and I am handling express while she's gone. All goes well. She comes back I return to my register and this lady comes up with about 8 items, ALL having discount coupons on them. I start to run them through and doesn't she decide she won't take the cheese flat-bread (x2) because they're more expensive than the plain one. Mind you she is getting it with $1.50 off which puts it pretty low, but not good enough.

SOOOOO..... in order to take it off you have to reverse the discount coupon and the item off the bill. And of course the machine says you have to return the coupon first. Tried that! Didn't work! Tried different combos and still can get it to work. She's getting more aggravated now because "she has to go!"

I call cashier one to do an override which will be the quickest way to get it off and her out of the store. She is complaining and pi**ing and moaning because"she has to go" and " can't you just take it off?"

"yes, ma'am I know, but I have to take it off your bill."

"I have to leave!"

"I know. Do you want the items then?"

"No! Can't you just take them off?"
"That's what we're trying to do, ma'am."

Finally we just did an override with the coupons back on and got rid of the $2.99 (x2) and got her the heck out of my face. Yes that's right, the two cheese flat-breads were going to set her back $1.49 EACH. all she was going to pay was FIFTY CENTS more for each one above the plain price.

And THAT is yet another reason why I want my own personal little taser. Just a little one. Enough to give them a minutes worth of time out. Maybe the pretty little silver one to go with my uniform.

*****

And one little aside. Sometimes we lose our temper with customers. We are only human and as such can only put up with so much crap from person to person. Every once in a while you get one that just pushes your buttons and you mouth off. If you're lucky they realize what an ass they've been and you realize how bad you look and if you can you apologize. Chances are VERY good that they won't. Anyway, we hope they don't complain and personally I don't care if they do. I figure for myself, I have been nice to enough of them that one little transgression is allowed occasionally.

That being said, I sometimes will insert a 'please' or 'thank you' where a customer has 'forgotten' to.

EXAMPLE:

Me: do you want bags today?

Them: yeah.

Me: you mean yes please?!

(I'm old. I'm cranky. I'm using it.)

Complaints. (well, not really)

2010-01-10T18:42:00.003-05:00

I was talking to someone in bakery the other day and was told it was so nice that I was back writing again.

Well. I guess it has been rather infrequent of late.

Any who. What's new? Well, I still have the dubious pleasure of 'working' with some 'girls' that have no freaking work ethic. GAWD, I hope I wasn't like that when I was young and a cashier for the first time.

I don't remember being like that. I remember being helpful, and talkative and enjoying what I did. I looked at it as a challenge for the brain. Back then, we only had price tags on products. If there wasn't a price tag then you were hopefully smart enough to remember the product price. You very quickly learned them. It was no different than knowing vegetable codes is now.

Also, you were expected to study the flyer and know what was on sale. You had to have at least the front page memorized.

*****

Something that really bugs me about these people that I work with: What is so hard about saying 'excuse me' to a customer?

We are supposed to go out and put the last bag in the buggy as a means of checking that nothing is on the bottom of the cart and slips out unpaid for. Okay, except our spaces between registers is already pretty darn narrow. So then you add a customer standing there waiting to pay, or whatever, and a cashier that has to get out to carry a bag around. They, meaning mostly the young ones, NEVER say 'excuse me' so they can pass behind the customer. They sort of try to squeeze by which alarms the customer a little, and then do the same thing when coming back. It is the height of rudeness.

It just plain simple MANNERS, folks. Not that hard to learn. It happens when a cashier goes on break, or when they leave to get a price check or to get bags or whatever. It is NOT a once in a while thing. Some girls do it ALL THE TIME. I am sick of it. I am also sick of these girls that continue talking to each other when they have a customer in the line. I can understand if it is a few younger customers, because they are usually talking among them selves, but the older people here want to know that they have your undivided attention. It is not too much to ask.

This job is a great place to learn how to deal with people. You are going to meet ALL kinds of personalities. You will meet rude people, angry people, crude people, stupid people and kind people. It is a great learning experience. I hate seeing these girls just waste it.

I also don't like to see someone chase someone out of their line when it is break time. You go on break AFTER you clear your line. The only time it is okay not to do that is if another cashier takes the customer to their register.

And while I'm at it. How about you young ladies start thinking about the person coming to work after you or the person you are relieving. YOU want to leave early, so show the same consideration for the person you are replacing. They want to go home early too. Or at least ON TIME.

I now treat the others the way I am treated. If you can't be bothered to show up a minute or two early for me but feel you can then leave 5 or 6 minutes before the end of your shift, then I won't be showing up early to let you off. I also expect there to be change in the cash drawer. Its not that hard to ask if someone is coming on the register after you. If so leave them with something to work with. Its all part of thinking about someone other than yourself ! ! ! ! !

Finally ! ! ! !

2010-01-01T15:52:00.004-05:00

I knew if I waited long enough, it would happen.

They hired a replacement princess ! ! !

She's not as 'good' as the other one was, but she'll do in a pinch. I don't understand how we keep hiring these people. It was a few months ago that they brought in a new crowd of about 5 of them for training. I took my guess as to which one would stay around and I was right. She showed up for one or two assigned shifts and then disappeared.

Anyway, there was this one that has a little bit of the "I'm better than you" look to her. Don't know how else to describe it other than she just seems to look down on others. A haughtiness, I suppose. So, it was Halloween that I had the pleasure of working next to her. I wore a 'costume' of mini cereal boxes with plastic knives sticking out of them. I was a 'serial' killer. Not too creative but it made the customers laugh. A few people got it, others I had to explain it to them, but all in all the customers seemed to get a kick out of it. They appreciated my weird sense of humour.

So NP (New Princess) starts to make comments like "I'm wearing a costume too. I dressed as a cashier", and 'boy, you can't stop telling people about your costume, can you", and "why are you so cheerful?' Nothing major, just little complaints, made under the breath.

I can't put my finger on it but I just don't like her. She has closed her register down with 8 minutes left in her shift and called for the head to come out and do her audit. She was told that she could stay open for a few customers. Now she has already chased them away because she wants to leave. Thankfully, one of those chased away called her on it and she actually had to try to explain it.

Another thing she did that really annoyed me is that when she was told to go on her break, she actually shooed people out of her line. YOU DON'T DO THAT. You tell the last person in your line that you are going on your break after them and could they please inform anyone else that tries to get in line; and then you turn your light off.

Then a few days ago, I go into work and she's again next to me. I have just gotten to my register when she says, 'I'm going to have to get change from you.' Now I'm in the middle of a customer's order already, so I tell her I'll have to look after the order is done. I ask her what she needs and she says 'fives and quarters'. Well, I'm not a change drawer, so I suggested that she ask the head cashier for them. She looks like that is such a novel idea to her. Next she tells me I'll have to lend her money. I ask her why and she says she promised cash back but doesn't have any money. I asked her why she did that, and she said she didn't realize she didn't have any. You just asked me for 5's and quarters, and you didn't notice that you may not have had anything else in there?
WTF? ? ? ?

(she also leaves the tray with no change in it for the next person coming on.)

* * * * *

Had a really annoying customer just before Christmas. My last customer of the day and she had tons of stuff. I figured that with the five minutes I had left to work I could get her done and be able to leave on time. She wants me to bag it for her but only gives me a couple of bags at a time. Like she thinks I'll steal them or something. So, I'm doing the best I can and she starts yapping at me about how to bag. Then as I'm bagging I see from the corner of my eye that she has something she wants me to take. Its apparently very important that I take this item so, because she was bugging me, I pretended not to see it. She is practically stuffing this thing in my face and when I finally acknowledge her she tells me that she wants to hand this to me. It turns out to be mushrooms that she has taken out of the plastic tray and just left with the plastic wrap on it. "I don't want all the extra packaging."

Oh, but you can take the plastic wrap around the mushrooms and around all the cookies, breads etc.?

What ever.

I get it all done and it is now past my time to go home. She is still dithering around with her stuff and finally pays me, then proceeds to repack everything. Now THAT pi**es me off. Why did you have me spend time doing it when it wasn't going to make you happy?

I watched what she did and it wasn't the way I would do it so therefore: WRONG ! (okay, maybe not WRONG, but definately not the best way to do it. IMHO.)

I left and as I get to the doors, from buying some items for supper she was just bringing the cart back to the store. As I was going out she pushed her cart in through the entrance doors and left it part way in. It was blocking the doors and I looked at her and she stuck her tongue out at me.

I just gave her an eyebrow and went around and put the buggy away.

Weird.

* * * * *

And one last little thing for now.

Had a customer last night, one of my regulars, and she was telling me how much she appreciated seeing me when she come to cash out. She always looks for me. Very nice! But then she tells me that she was talking to a co-worker at her job the other day and the co-worker tells her about going shopping and there is this one cashier she really likes. My customer says 'Unknown Cashier'? and the co-worker says 'yes, isn't she wonderful?!'

I score again ! ! ! ! !

Customer Appreciation

2009-11-14T11:51:00.006-05:00

Customer Appreciation:

Usually that means that we are nice to the customers and they keep coming back because we make them feel good about shopping in our store.

THIS TIME, I am using it to mean what I have been hearing from customers over the past several weeks.

(I have been told I am slow and at the same level on some items as 'new' cashiers. This hurts me as I can't see how it is true. Although how are you supposed to ring items in the correct way when you can't get anyone to answer a phone to do a price check or the item just WON'T scan or the bar code is too messed up to be read?)

Yes I'm a talkative person, and yes I take the time to bag items like meat and soap so they don't come in contact with other food products. So maybe that slows me down a bit?! But wouldn't it be more important to have customers enjoy shopping in our store? Wouldn't they like having someone that cares about the food they buy and taking the time and care to pack it properly? Also, we have an older clientele as well as the students from 3 or 4 schools in the area. The students are usually so absorbed in their own lives that they don't even take the time to be polite, but the older people like politeness and a caring individual.

Which brings me to the title of this thing. I have heard from more than ten customers this week alone about how they love to see me when they come in the store. They say I am always cheerful to them. They like the way I treat them and that I make them smile and make them glad they shop at our store. They like that I take such good care of their groceries. They have said they always look to see if I am here and then go to my register.

The interesting thing is that we have a bunch of new cashiers that have started over the last few weeks and that is precisely how long it has been that I have been getting these comments.

Co-incidence????? I think not.

Speaking of cashiers. Yesterday I worked with three other people that actually know how to work. They were people nearer my age and it made the job so much more fun. It is very hard to work when the other girls are always flitting around doing whatever it is they do. They are often talking about the latest thing that so and so did and not giving the customer their full attention. It also seems that when there are line ups I always have more people in my line and I get them through pretty fast.

The other day they had Slow Girl on the express and I had more people coming through my line commenting on it being quicker to go through my register than it was to wait in express. So I sort of had an 'express aisle south' happening.

Why don't these people think FIRST? ? ? ?

2009-10-30T21:03:00.003-04:00

So it was quiet at first and then some customer has to say it out loud. Yup, just out and says "Boy its quiet in here, today."

AAARRRGGGGHHH

You NEVER say that out loud. Sure enough within half an hour all of the city showed up to go shopping. It was BIZZ -ZZEE!!!!

So anyway, there are only three of us and one of them, on express yet, is so freakin slow, that I had people with one or two items waiting in my line and still getting out quicker than if they had stayed in express!!

When you start at 2:00 the shift is normally a 4.5 hour one, but for some reason I had only a 4 hour shift. Oh well, I was just as happy. I get to go home and visit the hubby for a longer time.

I'm sailing along, 1 hour to go and I get a young lady who is paying with debit. Its refused for insufficient funds. She gives me a five and we try again. Still no go, she takes a couple of items off, still nothing. We take a few more items off and . . . . nope, doesn't work. More items, no luck; more items, no luck. Finally she asks if she can come back for the groceries. I said sure and she goes off to straighten it out. At first I only had three customers behind her, but now with the trying and trying I have a line up of about 8 people. So I manage to catch them up and get them through pretty fast.

I get down to what will be my second last and last customers for the day. I start to scan his items when my computer goes kaflooey. Yeah, just starts to run the start up program. I mentioned it to head cashier and she says they have restarted it from head office. WTF???!!!

Why in the flippin' hell would you choose to do something like that at the busiest freaking time of the day. Did they forget that we are 24 hours. They could update the damn computers in the middle of the night.

I'd like to find out what triggered them doing such a stupid thing at such a bad time. My customer ended up waiting very patiently for more than 5 minutes while this thing had to do the install, the update, the reboot, etc, etc, etc. He became the last customer as the girls at the end asked if they should maybe jump to another line. I suggested it was a good idea as the computer was rebooting.

At least once the stupid computer came back I was able to get him out of there very quickly. I had him bagged and out within five minutes. Kudos to the customer, who has a twenty month old little boy that he was hoping to get home to. He wanted to visit him before he goes to sleep. He could have been crabby and he told me, when I apologized for the delay, that it was okay, it wasn't my fault.

I was not impressed. At all. I don't like having my customers wait and then it makes me late and they are already crabby about hours etc at work. Very inconsiderate as far as I'm concerned.

* * * * *

Well tomorrow is Hallowe'en and I get to work first thing in the morning. YAY! ! ! I have a costume idea already. I was going to go as a big pimple on two rounded pink curves and say I was a boil on the ass of the world, you know, a politician. But didn't think I could get away with it. Then I thought that I could wear doggy ears and have two rows of teats running down the front of me and say I was a 'bitch'. (correct term for female dog). But again, figured they wouldn't like it.

So settled on those little individual serving size cereal boxes with knives sticking out of them. I'll be a "cereal" killer.

BOO, everybody.

Did you ever hear of a little praise??

2009-10-23T21:16:00.005-04:00

Why is it that you walk into work to do your job, for MINIMUM wage, and you're in a great mood and someone thinks they have to pick on you?

In the past 10 days I have been 'talked' to about something that merely requires common sense, THREE times.

I get very, very upset by thievery. I would probably beat the crap out of someone that tried to rip me off. I am disgustingly honest and really take it personally when someone steals from our store. I can see the point in wanting the cashiers to physically walk around the end of the register to put the 'last bag' in the buggy. But the reality is that it is, for the most part, the younger, newer girls that are missing items under the buggy.

I find that a lot of my customers that know me will take the bags and put them in the buggy themselves. Even when they don't know me, they do it. The men, especially, don't want me to do it because its"not polite". They don't want me to hurt myself.

So am I then supposed to grab the bag from them and INSIST that I put it in the cart? NO. You can't do that. You don't want to make the customer uncomfortable. So, in that situation, I will walk around the end and look at the bottom of the buggy. I can look over the counter to see that there is nothing in the buggy. I also can see in the reflective plate as they enter the register, and can look over the counter as they pass by. So, three separate times I check the buggy.

Anyway, I had a situation where I put the bag over the end WITH THE CUSTOMERS ASSISTANCE, fully planning to walk around the end to check the bottom of the buggy. I heard my name called and tried to explain that I was going to look anyway. The next thing I know the big boss comes out to talk to me and explain how to do this YET AGAIN. I did let him know that I didn't need to hear it again. So, he asked that I please read the paper anyway and then I could throw it out. I was going to do that, and then decided to write my responses on it and keep it in my apron pocket instead. When the situation comes up again I'll be ready.

I also now tell my customers the reason why I have to check the bottom of their buggy. There are two reasons why I do this.

ONE is that I want them to know why I am doing it and that I trust them but HAVE to do it because head office says so. The SECOND reason is that I hope that maybe, just maybe, someone who was thinking of being dishonest will hear me and realize that its not a good idea to try to steal from us.

I also think that they are putting a lot on the cashiers, which is understandable, as we ARE the last person they see before they leave the store. But, how about putting a rail up that forces people to go through the register area rather than being able to leave the store from SO many places. It can't be that hard to do. I mean we have this totally useless gate that is supposedly there to keep people out from behind the service desk. Except that it is almost ALWAYS left 'open' and in the way. PLUS, if you are on express, which is supposed to be fast, the gate makes it harder to get out and around to put the last bag in.

I was also told that I am not 'fast enough' scanning items through. THAT I find hard to believe. I was told I am only marginally better that Slower Than Molasses Girl. (I stood beside her one evening and put through three customers ( including one with an order of over $185.00) in the time it took her to do one person.) It has been bugging me ever since as to how I could be SO SLOW.

And today it came to me. I have a lot of the older customers that come through my register. They have told me I make their day brighter. :-) Also, they like the way I bag for them and show consideration to them. I also will take the time to help them go through their wallets to get the change out. Older people like to give the correct change and the pennies. Plus they are just sometimes slower than others. Big deal.

You are supposed to lock off the register when you go on break, or between customers, or anytime you leave the register. I suppose I should start logging it off every time I am not scanning.

Maybe I don't understand the numbers but wouldn't the proof of workmanship be in the amount of money you run through your register as opposed to how many items you scan in so much time?????

*****

One last thing: Just once it would be nice to hear from one of the higher ups that you do a good job. I know for a fact that at least three of my customers have filled out a comment card, and handed it in. And yet I have never heard anything from our store or the owners or anyone.

Reception for a lost loved one

2009-10-18T19:36:00.003-04:00

As I said a few days ago, one of my customers lost his wife. I wasn't really sure whether it was my kindly gentleman or not. I was 95% sure but not 100%. I had made up my mind a long time ago that if his wife died I wanted to see him and offer condolences.

I have been watching the paper for weeks and then one day last week I caught the notice in the paper. As an aside, I had been at work about two weeks ago waiting to go in to start work. I saw my gentle man get out of his car and was going to go talk to him. But something about his posture made me stop. He just was walking different. Its hard to describe, but I remember thinking that something had happened. I watched the papers and didn't see anything. Then last Thursday I saw the notice about his wife passing. As I said I wasn't sure, but did some internet research and tried to figure it out.

I found that the address listed for his unique name was not far from the store and that one of the children's names was one I recognized. He had brought his daughter in shopping with him one day and went out of his way to introduce her to me. (very sweet of him)

My final thing was to trade away my shift today as I was determined to go to the reception and see if it was him. I got there and asked someone there if they could point him out to me so I could be sure. Sadly, it was him. I went over and he was talking to another lady. His back was to me. The lady looked at me and said hi and my older gentleman turned. The smile on his face was amazing. He was so touched when he saw it was me. He hugged me and thanked me for coming and then wiped tears from his eyes.

You know, the absolute best feeling in the world is to do something nice for someone else. I felt so good when he hugged me. I did this for him. As I said, I had made up my mind to be there for him if the time ever came. It turns out he has talked to his daughter and caregiver about me. They knew who I was and were so touched that I came there for him.

I wish I could put into words what I feel for this man. There are so many similarities between him and my Dad. I told him I loved him and kissed his cheek and before I left gave him a kiss on the nose. He kept telling me how happy he was that I came.

How could I not?

Not Fair

2009-10-15T12:19:00.002-04:00

Just a short post today.

The older gentleman who reminds me of my Dad? The one with such a kind heart and the sweetest face?

He lost his wife on the 3rd of October. There is a service this Sunday that I plan on attending. They were married 69 years.

His heart must be breaking.

On October 7th of this year my Mom and Dad would have been married for 70 years.

Boy ! ! ! Where have I BEEN ? ? ! ! !

2009-10-09T11:57:00.007-04:00

Well, It has been a rather trying couple of months at the store. I was beginning to feel better about summer being over when they messed it up again.

See, with students away in the summer we are down to the regular customer base. But this year, whether because of the economy or what, we seemed even quieter than normal. SOOOOO...... The answer is that head office cuts hours.

And cuts hours, and cuts hours.

I usually average around 20 or 22 a week, but to be down to 13 ??!!! Why bother?

So it was tense and when we were crowded you'd be working like crazy to cover for the lack of bodies. Causes quite a lot of stress. When you add onto that the fact that some of the younger girls have no idea about responsibility etc, it was not a pleasant few months.

We had one new girl that came 'recommended' from another store. Bull doo doo!!

She was so bad. Didn't like to work, yapped all the time, late to work, early to leave, too long for breaks, no idea of courtesy, too loud, and very inconsiderate. She was pretty though, so she at least has that to fall back on.

Well, two weeks ago was the final straw for me. The hours were just starting to pick up and I was scheduled for a late afternoon, over the supper-time-crowd, shift. We were SO freakin' busy and we had only two cashiers, myself and express. She finally shows up 45 minutes late and is standing around yapping. I snapped at her to get on a register and start working. Turns out she was going on express. So it was no immediate help to me. Luckily the head cashiers were able to come out from doing office work and help.

She gets on express, the head cashiers are working and we get the crowd down. The other girls start to come in and they are all of the same approximate age and go to school with Miss Yappy Pants.

AND so the talking starts. No working, but lots of talking. The rule with express is that you stay on that register! No if and or buts. You are to be there at all times for customers. You can walk away a little bit but you have to be ready to work when the customer shows up. Simple!!

Part way through the evening, she was given a break. She sort of really didn't have one coming because of being so late, but head cashier thought she's give her ten minutes to at least go to the washroom. Doesn't she take 20 minutes and only that short because Head cashier paged her back to the register!!!!

She works for another ten minutes or so, and the next thing I know she is all the way down at number 6 talking to the girl who just got braces. I've got a line up, and the other young cashier is listening to the story. Head cashier comes out and tells Yappy Pants that she has a customer at express. Doesn't YP just ignore her.

I was fit to be tied!! I have been working my butt off, no easy feat in itself, and the other three girls on the registers are doing squat!! For some reason customers are lining up at my register, and even though the lights are on at the other ones they keep coming to me. I keep telling them that the other registers are open, mainly so they don't have as long to wait. They actually look disappointed (confused) when I say the others ARE open. I guess they impression wasn't that they were.

Finally, I go on my break and I was so close to saying that's it, see ya' later.

I came in early the next day, because I was so livid about the way they were treating Head cashier and myself. I talked to the boss and told him I wouldn't work with her ever again.

She's gone.

Good thing, too. I think it has opened the eyes of a couple of the others. About time they realized that this is a JOB! You have to be responsible. Heck even the 'always late girl' has been on time the past two weeks.

That's it for now. Got to get ready to go to work.

More stuff later. And I'll try to not be so delinquent in my posting.

Customer Updates

2009-08-24T11:35:00.005-04:00

I haven't talked about a few of our customers lately.

The gentleman that I have said reminds me of my Dad is still coming in, but with the hours that I have had cut I don't see him very often. He is still a wonderful, dear man and I think very highly of him. I care for him greatly. I bought him some cinnamon hearts back around Valentine's as he loves them. I can't find any now. It would make a nice pick me up for him. I ask after his wife and he says "no words today". I'm not sure what is wrong with her. I am guessing Alzheimer's but could be very wrong. I told him that she knows he's there and he said he doesn't know that.

Oh and he's is still buying his two cans of beans every time he's in the store. They go in the food donation.

*****

The Purple Lady has disappeared from my life. One day about 6 or 8 weeks ago she came in to tell me that she was moving up to live with her daughter. Her daughter and the doctor thought that best.

I knew she had been to see her doctor and I knew the next time I saw her that things weren't right, but I could NOT get her to tell me. She wanted to so badly but something just held her back. I told her I was here for her when ever she needed me. I saw her once more in the store after that and then no more. She chose to leave without a good bye. I think that was important for her.

I miss her dearly. Would love to know how to get in touch just to send a little note or card.

*****

Sicko Boy had disappeared. Its like one of those you don't realize you haven't seen someone until you see them somewhere else things.

I was driving home from work one evening and saw this electric wheelchair with someone in it and a big kid walking beside it. This was within ten blocks of my house. Anyway, I did a double take because at first glance they looked familiar. Then it twigged that it was SB and his Grandma. That was when I realized I hadn't seen them in the store in a long time. Wonder why they had to move?

*****

Mrs. Pinchpenny still comes in and is still as rude as always. She just interrupts when you are dealing with another customer. VERY annoying.

*****

There is one lady I haven't written about because I thought it not nice to. BUT, I think I am sick of hearing how she has been made blind by eye surgery. Its the same story every time. I thought at first how tragic and all, and that I would be very helpful. But then I noticed that she can now read name tags and doesn't need the help with her money anymore etc. SO, I am guessing its the sympathy card we're playing now. She sure can pick out her scratch and sniff lottery tickets okay!!

*****

And one last quick one:

The lady that got so irate with me about me asking for assistance to the "Cigarette" counter?? Well after that incident she avoided me for a while. I think she thought I would be 'mean' again. Anyway, I just acted like it never happened. One of the other cashiers pointed out to me that she will NEVER buy the cigarettes at the same time as her groceries. I hadn't noticed that before, but now when I see her come in, sure enough, she'll wait until after she's been through the cashier and then go to the service area to get the cigarettes. Don't know why but I guess she has her reasons. It always takes longer to do it that way, but ..... hey, whatever gets you by.

Cutting hours leads to . . . . .

2009-08-10T10:49:00.010-04:00

There has been this big push on lately to cut hours. Two weeks ago I was affected. Yup, they called me and took my Wednesday 'express line' shift away. Found out later I could have taken another shift from someone else to replace it. I'm NOT clear on whether it had to be the same day or just the same time period.

Now, I'm fairly close to the top seniority wise as I have been working there since April 11, 2007. The only people ahead of me now have worked there forever.

So we have been struggling through this hour-cutting stuff for about a month and a half. Its been brutal at times because you are always short staffed, you can end up with huge line ups which aggravates the customers, you can't get any one to do a price check because they're run off their feet as well, and you oft times are paired with a younger cashier that has no idea of work.

That last one really pisses me off.

TANGENT>>> WHY DO WE STILL HAVE THESE PEOPLE?

And more IMPORTANTLY IF WE ARE HIRING NEW CASHIERS THEN GET RID OF THE STUPID SLOW ONES.
OFF TANGENT.

There I feel better.

*****

Anyway, don't I pick up the paper last Friday and read how our store had record profits. Somehow it really bites that we are busting our butts, worrying about jobs and all that fun stuff but feel 'safe' in the knowledge that the COMPANY has made a profit.

I am enclosing the article below and I have changed certain words in the article to keep up with my 'disguise'. I have used symbols for all store names and changed the city name. I don't think I had to but, what the heck, lets be safe.

ARTICLE FROM PAPER:

*****'s sales up 23 per cent in Q3

Grocer sees move to discount stores

August 07, 2009

Ross Marowits

THE CANADIAN PRESS

MONTREAL (Aug 7, 2009)

Grocery store operator ***** Inc. enjoyed record profits in the fiscal third quarter, despite a continuing consumer shift to its discount banners.

The Montreal-based company said yesterday strong sales contributed to a 23 per cent surge in profits.

It earned $112.6 million, or $1.01 per share, for the quarter ended July 4, an increase over year-earlier profits of $91.9 million, or 81 cents per share. Excluding one-time items, adjusted earnings per share totalled $1.01, up 25 per cent from figures posted a year ago.

Quarterly sales rose 4 per cent to $3.5 billion from $3.4 billion a year ago. Same-store sales, or sales at locations that have been open for at least a year, rose 4.2 per cent.

The results beat the expectation of analysts surveyed by Thomson Reuters, who forecast 93 cents in earnings per share.

"Clearly the recession is having an impact on consumer behaviour. Our conventional stores are growing, but we are seeing a shift towards discount," CEO Eric La Fleche said.

In addition to its ***** and ***** Plus banners, the company operates discount stores **** ****** in Ontario and the former **** ***** ******* stores in (my city here).

Competition remains fierce in both Ontario and Quebec, especially among staple products. However, unlike in past quarters, La Fleche said the competition is rational.

In both markets, it achieved higher sales, more customers and larger sales per store visit. And it claimed to have increased its market share in its Quebec base.

In Ontario, its supermarket conversion plan is on schedule with 128 of 159 stores converted to the ***** banner as of July 24, 2009, including all former ****b stores.

***** is in the process of rebranding Ontario stores originally purchased under the ******** banner and converting them to the ***** name.

La Fleche said the company was pleased with its record results, especially since they are compared with the third quarter of 2008 when it returned to positive earnings growth after taking a hit from price wars in Ontario and information technology problems.

The supermarket chain expects that food price inflation, which reduced to 3 per cent in the quarter, will continue to reduce over the coming two quarters. The impact will be felt on imported goods such as produce if the Canadian dollar creeps up towards parity.

Irene Nattel of RBC Capital Markets said ***** benefited in the quarter from food inflation, increased sales volume as consumers buy less expensive, but higher margin private label products and improved productivity.

*****'s board increased its quarterly dividend by 10 per cent to 13.75 per cent.

I can't fix the WHOLE world

2009-07-22T10:07:00.004-04:00

So, I've been quiet lately.

Well, there's a reason for that. Its been sort of . . . . . . . interesting, lately.

Had one day last week where there was an accident on the local highway that backed up traffic TERRIBLY. We had most of it coming past us because the highway was closed for such a long time. We actually had a lot of people that just pulled in the parking lot and figured they'd get the shopping done instead of just sitting still. Made for a very busy afternoon. A lot of people were asking US for updates and if we knew what was happening.

* * * * *

Then we have a couple of cashier issues. Now I am trying not to get involved in this crap but when it affects MY performance I'm going to say something.

1st: The cashier that used to be on customer service. I wrote about her when they first chose her to do the job. At that time I thought it was a wrong choice and then, later, said that I was mistaken when she turned out to be very good at it. I was pleasantly surprised at what a responsible young lady she turned into. Well, since hours have been cut and she doesn't get to do that any more she has gotten very, very bad. I am not sure if there is something else happening in her life that is causing the change but she does not give a DAMN about this job anymore. She comes in late, is very tired, was texting at the register ( a big NO-NO), sits on the bag holders, lies across the belt, disappears at times, flaunts the rules. Something drastic has changed in her life to cause this. She is behaving so out of character.

2nd: We have a new cashier who is a teenager as well. She is trying to do her job but is trying TOO hard. She doesn't go anywhere without running, she is too apologetic, too helpful to customers, almost to the point of being pushy. Its hard to describe. She had a loaf of bread the other day that wouldn't scan because the label was slightly askew. So she then tried to punch in the numbers on the label. In the meantime she has opened this customers loaf of bread up to get to the label, she is trying so hard but you can see the customer trying hard not to just grab it right out of her hands. I finally told her to just punch in the value of the bread and hit the bakery key. So then she starts to apologize to the customer and did she want another loaf of bread "I didn't touch this one" and on and on. I told her to just listen to the customer when she said no and to move on because she was taking up a lot of the customer's time.

Then she has a bag of eight limes and punches in the code for them and puts them in the customer's bag. Except that limes are each not per pound. So she didn't charge for 7 of them. I told her about that which got me thinking of earlier in the shift when she had asked about mangoes, another per item price not per pound. And I began to wonder how many items have gone through her without being charged correctly. This kind of thing should not be an issue if the cashier keeps an eye on what comes up on the register. You HAVE to do that. Its how you learn prices for the odd time something comes through that does not scan and you can't get a grocery clerk to price it for you.

The running thing is just a bad idea, because running in a store or any work place implies that there is a reason to run and therefore people can get panicked. Running should only be done for emergencies.

* * * * *

We had a floor walker for a whole weekend. He actually caught somebody stealing and then we didn't have him any more. A few days ago Head Grocery Clerk noticed a buggy sitting with a fair number of items in it. He asked Head Cashier if she knew what it was about and told her that that was the second buggy he had found. Well not an hour later doesn't he just HAPPEN to walk past the exit and catch someone heading towards the door. The couple quickly covered by saying "did you leave your wallet in the car again?" And left the buggy to go get the "wallet". Of course they drove away. The buggy had almost $250.00 worth of meat in it.

They must have been testing the waters with the first two buggies. When they thought it was safe they tried and luckily our guy was there. Except that he feels very bad because if he hadn't just happened to have been there we would have been robbed. Again!!

* * * * *

Maybe its just me, but I don't see how cutting the hours of cashiers and others is saving money when it means you have less eyes in the store watching for these things. The BIG Boss likes to see everyone 'busy' and not standing around, but I'll tell you when I'm "just standing around" I am looking at customers and watching how they act. You get to know your regulars and when there are strangers you watch them more. You can be looking down different aisles. I find that the 'older' cashiers are more aware of people and how they act. The kids are too busy just getting them through and out, then they go back to their cell phones or magazines, or eating, yes STILL eating, at the register. They are not looking at what is happening around them.

* * * * *

Its a shame we don't hire more mature people. Maybe they'd actually do the job and do it well.

Interesting who reads the blog? ? ? ? ! ! !

2009-07-07T11:20:00.009-04:00

So last night I check my email and there is a message from someone who has worked in payroll for over 20 years and is not sure how she found my blog but likes to catch up when she's checking her other favourite blogs.

Doesn't she write me a nice note, with direct quotes and all, about the way working before and after a holiday works. I'm not going to write the particulars here as too many of the young people I work with will take advantage of the information. Suffice it to say that I was slightly mistaken.

* * * * *

I worked on Sunday (after being off for two days due to illness) and had the pleasure of working next to a young lady that was texting on her cell phone most of the time. Even while a customer was at her register! Now, granted, she did take the time to ring them through but as soon as it was time for them to put their pin number in on the keypad she was back to the phone. HOW freaking RUDE ! !

If I had been the customer I would have complained so fast. She was also sort of leaning over to keep the phone out of the way, but in doing so she couldn't be seen by customers. Her light was on and customers would look, not see anybody and then come to me. Fine, except that if we didn't need the extra body I would have preferred to be at home because I was still pretty freaking sick.

I'm not even pleased going in today, but hey I feel a sense of responsibility.

(SARCASM ALERT) And maybe, just maybe, I'll have the pleasure of working with one or two of the three or four girls that think that having a light on is good enough to say that they are 'working'. Nine times out of ten they are not at the register but are wandering around putting baskets back or doing go-backs (items that customers changed their minds on). Okay, it does NOT take that long to do that sort of stuff. It seems that AS SOON as they don't have a customer at the till they wander. There are things they could be doing at their own station that keeps them available for customers. Hey how about cleaning the belt once in a while or tidying up a little.

And by the way, what was with the FOUR 10 minute bathroom breaks when we weren't texting?? I can't get around very well, but I can sure make it to the washroom and back in three minutes. AND I'M OLD!
I don't even have to go THAT often!!!

Sick ! ! ! ? ? ? I'll say ! !

2009-07-05T11:54:00.007-04:00

So this has been a tough year health wise and last week my hubby was sick. I had been sort of sick for about two weeks already but nothing too bad. (She said tongue in cheek).

So then he gets sick and wow it was wicked. Really bad cough, sore itchy eyes, congestion, barely able to swallow. Yuck all 'round.

I thought he just had a worse version of what I had. But, NAY NAY.

I started to get a sore throat on Canada Day evening (Wednesday). I thought it was just because I had been stuck under a tent during the rain with a smoker and the fumes really irritated me. But no. I woke up Thursday morning SO SICK. I hadn't slept most of the night, my throat was okay but I could feel the congestion coming on. And TIRED ? ? ! !

I decided to go to work, because:
a) I needed the money to save for a trip.
b) I'm stupid.
c) I would lose the holiday pay by not working the regularly scheduled days before and after a holiday. (lose 2 days pay instead of 1)
d) I'm stupid.
e) I wasn't sure they could get someone on such short notice.
and
e) I'm stupid.

I made it in and how I made it through the 4 hours I don't know. I guess I went into auto pilot. I sure hope I didn't make any mistakes. And my customers noticed I wasn't my usual 'cheery' self.

I went home that night and crashed. I was SO worn out. Of course I couldn't sleep, because I was either coughing, trying to breathe, coughing, sweating, coughing, freezing, coughing or rubbing my eyes. Holy CRAP, were they itchy. I would have poked them out if I thought it would help. (And I knew how to put them back correctly.)

Friday morning, I waited until just after noon hour to see if I was going to feel better. I didn't so I finally called work and asked if they could get someone to cover for me. Head cashier said I sounded awful and that she would get someone. I said if you can't I'll come in but really hoped they would.

Saturday morning, I got up and was a lot worse. The congestion in my chest was making it feel like there was a fifty pound weight on my lungs. It shouldn't be WORK to breathe.

I called earlier this time to give them plenty of time to call around and this time it was like I wasn't believed. I felt like I was calling in with a fake excuse and that I was really planning on having Saturday off to go and party. I know it is just perception on my part, BUT it really made me feel that way.

Kind of ticked me off, because I have never called in when I was not sick. Never! !

In the past I have tried to trade Sundays away or plain given them away because I don't want to be working them any more. I am now booking them off.

I am still a firm believer in having the teenagers and students work the crap hours. I had to when I was their age and I'm sure anyone else with maturity at the store will agree. I think that as a RESPONSIBLE ADULT I have earned the right to have my weekends and evenings free. I gave them all up as a teenager and I want them back now. I also don't think that I 'have' to work my fair share of evening hours. That, again, is what the students are for. With the way hours have been cut, there are sure enough of them needing those ones that I don't want to work. I want to get those day time five hours shifts that the girls JUNIOR to me are getting.

I also want to state that I empathize very strongly with the full timers that HAVE to work some weekends and evenings each week. But sorry to say that comes with the full time job. There are enough part timers to fill in the little shifts that I'm talking about. And again, this is nothing against the scheduling because I understand the strong/weak cashier thing, but then lets hire a few people of my age that are responsible workers.

Anyway, its Sunday, early afternoon, and I am to be at work in less than three hours. I don't want to go because I still feel lousy but, I also need the money for my trip. I am planning on having my hand sanitizer, using the hand towels provided (with sanitizer) and trying not to cough. I don't want to make anyone else sick with this.

And that's all for today.

Stuff

2009-06-30T10:10:00.004-04:00

We have started charging for bags as are most of the grocery stores around Southern Ontario. At first it was met with a fair amount of grumbling and complaining even though we had been telling the customers for two weeks already. But now it is about 60 - 75% recycled bag use. There are still people that ask for plastic bags and there are still people that don't know we're charging. Some of those people have been in recently enough that I know they are aware of the charge for bags. I think it is almost a "maybe if I act ignorant of the cost they'll let me have them for free" syndrome.

Not gonna happen! ! ! !

Anyway, what boggles the mind sometimes is these "kids" that come in and buy $100 to $150 worth of food, won't take bags but put everything in the buggy and take off with a GROCERY CART as if they are entitled to it. It would have cost them maybe $1.00 at the most for the bags they needed or $4.00 for enough recyclable bags. They never bring the buggy back. We have to send someone out to get the darn things. AND THEY AREN'T CHEAP!!

* * * * *

The other day, I asked one of the head cashiers if she could take the sign off the door. She asked me what sign. I said the one that says every third customer has to be a bitch!!!

I don't know what was going on, but boy we had argumentative, belligerent, RUDE customers that day. Holy mackeral. Didn't matter what you did or what you said they were cruising.

One lady told me she wanted the meat put in the plastic bag. (she had a handful of her own bags). So I started to put the raw chicken in a small bag to put it in the big bag with some other raw meat, namely beef, pork, and fish (which was still to be rung through). She said "I do NOT want a plastic bag."
"I'm sorry" says I. "I didn't want to cross contaminate with the chicken."
"Just put it in the plastic bag."

So now this goes against what I have been taught and practised my whole life as a cashier, but hey if she wants to contaminate stuff, fine. Did I mention that there was fish as well? So now I get to said fish which is reduced and therefore leaking a little. Okay, A LOT! ! ! ! (I had to hose down my belt after she left).

I point blank told her I didn't know what to do now. She said just put it all together. She could have bagged it herself. In fact she was holding the bags and doling them out to me as she saw fit.

I don't work like that. My brain sees the groceries on the belt and starts to figure out what will go where in which bag. I have been bagging groceries for a LONG time. I know my job. I know what should go where, what will fit where and that cereal boxes take up too much room to be put in cloth bags when you could put the cans in there and its easier to carry home.

I don't like people that rebag after me as well. I have watched people move stuff around into what is totally unsafe for their groceries. They have gotten home, I'm sure, to find their bread is squished, their cereal is smelling like fabric dryer sheets and their strawberrries are flat.

Ah well, the customer is always right. (NOT)

* * * * *

I have had this feeling that The Purple Lady had been avoiding me lately. I knew she had been to see her doctor, about 6 weeks previous and that she almost told me something then. But she decided not to.

Well, Saturday, she stopped to talk to me, and though she hasn't told me, I am pretty sure her cancer is back. I had tried a few times to ask her about her health but she was secretive about it. So when she stopped and handed me a bottle of orange juice on Saturday I could tell something was going on.

She is really torn about telling me what it is. I don't really know why. I don't know if she doesn't want to say the words out loud. Or if she doesn't want to break my heart. Or if she doesn't want to lose another friend. She is going to move up to live with her daughter. I think she'll like that, but I know she is going to miss her life around this part of town. She walks all the time. She must have so many people that she stops and talks to. It will be hard for her to move. I don't know what to do to make it better for her.

I don't think I can do this friend stuff sometimes. I really should be like the cashier from hell and just piss everybody off and then its not an issue for me.

Lack of Transportation SUCKS and Customer Service

2009-06-17T07:59:00.004-04:00

I inherited my hubby's older car when he needed a new one. I only tootle around town or go to work so age of the vehicle wasn't too much of a factor.

We managed to get 398,787 kms on this car. It was due for the Drive Clean test and passed with flying colours. Regular oil changes do wonders! ! !

Anyway, we were out for breakfast two weeks ago and as I turned a corner it made a different noise. Ears perked up and I started to pay better attention. We pulled into Gage Park where we walk the dog on Saturdays and I lift the hood to track down the noise. I thought power steering, hubby said water pump.

Checked all the fluids and the PS fluid is low. So we buy some on the way home, he test drives it and the noise is gone! Anyway, too-long story shorter, it will START at $2500.00 to fix the power steering etc.

Now, I had just, and I do mean just, paid for the license sticker for my car when this started. SO now I have to turn in the plates (I think, not sure, as I've had them forever) and try to get a refund on my license fees.

A N D

This has lead to yours truly having to take the bus. One word for that experience:

YUCK

I want wheels again! I know its better for the environment etc, but I can't take standing around waiting for a bus. And with the summer not even started!!!?!???? I HATE HEAT!!!

I missed the bus on Monday coming home, which made me miss my transfer which meant I stood, (because heaven forbid there be a bench at the bus stop) in the hot sun, (no shade either) for twenty five minutes. I left work at 2:02, so missed the 2:04 bus, ran into a customer that wanted to chat (I wished I had been rude) so missed the next bus, caught the following bus which missed my connection and got home at 3:20 or so. That's too long to go 6.5 kms.

* * * * * *

Work is interesting. I got all day shifts this week which I am very happy with. Its nice to be home in the evening and still have some evening left and a normal supper time.

Breaks are normally pretty close to half way through your shift. For some reason 'they' have decided that it will now be at about 15 minutes later than that.

? ? ? ?

In one sense I don't mind because the further through the shift you are when break comes, the faster the second 'half' goes. But there are plenty of times when I can barely make it through to the half way mark. I think its the principal of the thing that bothers me the most. It almost seems like they are trying to piss off the employees any way they can.

They probably aren't, but the impression is there. There is a tension in the work place again, which is not good for the employees, the employer or the customer. Especially the customer. Its very hard on us to be working with lots of customers and not enough staff, but to have those same customers standing in line for longer and longer times, is just not right.

We, as cashiers, hear the complaints and have to field the anger. Customers tend to not speak with their mouths so much as with their money and if this kind of service keeps up they will go elsewhere.

After all, SERVICE is what the customer needs and wants. They are paying out hard earned money and they sure don't want t be inconvenienced or made to feel like their time is worthless. They come to our store because it is local, its nice and clean, AND the people are, for the most part, nice. There is a certain 'small-town' feel to our store and we need to maintain that.

There are a lot of elderly customers that have said to me that they like the store because the staff is so nice to them and the selection is good. To me they've said they like to see a smiling face and someone so cheerful. It makes them feel good to be greeted by someone happy to see them.

THAT'S why they love our store. So lets remember CUSTOMER SERVICE is the important part of this whole thing.

People HAVE to eat, but they DON'T have to come to us.

One example: As I was getting on the bus to go home, a couple (probably early 60's) asked me if this bus would take them to downtown. I said yes it would and they got on. They were carrying a large box with a chicken dinner from our store, two FULL plastic bags of groceries and one of our recycle bags FULL of groceries on the bus with them.

Now, they took the bus PAST the competition over the bridge to get to us. They didn't have to.

We want to keep those kinds of customers.

Pardon the profanity but: WTF ! ! ! ! !

2009-06-07T20:27:00.004-04:00

What in the hell are they thinking at head office? I know you want to make the bottom line better. I know you have to compete with the "Loblaws" group, but for God's sake is it going to be at the expense of the employees?

What in the bloody hell possessed you people to think that cutting the hours and increasing the frustration of the cashiers AND customers is going to turn into a good thing?

Tonight from about 4:30 pm on until I left at 7:30 was absolute hell. I had customers lined up fifteen deep. The other TWO, yeah, two, registers were lined up almost as bad. And they had the large orders. I was on express and most orders were over 8 items. What am I supposed to tell customers?? WHAT do I tell the person with 20 items who is looking at a huge line up over on a regular cash line. And then what do I tell the customers being held up with one or two items by the 20 item people??

I had SO MANY pissed off people in my line. I did have one gentleman that asked if anyone else could come out to get the lines down. I had to tell him that this was it. But I also noticed a lot of our regular customers in line that were being patient because they know me. Yes, me. They were willing to put up with the lines because they know I'll bust my ass to get them through as quickly as possible. But this man asking was someone I've never seen before and therefore someone we want to impress. One of my regular customers engaged him in conversation and the next thing the stranger knew it was his turn. My customer did that out of respect for me.

I truly appreciated it. I also told all the people in line that I was going as fast as I can and that if they are not happy about the line ups they need to let management know. It was their decision. I really hope that our manager, who watches us on the video gets to see and hear what i said. I further hopes he calls me on it.

I CAN NOT stand seeing customers be put through this. And I definately don't intend to have myself put through it.

The bottom line is that when you start to squeeze too much it gets tight enough that it blows up in your face. What is going to happen is that customers will go to another store over the highway.

I think you'll find that people will be willing to pay a little extra rather than spend time standing in a freakin' line for ten minutes. Frustration is contagious as is anger. Its only going to take a couple of customers to get a lot of them stirred up one night. Also when we are that busy and that frazzled we become easy pickings for the con and we become flustered easily. It also is hard on the new cashiers which may explain why we have such a huge turnover.

Our store is well liked because its local, its gorgeous inside, carries quality products, and has a friendly, for the most part, bunch of cashiers. Do you really want to be losing that friendliness and home town feeling? I have had an awful lot of customers say that they love coming to our store because most of the employees are so nice. They always feel better after going through certain registers or are happy to see certain people at the store because it makes them feel glad to come to OUR store.

Anyway, I hope the anger and frustration I feel came through in this post. I have always tried to keep the language clean in this blog. But tonight I want all and sundry to know that The Unknown Cashier is PISSED OFF and not going to be able to take it much longer. I LOVE this job but it is getting ridiculous what they are expecting of their people.

Sensory Overload OR Why Can't I do This EVERYDAY???

2009-06-05T10:07:00.003-04:00

Well, I worked five hours at the store yesterday. THEN . . . . went home, rested for an hour and went to help at THE tent sale.

As stated before its actually in a church hall and was to start at 7 pm. So I get there for 5 pm as requested and most of the boxes are set up. Everything packed on tables etc. What a site to behold. If you are a knitter this is a picture of what heaven's back room must look like. Heaven's front room looks like The Needle Emporium which, again, if you are a knitter you absolutely HAVE to visit at least once.

Julie explains how she wants it to work and we spend time putting red stickers on $1.00 balls and tidying up different items. Except that it was done so well, we were ready at 6. BUT, as in true sale style we ARE NOT letting anyone in until 7.

At 6:30 the line up started. By the time it was seven and they poured through the doors there must have been a hundred people or more!! You could not see across the room for people. I only saw one woman with her elbows out, though. She literally made a beeline for this one section and actually did elbow her way through. I guess she knew what she wanted and NO ONE was stopping her.

Again, I had just finished 5 hours on my feet at the store so I was hurting pretty bad in my knees. Well, my job at the sale was basically to answer questions and keep an eye on things. I started to notice people with their bags full but other items clenched in their hands, so I thought that I'd start handing out extra bags. WELL, I'd say 95% of them took them and were able to fill a second bag. I can't wait to hear what the sales total was for yesterday.

I did this last year but was not fortunate enough to work the first evening. I was blown away by the number of people that came to this. I wished I had thought to ask who came the furthest.

I HAD A BLAST! ! ! !

By 10:00 Julie had already asked me to sit down three times because I looked so tired and at 10:30 I was sent home. I was so freakin sore I can't describe it.

Did I care??? NOT ONE LITTLE BIT.

I would do this again and again and again. Absolutely wonderful experience. Seeing so many people getting yarns that they loved and then seeing others in little corners going through what they grabbed the first time through so they could get complimentary yarns or colours on the second trip through. One back room had about five ladies in their own little spots going through yarn and then trading with each other. And they hadn't even PAID yet!!!

Thank you Julie for a wonderful evening.

And I get to go back again today???!!!!!

Pinch me. I must be dreaming.

Full Moon in only THREE days ? ? ? ! ! !

2009-06-04T07:21:00.003-04:00

What the heck was with people yesterday??

First off, some guy has to get into an argument with the cashier next to me about the bags. Sorry, we have to charge for them now, the money goes to a good cause and, yes, we inform you of the cost so its not a surprise at the end. We aren't just allowed to charge you for something and not tell you. That's robbery.

Then TCFH (The Cashier From Hell) is working (?) yesterday and has two people in her line. She sends someone to me, on EXPRESS, without the courtesy of letting me know he's coming and he has a ton of items. I asked him if he realized this was express and he said the lady up there sent me here. So I said, oh, okay, but do you mind if I take the lady behind you, she only has one item? Well he starts to mumble and grab his groceries off the belt. I said its okay sir, she only has one item, you can leave your stuff there. He still keeps taking it off and I tried to again stop him. But he was obviously pissed and went back up to TCFH's register. God only knows what she told him. I saw him leaving and he was still pretty pissed. I debated whether to apologize again and then thought better of it. The customers that I had at the counter at the time seemed to agree with me and didn't understand why he insisted on leaving my line up.

The point is, that if TCFH had just given me a heads up this would have been avoided.

Speaking of TCFH, she can be a very nice person. She's smart, great sense of humour, little acerbic at times, but for the most part I like her. EXCEPT, when she deals with customers, and co-workers. THEN, she just doesn't seem to get it.

* * * * * *

We are now charging for bags. My problems with this are:
1) We were supposed to be getting a larger, stronger bag that we were going to charge a nickel for. But instead we have the same terrible bags we had before and are selling them instead. That's not right. I told a lot of people that we were getting the stronger bags and that at least the bag was bigger than what we had. Looks kind of bad to be selling these flimsy things.
2) I don't understand why we are not going to paper. I don't just mean our store but all grocery stores. Paper bags have so many uses. If they cost more than the plastic ones then charge for them. At least they are a lot easier to recycle. You can even put them in your green bin!!

By the way, did you know that the paper bags that sugar and Quaker oats come in can be used for holding compost materials and then put right in the green bin? Also that you can add shredded newspaper? They don't HAVE to be shredded but they will pick up a lot more of the moisture from your bin if you tear them up first.

* * * * * *

This week has been a little easier for my part of the job as I have actually been working with my peers instead of the slower-than-molasses-in-January girls. It means that, other than when TCFH is here, the work load has been spread out.

* * * * * *

One last little tidbit: The Belmont Stakes is run this Saturday and I made myself UNAVAILABLE for work. I have not missed any one of the Triple Crown races for over thirty years; until this years Preakness. I forgot to book it off or make myself unavailable, so I had to watch it on tape. At least I was able to avoid hearing how the race went. It was still pretty thrilling to watch, though. you don't often get a filly beat a colt. Alas she's not running in the Belmont.

* * * * * *

Signing off for now. I have to work this morning and then this afternoon I am helping my friend with her annual tent sale of last yarns from her store.

DROOL . . . . .

Same thing tomorrow, so if you are a knitter, please go to http://www.needleemporium.com/ and check out the sale. Here's a little bit from Julie's web page:

2009 Tent Sale

Thursday June 4 - 7pm-11pm
Friday June 5 - noon-7pm
Saturday June 6 - 10am-1pm

The sale will be at the Parish Hall (the small white building) behind St. John's Church (corner of Wilson and Halson St.)

50gram balls $3
100gram balls $6

So.??? Its been a while. . . . .

2009-05-31T05:11:00.002-04:00

What's new?

Well, first off. Late girl is not doing it occasionally now. It is becoming the norm for her to show up late. Usually 15 or so minutes but the other day it was an hour and a half!!!

Some of the younger girls just don't seem to get it.

There's a scam artist that has been going around with a credit card and when its scanned through we are told to call for authorization. Well doesn't the customer pipe up with "oh, I have the number" and the cashier is stupid enough to use it. What, in bleeding hell, would possess any one to do that??????????

Rumour has it that one cashier was hit twice by this guy. Anyone worth their weight in salt knows that it is US that calls for authorization and therefore US that would get the number. NOT the customer!!

Also, for some reason they have cut hours, decided because of this to pair a 'weak' cashier with a 'strong' one. This is going to "help" even out the load. You have GOT to be kidding me!!!!!???

The reason they are 'weak' cashiers is because they don't know how to apply themselves anyway. So they get put with someone that will take up the slack and keep them from looking so bloody useless???

I, for one, am getting very tired of this arrangement. I happen to care very much about the customers and I don't like to see them waiting for a person that doesn't realize she can use two hands at the same time. I further do NOT like the fact that I bust my a$$ to get the customers through, while someone other cashier takes ten minutes to collect baskets and put them away, followed by a stop at the courtesy counter to chat and then pretending to do some perfunctory shelf straightening.

Oh, and I have had the first customers complaining about the temp in the store. And starting June 1st we will be charging for bags. Happily they are not supposed to be what we now use. They'll be a bigger bag made of thicker plastic.

They still won't go for paper.

I am wide awake right now (5:27 am Sunday morning) and have not been asleep since 6:30 AM Saturday morning. My hubby's tribute band (see side links) played their first MAJOR gig last night.

It was un - freakin-believable. The crowd was right into it which gave the band such an immense boost. Everything was perfect. I was so wired when I got home that I just couldn't sleep. They were truly amazing. I CAN NOT wait for the next shows coming up.

Knocked for a LOOP

2009-05-14T22:18:00.003-04:00

The day before Christmas Eve last year, I was eating something perfectly tame when I heard this sound from the upper left side. I knew something had happened. My dentist was able to see me Christmas Eve and confirmed that I had indeed broken a tooth. But do I break a piece off the top? No.

I cracked it from top to bottom through the root. Luckily it had been root canaled so it wasn't hurting. But I was going to have to have it out. I wasn't really ready to get that done because I figured it would be painful. It didn't help when my own dentist said that I should see a specialist as the way the tooth was broken and the fact that it had a big root..... Well, he didn't want to try.

So I go to see the specialist and he feels it might take a little bit of work to get it out. We sent the estimate off and the company said they'd cover it. I decided to wait a while.

Fast forward to last week. I call to make an appointment and they ask would I take a cancellation? I said okay and sure enough they called me Tuesday with a time of 2:00 pm Wednesday. Supposed to be at work for 3:30. I went in and asked if they could get someone to cover for my shift and no problem.

So . . . . . . off to the dentist where he sticks a needle in my face, then one right in the gum where the tooth is broken (by now a little piece had come out leaving a perfect spot for him to aim for). He says to me "big pinch" and launches across the room with a friggin javelin and stabs it right into the palate. (roof of the mouth that is not fond of being stabbed and HURTS LIKE HELL)

HOLY CRAP ! ! ! ! ! !

Then he leaves me for the freezing to set in. For another $440.00 I could have been unconscious. What? And miss the fun?

Anyway, he comes in, they put a little gauze catch basin in, in case the tooth breaks up and tries to fall down my throat. He uses vice grips I think, and clamps on to this tooth. Back and forth he rocks it trying to work it loose. I hear a little 'plink' and I knew it had broken again. He finally got the damn thing to come out. It ached more than anything, as he was trying to get it to let go.

Then his assistant says there's a piece broken off inside. He looks concerned but she uses her little irrigation thingy and was able to flush the piece out.

YAY! ! !

They give me instructions and a script for pain meds and off I go to pay the bill. When I get to the desk she says to me that it was less trouble than he thought. The bill is like HALF what they expected.

YAY ! ! !

Before the freezing wore off I wanted to buy myself a couple of new fish for my tank (as the store was very close to the specialist's office) and then head over to the drug store to get my meds. As I am driving across the city I notice the freezing seems to be going away faster than I was expecting.

Okay. Get to the drug store and they say 15 minutes. I sit there sweating and thinking that the freezing is going to be gone before I can get a pill into me and have it start working. BUT, the freezing wore off only so far and I got my pill, took it and headed home. The freezing stayed in the area of the tooth, and one small part of my upper lip (can't figure why), for a total of six hours. Took one more pill before bed, removed the gauze ( O U C H ) and slept pretty good.

Got up this morning and just didn't feel great. The only time the tooth, sorry, place where the tooth was, hurt, was when my heart beat. So I ended up giving another shift away.

And that's why I wasn't at work today.

Way to encourage employees, man ! ! ! ! !

2009-05-14T07:57:00.002-04:00

Usually a strong cashier (ie. fast or efficient) is paired along with one or two of the weaker ones. You can't put all the strong ones together because that means all the slower, etc ones end up working together and we'd be out of business.

When I come in, because I am limited in what I am physically capable of, I work hard at what I CAN do. I usually clean my register completely and then start fanning out to the other registers to give them a wipe down. I also clean the coin machine, the ice machine, the top of the candy racks, and the top of the Coke machine.

I make sure my bags are in order and then I wait for customers. If none are forthcoming I'll straighten the products on the ends of the aisles or tidy up the gum and candy.

And sometimes, just sometimes, I stand there. (usually when I have cleaned all I can or particularly if I am not feeling well)

The other day this incident occurred: (two person conversation)

"Unknown, pick up a white phone."

Oh, hello, head cashier.

"Mr. BossMan would like you to do something."

Oh, sure. What?

"Anything."

At which I chuckled a little and said okay.

I had been standing still for a good 30 seconds and had just finished an hour with one of our slowest cashiers. This girl can NOT keep her attention on her job and customer, and everything is done
one
step
at
a
time.

Also, there are two people I get paired with a lot and I've noticed when I work with them I seem to be always working and especially getting the bigger orders. Many's the time I have looked up to see they have both walked away from their registers. And sure enough my next customer has a buggy FULL of groceries.

But why in the heck would you pick on me for standing around, when I do my own job as well as I do. And did you ever think of maybe complimenting a person on how well they perform as opposed to finding one little error and making that the thing you mention.

I actually found that the further into my shift I got, the angrier and more unappreciated I felt. The key word being felt. I care about my job and particularity about my customers. For me to feel badly reflects in my attitude, thereby making my job harder and not as much fun to do.

One thank you goes a LONG way to making employees feel good about their jobs.

Anyway, don't be surprised at what you may occasionally see in the video camera peering over my shoulder.

And here I thought they were for security purposes.

Mother's Day and all that commercial propoganda

2009-05-11T08:10:00.003-04:00

Started at 1:30 and it was kind of quiet. A customer or two then enough time to clean a register, another customer, more down time, until about 2:30. Well, I guess by then all the Mother's Day treats wore off, because they showed up in droves!!!

I like when its steady like that, but I am once again getting tired of serving the majority of the customers and usually the ones with FULL buggies. There are a few cashiers, like yesterday's 'late' girl, who don't have the concept of work.

I have one co-worker(?) who will call for help the second she has two people in her line, even if they are very small orders. She has a habit of being quite blunt in her manner of speaking and is going to one day really p**s someone off. (Maybe it will be me).

She is the first to bellyache when someone else walks away from their register, but I noticed yesterday, every time someone came around with a FULL to the brim buggy she was gone. Light would be on but no one at the register. In fact one time she complained because one girl left her register to get 'thank you' stickers (going to be gone 45 seconds at the most) and yet not two minutes later I look over and she's gone. The last half hour of her shift she does hardly anything. She does NOT use up the single bags, just leaves them for the next person, and doesn't even make sure there is change in the drawer. I tell you, its like having Yappy Girl back at the store.

* * * * *

There's another cashier that spends a lot of energy reminding customers that the belt narrows down at the end. Personally, I think that if you can't tell by looking then too bad and especially if you have been here before and still haven't learned. Oh well.

I think of the numerous times a mother tells the child to not touch something because its hot, but the child keeps pushing until finally they get burned. THEN the learn the lesson.

I will rescue the odd item at the last minute, but it still boggles the mind, that these people come in here week after week and don't retain that information. Why would you put a sheet pizza on there that barely fits any way and expect it not to get crushed.

And there is one lady that regularly spends between $170 and $325 on groceries. She brings her own bags and a little boy with her. They are cute together but why oh why must you put every last thing in your cart up on the belt sometimes to a depth of 16"????

It makes it almost impossible to bag, because you have no time to plan it out. There is a just a wall of groceries and no where to put them. They are all mixed up so I can't get the cold with cold, produce in another bag, etc. And she doesn't take the full bags off the end either. She's busy teaching the little boy something or other. Yesterday they were watching the coin machine, while I'm trying to wade through the mess. There were heavy things mixed with light things. It would be so much easier to just put it in the bags as I get it. Cans on bread, eggs under cleaning products. Tomatoes under the pop.

* * * * *
Last tidbit: When I went into work yesterday our flower display was all full and nice looking. When I left 4 hours later it looked like a tornado had hit. All that was left was a few leaves and a little pile of dirt.

* * * * *
Tomorrow: the wonderful cashiers.

There has to be a word for it . . . .

2009-05-08T08:39:00.005-04:00

Sometimes you get the customer that is in need of extra attention. But why do they show up when you are dealing with other customers as well?

Had a lady yesterday. She bought frozen 'drink'. Most of us know that if it says 'drink' not 'juice' then it contains LOTS of sugar.

So AFTER I have rung in the drink, she asks:
"Is this sugar free?"
No, if you want sugar free you have to buy juice.
"Where is the juice?"
Down at the end of aisle 7, left side in the freezer.
"There isn't juice there."
Oh, I didn't realize we were sold out.
"I want cranberry juice."
I don't think we carry frozen cranberry but we have 100% juice in bottles in aisle 4.
"Where is it?"
In aisle 4, right hand side.

As this has been going on another customer had come along, and was waiting patiently. He only had a few items, but I like to get the customers through. So I sort of turned to deal with him and she takes the hint and goes to look. I get this customer done and another comes along at the same time as I hear from the middle of the store:

"There isn't any there."
Yes there is, would you like me to help you find it?
"Show me."
I'll be right there and I finish with the next customer.

(I thank him for his patience and go to show her where it is)

"There's no cranberry juice."
I point out the ten or twelve different kinds we have.
"I want one without sugar."
Then you'll want the 100% juice and I hand it to her.
"This has sugar in it."
Yes, but its not ADDED sugar, its the sugar naturally found in fruit.
"What about that one that says 'no added sugar'?"
I get that down and show it to here, read the ingredients and it contains sucrose and Splend@. I explain that to her and she looks at the label.
"This has more carbs. (I think she said. I don't remember.)
I think that's because of the extra sucrose.
"Well why would they do that?"
Because some people don't want 'sugar' but will accept sucrose.
"So what was the other one like?"
Its 100% juice so it has nothing added to it. Its all fruit juice.
"This has more sugar."

NOW she points at the side of the bottle. Turns out she's looking at the nutrition chart which shows the actual sugars and I am looking at the ingredient list which shows what's in the product. The nutrition chart shows the sugars available to the system, I guess.

So anyway, she wanted to keep this circular discussion going but I was done. I said to her all I can suggest is that you decide which you want. Calories from fruit or calories from sugar.

Then she comes through my line to pay for it and surprised me by almost thanking me for all the time I gave her.

I think she had been sent out to get something and didn't have enough information. I would be surprised if she did the shopping on a regular basis. Even the way she carried her purchases gave her away.

* * * * * *

Yesterday was sort of busy and had a few other weird customers but mostly regulars. Up until the last hour the time flew by. The cashier next to me leaves and all of a sudden there is only the express and myself open. And it was BUSY now. I had a line of about five very full buggies. The head cashiers came out and helped clear the backlog.

Turns out someone was supposed to be there at 2:00 and it was now after three before she returned their calls to her. She confused the days and thought she was due a half hour later but was on her way now. When she finally shows up she didn't have an apology for being late, doesn't turn her light on and goes to start putting baskets away.

A man came to her register and asked if she was open. She said yes while holding this armload of baskets, then says "But "Unknown" will be glad to help you." and walks away.

I have been busting my hump to cover your lateness and you can't even jump in right away?

By the way, this may be the person I have been waiting for to fill the gap The Princess left.

* * * * * *

One last thing for today. Would my readers like to give me a clue as to how many of you there are? All I ask is that you put a location where you're from in the comments under a blog. I am curious as to how many people are following this and at the time I have no way of tracking it.

AT - TI - TUDE ! ! ! ! !

2009-05-07T08:00:00.004-04:00

We have the next wave of students coming through now and that's usually fun. One gentleman had a supply of almost every cleaner we carry PLUS gloves, masks, scrub suits, bio hazard signs . . . .

Well, you get the drift. He said he had never seen anything so dirty and was giving the bill to the landlord. He said he was told it was 'clean'.

Another man had his son in tow with him and I really felt sorry for the son. The Dad was SO MISERABLE. Never stopped complaining the whole time he was in the line. This was terrible, the prices were high, the quality sucked, our hot foods weren't made of anything edible, our salad bar didn't have enough on it . . . blah blah blah.

The son looked very uncomfortable and I really felt for him. Course maybe he was thinking 'only two more hours and I'm on my own finally'.

And I have a new type of customer lately. There are these people that think they can put stuff on the belt and walk away to do more shopping. W T F????? If you think I'm making other customers wait while you decide what else you need, think again!

I had it happen three different times with a basket worth of groceries left on the belt, and one time with a buggy. The buggy was just left there blocking the end so no one could get in. I even had one older lady, one time, that left her groceries and then went to buy a lottery ticket. (the ticket seller is right beside me). A gentleman of about 40 came up and I waved him through. She stopped that with a ahhhh sort of growl (I actually didn't know what to say) and then came over and got into line. Its like people think someone is holding their place and its their given right to hold up the whole line.

And last item for today. I heard on the radio that some place in the States is thinking of having GPS installed on the grocery buggies. Here's an excerpt from the article:

Sensors can track the devices to see right where your cart is, so that as you turn into an aisle, the screen can show what's there and which items are on sale.

The systems also keep a running tally of what you buy. Many stores do so already by signing shoppers up for preferred customer cards. What's new is that the store can offer special discounts based on your buying habits or tell you while you're in the store that one of your favorite products is on sale.

You can even get smart cards where you input your grocery list, made on the computer at home, and the touch screen organizes it to make your trip through the store easier.

WELL, how about if the GPS was used a different way? What if your signal is picked up and then added to your debit or credit card. If the buggy is not returned within a few days a major charge is added to your bill. If the cart is left behind the signal is canceled until the next person takes the buggy. It could even be something that is activated at the register. You can usually tell who is going to be taking the buggy home with them so if its one of our regulars that we KNOW drives to the store you would not activate the gps reporting system.

ANyway, just a thought. I am tired of seeing our buggies STOLEN and it is time these young people, yes its mostly students, learned to return the BUGGY! ! ! ! !

So . . . . What's new

2009-04-28T14:09:00.009-04:00

Okay, still don't know anything about the cashier that left. Rumours are rampant, but I will not spread them on here. Suffice it to say, I miss her terribly and hope all is well.

Now, some suits were in last week and they have decided it is better to be counting the money out at the registers instead of in the office. They no longer want cashiers in the cash office. WTF??

I suppose on some level it makes sense, but I don't think it is a great idea to be showing people money. Enough said.

We have lost a few cashiers lately. One student just spent her last day with us and won't be back as she's done schooling. Lots of fun and will miss her personality. And we have a few new cashiers, one of whom seems to be a princess sort of fill in. (more on that one later)

There is a schmuck that has been going around with a stolen Amex card and scamming the stores in the area. I am proud to say that the bastard didn't try it with me. I have dealt with Amex cards enough to know that they are really anal when it comes to someone messing with their cards. If you need an authorization code you HAVE TO PHONE THEM.

Anyway, it seems this thief thinks he's smart by targeting the younger cashiers. I haven't met an 'older' one yet that he has tried his bit with. I hope he comes through my register. After the fun I have had over the past two weeks getting MY money back because of an internet scam, I'd be ripe to have him try something with me. I'd probably rip him limb to limb just on principal alone.

The story of my scam experience took almost two weeks to clear up. It was full of ups and downs, help and futility, accusations and resolutions. The good parts were with the online paying system, the bad points with my own bank. I got the money back and had to retrieve it myself, but the bank left me a nice voice mail yesterday that said how the money was now back in my account and sounding like they were very proud of themselves for solving this. I am NOT going to let this go with them.

Any way, if you REALLY want to know the whole story and I hear from enough people I'll make it a blog note.

Back to store stuff. Buggy stealing is still ticking me off. I don't know why they can't just bring them back or . . . . hey . . . . DON'T STEAL THEM IN THE FIRST PLACE!

What is it about people that makes them think that they can hold up my cash line by putting the groceries on the belt and then wandering off to get 'one more thing'? Three different customers in less than an hour! I will shove their groceries back and serve everyone else that comes along until they return. I DO NOT hold the line up. If there are just a few items I'll put them underneath and then when they come back innocently ask "Oh, were those your items? I didn't see anyone so I thought someone changed their mind." Hopefully they get the message.

As I gallop towards 60 years of age, (2 more years) I am starting to become less willing to put up with idiots. I know how I want customers to act and I have very thin margins for their behaviour.
A T T I T U D E is NOT appreciated, nor tolerated. I am becoming more inclined to react negatively when they have been rude or inconsiderate. I find it hard to do that. But NOT impossible.

Granted you are shopping in our store but it does not mean you have the right to treat myself or my customers badly. Be considerate and you get pleasantry, be obnoxious and you get that in return.

Sometimes Spit Happens

2009-04-18T23:32:00.003-04:00

We seem to have misplaced one of our cashiers. She has left and no one knows why. It is rather sad as there is gossip going around and I don't think its fair to her. I think it would be better if we all knew and could then deal with it. If it is the reason I am sort of hearing, it reminds me of my first job back in 1968. I was a cashier at the Dominion store at Eglinton Square in Toronto.

We had a girl that was working there one minute and the next minute disappeared. We were told that she was putting 'friends' through her register and ringing in only half the items. She had been doing this for a while and then I guess they caught on, because one evening she did it when a mystery shopper was the next in line.

One Witness = one FIRED cashier.

I, along with the other young girls there, were scared witless. Back when I worked there if you told a prospective employer you had been trained by Dominion you could get a job anywhere dealing with money. To do anything to jeopardize your work record was just not heard of. To be trained by Dominion was quite the feather in your cap. It took about a week of training to get you up to speed. One whole afternoon was on bagging, alone ! ! ! !

You were expected to be on time, courteous to customers, and to know your prices. Everything then had a price tag on it and you punched the register numbers in. It was a mechanical register. You were also expected to study the flyer so you knew what items were on special that week.

I remember that when the register roll ran out there would be a collective groan from the customers because you had to feed the paper through and around a bunch of pulleys and wheels and guide posts. Customer used to know that there would be some kind of wait while the girls got that done. There were a few of us that picked up on it right away, and we'd end up with a lot of the customers.

Anyway, I would like to know what happened to my friend. I miss her and wish her well. I find it hard to believe that I may have misjudged her. She was one of the easier cashiers to work with. Always pleasant to customers, ON TIME, and very helpful.

And a last tidbit. I was leaving to go home the other evening and it was five minutes past the half hour. The person replacing me came along and I commented that there was quite the discrepancy between the time clock and the real world. The clock creeps forward over time and they have to drag it back to normal, real world time. Well, anyway, she asked if she was late and I said I think so, as the shift starts on the half hour. She looked at the time clock as she punched in and told me that it was okay; it was only 25 to the hour. So, if everyone leaving, left five minutes early and the replacements all came in five minutes late, there is a potential 10 minute span over every half hour where the cashiers that are staying are stretched to maximum.

Not really fair to anyone you know. Sometime you're going to want to go home before the end of your shift and there will be no one to cover for you.

Oh yeah, I forgot, some people just don't care.

Worn out more than I thought

2009-04-15T08:44:00.003-04:00

Sorry, I haven't written as I said I would. I didn't realize how much those two busy days took out of me. Saturday I was on express and I don't know about anyone else but I find being mentally tired way harder to recover from than a physical tired.

I showed up on Saturday and stepped into a register with a HUGE line-up. Must have been ten or twelve people. I started right in and was up to super speed in no time. I got the line down a couple of times to maybe four or so and then it would go right back up again. We had six of our seven registers open and running. I guess the fact that we were closed the day before and the day after made every one panic. PLUS, the store had an Air Miles promo happening as well ! ! !

That meant if you spent over $100.00 instead of getting 5 miles you could get 50!! That's huge. So we had lots of big orders going through. I'm glad I wasn't doing them. Although I had several people with more than the 8 items, but what can you do when its that busy? By the time you send them out you haven't saved any time for the next customer, so I let them slide.

BUT, the piece of cake was this woman who is standing there with three lilies lined up on my belt and the rest of her groceries and she's trying to decide which one looks best?? WTF?? You couldn't do that before my register? THEN, wouldn't you know the scanner rings it in twice, but I didn't hear it. So she pays for her order, stands at the end of my register with her stuff still on the end. I had circled the place where it showed 15 items on her list and I thought she was going to get snotty with me. Instead she points out that the winning lily rang through twice. Now she had been watching what I was doing so I don't know how she missed it, but what the heck, I missed it too. SO I had to send her to customer service to get her refund. I wasn't about to do it while I had this huge lineup. In the meantime she leaves all her stuff on my table, in the way.

Then some schmuk with a basket of stuff and he just leaves it in the basket. I DO NOT empty baskets. All the reaching and bending I do, I am not about to hurt my back taking your stuff out for you. What, your arm's broken? I tipped the items, carefully, out of the basket. One kid even pointed it out to her Mother and the comment was "That's okay, SHE can take it out." So, over goes this basket and I tipped it all out and told her where to put the basket. No not THERE; at the front of the register on the floor.

Then there are others that think they can just put the basket on my bagging table and that I'll get rid of it. NAY NAY. You carried it up here and you couldn't remember where to put it from the last time you were here? So I put the groceries IN the basket and tell them they can put it away by the door as they leave.

I love training customers.

Oh yeah. Why is it that you can be standing at your register, light on, no closed sign up, looking eagerly at the customer and they ask if you're open. BUT, when its time to go on break, your light is off and the sign is there, they will continue to put stuff up. Or they'll read the sign and then look at you like you're going to say "Ha Ha jokes on you. I really am open." or "That's okay. I'll do your huge order and the heck with the fact that it is already half an hour after my break."

Was that sarcasm?? YES ! ! !

And one last comment for today. For those people that take the buggies and don't return them: you are only shooting yourself in the foot. Because one day, the store will say to heck with it and switch to those stupid put-in-a-quarter buggies that never work right any way. Only I can see the day when you'll have to actually pay some sort of deposit on a buggy, maybe $10.00. I mean that's good enough for the big blue jug that you buy water in.

Happy Anniversary

2009-04-11T22:23:00.002-04:00

Just a note before I go off to bed. I have worked at the store two years today!!!!!

And it was absolutely crazy busy in the store today. I'll write some more tomorrow because I am just too tired tonight. I have to see if there is a way to find out how many customers I served today or how much money came through my register. Just nuts today. This is at least as busy, if not busier, than Christmas is.

Oh and I was on express and several customers commented on the fact that I was back in my 'usual' spot. Thing is, it was SO busy that I hardly talked to any one.

Anyway, tomorrow . . . . . .

What I did to relax today

2009-04-10T22:20:00.010-04:00

I made COOKIES! ! ! ! !

Rolled and cut out and decorated.

Fun, fun, fun...

These are little Easter bonnets. I saw the idea on the web some where and just HAD to try it.

It lets the creative side of me come out. Tomorrow they go to work.

I've edited this to reflect the fact that I now have better pictures of my cookies. See you at the store ! !

Closed, Express, Rainchecks and Other Stuff

2009-04-09T07:57:00.008-04:00

We'll be closed tomorrow and Sunday. (Good Friday and Easter Sunday). That means it is going to be very busy today and extremely crazy on Saturday. Also on Saturday there is a bonus Air Miles deal going on SSSSOOOOO even crazier.

PLUS, last night was a full moon. All in all it should be an 'interesting' few days.

It was quite busy last night, especially over the supper time 'rush hour'. Most of the first three hours of the shift the line was ten people deep. (An aside: some people with less than 8 items will walk right by one or two cashiers doing nothing to stand in line at express. They seem to think that 8 items or less means they can't go through a regular register line.)

Oh yeah, and how come when you turn your light out AND put a sign up saying you're closed people will still try to come in your line, but when you're light is on, no sign in sight and you're standing there looking at them they ask if you're open? They don't seem to realize that yes, I do actually sometimes have NO ONE in my line. They almost act like its a trap.
Yup, you got it. When you come in here I'm .................... going ....................... to...................................... ring-up-your-groceries-and-charge-you!!!! BWOOO HA HA

Sometimes people can't, or don't think. Had a guy last night buying four cases of pop. Easy enough. Except when I told him the total he looked shocked. He looks at the display then at me and THEN says 'Oh, I see.' and promptly pulls a rain check out of his pocket.

Then he looks at me like why didn't I know that. Well duh, the Spidey senses and x-ray vision are turned off at work!!!

Now I have to refund it all back then put them through at the sale price. Luckily, there was no one behind him. I wonder how he thought I would know about his rain check? O course when we refund back over a certain amount, in this case almost $25.00 we have to have a managers key.

I saw my older,grandpa gentleman friend yesterday. I could take him home in a minute. His wife is ill, I don't know with what (I hope its not Alzheimers) so I always ask how she's doing. He goes to see her everyday the way my Dad used to visit my Mom. Also saw Mrs Violet. She is not smiling lately. She had to have her front teeth out because she broke two of them. Then she has to wait for the swelling to go down and they will be putting in a bridge for her. She loves to smile and chat with people and she has so many friends around the village. Its been hard on her.

Back to work stuff.... On all the registers there is a little shelf underneath the bag holders where you can rest your foot. Technically I think they want you to put go-backs and paper flower covers etc, there. But when you're standing all day it helps if you can put your foot up for a little bit. Its good for the back.

On express, though, the shelf is higher. It is uncomfortable to put one foot up, even if you are tall. I'm going to ask the boss if they can move it up to the other end and bring that one down here. I mentioned it to some girls last night and they agreed that their backs hurt as well when working express. The height of the shelf now is such that if you were to put your foot up you might as well hang a red light over the register as well. It looks like you're advertising for companionship of the paying kind.

Of course that might bring a whole different group of people to the store. HHHHHMMMMMMMM

And when are people going to stop smelling so bad? What would make you think that it is attractive to have a scent SO STRONG that you can be noticed form ten feet away??? Had several people through wearing too much perfume or after shave, or, even worse, smelling like ashtrays. (Ashtray smell is the worst, followed by, BO). But heavy perfumes and after shave make it hard for me to breathe. You know its bad when the lettuce is wilting and people's eyes are watering.

My Dad used to say that you want people to say "Oh, what is that lovely scent?" NOT:

"My eyes!!! My eyes !!! Oh gawd my eyes!!!"

Kids, Parents and Idiots

2009-04-03T11:04:00.000-04:00

Not that these things go together all the time, but some days it seems like it.

Wednesday, working the afternoon to evening shift. On a regular register and its fairly busy. Through the store I could hear these parents and two kids traveling around getting their items. Don't you know they choose my register to come through.

So its Billy don't do that, Billy be quiet, Billy quit grabbing the candy, Billy be quiet, Billy don't climb out of the buggy, Billy be quiet, Billy don't push the buttons, Billy be quiet, Billy don't climb the water bottles, Billy be quiet, Billy don't hit your sister, Billy be quiet, Milly don't scream, (she stopped, he didn't), Billy be quiet, Billy don't open the ice fridge,Billy be quiet, Billy don't do this, Billy be quiet,Billy don't do that.

So: Billy stopped doing that, kept screaming, stopped grabbing candy, kept screaming, climbed out of the buggy, kept screaming, stopped pushing the buttons, kept screaming, stopped climbing the water bottles, kept screaming, stopped hitting his sister, kept screaming, Milly don't scream, (she stopped, he didn't), stopped opening the ice fridge, kept screaming, stopped doing this, kept screaming, stopped doing that.

This is all going on while I am trying to ring through their order. Finally I got sick of it.

"HEY!!" I yelled. The kid stopped screaming! The whole store stopped. I actually thought the other customers were going to applaud me. "Billy, you should be quiet." Well, THAT'LL teach him.

The order is almost complete when he starts up again. I asked him if he wanted me to come around the counter and talk to him. Then the mother says to me " we should take you home with us. He listens to you."

Well, yeah. Because YOU don't do anything. He could tell that I'd have climbed the water bottles to get at him. Why should he listen? There were no consequences to his behaviour.

That was incident number one:

Number two: Guy buys about $14.00 worth of reduced produce and the credit card is declined. "Can you do it again?" Sure, and it is declined again. "Well, maybe if you punch the numbers in?"

What?? It is going to be the same result but WTF. So I punch the numbers in and, surprise, its declined!! Then he says to me "Well, I don't know why it doesn't work. I use it all the time." (Well, maybe that's why it doesn't work. Do you pay the bill 'all the time'?)

Then he asks if I will cash a personal check made out to him? We don't even do checks made out to US!! I said no, do you have a debit card? No, he replies, and then he says he'll be back.

I figured I'd never see him again, but sure enough he came back (an hour later). Then he's aggravated because the groceries are all taken out of the bag. That was done because after he left the receipt disappeared. No idea where it went. I had JUST come on so there wasn't any place it could have gone. Checked the garbage, etc, so we just totaled it up and charged him the correct amount. And he paid in cash. A lot of work for $14.00 worth of day old produce.

Incident number three: I asked the customer if they wanted bags and they said yes. So I bag the whole order up and then after they've paid they stand at the end of my register taking it all out and putting it in their own bags and backpacks. Again: WTF. All you had to do was say something. And also, to the lady that rearranged all her stuff after I bagged it, if I did such a lousy job, why wouldn't you have said something.

Had the union rep stop by yesterday and while I'm trying to talk to him about the water situation, The Rambler walks over and starts to listen in. We were almost done so I didn't think much of it. But later, when he comes through my register to buy some food for his cat, The Rambler comes back and asks what we were talking about. I nearly, well, you know. I couldn't believe she asked that. But he covered very well. (He got points from me for that). For the most part I am pretty sure she didn't mean anything by it, but still, to just ask what two people were talking about????!!!!

The Princess on Steroids

2009-03-31T12:09:00.004-04:00

Well, seems like someone is going to step in and take a shot at replacing her. We have someone who is constantly rude to the customers, fellow employees and probably most other people she comes in contact with. You know, sometimes being blunt is good but most times it is just kinder to be a little less snotty.

I don't really like working with people like that. Makes the day longer and it makes for an uncomfortable feeling regarding customers. I actually get embarrassed, shocked, sometimes even mortified, by what gets said.

Sure customers ask stupid question. That's what a lot of them do. But, jumpin' jimminy don't point it out to them! Its nice that they come in our store. We shouldn't be chasing them away. Its lack of customers that has caused the hours to be cut and make the work all that more frustrating. Both for cashiers and customers.

And yelling across four registers is just plain old RUDE!!!

We have a big sign out front now that has this week's specials listed on it. I wonder who decides what goes on there? I think personally I would have put the one item that is almost 1/2 price right now. But that's just me. Also, I think the letters should all be the same colour as many colours makes it look a little yard sale-ish.

BUT, it IS nice to have something out there attracting attention. Its a good idea and maybe still a work in progress. So we'll reserve the judgment for now.

Well........... What do you think of the new look???

2009-03-30T08:40:00.009-04:00

Do you like it??
FINALLY, after numerous hours following incorrect instructions (from their own help section) I now have my blog back where it should be. The blog name is correct, the correct email with it, the correct blogger address, my follower attached, all posts present and accounted for. Which leaves one happy (finally) unknown cashier.

Okay. The conversation with the HEAD OFFICE.

Seems that the water at the check out counter is a health issue. The problem is that when you finish a sip of water, you then wipe your mouth on the back of your hand and, gasp, touch the groceries and bags. I'm not meaning to be sarcastic.

Its just that:
a) what about the fluids from the chicken we handle?
b) what about the blood from beef or pork?
c) what about the stupid customers that stand there with their debit, credit or air miles card in their mouth and then we are supposed to touch that???
d) what about the customer that has let little junior have a sip out of a juice bottle or someone that has been drinking from a can of pop or water, all of which come from OUR shelves, and they expect us to scan it?
e) what about the vegetables that come to us covered in water from the sprayers and then have been handled by customers?
g) and lets not even discuss how filthy money is.

If we can handle all of those items then how is a bottle of water at my register going to impact anyone?

You take your cashiers aside. You explain to them that they can have a BOTTLE of WATER only. They must clean their hands after drinking with one of the little sanitary wipes that are provided and you have them sign a paper saying they are aware of the rules. If they get caught with ANYthing else, write them up!!

Plain and simple. None of this: "oh gee, your late, well don't do it again tsk tsk" stuff. WRITE THEM UP.

Another thing that came up in my phone call was the fact that the young kids have no idea how to pack groceries. The young one I was training was atrocious. No other word for it. And Miss Sterling had one as well. One thing in one bag, then twelve heavy things in the next. Bread with celery on top, cereal boxes sideways in the bag. Do these people not have ANY common sense?

We need to take the time to teach them how to bag. Maybe after they have a week or two under their belts, we can stand at the register and teach them to pack properly. As an older person a lot of customers come and talk to me about things that bug them. A lot of complaints are either about the way they were treated (rudeness) or their groceries being handled very badly.

One last pet peeve from me today. I think management needs to hire someone that can sit in the parking lot (I'll mention this as I would LOVE to do it) and
a) keep an eye on who parks there and for how long, and
b) to tell people to QUIT STEALING OUR BUGGIES.

We actually pay someone to round them up and bring them back!! Its time to start catching them before they leave the lot.

Or else I can see a charge going on the buggies, which I'm sure no one would like.

So, what do YOU do when you get an email from HEAD OFFICE??

2009-03-29T15:57:00.000-04:00

Yup, yours truly fired off an email to someone at the web site wondering why they hadn't been heard from. See, I had already sent an email a few weeks ago, and the first I heard that someone had received it was when the manager mentioned as I was speaking to him about the letter of recommendation.

THAT lead to me firing off the second one which ended up giving me a response that said:

I have received your email sent to Customer Care and would very much like the opportunity to speak to you on the telephone.

I can be reached most days between 8am -5pm, Monday to Friday. At your convenience, please give me a call.

I left it a day and when I looked at the phone number it was going to be long distance for me.

Being the shy little thing that I am, I wrote back asking if they had a toll free number and if not I could be reached at ### between the hours of this and that.

Bold, eh??!!

Well, quarter past *** rolls around and the phone rings. Now I am mostly thinking this is an information session, but partly thinking "I wonder who I have p------ed off and whether I will be saying bye bye.

Worried about nothing. It was an informative call. There is absolutely NO WAY the shirts can be made longer. BUT, I can request a second shirt and have a piece of that sewn on the bottom of mine to give me the added length. (who's paying?). OR, I can ask after a polo shirt with a mandarin collar like the grocery clerks wear. Sounds like a better option. They are unisex and in men's sizes which means they should have length to them.

Then we got to the water issue. Not so good and at first I agreed with the HR person, but now that I had the kind of day we had yesterday, I am rethinking this whole thing.

Enough for now. Will write another blog shortly.

WOW was it busy!!!

2009-03-28T22:03:00.003-04:00

I don't know what was going on today but was it ever busy. From about 3:30, when I started, to about 7:00 there was never less than 5 people in my line and a few times as many as ten.

What was going on today that EVERY one was shopping?

I just don't know. I was on express, for the first time in about a week and a half. Most people behaved themselves. I had a few with 13 items, but most were about 6 to 8.

Oh, something interesting has been happening over the past three weeks. Once in a while you'll get an order that totals out to an exact dollars amount. No cents, just an even amount. Some days I have had two or three such totals. BUT, today was the twenty fifth day in a row (only counting the consecutive days that I have worked) where I had an exact amount. Pretty interesting actually. Considering most items are something that ends in a 9, its not all that easy to do. And most people are buying items that are by the pound. So when it comes out exactly to the dollar it is kind of neat.

Anyway, its probably only interesting to me, but what the heck. Its MY blog.

Tomorrow, I'll write about the call from, are you ready? HEAD OFFICE on Friday. Also, tomorrow is the Around The Bay road race (30K) and the Bay and Back race (5k). I am going to watch the 5K race tomorrow. Its amazing to see all these people coming down this long street running right towards you. I have a lot of people that I talk to regularly about racing. We have a 'running' store across from us at work and they are allowed to use our parking lot if they shop in the store. I went last year and was surprised at how many people ran by and said "Oh, look. Its the cashier from *****."

Hopefully the weather is nice tomorrow.

Off to bed now to rest up for all the cheering I have to do for my customers tomorrow.

Water Issue

2009-03-25T10:11:00.006-04:00

You've heard the saying "All talk and no action"? Well, I have to somehow get the cashiers to ALL bring a bottle of water to work on the same day. There is security in numbers. They can't send us ALL home and they would get tired of writing us ALL up.

I think a mistake management made was in letting people have water and then taking it away. I don't know that its right to allow it, even though it was not 'policy', then decide to enforce it after two years (at least). The proper way may have been to say "look, I am allowing you to have water, not pop. Screw it up and you lose it. THAT'S IT." And even then it should have been the irresponsible punished, not everyone.

So, if you feel strongly about an issue you have to try to do something about it. The thing that the girls didn't do right was to push the boundaries. Eating at the register??? What kind of idiot does that? And an open pop can or juice bottle with a straw in it? Accident waiting to happen. And you don't really need a bottle big enough to water an army, evidenced by the fact that so many of them used to be left behind.

So, come on people. If we want to be hydrated this summer we have to all agree to actually DO SOMETHING. I know there are three of us with the guts to act.

Talk to me.

Fun at work today

2009-03-22T00:13:00.006-04:00

Its 1 am, and I can't sleep so here goes :

WOW. I got to work Saturday, the 21st, and was told I was training one of the new girls. I was a little nervous, yup, nervous at first, but soon settled into it.

I hope I didn't scare her about the bagging stuff, but I have a real thing about that. This was actually her third day of training so I think it was actually a good time to work on the finer points of bagging. At first she was making some pretty bad (in my eyes) choices about how to do it. She also still uses too many bags and has some inappropriate items together. But it doesn't come over night. When I was first trained they took a whole week to do it, and one day was spent on bagging alone. So these young kids don't have much of a start before being thrown in the pond to sink or swim.

I think she has potential, but that being said I trained a girl before and, though she started out strong, she faded fast and disappeared when she found that it was work. Hopefully this girl will stay around. The customers liked her and she did not get at all flustered by the few mistakes she made. And even the mistakes were very minor and not stupid, but just things that can happen to all of us. Get a little finesse into and there'll be no stopping her.

Also, quite impressed with our new customer service girl. Hard to take the fact that she is young enough to be my GRANDdaughter but that aside, she is really blossoming. She used to be a shy quiet little thing but wow, this has given her a whole new persona. She suddenly has this aura of confidence. So nice to see.

Good on ya, Sparkly Girl!!!!

By the way, this is the same girl I wrote about a couple of days ago. The 17 year old. And yes I am pleasantly surprised and ashamed of myself for thinking she was not up to it. She has stepped up to the plate and done an excellent job so far. Time will tell as to whether she can handle the snarky customers and some of the pressure that can go with the job. But so far I stand (or sit because I'm at the keyboard right now) corrected. If the transformation thus far is any indication, customers shouldn't be an issue for long, if at all.

By the way, it was really busy at the store today. Guess it must be all the end-of-spring-break crowd. The new girls did very well.

The Thick Plottens

2009-03-20T09:13:00.003-04:00

Went into work yesterday to talk to the boss. Finally tracked him down and hashed over a few things with him.
*They don't do reference letters but will talk to anyone you have call them. Good.
*The shoe thing is part of the "uniform", so I'll start wearing black shoes in where they can see me and switch to my orthotic shoes after I am behind my register. Good.
*The water issue is still outstanding and I am going to keep fighting that tooth and nail. Good!!!
*Apparently, you can be late, unreliable AND lazy and it still takes time for you to be written up, warned and eventually fired. Bad.
*Having water at your register just became a little more doable, I think, as I show up for work, do a good job and am never late. Plus it should take a while to get written up, warned and eventually fired. Good.
*It would really help the cause if I can get ALL the girls to go along with this. Good?
*I plan to ask for a copy of the warning, to show to the union. Good.
*The Boss said that if I tell them what size shirt I wear he will call the company that makes them and have one made longer for me. GOOD!!

One interesting thing was that he said when I leave I can have someone call him and he'll be glad to give me a reference. I corrected him and said that its not "when" I leave, its "if" I leave. I don't want to go as I would miss my customers SO much, and there are several ladies I work with that I would miss chatting with. I actually like being an 'older person' for the younger ones to talk to. Its nice being asked for advice, etc.

Had to give yesterday's shift away due to an appointment. I actually enjoyed not being there. That's a first.

Also, I pointed out to a customer the other day that we had gotten rid of our road salt. I told him that if we get snow it will be the bosses fault for sending it back. Anyway, last evening we had snow flakes falling. Told you so.

I wonder if they think first

2009-03-18T22:25:00.002-04:00

Got to work tonight to find that they are training a 17 year old to work customer service. 17 YEARS OLD!!!

This is the second time someone with way less seniority has been given this job. I wasn't even asked. Apparently I'm not the only one ticked about this latest escapade, either.

See how I feel in the morning before I write more.

Angry post?? You betcha!!

2009-03-18T10:25:00.008-04:00

So my better half thought that my last post sounded a tad on the angry side.

Well, I am. You know, I'm thinking of leaving because I used to be happy there, and I'm not any more. I used to look forward to going to work. Now, I don't.

Problem is, I really love the job. Seeing my regular customers all the time is great. Its nice when they go through someone else's register and still stop to say hi to me and ask how I am. Where else do you see that?

BUT....... I also find that I get sick and tired of management making stupid decisions that seem to take morale down instead of up. Now most everyone is happy that the Princess is gone and that Late Girl may be taken care of soon. So why, when everyone is happy again, must they do something to bring people down?

Yes, I know, they own the company and yes there used to be a no water allowed rule, but if you have let it go for several years and people started abusing it, why not say "look, you can ONLY have a 500 ml bottle of water WITH a lid at your register. The first person that has something else then we go back to no water and the offender's name is posted so you know who lost you your privilege."

I found the same sort of gut punching reaction at most places I have worked at. Things start going nicely, people are getting along, the job is getting done and people are happy. Some little rule is being broken, but things are getting done and morale is pretty darn good. So some stupid boss comes in and thinks:

"well crap, if they're happy they can't be working!!! I know, I'll make a new stupid rule for them. Ah, that's better, they're miserable again."

WTF is up with that.

Well, I'm off to have lunch with a dear friend and then to work. I have a big decision to make. I hate leaving my customers and friends, but I can't be climbing up stairs just to get a sip of water, I don't like wearing a shirt that is too short for me AND that is partially see-through. And I don't have any respect for the bosses at the store.

Now, THAT, is not good.

What the hell are these people thinking???!!

2009-03-16T22:15:00.005-04:00

So get to work tonight to find a stupid note taped to the cupboard where we were supposed to keep the water we can't have at the register.

At first reading, we all thought that the water could be kept there and that if there was any bottles or containers at the end of the evening it was thrown out. Okay that makes sense. But no, after further investigation by one of the cashiers it turns out that we can't have any water there. Nothing. The only water allowed is in the lunchroom, upstairs, where it is dirty, and hot and up way too many stairs. So, if you get thirsty now, you are supposed to close off your register, climb twenty or so stairs, drink your water and come back down????

Oh, wait a minute, I bet what they really want is for you to wait until your break. Hhhm!!

Well them why are the powers that be allowed food and water in their offices? Oh, I get it. Do as I say NOT as I do.

Well, we'll see about that.

I am not a union person but neither do I tolerate bullshit. Apparently what happened is that water was never allowed but they started to ignore it. Well, then of course some stupid ones decided to have coffees, or sodas or other things that don't have a top on them. So then some boss got PO'D and decided to go back to the whole nothing at all thing. What do they think it will be like in the summer?

Sorry, but you can't have it both ways. Either it is allowed for ALL or it is NOT allowed for all.

And I, for one will not be climbing any damn stairs to get hydrated. I'll keep my water in my car and have to go out there to get it. And it will not be on my breaks either. Lets just hope some of the other girls are going to keep to this as well. Unfortunately, I don't think they will. There is a lot of talk but when push comes to shove, I'll be by myself on this one.

Oh well, I'm sure I can find a job somewhere else. Maybe with better hours.

Guess I better start collecting letters of recommendation.

Writing Void

2009-03-16T09:11:00.003-04:00

Its going to be difficult, I think, coming up with things to write about now that one of my stars has left. I may change the flow of this a little by maybe adding some more of my life outside the store. Haven't decided yet. Let me know what you think.

I love hearing from followers of the blog and wouldn't mind too much if you wanted to sign up as a follower. There is a spot to the right of the postings.

Couldn't bring myself to go into the store last week on my day off, as I'm there so much anyway. So I went to the 'enemy over the highway' and checked out cereal. Now, I don't like this store att he best of times because they are too friggin big and don't really have that great of a selection. Oh, it looks impressive and all, but for example you go in there looking for peanut butter and they have lots of their own and maybe two small sizes in a name brand. Well, I want the big size as its more reasonable. I have found this in the case of most of the items I have looked for when I go there.

And speaking of reasonable, there cereal was 50 cents more and the whipping cream 30 cents more. Now they are a bigger set of stores than we are, but there prices are higher. I bought the stuff, (Stupid) because, as I said, I just didn't feel like going to my store. I wish I had.

By the way, neither our cheaper store chain nor theirs, carried the cereal that I wanted. Aggravating, really.

Recipes and Tips

2009-03-13T09:59:00.002-04:00

When I'm talking to my customers I often have a little tip or a recipe idea I'll share with them. Let me know if you think I should maybe add them as a link or whether it should be by asking for people to write at my email address if they have something specific in mind.

What will I write about now??????

2009-03-12T13:27:00.004-04:00

Well, one of my stars is gone. The Princess finally left us. Over three consecutive days she:
1) tried to go home fifteen minutes before her shift, then ten minutes before,
2) held the tray, which does NOT have a tight fitting lid, on its side tucked under her arm,
3) disappeared and had to be called back to her register,
4) took a half hour break and had to be called back to her register,
and
5) decided to get po'd at the head cashier for keeping her waiting.

After being told the error of her ways she called the next day to say she quit.

Good Bye. And I do mean GOOD.

Then yesterday, Late Girl was supposed to show up at 3:30 and didn't. This is after being asked if she was going to show up and her confirming she would. So for over two hours there was Miss Sterling, on express, and myself. That's it. It was extremely busy and the head cashiers had to stay out on cash just to keep the lines down. Consequently they barely had time to get their work done and to arrange for a replacement. Luckily overtime was approved for the Miss Caregiver and she made it in with very short notice.

Late Girl's shifts are being covered by someone else for the rest of the week and hopefully she'll be gone soon too. We have had lots of people handing in resume's so there is plenty to choose from. Plus there are at least three mature women that have expressed interest in working here.

Let's hope.

Plus, the boss mentioned to me yesterday that the uniform calls for black shoes. I wear my running shoes as I have orthotics and don't have black shoes that they fit in. I told him that and he answered with an understanding sort of agreement. Now, if I really want to be a pill I could get the shoes and hand him the bill asking him to pay it for me. When he says no, I can explain that I already had to buy the pants after being told they would be getting some in and I can't afford shoes TOO!!!!

You know, I'm getting cranky in my old age and am getting really fed up with these stupid rules. Who the hell can see what colour my shoes are behind the damn register? We stand for our whole shift on a slightly cushioned mat. You think they could let us have decent shoes. If not, then maybe we should be sitting.

And, I WANT MY WATER.

If I can't have it can I at least stop people from drinking by my 'expensive equipment'? And what about the stupid person that bought a whole case of Arizona ice tea, and when putting it in the cart managed to break one can which sprayed all over me, the floor, and the back of my register keyboard?

HUH! What do you say about that???!!!!

Yeah, right.

2009-03-04T06:57:00.006-05:00

Okay, we have to talk to the customers, its dry in the store and guess what the powers that be have decided now?

We can't have a bottle of water at our registers. Apparently, someone supposedly caught something from dealing with a cashier and one thing lead to another and a store closed.

Sorry, sounds like bull shit to me.

I think someone got it in their heads that they don't think it looks appropriate for us to being drinking at our work stations. Oh my gawd!!! The customers don't realize that we might need hydrating as well!!! Holy crap. I did not know that.

Well, far be it from us to shock the hell out of them.

This is NOT the end of this story. War has been declared.

On a lighter note. Things are pretty much as usual. Customers being a pill, co-workers driving you crazy, others making life so easy.

I don't understand why, with the amount of resumes and older women especially that have asked me about working here, we still keep some of the people we have working for us. It can't seriously be the devil you know syndrome, because there are a couple that a devil would only be an improvement on.

What about someone who is constantly late for work, still disappears during their shift, calls in sick for about half of her shifts and is so friggin slow a snail could pass her?

Or how about the one who just plain doesn't show up for shifts and when called its learned they are out at a party with friends?

Or the schmuck who'll book off sick and then be stupid enough to show up at the store with a bunch of their friends?

Or the one who blathers on and on and on and gets confused way too easily.

Or the one that is rude and doesn't like to work and gets complaints almost weekly?

W
T
double F???!!!!!!

Oh yeah, we also are not far from a university, a high school and a college. So there is a lot of traffic. But how come some of the university students park in our lot and take the bus to school? Because they get away with it. We had new signs put up but then the boss doesn't enforce it. I was sitting in my car on break last week when a van pulls up and parks beside me. Two young women got out, picked up their backpacks and took off for the bus stop across from the store. I got the information from the van and gave it to my boss. There is, according to the signs, a two hour limit on parking time. When I came out three hours later, there's the van still sitting there, no ticket on it. Why bother if the boss isn't going to even follow up on it.

My hubby says it isn't up to me to fix the world and I tell him I can at least work on my little corner of it. I am tired of getting to work and not being able to find a decent spot. I have been telling them since last SUMMER that there were people parking in the lot that shouldn't be there. I thought that was why the new signs went up. Apparently I was wrong. All I can hope for is that they have decided to give them a two week grace period and then the poop hits the fan. I sure hope so, because not only can't I get a decent parking space but the customers are commenting on it and getting annoyed about it as well.

Take that boss man! Maybe if the customers complain enough you'll get something done.

There, I didn't mean to be in a cranky mood but the water bottle issue just set me off.

Quick message for today

2009-02-20T13:52:00.002-05:00

For all those customers that have mentioned how nice it is that I am always so cheerful have a look at this 'news' story.

http://www.theonion.com/content/video/fda_approves_depressant_drug_for

Quick posting

2009-02-19T10:57:00.004-05:00

Well, I was relieved yesterday to see my elderly gentleman. He was in getting a few things and went through another register (I was on express and had a huge line up). I was so happy to see him and told him I had been worried about him. He always smiles at me and remembers my name. How cool is that??!!!

Anyway he was asking me where the Valentine's candy was. Turns out he was hoping to score some little cinnamon hearts. So guess what I'm going to get for him today?

Also, I got to chase away a customer with too many items. I just happened to catch them walking up to my counter and asked if that was 8 items. They looked at me like I was purple and I explained that this was express AND rush hour. They still seemed to think there was something terribly wrong with me but chose to go to another cashier.

Wise decision.

And one last little mention about express. I have this lady that I am acquainted with purely from a cashier/customer point of view. She is always pleasant but has tried twice to take advantage of the fact that she thinks I'm a friend to sneak through with a few more than 8 eight items. The first time she asked and I said okay only because I wasn't busy. I told her that too. She knew it wasn't quite right because of the fact that she asked me and knew she had too many.

The second time was one day last week. I look up from finishing with one customer and see that she already has everything on the counter and it looked like a lot. Our machine counts the items you scan so I knew the total at the end of her order. There were 24 items. Sorry, but that is FOUR times what express is meant for. She never said anything about having too many and I didn't say anything because I didn't want to make her look any worse than she was already appearing to the other customers.

You may know me and I may be nice and all but this is still a store and I run express. The idea of express is to get people with small orders through, FAST.

I will NOT put up with her or anyone else trying that again. GRRROOOOWWWWWLLLL