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

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

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

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?

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)

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 ! ! ! !

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

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.