Grocery store etiquette

[Daisy and Delilah]

The thing that bugs me the most in grocery stores is how people come flying out of an aisle as if they have the right of way. lol They definitely should be yielding for the cart drivers on the end aisles. I just about get T-boned 3 or 4 times by people everytime I shop. And because I'm so ridiculously nice, I apologize. I don't even mean to but I'm usually startled and then say 'sorry' and then THEY glare at me. I'm working on my own mean glare for my next shop. No more 'sorries' from me! LOL

I love this thread. It's about time somebody brought this up. Thank you, Mary. I agree with everything that's been said. However, the above quote has been something that's plagued me for a long time!! Ok....so you feel it's okay to cut me off and plow forward without any consideration to getting out of my way. Who ever said which one of us has the right of way?? When I go to the stores, it seems like I'm always the one that doesn't have the right of way, as well.
Thank you Emerald Green for pointing this out. I am also the one that apologises and the other person never says anything to me like it actually was my fault to almost "accidentally" go in front of them. They run me over and I feel bad?? It's insane isn't it??

The question I always ask........what in the world would these cell phone users have done if they grew up in the 60's and 70's(Oops--I think some of them did)? A lack of a phone in my hand didn't bother me then and it doesn't now. I realize there are some emergency calls and urgent calls going on but certainly not all of them. In fact, most of them seem to be idle chit chat. It amazes me that the grocery stores are havens for cell phone use. I still don't have a problem with it as long as they're being responsible in looking where they're going and paying attention to what's around them. Unfortunately, I don't see much of that.

[NoahsMommy]

And because I'm so ridiculously nice, I apologize. I don't even mean to but I'm usually startled and then say 'sorry' and then THEY glare at me.

HA HA!! Thats me too! I walk away thinking, "what the heck? Why did I apologize!!??! That lady was the one that nearly ran ME down!!"

My peeves:

The grocery bag thing too. I always put my items together how I'd like them bagged: dry with dry, wet with wet, warm with warm, cans with cans, produce with produce, forzen with frozen and light with light/breakables
Then, its takes 5 minutes for the bagger to get there and my system's all screwed up!!! I used to BE a bagger and that's how I bagged!! I mean, come on, it doesn't take a rocket scientist to bag groceries correctly!

And the asking if we need help to the car thing? Um, there are 2 of us and 1 bag....yea, sure, walk me out and hold my bag, and my purse for me too. In fact, want to come home and put this stuff away for me too??? When I was a bagger, we asked people if they needed help, IF THEY NEEDED HELP! Do their brains fall out when they enter work???

The carts. I will always get my cats from the parking lot - I will never understand the laziness of not putting a cart AT LEAST in the cart corral thingy. I used to be a bagger, and therefore a cart chaser, so I have the utmost sympathy!!!

Carts part 2: how about when someone goes through the line with a cart and then once bagged, they grab the bags ONLY and leave the cart there. Hello??? Put that where you got it!!

While again, I was a high school girl bagger with some cute hottie boy checkers, I would at the very least, acknowledge my customers!!! Now, the bagger and the checkers ramble on and on and flirt and laugh and barely notice your existance. Ugh, rude!!

[jennielynn1970]

My peeves:

The grocery bag thing too. I always put my items together how I'd like them bagged: dry with dry, wet with wet, warm with warm, cans with cans, produce with produce, forzen with frozen and light with light/breakables
Then, its takes 5 minutes for the bagger to get there and my system's all screwed up!!! I used to BE a bagger and that's how I bagged!! I mean, come on, it doesn't take a rocket scientist to bag groceries correctly!

And the asking if we need help to the car thing? Um, there are 2 of us and 1 bag....yea, sure, walk me out and hold my bag, and my purse for me too. In fact, want to come home and put this stuff away for me too??? When I was a bagger, we asked people if they needed help, IF THEY NEEDED HELP! Do their brains fall out when they enter work???

Carts part 2: how about when someone goes through the line with a cart and then once bagged, they grab the bags ONLY and leave the cart there. Hello??? Put that where you got it!!

While again, I was a high school girl bagger with some cute hottie boy checkers, I would at the very least, acknowledge my customers!!! Now, the bagger and the checkers ramble on and on and flirt and laugh and barely notice your existance. Ugh, rude!!

If I've ever asked someone if they needed help to their car with things, it's been someone who has a loaded cart, is elderly or maybe has a child and ton of bags in their cart. I ask who I think may need help. I don't ask everyone, and I don't always ask what management tells me to ask when it seems like a redundant question, or a moot point. I'm not a machine who is going to spew out stuff just because they say we should. If it seems applicable, I do. If it's not, I don't. So far there haven't been any issues with that.

We do have a few baggers who are special needs, and some of them do take time to do the bagging. There are a few baggers I work well with, and they are the ones who are not chatty with me while working. When they are chatty, I can't concentrate, and then I end up not paying attention to what I'm doing and make mistakes. I don't like making mistakes, so I'd rather have no bagger at all, or a bagger who doesn't just stand around and talk all the time.

I think bagging items is kind of a logical task. It's not like it's rocket science. Bag what goes together, together. Cold with cold, cans with cans, raw meat with raw meat, chemical with chemical. Don't overload the bag. I do get some people who tell me to either make it all fit in two bags (umm... yikes! when I see their order), or make it light (usually the elderly, and I have no problem with that at all), or you'll get the ones who want to bag all on their own and they bag anything with everything. Raw chicken with the fruits and veggies, the bananas with the canned stuff.

Many times I've offered to have a bagger get someone a new loaf of bread because it was mushed by the time it got to the check out line. I have a method to my madness when I shop, and I get my bread and eggs last, but that's just me.

Leaving the carts blocking my lane gets me annoyed. It hasn't happened much, but the last time it was one of those carts with the "car" at the front for the kids to sit in. There were two young women shopping with their kids, and they only got a couple things and they left both of them in my lane and were starting to leave so I did stop them and said "Oh, I think you forgot your carts, they're still in my lane." The one looked a bit embarrassed and mumbled that they just forgot about them, and the other girl just said they didn't want them and she walked out. Yeah... nice.

I had another girl give me attitude the other day because I wasn't clairvoyant and didn't see that she was paying with a foodstamps card. If I'm ringing your stuff up, and you're swiping a card and I can't see what card it is, how am I supposed to know?? Should I just judge by the way a person looks and think "oh, that's a foodstamps person/family"??? The computer gave some line about mismatch of payment, and so I asked if she used American Express, because we don't accept that. "No, it was foodstamps!" Very loud, very pissed off. Um... I didn't see that, and you don't have to yell it at me. I don't ever try to point out someone using foodstamps, or try to make them feel embarrassed, and as I said, I'm not clairvoyant and can't just see through the card reader to what you just used when I'm in the middle of ringing up items. Just flash me the card when I give you the total, and I know what you're using, and we're all cool, and we're done.


I did have another "test" last night from the one front end manager. We have to treat them like a customer, ask them if they brought their bonus card and any coupons. Would like to try my pick of the week (which I never ask, cause if you want to buy it, you'll pick it up). He sat on the handrail and put his feet up by my register. I asked him to get off because it was a hazard to his well being. He laughed at me, and I said, "What??? I'd say that to a customer." and he says, "Yeah, you would, knowing you." Sorry, but if a customer would do something that could potentially injure them, I'll ask them to not do it, or something like that. Kids climbing on the bagging shelf, banging on the registers that aren't being used.

Eh... I'm sure there will be more to come, lol. Glad I had off tonight, lol.

[jennielynn1970]

Oh, and I always ask each customer "Hello/Hi there! Do you have your bonus card and any coupons?" I greet everyone. I say hello. I ask them how they are doing. Some love to chit chat if it's not busy. Some will tell you what they are buying and scared to try to cook. MOST of the time, it's great. There is always someone in the day who refuses to answer any question, will not look at you or just ignores anything you say. I had one of them the other day. She was a young black woman with an older white guy (not that race has anything to do with it, just describing the customers). I asked them how they were, did they find what they were looking for. Nothing. Will that be debit or credit. Nothing. The bagger asked if plastic was ok. Nothing. The bagger looked at me, and I just shrugged. I told them to have a good night, and come back again soon. Nothing.

They were not hearing impaired. I've gotten hearing impaired customers. Normally they let you know they can't hear.

[Catlady711]

Carts part 2: how about when someone goes through the line with a cart and then once bagged, they grab the bags ONLY and leave the cart there. Hello??? Put that where you got it!!

There is one store near me that keeps a cart at the end by the bagger so he/she can start bagging your groceries in it before you've finished unloading your cart. Then when you're done you leave your empty cart there and take the loaded one.

I can see the logic to this, however...

At this particular store they have a teeny tiny area between the bagger and the front windows so it's ALWAYS very crowded with those extra carts there. And when I buy 20 some bottles of soda I normally only put one of each flavor on the belt and let them know how many of each. I have a pop bottle rack in my trunk to put them in so I don't need them bagged and it doesn't make sense to unload all those heavy bottles just to put them back loose in another cart when they're fine where they are.

And, if a kid ever runs into me with those heely shoes with wheels in them, I will not hesitate to be in their way or trip them.

I hate those things!!! I've been smashed into and rolled over by those things. I don't believe a grocery store (or ANY store really) is a proper place to be roller skating. When did adults grow so lax in teaching their kids when and where proper places to do things are?

Why would you wait half an hour to checkout when the regular ones are open?

Because I can bag it the way I want it!! lol

or you'll get the ones who want to bag all on their own and they bag anything with everything. Raw chicken with the fruits and veggies, the bananas with the canned stuff.
.

Maybe they like it bagged that way and that's why there's a grocery store genius somewhere who designed the self serve lanes?

[phesina]

I did have another "test" last night from the one front end manager.
...
He sat on the handrail and put his feet up by my register. I asked him to get off because it was a hazard to his well being. He laughed at me, and I said, "What??? I'd say that to a customer." and he says, "Yeah, you would, knowing you."

Jenn, I am utterly aghast.. Does this manager NOT expect a cashier to say something like that to a customer who sits on the handrail and puts his feet up by your register.. WHA... ?????

What does he think you SHOULD say to this customer? Or should you just act as if nothing out of the ordinary is happening and keep ringing up the items and then take the payment?

Maybe then you should push the customer OFF the handrail, to leave it free for the next customer.