Supermarket cashier chit chat

purple.sarah

I work as a cashier at a supermarket and we are under a lot of pressure to meet targets. We have regular evaluations and won't pass if we don't interact enough with the customers, I've often been told to make more small talk. Ironically everything you probably find annoying about shopping, from the speed at which the cashier scans your items to the forced small talk is caused by targets designed to improve your shopping experience. I find it frustrating as I prefer to be friendly but efficient, always greeting the customer and being polite but primarily focusing on scanning the shopping efficiently. That is also how I like to be treated as a customer. I don't like it when cashiers ask personal questions. Even "are you going anywhere nice on holiday" can feel intrusive as it would be awkward to say no I can't afford it!

OTOH I understand if customers are busy but I think it's rude if they don't talk to me at all or talk on their phone through the whole transaction, how hard is it to say hi?!

helen4891

i worked in a tesco for many years on the checkout and WHAT A BORING JOB it is, you have a little clock on the til , which reminds you of the time, which you cant help but check every 5 minutes, so a little bit of a converstation with people is fine, but it usually depends on the customers usually there used to really p me off with the same comments like " you look bored " thought i would come here as it will give you something to do"
and when you ask " do you want help packaging" to get told either " does it look like i need help" or yes and then they make you pack the whole £120 worth of shopping , so they can just stand there watching and not helping.

A little converstation is fine, but no one needs to know , life stories or i wouldnt wanna tell people mine.

thehappybutterfly

purple.sarah wrote: »

I work as a cashier at a supermarket and we are under a lot of pressure to meet targets. We have regular evaluations and won't pass if we don't interact enough with the customers, I've often been told to make more small talk. Ironically everything you probably find annoying about shopping, from the speed at which the cashier scans your items to the forced small talk is caused by targets designed to improve your shopping experience. I find it frustrating as I prefer to be friendly but efficient, always greeting the customer and being polite but primarily focusing on scanning the shopping efficiently. That is also how I like to be treated as a customer. I don't like it when cashiers ask personal questions. Even "are you going anywhere nice on holiday" can feel intrusive as it would be awkward to say no I can't afford it!

OTOH I understand if customers are busy but I think it's rude if they don't talk to me at all or talk on their phone through the whole transaction, how hard is it to say hi?!

How does your supervisor know if you're interacting 'enough'? Are you monitored all the time?

Don't tell me they have a camera recording your conversations?

ScarlettUK

I was in Asda at the weekend with my wife and 8-month-old baby. So we're not your average family - we're a lesbian couple, she's 33 and I'm 43. The woman on the checkout, who was probably in her 50s, looked at the little 'un, then asked me "Have you got him for the night?" I was a little shocked, and replied "Of course we have - he's our baby!"

I'm sure she didn't mean to be rude, but what did she think? That I was his grandmother or something? I'm usually told I don't look my age... it was funny though.

PenguinOfDeath

It must be hard to get a balance as a cashier, personally we've got to the stage when we recognise certain cashiers and actively avoid their tills as we know there would be a cringeworthy conversation ensuing. The worst is when they quiz you on every item you are buying "Ooh, what's this? How would you cook it, what do you have with it?" etc

Worst was when we were told that our shop was very random, we must eat a load of meat and as we also had toiletries and home wares in too that it all very weird! Well yes we do a bit shop about once a month then freeze it, not that it has anything to do with anyone else!

tesuhoha

I had a cashier who told me she had dieted down from 26 stone to 8 stone by eating chicken and salad. Found it quite interesting. Also the gay bloke who is always telling me about his radishes and lettuces. All this in Asda.

Jo4

There's a male worker in one of the Asda's near me and he tells everyone he is Elvis. He will even sing to you (without requesting him to) and he has his hair styled similar to Elvis's.

ConfusedAngel

I recently went to Asda and had a very limited budget so bought a lot of their own brand products.The cashier took great delight in saying, very loudly, 'Times are hard now aren't they love, it's bad when you have to fill a trolley with all the cheap stuf|!'

Now that is annoying!


<y pet hate though and something that has me utterly seething is when the cashier carries on a conversation with another customer/friend/ta and totally ignores you.
I have even had one swearing in front of me and my daughter once and when I asked her to stop she looked at me as if I was intruding on her conversation ! Yes, I complained !

purple.sarah

thehappybutterfly wrote: »

How does your supervisor know if you're interacting 'enough'? Are you monitored all the time?

Don't tell me they have a camera recording your conversations?

A team leader regularly (I think fortnightly) observes each checkout worker and checks if we are meeting a number of criteria, like paying enough attention to the customer and incorporating the 'script' of things we have to ask (do you want help with your packing, have a loyalty card etc) into everyday conversation. They observe from the end of the checkout while you are with a customer so you are not always aware you are being watched as the point is too see how you are acting when you are not.

So don't worry there's no camera. We are monitored electronically for other targets though, our amount of idle time, the speed at which we scan items, how long we have the till open etc...

thehappybutterfly

purple.sarah wrote: »

A team leader regularly (I think fortnightly) observes each checkout worker and checks if we are meeting a number of criteria, like paying enough attention to the customer and incorporating the 'script' of things we have to ask (do you want help with your packing, have a loyalty card etc) into everyday conversation. They observe from the end of the checkout while you are with a customer so you are not always aware you are being watched as the point is too see how you are acting when you are not.

So don't worry there's no camera. We are monitored electronically for other targets though, our amount of idle time, the speed at which we scan items, how long we have the till open etc...

Good god, Big Brother is watching you. I would hate for my boss to watch me doing my job - I would be so nervous and we get on really well!