The cashier ringing you up, is not OK

[Opti]

Good article on the tensions and issues of those working food retail. I am fully vaccinated and boosted, but because of Omicron I have gone back to wearing masks when I shop. I think it can make the workers around me feel less anxious.


www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/the-grocery-cashier-ringing-you-up-is-not-ok/ar-AASJFqF?ocid=msedgntp

Sam Dancy has witnessed it all during his 30 years at supermarket chain QFC in Seattle. But the Omicron variant is pushing him to the brink.



Dancy is a front-end supervisor overseeing the store's cash registers, self-checkout kiosks, customer service and liquor departments. In late December he worked 11 straight days because of staffing shortages caused by the spread of the highly-contagious Covid-19 variant.



Now the rapid spread of Omicron is putting new pressure on essential workers already worn down after nearly two years working through a deadly pandemic. But, unlike millions of office workers, they can't stay home and make a living.



Staffing at the store where Dancy works is at its worst level since the pandemic, lower even than during the first wave in March 2020, said the 62-year-old shop steward for the local United Food and Commercial Workers union. Employees have quit in recent months and management has not replaced them, he added. The store has had to close early on some days because of staffing constraints.

The latest surge of workers calling out sick adds extra responsibilities for Dancy and the employees who have to keep shelves stocked, help customers and complete other tasks. Some customers also shop without a mask, making him feel unsafe.



"Every day has been a struggle," Dancy said. "I feel like I'm overexerting myself. I'm constantly tired."



Two weeks ago, he worked on a crowded Sunday when the store was short staffed. It "was the first time in 30 years I thought 'I don't know much longer I can and want to do this.'"

[susana1954]

If stores have self-checkout registers, why don't they close the regular registers down at least for hours that aren't traditionally busy?  Sure, it would be inconvenient for large orders, etc.  But there is nothing convenient about Covid.

I know it isn't this guy's decision, and I am sympathetic to his dilemma.  Just as I am sympathetic to teachers who can't find subs and nurses who are exhausted, parents who are trying to work from home with kids there, etc.  

But there are some awkward work-arounds.  Very few fast food restaurants are open around here except for drive-thru.  Dept. stores are cutting their hours.  

[Opti]

Jan 14, 2022 13:09:23 GMT -5 susana1954 said:

If stores have self-checkout registers, why don't they close the regular registers down at least for hours that aren't traditionally busy?  Sure, it would be inconvenient for large orders, etc.  But there is nothing convenient about Covid.

I know it isn't this guy's decision, and I am sympathetic to his dilemma.  Just as I am sympathetic to teachers who can't find subs and nurses who are exhausted, parents who are trying to work from home with kids there, etc.  

But there are some awkward work-arounds.  Very few fast food restaurants are open around here except for drive-thru.  Dept. stores are cutting their hours.  

Some people don't do well at self-checkout and ours still are not accepting cash. For the rest of the month, I'm trying to avoid self-check out as I am using cash. There are significant lines at the grocery store's self-checkout if you are there at busy times. Of course, it's worse when you have a few items, and you are behind the massive shoppers waiting on a not so fast cashier.   

The local grocery store cut hours, but I think it's only two hours, so not a big deal.

[formerroomate99]

In my neck of the woods, almost all stores put clear plastic barriers between us and the cashiers at the start of the pandemic. So wearing a mask wouldn’t really change much at the checkout line. And in a lot of stores, using the self checkouts is way faster than waiting to be checked out by a person, because they just don’t have that many people working the cash registers.

One nice thing about having people switch to online grocery ordering, is that if the majority of people have enough sense to give them at least 24 hours lead time, then these retail establishments can offer their employees something they’ve never been able to offer – – flexibility. When you have to be there to check people out, having people show up for work an hour late is a big hairy deal,. But when you have a bunch of orders they don’t need to be completed for 12 to 24 hours, then somebody who shows up late can just stay a little late and finish up. When I talk to one of the guys doing grocery pick up, he told me that pushing things off at least one day drastically reduces their stress levels.

[jerseygirl]

A young , 19 yrs, cashier at a Burger King in the Bronx was shot and killed. Because she was so terrified she wasn’t fast enough to open the register. Her manager was pistol whipped and lost 2 teeth. The NYPD just announced the @&$ was arrested. He has 4 prior violent arrests one with a gun and one with a knife and think he’s illegal. Manhattan has a new mayor who seems he’ll be tough on criminals but also a new distric attorney. The DA publically announced he’d prosecute and jail gun crimes only if someone is injured seriously.

Poor girl and her family

[raeoflyte]

Jan 14, 2022 14:19:35 GMT -5 formerroomate99 said:

In my neck of the woods, almost all stores put clear plastic barriers between us and the cashiers at the start of the pandemic. So wearing a mask wouldn’t really change much at the checkout line. And in a lot of stores, using the self checkouts is way faster than waiting to be checked out by a person, because they just don’t have that many people working the cash registers.

One nice thing about having people switch to online grocery ordering, is that if the majority of people have enough sense to give them at least 24 hours lead time, then these retail establishments can offer their employees something they’ve never been able to offer – – flexibility. When you have to be there to check people out, having people show up for work an hour late is a big hairy deal,. But when you have a bunch of orders they don’t need to be completed for 12 to 24 hours, then somebody who shows up late can just stay a little late and finish up. When I talk to one of the guys doing grocery pick up, he told me that pushing things off at least one day drastically reduces their stress levels.

Those plastic barriers I think are just a feel good measure. I guess they stop someone sneezing on each other, but they don't stop airflow. Masks seem infinitely more useful.

[Opti]

Jan 14, 2022 20:03:48 GMT -5 raeoflyte said:

Jan 14, 2022 14:19:35 GMT -5 formerroomate99 said:

In my neck of the woods, almost all stores put clear plastic barriers between us and the cashiers at the start of the pandemic. So wearing a mask wouldn’t really change much at the checkout line. And in a lot of stores, using the self checkouts is way faster than waiting to be checked out by a person, because they just don’t have that many people working the cash registers.

One nice thing about having people switch to online grocery ordering, is that if the majority of people have enough sense to give them at least 24 hours lead time, then these retail establishments can offer their employees something they’ve never been able to offer – – flexibility. When you have to be there to check people out, having people show up for work an hour late is a big hairy deal,. But when you have a bunch of orders they don’t need to be completed for 12 to 24 hours, then somebody who shows up late can just stay a little late and finish up. When I talk to one of the guys doing grocery pick up, he told me that pushing things off at least one day drastically reduces their stress levels.

Those plastic barriers I think are just a feel good measure. I guess they stop someone sneezing on each other, but they don't stop airflow. Masks seem infinitely more useful.

I think they can help in the short term, but as you correctly point out, air is not going to stay just in front of the barrier. Its air. 

[Opti]

Jan 14, 2022 16:19:58 GMT -5 jerseygirl said:

A young , 19 yrs, cashier at a Burger King in the Bronx was shot and killed. Because she was so terrified she wasn’t fast enough to open the register. Her manager was pistol whipped and lost 2 teeth. The NYPD just announced the @&$ was arrested. He has 4 prior violent arrests one with a gun and one with a knife and think he’s illegal. Manhattan has a new mayor who seems he’ll be tough on criminals but also a new distric attorney. The DA publically announced he’d prosecute and jail gun crimes only if someone is injured seriously. [img src="https://i239.photobucket.com/albums/ff155/JiminiChristmas/ymamsmiles/idunno.gif" class="smile" alt="" src="//storage2.proboards.com/forum/images/smiley/huh.png"]

Poor girl and her family

I'm glad to read they caught him. I hope he gets the max sentence. 

[Tennesseer]

Several months back I was shopping at my local Kroger. It was mid-day, a Saturday, and there were no checkout lanes open other than self-checkout.

I'm seventy years old and often use the self-checkout option when I don't have a lot of items. This day I mentioned I had a full cart as did many of the 20 or so people in front of me and the 15 or so and climbing behind me. This day many in line with me were more senior in age than me. And these more senior in age than me had full carts and had never used the Self-checkout before that day. Some were dazed and confused.

The only visible employee was one of the store managers who was running her tail off trying to help the shoppers scan and bag their groceries because many of the customers had never done any scanning or bagging in their lives.

A day not to be forgotten.

[thyme4change]

The Pharmacist shortage has become unmanageable. Pharmacies are closing entire days, or changing their hours drastically and there are some seriously unhappy employees. Every time I have gone over to my pharmacy, there is a sizeable line. This morning it opened at 9am and I went at 10 am. The tech looked like she was ready to roll in a ball and cry - after the first hour. I told my husband when I came back to pick up my prescription I should bring her a snickers.

[NomoreDramaQ1015]

I've noticed a lot of customer facing people are really skittish or look like they are going to cry at the drop of a hat.  I wondered what the heck the poor Dunkin Guy had done to him that had him actually shaking when he informed me he had to make sure I was aware the coffee I was ordering for Gwen had caffiene in it.

I asked him who the heck is ordering coffee for a kid and doesn't ask?  They deserve the very hyper active child they get.

DH made the pharmacist cry when he very loudly over pissy customers told her that she was doing a great job and he respected how well she was handling it all.

For all the lip service that was paid in 2020 we've gotten WORSE.  Oh but the reason all these jobs are going unfulfilled is because people are just too lazy.  Uh uh.

[Opti]

Jan 19, 2022 13:32:40 GMT -5 NomoreDramaQ1015 said:

I've noticed a lot of customer facing people are really skittish or look like they are going to cry at the drop of a hat.  I wondered what the heck the poor Dunkin Guy had done to him that had him actually shaking when he informed me he had to make sure I was aware the coffee I was ordering for Gwen had caffiene in it.

I asked him who the heck is ordering coffee for a kid and doesn't ask?  They deserve the very hyper active child they get.

DH made the pharmacist cry when he very loudly over pissy customers told her that she was doing a great job and he respected how well she was handling it all.

For all the lip service that was paid in 2020 we've gotten WORSE.  Oh but the reason all these jobs are going unfulfilled is because people are just too lazy.  Uh uh.

They've been abused beyond all endurance on all sides past their ability to defend themselves. Or at least some have, and that's what got me. Imagine a world where everyone is above you and you have to take whatever shit comes your way with a smile or at least how mgmt wants you to just to get paid. 

Retail customer service have customers who think those who serve them should be mind readers. I had something similar. High touch folks would whine to the top not realizing absolutely none of that info would ever trickle down to the front desk. I was supposed to know everything about what happened when I was not working too immediately because Joe Complainer wanted it so. 

[Deleted]

I went to the mall Monday to get some nose rings from Claire’s. It was the first time I’ve been inside a mall in over 2 years, but I’ve been out of nose rings for a while, and I didn’t want my piercing to close.

The poor lady was the only employee, and the body piercings are locked up, an employee has to open the case with a key. When I first got there, she was preparing to pierce somebody’s ears, which is not quick. I was not the only other customer in the store. She wasn’t rude, but she was clearly not in a good mood.

Neither was I, but that wasn’t her fault, so I was patient and made an extra effort to be pleasant. I was the last person in the store when she finally rang me up.

She’d gotten my stuff out of the case, but there was a man with 3 girls at the register before me. The youngest one looked to be about 7yo, and she was paying for her purchase herself, and taking forever to count out her $28. Then, she counted wrong, and ended up asking the employee to take off the most expensive item. The man looked at me and apologized and said I could go before the next girl paid for her stuff. I smiled and told him it was okay, I would wait. When they were finally done, he told me thank you for being so patient. No problem, y’all have a good day.

When I was finally leaving, I told the employee I hoped she got a few minutes’ break before anyone else came in, that I appreciated her and hoped her day got better.

Having worked with the public myself when I was young, I’ve always made it my business to not be ugly with employees on the front lines that are just doing their jobs and aren’t being ugly with me. These days, I have even more empathy for them, because people have gotten so crazy. All the issues with short staffing, empty shelves, mask requirements….. none of it is their fault. It would be even worse if they weren’t at work either, so why be ugly?

[Deleted]

I've talked with DS' DSIL (she's married to DDIL's brother) over the last couple of years about her job at a grocery store in Omaha- I get the feeling she's in some sort of management role but still works with customers.  In the beginning they were forbidden to wear masks (might scare the customers off) and people would come in and tell her they had COVID but were shopping anyway.  And of course no one bothers with them now.   She's got foot problems from walking around on pavement all day for years but can't afford to take off the 8 weeks for recovery from the surgery that MIGHT work.  She's the source of health insurance for them both and her elderly father lives with them.  DDIL says she's actually afraid to jump ship and go elsewhere.

Closer to home, we were in Subway and the lady ahead of us told the (only) employee what she wanted, the employee put it together and then she said that that was NOT what she wanted- she'd sat there watching her put the sandwich together with ingredients that apparently she didn't want and THEN asked her to make it differently.  The original, of course, was thrown out and all of us were held up.  BF praised her loudly enough for the others to hear about how well she handle that customer.

The public can be really rotten.

[stillmovingforward]

The doctors and such aren't doing too well either.
DSIL gets verbally attacked for wearing a mask in the town he works at. One of the doctors was physically attacked. At the grocery store!

[stillmovingforward]

I doubt anyone is 'ok'.
We should all try much harder to be nicer. *sigh*

[alabamagal]

Most of the self checkouts are designed for small orders. There is not enough room to put your stuff other than back in the cart. Some Walmart’s actually have some self checkouts where you can actually put your stuff on a belt and then checkout. The Walmart near me has 4 lanes like this, but almost everyone uses the small kiosks with no room.

About 8 years ago Walmart built a neighborhood market near me with a bunch of self checkout lanes with belts. The store was built for 1 regular checkout and many nice self check, but I think they eventually had to change them up (I moved away).

I am fine with self checkout if we’ll designed and good systems.

[Deleted]

Jan 24, 2022 7:49:41 GMT -5 alabamagal said:

I am fine with self checkout if we’ll designed and good systems.

I have mixed feelings even with well-designed ones, but I really don't like the ones in my otherwise-favorite grocery store.  As soon as you scan an item you put it at the top of a conveyor belt that slides it down to a platform about 6' away, so you can't bag each item immediately after you scan.  You have to wait until you've finished the transaction THEN go down and bag it (prying apart all the bags stuck together by static electricity).  Each stand has two divergent conveyors leading separate platforms so the next person in line can divert theirs to the other while you bag- if they remember to move the bar that directs them.

And if you code something wrong (the bar codes on most produce don't work so you have to look up the product) or something isn't in the system, there's no "I don't want this item" button.  The system freezes till a human comes over.

I try to avoid them unless there are massive lines for the humans.

[Deleted]

I only use them at groceries if I see a store associate standing by for assistance because they have to use their override and see my ID when I buy alcohol.  I also find it challenging to swipe, look up produce, and bag while guarding my purse and credit card from creeps in the store.  I do love them at Home Depot and Lowe's

[formerroomate99]

This is one reason I switched to doing the majority of my grocery shopping via delivery. I order early in the week and set the delivery time for a couple days out. That way there’s no chance they’re gonna be picking my groceries on the weekend when the place is a madhouse. And the extra lead time gives them some flexibility.The drivers get very large tips.

Picking groceries and doing deliveries is a much better gig for an introvert or someone who can’t afford to take the risks involved in running a cash register.

[teen persuasion]

Jan 24, 2022 9:04:06 GMT -5 @athena53 said:

Jan 24, 2022 7:49:41 GMT -5 alabamagal said:

I am fine with self checkout if we’ll designed and good systems.

I have mixed feelings even with well-designed ones, but I really don't like the ones in my otherwise-favorite grocery store.  As soon as you scan an item you put it at the top of a conveyor belt that slides it down to a platform about 6' away, so you can't bag each item immediately after you scan.  You have to wait until you've finished the transaction THEN go down and bag it (prying apart all the bags stuck together by static electricity).  Each stand has two divergent conveyors leading separate platforms so the next person in line can divert theirs to the other while you bag- if they remember to move the bar that directs them.

And if you code something wrong (the bar codes on most produce don't work so you have to look up the product) or something isn't in the system, there's no "I don't want this item" button.  The system freezes till a human comes over.

I try to avoid them unless there are massive lines for the humans.

It's amazing how different every store is.  I've never seen a conveyor at a self checkout.  

In my local store, there's a metal shelf next to the scanner where you MUST put your stuff after scanning it.  It has a scale to weigh everything, so it knows when you've put it there, and it harasses you until you put it there.  There used to be wire frames holding plastic bags opened for bagging, but since the state banned plastic bags those have gone away.  And there's nowhere to hang reusable bags that you bring, so bagging is pesty.

They are remodeling the store, piecemeal.  New scanners went in, replacing 4 (2 per side) with 6 (3 per side) - so tighter space, but demand is there.  They are much more automated (manager kiosk is gone) but they talk to you WAY too much.  When you walk by, they wake up and begin their spiel, so I trigger 3 if I head to the furthest one.  After every scan there's a KA-CHING, and it tells the MSRP price, not the sale price or price with loyalty card (confusing, it asks for card at beginning).  They still use paper coupons in their ad, and I had 2 together, intending to scan each half separately and put in slot together.  Nope, it refused to scan next coupon until I put first one in the magic blue flashing slot.  And, at least on my favored side, they only take cards, no cash.  I think handling cash was their weakest point.  It always seemed to be broken on a few of the older machines.

[NomoreDramaQ1015]

I HATE those self check outs with the weight shelves.  You either have to have two carts (one to hold your stuff you haven't rung up, one to hold the stuff you bagged), put your bags on the floor which pisses you and everyone around you off or you get to wait around every two minutes for a cashier to clear the weight red flags.

Wal-mart is all right they have self check outs with lanes attached so you can put your bags down as you go but there are only a handful of them.  Hy-Vee, SuperSaver and Target all have the usual self check outs which are more meant for a handful of items not a full cart of stuff.

Meanwhile the line is going all the way back to the meat department.   It's not the cashier or any worker's fault it's shitty store layout and execution by the people putting the self check outs in.

But I can't complain TOO loudly about them because they make DH's company $$$ so his job is pretty secure right now.

[Deleted]

Jan 27, 2022 8:55:50 GMT -5 NomoreDramaQ1015 said:

I HATE those self check outs with the weight shelves.  You either have to have two carts (one to hold your stuff you haven't rung up, one to hold the stuff you bagged), put your bags on the floor which pisses you and everyone around you off or you get to wait around every two minutes for a cashier to clear the weight red flags.

It's one of the reasons I don't use them for large orders- easier for me since I'm usually buying only for myself.  My granddaughters think they're fun to use but inevitably one or the other will pick up stuff after it's scanned and put it in the cart, setting off the weight alarm till I put it back in the scale area.  Royal PITA. 

[wvugurl26]

Maybe the ones around here are weird. Once the item hits the weighted area and registers you can then move it.

At Sam's club they have a second cart to transfer your stuff into if you want to do it that way.

[Lizard Queen]

Meijer started out with Uscan for smaller purchases, then they added a few lanes with the conveyor belts. Those sucked unless you were shopping in tandem with someone who could bag for you. Now they have bigger areas to bag your purchases, with 3 sets of bags on a carousel, so you can easily bag as you go. It's way better, but it's still quicker to have a cashier check you out if you don't have to wait in line. (You almost always have to wait in line.) Aldi's cashier's are lightning fast. Screw the uscan.