Ok, today is about the express lane so I'll try to make this quick (ha ha). The express lane is for the convenience of customers who have just come in for a few items. Hence calling it the express lane--to imply that customers can get in and get out of the checkout line quickly (duh). So here are a few things to keep in mind when going through the express line at the grocery store:
1. For those of you who don't know the express lane is for people purchasing 15 items or less. People behind you will tend to get upset if you try to "pull a fast one" by going into the express lane with much more then 15 items. I had a customer once who came through the express lane with something like 30 cans of cat food in addition to some other groceries. When I politely (and I really was polite about it) mentioned that it was the express lane she said, "Oh, but the cat food is just one item." Ummm, no lady--news flash--each individual can of cat food is one item. That's just how math works. If you're gonna crash the express lane at least own up to it.
2. Just an FYI. It seems to me that the absolute worst time to try and dash into the grocery store to pick up a few quick items is Sunday morning between 10:00 a.m. and 12:00 in the afternoon. My own personal theory is that people who have just left church on Sunday morning stop by the grocery store for a few quick items before they go back home. But whatever the reason the express lane is always mobbed on Sunday morning so don't expect to get out of there too fast because the line is neverending on Sunday morning.
3.
Take care and happy shopping
Thursday, September 30, 2010
Wednesday, September 29, 2010
5 more annoying habits of grocery store customers (Part II)
6. not using the divider between orders...I mean how hard is it to use the little plastic divider to separate your order from the order behind you? I recommend using this little plastic divider unless you want to end up paying for the order behind you too. Or if (for some inexplicable reason) you don't want to use the plastic divider at least leave a BIG space between your order and the next order so the cashier can see that they are two separate orders. It's just a simple little thing that makes everything easier.
7. confusing the grocery store checkout for an ATM cash machine... ok so as most of you know most grocery stores allow customers using debit cards to get cash back as a convenience for the customer and this is not normally a problem at all...except when the customer mistakes the checkout for his or her own personal ATM. The way things work at my grocery store is that we start with a certain amount of money is our drawer so when a customer asks for any cash back that is over $100 it kind of wipes out our cash drawer and we run out of money to make change for customers for the rest of our shift. So if you need a significant amount of cash back just ask the cashier if they have enough in their cash drawer or go to your bank or use an ATM. Again I don't mind the customers who ask for $20, $40, or even $60 dollars cash back just don't confuse the cashier at the checkout for the teller at your bank.
8. It's in the bag. . . special requests and other bagging related issues. I was asking some of the other cashiers what customers did that annoyed them and I was surprised that a lot of them said it annoyed then when customers ask for paper bags in plastic bags. That doesn't really bothered me but I have to say that there is something similar that annoys me. A customer came through my checkout line recently and I was scanning her groceries and it was all one order. I was getting ready to start bagging the groceries (because she obviously wasn't going to help) when she said, "Wait, wait, wait. These things are going to different places and they need to be bagged separately." Then she took all of the groceries and split them up into three separate piles. She pointed to the first pile of groceries and said, "All of these things need to be bagged together." "Then these things go together." She said pointing to the second pile of groceries. "And everything else left can go into a bag together." she said indicating the third pile. Now since I am not a psychic and I didn't bring my Ouija board to work with me that day, wouldn't it just have been faster and easier for her to bag the groceries herself since she knew where each of the things were going and how she wanted them to be bagged. I think the idea of paper and plastic is a similar concept...it's a sort of "special request" that can be a real pain in ass! Oh and this also reminds me of another customer. There is a customer, I'll call him Henry, who comes into the store a few times a week and someone always bags his groceries from him. Then after his order is finished and the cashier has rung him out he stands at the end of the register and rebags everything the cashier has just bagged. Henry rearranges everything. My question is this...why not just bag it yourself the first time? I'm sure I could practically write a whole blog just dealing with bagging related issues and I know I have already mentioned bagging your own groceries before so I think you guys get the idea.
I think the main point is that if it's really important for you to have your groceries bagged in a specific way just save everyone a huge headache by taking care of it yourself. . . that way you know it's done the way you want it done.
9. The "But mommy always lets me" customer... Ok, annoying habit number 9 is when the customer asks for something and the cashier says, "Oh, I'm sorry our store doesn't do that." or "Our store doesn't have that service." (whatever it is that the customer is asking for). And then the customer will say, "Oh, well the other grocery store I go to always does this for me" It makes the customer sound like the whiny little kid in the back seat of the car whining to her dad, "But mommy always let me." And here's what I have to say--That's why capitalism is such a beautiful thing. If you have gone to another store and you like their policies or the services they offer better go shop there instead! I'm sorry, that may sound a bit callous (or bitchy even) ok, so the other option (that makes me sound like less of a bitch)--the customer is always welcome to speak to the customer service manager at our store because a large part of his job is to deal with these types of issues and customer concerns (that's why he's called the customer service manager)...but I have to admit, realistically, whining to me (a lowly cashier) about our store's policies won't get you very far. I will always try to be sympathetic to legitimate complaints or sometimes if I have had a few customers come up to me with the same complaint I will try to mention it to the manager. But generally, if a customer complains to me about something I apologize and then I forget about that customer by the time I start scanning the next order. (I know that may sound terrible but I'm just trying to be honest). I had a customer (I'll call him Steve) come in at 11:00 at night the other day and he complained that every time he came in at night, the deli case (which is normally stocked with presliced deli meats and cheese) was out of cheese. Now this may be a legitimate complaint, but the last deli person leaves at 10:00 p.m. and I have never worked in the deli (I wouldn't want to) and have no control over how much cheese they slice before they go: so how exactly would he have liked me to address this particular complaint? There was nothing I could do to help him. In this particular case it probably would be most helpful to "Steve" to talk to the deli manager sometime when he happens to be shopping during the day.
I guess the moral of the story is that if you have a legitimate customer service complaint (in any store) just make sure you are directing it to the right person...if you are just looking to vent, complain to the cashier but I don't think they'll do too much about it.
10. Final one on the list...As I have mentioned before our store is open to midnight. Annoying habit 10 is parents who bring in toddler kids into the store at 11:30. Now, I don't want to sound judgmental and I know some of these parents don't have any other option...but god, it's almost midnight--so shouldn't your little 2 or 3 or 4 year old be at home, in bed? It especially drives me crazy when there are a man and a women (seemingly the parents of this little kid) who are both there shopping. Couldn't one of them have stayed at home and put the kid to bed while the other went grocery shopping? Again not trying to be judgmental or harsh here, just curious. It makes me tired just watching these little kids trying to keep his or her eyes open while their parents are shopping. I mean, god, it's practically past my bedtime so I can't image being a little 3 year old dragged to the grocery store...Oh, and related to this is parent(s) who come through with toddlers and then ask me to go get them a pack of cigs from behind the customer service desk. I mean it's one thing to mess up your own lungs but these little kids are in the house too and they don't have much of choice about the second hand smoke. Do these things count as an annoying customer habit? I'm not sure (but close enough).
Ok, guys. . . you've read the list. Do you agree with me? Do you disagree with me? Are you guilty of any of these "crimes"? I have to admit I am (mostly the talking on the cell phone one). Until next time, take care and happy shopping!
7. confusing the grocery store checkout for an ATM cash machine... ok so as most of you know most grocery stores allow customers using debit cards to get cash back as a convenience for the customer and this is not normally a problem at all...except when the customer mistakes the checkout for his or her own personal ATM. The way things work at my grocery store is that we start with a certain amount of money is our drawer so when a customer asks for any cash back that is over $100 it kind of wipes out our cash drawer and we run out of money to make change for customers for the rest of our shift. So if you need a significant amount of cash back just ask the cashier if they have enough in their cash drawer or go to your bank or use an ATM. Again I don't mind the customers who ask for $20, $40, or even $60 dollars cash back just don't confuse the cashier at the checkout for the teller at your bank.
8. It's in the bag. . . special requests and other bagging related issues. I was asking some of the other cashiers what customers did that annoyed them and I was surprised that a lot of them said it annoyed then when customers ask for paper bags in plastic bags. That doesn't really bothered me but I have to say that there is something similar that annoys me. A customer came through my checkout line recently and I was scanning her groceries and it was all one order. I was getting ready to start bagging the groceries (because she obviously wasn't going to help) when she said, "Wait, wait, wait. These things are going to different places and they need to be bagged separately." Then she took all of the groceries and split them up into three separate piles. She pointed to the first pile of groceries and said, "All of these things need to be bagged together." "Then these things go together." She said pointing to the second pile of groceries. "And everything else left can go into a bag together." she said indicating the third pile. Now since I am not a psychic and I didn't bring my Ouija board to work with me that day, wouldn't it just have been faster and easier for her to bag the groceries herself since she knew where each of the things were going and how she wanted them to be bagged. I think the idea of paper and plastic is a similar concept...it's a sort of "special request" that can be a real pain in ass! Oh and this also reminds me of another customer. There is a customer, I'll call him Henry, who comes into the store a few times a week and someone always bags his groceries from him. Then after his order is finished and the cashier has rung him out he stands at the end of the register and rebags everything the cashier has just bagged. Henry rearranges everything. My question is this...why not just bag it yourself the first time? I'm sure I could practically write a whole blog just dealing with bagging related issues and I know I have already mentioned bagging your own groceries before so I think you guys get the idea.
I think the main point is that if it's really important for you to have your groceries bagged in a specific way just save everyone a huge headache by taking care of it yourself. . . that way you know it's done the way you want it done.
9. The "But mommy always lets me" customer... Ok, annoying habit number 9 is when the customer asks for something and the cashier says, "Oh, I'm sorry our store doesn't do that." or "Our store doesn't have that service." (whatever it is that the customer is asking for). And then the customer will say, "Oh, well the other grocery store I go to always does this for me" It makes the customer sound like the whiny little kid in the back seat of the car whining to her dad, "But mommy always let me." And here's what I have to say--That's why capitalism is such a beautiful thing. If you have gone to another store and you like their policies or the services they offer better go shop there instead! I'm sorry, that may sound a bit callous (or bitchy even) ok, so the other option (that makes me sound like less of a bitch)--the customer is always welcome to speak to the customer service manager at our store because a large part of his job is to deal with these types of issues and customer concerns (that's why he's called the customer service manager)...but I have to admit, realistically, whining to me (a lowly cashier) about our store's policies won't get you very far. I will always try to be sympathetic to legitimate complaints or sometimes if I have had a few customers come up to me with the same complaint I will try to mention it to the manager. But generally, if a customer complains to me about something I apologize and then I forget about that customer by the time I start scanning the next order. (I know that may sound terrible but I'm just trying to be honest). I had a customer (I'll call him Steve) come in at 11:00 at night the other day and he complained that every time he came in at night, the deli case (which is normally stocked with presliced deli meats and cheese) was out of cheese. Now this may be a legitimate complaint, but the last deli person leaves at 10:00 p.m. and I have never worked in the deli (I wouldn't want to) and have no control over how much cheese they slice before they go: so how exactly would he have liked me to address this particular complaint? There was nothing I could do to help him. In this particular case it probably would be most helpful to "Steve" to talk to the deli manager sometime when he happens to be shopping during the day.
I guess the moral of the story is that if you have a legitimate customer service complaint (in any store) just make sure you are directing it to the right person...if you are just looking to vent, complain to the cashier but I don't think they'll do too much about it.
10. Final one on the list...As I have mentioned before our store is open to midnight. Annoying habit 10 is parents who bring in toddler kids into the store at 11:30. Now, I don't want to sound judgmental and I know some of these parents don't have any other option...but god, it's almost midnight--so shouldn't your little 2 or 3 or 4 year old be at home, in bed? It especially drives me crazy when there are a man and a women (seemingly the parents of this little kid) who are both there shopping. Couldn't one of them have stayed at home and put the kid to bed while the other went grocery shopping? Again not trying to be judgmental or harsh here, just curious. It makes me tired just watching these little kids trying to keep his or her eyes open while their parents are shopping. I mean, god, it's practically past my bedtime so I can't image being a little 3 year old dragged to the grocery store...Oh, and related to this is parent(s) who come through with toddlers and then ask me to go get them a pack of cigs from behind the customer service desk. I mean it's one thing to mess up your own lungs but these little kids are in the house too and they don't have much of choice about the second hand smoke. Do these things count as an annoying customer habit? I'm not sure (but close enough).
Ok, guys. . . you've read the list. Do you agree with me? Do you disagree with me? Are you guilty of any of these "crimes"? I have to admit I am (mostly the talking on the cell phone one). Until next time, take care and happy shopping!
Tuesday, September 28, 2010
5 annoying habits of grocery store customers (Part I)
Hello again...here we are at day 2 and I hate to start things off on a negative note but this blog entry is going to be about the things customers do that drives me crazy or the things that just piss me off. Every person who works in the customer service industry has a list of things that customers do that drive them crazy. You may suspect that talking on a cell phone while waiting in the checkout line is one the list and you would be right, it is. Talking on a cell phone while at the grocery store checkout (or any checkout for that matter) is pretty rude. But surprisingly it is not at the top of my personal list. I think talking on a cell phone is (sort of) forgivable for a few reasons. Look, people lead busy lives and standing in the checkout line is boring (maybe even more boring then being the cashier at the checkout line--ha ha). Talking on the phone helps it go quicker and sometimes it's tough to end a phone conversation that you're right in the middle of. Trust me...I've been there. But what I can't stand is when the person on the cell phone doesn't even acknowledge that their behavior is rude. All it takes is an apologetic look or for the customer to say, "I'm sorry". An apology can go a long way. And if you apologize chances are the cashier will smile and say, "No, problem." (most of the time).
I will also take this opportunity to point out that you may miss out on savings or you may miss it if your cashier makes a mistake, or if an item rings up at the wrong price if you are distracted by talking on your cell phone. The store where I work has a store card (like many grocery stores do) that gives special discounts and savings on certain items in the store and there have been times when a customer has so blatantly ignored me while talking on their phone that rather then "interrupting" their conversation I just won't ask them if they have a store card--and 9 times out of 10 some of the things they have bought are on sale. So they missed out on the sale prices of their groceries by talking on the phone. And that's why in my opinion it pays to wait to talk on the phone until you are out of the checkout line.
So, here's the list (in no particular order):
1. People who come in one minute before the store is supposed to close...I said this list was in no particular order...but this one really, really annoys me and it was the first thing I thought of when I started writing so it's at the top of the list. I think it's just disrespectful (or at the very least shows a lack of common courtesy). For example, the store where I work closes at midnight and by 11:59 I'm just ready to get the hell out of there! I mean, wouldn't you be? So to come in one minute before a store closes basically says, "Screw you." to the cashier. You are basically saying that your time is more valuable then mine and that frustrates me. Just as a quick example I had a customer cruise into the store at 11:59 (so he had already pissed me off). He bought ground beef, taco shells and taco seasoning. Now my question to you is this...was this some sort of taco emergency? Was this a shopping trip that couldn't have waited until tomorrow? Was he really going to go right home and make tacos? And hey at 11:30, even 11:45 come into the store and buy all the taco stuff you want but why wait until (literally) one minute before the store closes. (My sister's theory was that he was high and had the munchies. . .) But hey, who am I to judge--maybe one of his kids had a school project on the history of the taco that was due in morning...who knows.
Just as a quick P.S. to this--I am (umm most of the time) a pretty reasonable person...if someone rushes in at 11:59 and is grabbing diapers for their kid who is at home screaming or a sick person coming in to buy medicine I have absolutely no problem with that.
2. Putting cash, credit cards, or coupons on the conveyor belt...you may not realize it but there is a thin space between the conveyor belt and the scanner at the register and if your money or credit card goes down the conveyor belt guess who has to try to fish it out (I'll give you a hint--it's not the customer). And I say this because I've actually had a customer's money go down the belt because the customer put the money down on the belt and I couldn't turn the conveyor belt off in time. It was a $20 and it took 3 of us to get it back. It happened a long time ago and it still frustrates me because it was so easily preventable. It just seems like a pretty simple concept--don't put your money on a moving conveyor belt. Make sense? Or should I say Make cents? Ha ha. But people do it all the time. Also many people set their money on the belt when it isn't moving but there is a motion sensor that moves the conveyor belt so even if the conveyor belt isn't moving when you set the money down it may start moving again when the cashier starts scanning your groceries. So save everyone a little trouble and just hold onto your money. And don't shove your money in the cashier's face like a guy at a strip club shoving money down a striper's g-string...just hang onto it like a normal person until the cashier tells you what the total is.
3. Talking on a cell phone at the checkout...(well you've already read my thoughts on this).
4. Not bagging your own groceries...I have to explain this one a bit. When I first started working at a grocery store (all the way back in high school) I HATED bagging groceries, absolutely hated it (which is ironic because I was actually hired as a bagger before I became a cashier) but I have really gotten to like bagging groceries. I have sort of turned bagging groceries into a game--like a sort of puzzle or a game of Tetris. I like trying to make all the pieces fit together as they come down the conveyor belt. So, no, I don't mind bagging your groceries for you and I do recognize that this a part of my job working at a grocery store. What I do mind is when you have a pretty large order, there is a line of customers behind you and you stand there and stare at me while I try to bag your groceries as quickly as possible because there is a line of people behind you. So when you see there are other people behind you in line and I'm rushing trying to get people through the line as quickly as possible try to help out by bagging some of your own groceries. I also hate when a group of people come through the line together and not one of them helps the cashier bag the groceries. So for example, it was a Friday night and there was a group of three people, probably around 18 or 19 (two guys and a girl---all seemingly healthy and perfectly capable of bagging their own groceries) who came through my line. It was sort of later at night so I was the only cashier there. I scanned their groceries, their groceries went down the conveyor belt and they all just stood there. So there were 3 pairs of eyes just starting at me, watching me bag their groceries and not one of them lifted a finger to help. Come on people...there's three of you (that's six hands) and one of me...and not one of you can help me out here? I was so pissed by the end of the order I was throwing things in the bag and biting the inside of my lip to keep from yelling at them. So please help cashiers bag your groceries because it just makes the whole thing go much faster for everyone.
5. What's the magic word? There is very little excuse for a lack of common courtesy (unless you were raised by a pack of wild wolves or something). So my most annoying habit number five is people who don't say please and thank you. Here's a little tough love for you. Your mom and dad should have taught you to say please and thank you when you were a kid but in case they didn't here it is...Be polite! Saying please and thank you is a simple thing that goes a long way! Even if your parents didn't teach you manners, you're an adult now so you should have learned this by now because this is how civilized adults behave. Manners are important. Being polite is important. Learn it, live it, love it! And just one final note to the parents who come through the check out line with your kids...your kids are learning by your example. You can tell them to say please and thank you until you are blue in the face but you need to practice what you preach. The fact of the matter is they learn so much more by watching you, so try to set a good example for them. And that's all I have to say about that.
Well that's all for today shoppers but stay tuned for Part II.
Take care and happy shopping!
I will also take this opportunity to point out that you may miss out on savings or you may miss it if your cashier makes a mistake, or if an item rings up at the wrong price if you are distracted by talking on your cell phone. The store where I work has a store card (like many grocery stores do) that gives special discounts and savings on certain items in the store and there have been times when a customer has so blatantly ignored me while talking on their phone that rather then "interrupting" their conversation I just won't ask them if they have a store card--and 9 times out of 10 some of the things they have bought are on sale. So they missed out on the sale prices of their groceries by talking on the phone. And that's why in my opinion it pays to wait to talk on the phone until you are out of the checkout line.
So, here's the list (in no particular order):
1. People who come in one minute before the store is supposed to close...I said this list was in no particular order...but this one really, really annoys me and it was the first thing I thought of when I started writing so it's at the top of the list. I think it's just disrespectful (or at the very least shows a lack of common courtesy). For example, the store where I work closes at midnight and by 11:59 I'm just ready to get the hell out of there! I mean, wouldn't you be? So to come in one minute before a store closes basically says, "Screw you." to the cashier. You are basically saying that your time is more valuable then mine and that frustrates me. Just as a quick example I had a customer cruise into the store at 11:59 (so he had already pissed me off). He bought ground beef, taco shells and taco seasoning. Now my question to you is this...was this some sort of taco emergency? Was this a shopping trip that couldn't have waited until tomorrow? Was he really going to go right home and make tacos? And hey at 11:30, even 11:45 come into the store and buy all the taco stuff you want but why wait until (literally) one minute before the store closes. (My sister's theory was that he was high and had the munchies. . .) But hey, who am I to judge--maybe one of his kids had a school project on the history of the taco that was due in morning...who knows.
Just as a quick P.S. to this--I am (umm most of the time) a pretty reasonable person...if someone rushes in at 11:59 and is grabbing diapers for their kid who is at home screaming or a sick person coming in to buy medicine I have absolutely no problem with that.
2. Putting cash, credit cards, or coupons on the conveyor belt...you may not realize it but there is a thin space between the conveyor belt and the scanner at the register and if your money or credit card goes down the conveyor belt guess who has to try to fish it out (I'll give you a hint--it's not the customer). And I say this because I've actually had a customer's money go down the belt because the customer put the money down on the belt and I couldn't turn the conveyor belt off in time. It was a $20 and it took 3 of us to get it back. It happened a long time ago and it still frustrates me because it was so easily preventable. It just seems like a pretty simple concept--don't put your money on a moving conveyor belt. Make sense? Or should I say Make cents? Ha ha. But people do it all the time. Also many people set their money on the belt when it isn't moving but there is a motion sensor that moves the conveyor belt so even if the conveyor belt isn't moving when you set the money down it may start moving again when the cashier starts scanning your groceries. So save everyone a little trouble and just hold onto your money. And don't shove your money in the cashier's face like a guy at a strip club shoving money down a striper's g-string...just hang onto it like a normal person until the cashier tells you what the total is.
3. Talking on a cell phone at the checkout...(well you've already read my thoughts on this).
4. Not bagging your own groceries...I have to explain this one a bit. When I first started working at a grocery store (all the way back in high school) I HATED bagging groceries, absolutely hated it (which is ironic because I was actually hired as a bagger before I became a cashier) but I have really gotten to like bagging groceries. I have sort of turned bagging groceries into a game--like a sort of puzzle or a game of Tetris. I like trying to make all the pieces fit together as they come down the conveyor belt. So, no, I don't mind bagging your groceries for you and I do recognize that this a part of my job working at a grocery store. What I do mind is when you have a pretty large order, there is a line of customers behind you and you stand there and stare at me while I try to bag your groceries as quickly as possible because there is a line of people behind you. So when you see there are other people behind you in line and I'm rushing trying to get people through the line as quickly as possible try to help out by bagging some of your own groceries. I also hate when a group of people come through the line together and not one of them helps the cashier bag the groceries. So for example, it was a Friday night and there was a group of three people, probably around 18 or 19 (two guys and a girl---all seemingly healthy and perfectly capable of bagging their own groceries) who came through my line. It was sort of later at night so I was the only cashier there. I scanned their groceries, their groceries went down the conveyor belt and they all just stood there. So there were 3 pairs of eyes just starting at me, watching me bag their groceries and not one of them lifted a finger to help. Come on people...there's three of you (that's six hands) and one of me...and not one of you can help me out here? I was so pissed by the end of the order I was throwing things in the bag and biting the inside of my lip to keep from yelling at them. So please help cashiers bag your groceries because it just makes the whole thing go much faster for everyone.
5. What's the magic word? There is very little excuse for a lack of common courtesy (unless you were raised by a pack of wild wolves or something). So my most annoying habit number five is people who don't say please and thank you. Here's a little tough love for you. Your mom and dad should have taught you to say please and thank you when you were a kid but in case they didn't here it is...Be polite! Saying please and thank you is a simple thing that goes a long way! Even if your parents didn't teach you manners, you're an adult now so you should have learned this by now because this is how civilized adults behave. Manners are important. Being polite is important. Learn it, live it, love it! And just one final note to the parents who come through the check out line with your kids...your kids are learning by your example. You can tell them to say please and thank you until you are blue in the face but you need to practice what you preach. The fact of the matter is they learn so much more by watching you, so try to set a good example for them. And that's all I have to say about that.
Well that's all for today shoppers but stay tuned for Part II.
Take care and happy shopping!
Monday, September 27, 2010
Everything I have learned from working in the customer service industry
September 27, 2010--Day 1
Welcome to my first blog entry whoever out there may be reading this! You may have a few questions. Like, first--what is all of this about? Well, I have a goal. For a full year I am going to blog about my experiences being a grocery store cashier. You may think to yourself..."hmmm that sounds pretty, umm, boring." Well, you would be sort of right. Being a grocery store cashier can be a mindless, boring, mundane job. So why write a blog about it? That's a very good question. See I have worked in the customer service industry starting with my first job at a fast food restaurant (which shall remain nameless). I didn't particularly like working in fast food--but hey it was a job and it paid for my first car when I was 16 so I had no major complaints (except for all the weight I gained from eating all of those french fries...but that's a whole different story).
My second job during high school was working at a grocery store. I graduated from high school, went to college, went to more school after college. And then years and years and years after graduating high school I needed a second job because I had student loans and other bills to pay so I began looking for a second job with flexible hours and I found myself right back where I had been in high school--working at a grocery store at nights. Since that first job I have continued working with customers in one way or another--I have worked as a bank teller, I have worked at a book store, and as a grocery store cashier. I generally really like working with people but I have to say there are times when it gets tiring and there are times when the people get annoying. So that leads back to the original question--why are you doing this?
First, there are the personal reasons. I really like writing and I thought writing a blog might be a good start. In fact, there have been a few really good books I have read recently (Julie and Julia and Waiter Rant in particular--both very good reads by the way) by authors that started out by writing daily blogs and I thought maybe I could do that too. I think the best writing starts with writing about what you know. So I thought to myself, 'well, what do you know?' and the answer was, 'you know very little' . And I was a little depressed, to be honest...but I thought I could start simply and just write about my experiences as a grocery store cashier. Also, let's be honest--being a grocery store cashier is by no means a dream job for most people (in fact I kind of hate it) so I thought writing would be a good way to vent my frustrations, find the humor in the situation by sharing a few funny stories and turn a negative situation into something positive.
Second, it seems to me that the whole idea of writing a blog a sort of egocentric. The writer is mostly writing about themselves...but I also wanted this blog to help people in some small way. Help customers by offering shopping tips and ways to save money and help cashiers by giving them a voice and a chance to air their grievances by talking about the things that drive them crazy about their job without having to worry about being fired.
And the final reason for writing this is to express how impressed I am by most of the people I work with and the many others who work in the customer service industry. The people who I work with are all different. Some are college students working to put themselves through school, others are high school student working to pay for their first cars or their car insurance (ahh that takes me back) some are single moms working to support their families and for many of them the grocery store is a second job. And while they are all pretty different what they have in common is they have personal goals and dreams that they are working toward and are working hard to make sure that they achieve those goals and to provide for their families.
So while I really dread walking into that grocery store for work I am having fun writing about my experiences! It helps me get through a shift to think about what I am going to write about. When I mention anyone by name keep in mind that the names have been changed to protect the innocent (or not so innocent). I hope it's (at least a little) entertaining and that you have as much fun reading this as I am having writing it. I don't promise it will always be edge-of-your-seat exciting but I do promise I will do my best to fair, honest and helpful.
Enjoy and happy shopping!
Welcome to my first blog entry whoever out there may be reading this! You may have a few questions. Like, first--what is all of this about? Well, I have a goal. For a full year I am going to blog about my experiences being a grocery store cashier. You may think to yourself..."hmmm that sounds pretty, umm, boring." Well, you would be sort of right. Being a grocery store cashier can be a mindless, boring, mundane job. So why write a blog about it? That's a very good question. See I have worked in the customer service industry starting with my first job at a fast food restaurant (which shall remain nameless). I didn't particularly like working in fast food--but hey it was a job and it paid for my first car when I was 16 so I had no major complaints (except for all the weight I gained from eating all of those french fries...but that's a whole different story).
My second job during high school was working at a grocery store. I graduated from high school, went to college, went to more school after college. And then years and years and years after graduating high school I needed a second job because I had student loans and other bills to pay so I began looking for a second job with flexible hours and I found myself right back where I had been in high school--working at a grocery store at nights. Since that first job I have continued working with customers in one way or another--I have worked as a bank teller, I have worked at a book store, and as a grocery store cashier. I generally really like working with people but I have to say there are times when it gets tiring and there are times when the people get annoying. So that leads back to the original question--why are you doing this?
First, there are the personal reasons. I really like writing and I thought writing a blog might be a good start. In fact, there have been a few really good books I have read recently (Julie and Julia and Waiter Rant in particular--both very good reads by the way) by authors that started out by writing daily blogs and I thought maybe I could do that too. I think the best writing starts with writing about what you know. So I thought to myself, 'well, what do you know?' and the answer was, 'you know very little' . And I was a little depressed, to be honest...but I thought I could start simply and just write about my experiences as a grocery store cashier. Also, let's be honest--being a grocery store cashier is by no means a dream job for most people (in fact I kind of hate it) so I thought writing would be a good way to vent my frustrations, find the humor in the situation by sharing a few funny stories and turn a negative situation into something positive.
Second, it seems to me that the whole idea of writing a blog a sort of egocentric. The writer is mostly writing about themselves...but I also wanted this blog to help people in some small way. Help customers by offering shopping tips and ways to save money and help cashiers by giving them a voice and a chance to air their grievances by talking about the things that drive them crazy about their job without having to worry about being fired.
And the final reason for writing this is to express how impressed I am by most of the people I work with and the many others who work in the customer service industry. The people who I work with are all different. Some are college students working to put themselves through school, others are high school student working to pay for their first cars or their car insurance (ahh that takes me back) some are single moms working to support their families and for many of them the grocery store is a second job. And while they are all pretty different what they have in common is they have personal goals and dreams that they are working toward and are working hard to make sure that they achieve those goals and to provide for their families.
So while I really dread walking into that grocery store for work I am having fun writing about my experiences! It helps me get through a shift to think about what I am going to write about. When I mention anyone by name keep in mind that the names have been changed to protect the innocent (or not so innocent). I hope it's (at least a little) entertaining and that you have as much fun reading this as I am having writing it. I don't promise it will always be edge-of-your-seat exciting but I do promise I will do my best to fair, honest and helpful.
Enjoy and happy shopping!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)