Spineless Sainsburys and all that is wrong in today's society!

[Herr Tubthumper]

On the subject of check outs I was asked to produce my boarding pass at Gatwick Boots when purchasing a coronation chicken sandwich and a bag of crisps the other day. I enquired why this was necessary and was told its purely for market research as they want to know which airline passengers spend the most. Nosey *****.

 

[Perfidious Albion]

Have to agree with the O P ...Everyone deserves our respect and attention when they are serving us . Sainsburys let their staff down badly here.

NB My old Dad was a ticket inspector on the trains .. I hate to think what he would have said to a passenger who continued a mobile conversation when he wanted a fare from them ! It would not have been so polite.....

 

[Brian Fantana]

To be honest, I find the forced small talk of checkout staff bloody irritating. M&S are the worst offenders in this regard. Today, for instance, when I was paying for my lunch I was greeted with the usual 'having a nice day, sir?' (which I can handle), followed by 'so, what have you been up to today, anything nice?' - if I'd wanted to have a chat about my day I'd have called my wife or mates.

I don't see why a checkout staff member has to have my full attention whilst scanning my items. They're performing a service, which requires zero contribution from me, save for paying. They don't need me to offer forth words of encouragement or a congratulatorary high-five when they successful manage to scan my items.

 

[Deadly Danson]

To be honest, I find the forced small talk of checkout staff bloody irritating. M&S are the worst offenders in this regard. Today, for instance, when I was paying for my lunch I was greeted with the usual 'having a nice day, sir?' (which I can handle), followed by 'so, what have you been up to today, anything nice?' - if I'd wanted to have a chat about my day I'd have called my wife or mates.

I don't see why a checkout staff member has to have my full attention whilst scanning my items. They're performing a service, which requires zero contribution from me, save for paying. They don't need me to offer forth words of encouragement or a congratulatorary high-five when they successful manage to scan my items.

There is nothing I hate more than this sort of forced small talk in shops. Say hello to me, say thank you and that willl do. However, to continue my phone conversation or continue listening to my music is exceptionally rude. The same goes for staff talking to each other whilst serving me. All part of the me me me society we live in-no one gives a monkeys about anyone else. A please or a thank you or an excuse me cost nothing and make everyone's life easier. Likewise if you receive a call whilst being served a quick, "would you mind holding on" or "I'll call you back in a couple of minutes is surely common courtesy.

 

[BHAZiggy]

I'm not sure what I find more bizarre. The fact that anyone thinks either of these people were in the right (They are clearly BOTH rude people), or the fact that some of you are getting angry about a minor incident that happened between 2 people you've probably never met and probably never will. If it didn't happen to you, why do you care?
The journalist who wrote the story also has no ambition since it is not even worthy of a place in a local rag.

 

[drew]

I first encountered this a few years ago at my local bank. The woman in front of me was having a loud inane conversation on her mobile about nothing, when she got to the cashier she just put a wad of bills and cheques and cash in to the hopper and said nothing, the cashier waited for a few moments and as no instructions were forthcoming picked out all the bits and tried to figure out what was required.
Eventually all the cash was placed in the drawer and various bits of paper stamped and returned to the hopper with a friendly " Is there anything else I can do for you today madam ? "

Needless to say there was not the slightest hint of acknowledgement from the woman on the phone, she just pulled out all the receipts and walked out still talking.

Unfortunately,the customer is king even though they can be rude, ignorant, selfish or arrogant. Supermarkets have plenty of rules which are routinely ignored by a section of the public. How about the " do not put your kids in the trolleys " rule for one ? routinely ignored, in fact I saw a woman once going around a supermarket with two trolleys, one for her shopping and one for her two brats jumping up and down using it as a mobile playpen.

As you will see from my previous posts I don't think the supermarket customer can be castigated the way she has been because the story and, ergo, the evidence, is incomplete. However in your example I agree wholeheartedly that the bank customer was rude as she completely ignored the teller.

if I don't want to talk to you, I don't have to

If I get an important call whilst I'm at a checkout, im going to take it.

the common theme with all those supporting the womans right to be rude, is the number of "I"s in their posts. Tells you so much.

You have jumped to the conclusion that she was rude merely for being on the phone without any knowledge of what the phone call was about. We don't know from the report whether the woman on the phone acknowledged the cashier when her goods were being scanned, whether she gave a pleasant nod and smile etc etc. For all we know it could just be a bad time of month for the cashier.

For what it is worth, I don't disagree that it is bad manners to be on the phone and ignore everyone else but it is possible to continue a conversation and acknowledge those around you. Also, I would agree that it is rude if you are in that situation and then start a phone call but I think this report clearly shows she arrived at the checkout on the phone.

Checkout staff are regularly monitored by management on giving good customer service , if they leave any of the questions out or don't engage the customer in a chat when there is a hold up (price check or customer wants an additional item) they are marked down. Apart from that there is the "mystery shopper" doing random checks and failure to score 100% can lead to disciplinary action.

Wouldn't it have be funny if the customer turned out to be a mystery shopper!!!!

 

[portlock seagull]

I'm not sure what I find more bizarre. The fact that anyone thinks either of these people were in the right (They are clearly BOTH rude people), or the fact that some of you are getting angry about a minor incident that happened between 2 people you've probably never met and probably never will. If it didn't happen to you, why do you care?
The journalist who wrote the story also has no ambition since it is not even worthy of a place in a local rag.

So why are you getting in a lather and commenting if you don't care either way? Now that is "bizarre"!

 

[BHAZiggy]

I'm not in a lather. You seem angered by this. I totally understand you being annoyed by somebody doing it to you. I'm just curious why it annoys you that it happened to a total stranger.

 

[albionite]

It does say a lot for our society and our taking for granted of technology that people now simply do not seem willing to tolerate not using/not being able to use their phone/wi-fi any time, any place, anywhere and cannot wait 2 minutes to hold a conversation over the phone. The customer's response is also typical of knowing how to manipulate authority into getting your own way on something, even you have been in the wrong yourself.

Give it 5-10 years though and I dare say this type of incident won't happen. Not because supermarkets ban phone usage from the checkout area, but because there will be no checkout operators left, everything will be self-service.

Soon we will be using our mobiles phone to pay at the terminal.... Will have to hang up then

 

[Guinness Boy]

Jesus. Three wrongs (customer, staff and Sainos compensating with a voucher) that will never make a right but are hardly going to cause mass death or the destruction of society either.

The ability of people these days to take offence at anything, especially on behalf of others is almost enough to turn one Libertarian.

 

[Questions]

One person on a checkout when there are twenty in the queue........... Now that's f****** rude. Do you hear Wickes in Worthing or every Co-op in the British Isles.

 

[crookie]

Bit rude imho, sad she complained. I have a shop, if someone did the same, I'd just take their money, probably not the kind of person i'd want to have a conversation with anyway. Honestly it's sometimes difficult to treat them with total respect when they ask you if you need any help packing your 1 item

 

[crookie]

One person on a checkout when there are twenty in the queue........... Now that's f****** rude. Do you hear Wickes in Worthing or every Co-op in the British Isles.

So true, in my local co-op,there are always at least 4 outside the backdoor smoking whilst the queue snakes around the store to the one checkout manned by the mug who doesn't smoke

 

[HovaGirl]

I don't understand this at all I say hello then thank you to the check out person all if which I can do whilst having a phone conversation with somebody I actually want to talk To

And they say men can't multitask

And while you are blabbering on the phone at the checkout, who is packing your bags and paying your bill? I suppose you are doing it one-handed, thereby slowing down the pace of the queue for everyone else

 

[looney]

No one here was there so no one can comment. If your in a que and an important call comes through you take it, you can mutter sorry quickly to the check out girl so not necassarily an act of rudeness.

none of these details are known so why all the bitching?

 

[portlock seagull]

I'm not in a lather. You seem angered by this. I totally understand you being annoyed by somebody doing it to you. I'm just curious why it annoys you that it happened to a total stranger.

I'm merely remarking on a news story - do you ever do that or are you not like the rest of the human race?!!

 

[Petunia]

No one here was there so no one can comment. If your in a que and an important call comes through you take it, you can mutter sorry quickly to the check out girl so not necassarily an act of rudeness.

none of these details are known so why all the bitching?

Que?

 

[portlock seagull]

No one here was there so no one can comment. If your in a que and an important call comes through you take it, you can mutter sorry quickly to the check out girl so not necassarily an act of rudeness.

none of these details are known so why all the bitching?

Close NSC in that case. But I notice you got your judgement in before taking the moral high ground!!

 

[BHAZiggy]

I'm merely remarking on a news story - do you ever do that or are you not like the rest of the human race?!!

And following it up by demonstrating to as many as you can what rudeness is. You sir, are a

 

[Seagull over Canaryland]

I have some sympathy for supermarket staff having to put up with some punters who seem to think it is a playground for their kids. Recently at the West Hove Sainsburys I saw a Mum chatting on her mobile phone oblivious of her kids racing around and getting in shoppers way then in the next aisle tunnelling along the behind the whole length of cereal boxes displacing most of the stock onto the floor and blocking the aisle. The kids thought it was hilarious. Mother eventually appeared and just ignored the chaos, continued with her phone call, meanwhile the kids went onto the next aisle with chocolate and crisps and started opening packets and helping themselves. The staff were distracted in the previous aisle. Eventually this family arrived at the check out next to where I was waiting and there was no mention of the choccies they had eaten.

I was then horrified to see them wheel their trolley in a reckless manner to a car close to mine, the kids still running around the car park. Shopping was loaded by the Mum (still on her phone) and she just shoved the empty trolley in the direction of the trolley park before driving off (still on the phone), but it just came to rest in the middle of the car park. Finally she tried to refuel her car but to the credit of the kiosk staff they would not let her whilst she was using her mobile right next to the petrol pump. She gave them some right verbals and then had another rant inside the kiosk. Myself and various other punters who observed this told the woman to get a grip which prompted more verbals from her. We all thanked the kiosk staff for intervening. Stupid woman.

Probably the same sort of punter who dials 999 because the kids wont go to bed or because her TV remote wont work. Completely oblivious of what is going on around her and expecting others to pick up the pieces.