Golden Advice from a Jaded WalMart Cashier

sunflower8710

So I shall begin this vent with the disclaimer that I am SO happy to have a job. And although I am super sore at the end of the day, I actually like dealing with 90% of the customers I interact with. However, there are some "gems" I commonly deal with that I am advising you not to act like...

Regarding self checks:

1. The self check is called the self check for a reason. Do not come to a self check machine and ask me to ring you up.

2. Do not come through the self check expecting to write a check and freak out when I have to take it to my podium. Yes, it'd be nice if you could do it yourself, but honestly it doesn't take that long.

3. If you require 3 or more "interventions" while using the self check, maybe you should just go through a regular line. I understand the weights are finicky, but most items when you set them down register correctly... The key is you have to set them down. Do not hit "skip bagging" and then set it in the bagging area and then freak out that the machine locked up again.

4. Kinda going with #3- if you are an impatient person or someone who angers easily stay away from the self check- they are imperfect machines. Besides, majority of the time when there is a mistake its your fault and you look like an arse huffing and puffing.

5. Do not come through the self check with your entire cart full of price matches that your cashier has to do. Seriously it takes 3x as long to do it on those machines- you really are better off going through a regular long. (This seems ridiculous but this happens to me at least once a day- people with 50+ items they want to price match in the self check)

Regarding express lanes:

1. If you have more than 20 items- fine. But don't start loading your items and then say, "I have more than 20... should I go somewhere else?" It just irritates me.

2. There is no belt on the express lane and your cashier (who sometimes is working a 9 hr shift) does not enjoy playing "Lets see how far  we can make the cashier reach for these groceries". There is a whole counter for you to use, there is no need to teeter majority of your items on the counter.

3. As I said before, more than 20 items is okay. But if you come through an express lane with an overflowing grocery cart its going to take even longer than had you waited a couple minutes in the regular line. Why? We have less space to bag your groceries and there probably isn't enough room on the counter to unload your cart. Your cashier has to get creative with storing the bagged groceries until your cart is empty and that can be time consuming.

In general:

1. If you notice a cashier turn off her light before you get in his/her line do not hop in her line and when she says, "I'm sorry, I have to leave before I get overtime hours" do not act super surprised and say something like, "ohhh is your light off?" Your cashier probably saw you look at the unlit light and is ticked that you are trying to pretend you didn't.

 

Phew. Okay. Sorry I just worked 2 back to back 9 hour shifts (10 if you include lunch) and these people have just been getting to me the past few days!

FTR: I am sure every bumpie is a wonderful customer and never irritates her cashier! Also, it may sound like I am the b!tchiest cashier ever- but in my review when it came to "customer satisfaction" I got "role model".

Mereou12

I've always said that it should be mandatory that every American work in customer service (retail, food service, etc) at one point in their life...then they'd understand what it's like to be on the other side of the counter! I feel for you, honey. I've worked numerous retail jobs in my life, and it's TOUGH. I can't tell you how many nights I'd leave work absolutely seething over something that some a-hole customer did to me. I try my damndest to be nice & courteous to customer service reps/cashiers!

But I do have to say that I haaaaate self check out and avoid them at all costs! It never fails, I always end up behind the person that doesn't know how the process works, has a million coupons, etc. I kick myself every time, because it always ends up taking me twice as long to get through self check-out than it would've if I'd gone through a normal line. I can't imagine how frustrating it must be to work the self checkout lanes!

 

Azrayla

hah! i try to be nice to my cashiers as I once was one.. Walmart is hit or miss they hire a lot of crabs but mainly ive had issues with the stock clerks.. they dont even check if theres an item "oh its empty? yeah were out is coming tonight" i got that once for shower rings and turned a corner to find ten FULL boxes of shower rings.. i wanted to throat punch the old bat.

On another note I was a cashier briefly for publix. If you have a check, dont use express. Same goes for walmart.. was at 20 or less and some lady got the wrong red bull proceeded to look for said proper red bull for no joke 8-10 minutes came back and then wrote a check.. meanwhile I had icecream that needed to get home!

ETA: Also the working your job can go two ways.. my grandmother was a waitress and my moms.worked in food and some reason they can be snooty too "Well ive done it and know how it should be done so I can be rude" kind of outlook sometimes..

SMcCullick

You hit those right on girl!! I used to be a cashier at Wal-Mart and there were sooooo many of my customers I just wanted to smack upside the head! Some of those people are not just ignorant, but they can be down-right mean to the cashiers. I was so happy when I quit there, now I can stand in line behind those b!tchy people and yell at them when they are @$$holes to the cashier, it feels great to let out some of that bottled up rage against the public...I'm usually a pretty patient person, but I worked there long enough to know what kind of crap cashiers put up with on a daily basis, especially during the holiday season. I hope you have some better days with some friendlier and more intelligent customers!!

SwtPatato

I am sorry you have to deal with clueless people!! Thank you for dealing with the crazies! It takes a person with a lot of patience and I can't say that I can't do it! 

NYChick

First of all, that was really good, and obviously took a lot of time and effort. It's too bad you can't make money from email forwards, because I bet that your message could take off. Maybe you should start a blog, though, seriously! 

Second of all- my reaction, as a customer, is this:

I go into a store to exchange my hard earned money for goods and services. I don't work there. I don't know all the rules and procedures. No one ever trained me. I hate self check out stations because they were not common in the last place I lived, I don't know how to work them, and I don't see why I should have to. But I use them sometimes because the lines are usually much shorter, plus some stores have tons of self check out places and very few cashiers nowadays.

 I even hate the fact that every where I go I now have to be the one to swipe my own credit card. I ALWAYS screw it up and have to feel like an idiot while I swivel my card in ten different directions.

Also, I just learned now from your post that when the cashier turns the light off it means they're shutting down. I actually started to suspect this last week when I got in line at walmart and the cashier told me she wasn't taking any body after me- I got the distinct impression that I had missed some kind of 'sign' that she was closing, and I'm guessing it was the light.

So, here is the deal: as a customer, I don't get pissed off at cashiers for this stuff. I get annoyed with the corporations who squeeze every dime out of me as a customer and also YOU as an employee by making me do more and more work, and follow their stupid procedures. I know none of that stuff is the fault of the cashier.

However, I do not think it is reasonable to expect all of your customers to know how the crazy machines at your store work. The last place I lived had no walmarts, and i only started shopping there a few weeks ago. Even the little carousel thing that they put the bags on confuse me.

In the end, I think that interacting with people is your job, and if they don't know how to work this stuff, or what they're supposed to do, then you need to help them with it. And if you have  problem with the procedures you should talk to you management about it. 

 Anyway, having said all that, you've obviously had a stressful few days, and I can see why you'd be frustrated. Just wanted to give you one clueless customer's side of the story!!

 

angel2288

Iv never worked at walmart, but this is just from seeing things that drove me, the customer, crazy:

1. Dont come up to the cashier, and wait for him/her to ring up something and then realize that you got Diet Coke instead of regular Coke, then ask the cashier to go back and exchange it for you...at the very very back of the store

2. Do not let your kid draw all in a book/magazine or tear out pages, then put it back on the shelf for some other unsuspecting person (i did work in a book store once upon a time, and people have NO idea how much money is lost from stuff like this!) 

3. if you decide you do not want the frozen pizza, and you dont feel like taking it back to the proper spot, stick it in ANY freezer, it is an inconvience for the cashiers to put it in the right spot, but more of an inconvience when you put it next to the pop tarts and it goes bad (i.e. we make up for the loss, so higher food prices)

4. The return policy is stated on your reciept, do no come back to the store and try to return something after 120days or that YOU damaged or w/e goes against the policy then get mad and yell at the cashier.

backinpgh

I worked at Sam's for three months and couldn't take it any more. I can only imagine that Walmart is even worse.

A few weeks back I was at a grocery store checking out. There are self checkouts with a belt and self checkouts with just a bagging area and a place to sit a BASKET if you only have a few items. I watched with bewilderment as a dumb chick goes to one of the basket self checkouts with an entire buggy full of groceries and gets all confused and frustrated that there is nowhere to sit her groceries after she bags them...it took her SOOOO long to check out it was laughable!

cheezemonger

NYChick:

First of all, that was really good, and obviously took a lot of time and effort. It's too bad you can't make money from email forwards, because I bet that your message could take off. Maybe you should start a blog, though, seriously! 

Second of all- my reaction, as a customer, is this:

I go into a store to exchange my hard earned money for goods and services. I don't work there. I don't know all the rules and procedures. No one ever trained me. I hate self check out stations because they were not common in the last place I lived, I don't know how to work them, and I don't see why I should have to. But I use them sometimes because the lines are usually much shorter, plus some stores have tons of self check out places and very few cashiers nowadays.

 I even hate the fact that every where I go I now have to be the one to swipe my own credit card. I ALWAYS screw it up and have to feel like an idiot while I swivel my card in ten different directions.

Also, I just learned now from your post that when the cashier turns the light off it means they're shutting down. I actually started to suspect this last week when I got in line at walmart and the cashier told me she wasn't taking any body after me- I got the distinct impression that I had missed some kind of 'sign' that she was closing, and I'm guessing it was the light.

So, here is the deal: as a customer, I don't get pissed off at cashiers for this stuff. I get annoyed with the corporations who squeeze every dime out of me as a customer and also YOU as an employee by making me do more and more work, and follow their stupid procedures. I know none of that stuff is the fault of the cashier.

However, I do not think it is reasonable to expect all of your customers to know how the crazy machines at your store work. The last place I lived had no walmarts, and i only started shopping there a few weeks ago. Even the little carousel thing that they put the bags on confuse me.

In the end, I think that interacting with people is your job, and if they don't know how to work this stuff, or what they're supposed to do, then you need to help them with it. And if you have  problem with the procedures you should talk to you management about it. 

 Anyway, having said all that, you've obviously had a stressful few days, and I can see why you'd be frustrated. Just wanted to give you one clueless customer's side of the story!!

 

I can guarantee that by Sunflower attempting to enlighten "clueless customers" she is only trying to make the Walmart shopping experience less annoying and stressful for EVERYONE.  The fact is that Walmart makes its money not by fleecing you of your hard earned dollars, but by undercutting everyone (suppliers, employees, customers) and driving the competition out by doing so.  The only reason consumers accept this is because they are dirt cheap.  So the fact that the employees are providing good service is kind of amazing, considering the ugliness behind it all.

 And, as a type "A" personality shopper, the "clueless customers" jacking up the flow of a busy store drives me nuts and makes me avoid those places all together if I can.  The employees can only do so much to keep the chaos to a minimum... So, by customers accepting a little bit of culpability and learning to be polite informed consumers, not just ignorant victims of the scary check out gauntlet, we can make the whole process smooth and peaceful and stress-free.  You're a smart girl, you can work that big-bad credit card swiper!

babyjaq

Very well written!  I can't stop laughing!  And I have worked that type of job in the past so I know exaclty what stupid people you are talking about!!!

sunflower8710

I am glad most enjoyed my advice! Like I said, I genuinely enjoying interacting with the vast majority of the people who come through, but there is always one or two gems that make me want to slam my head on the counter.

And maybe this isn't the case at every Walmart, but we always  have at least one of all 3 types of check out lanes open (self check, express, regular) so when people come through the self check with their 'tudes flaring I feel like whipping out the snark.

I spend a lot of time at self checks because of my upper back KILLING me in the regular lines so maybe I am just especially jaded there!