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#Post#: 67466--------------------------------------------------
Holding up the line
By: FloBrez Date: June 16, 2021, 7:44 pm
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This may have been discussed at the previous board I’m not
really sure. What do you do when there’s somebody holding up the
line? I was in line today at a convenience store. The person in
front of me had finished their transaction and was now just
making small talk with the cashier. Asking her personal
questions like where she went to school, when will she finish,
blah blah blah. Meanwhile I was next in line and I was in a big
hurry. I mouth to cashier I needed something behind the counter
telling her sorry but I’m in a real hurry. The person in front
of me left. I apologize to the cashier for being rude but I
really needed to get what I needed and go. Probably not the most
polite way but how would you have handled it?
#Post#: 67472--------------------------------------------------
Re: Holding up the line
By: Aleko Date: June 17, 2021, 2:17 am
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I understand from NAW that in the USA many retail companies
instruct their cashiers to engage with and chat to customers, so
your cashier was in something of a fix - on the one hand
obligated to make nice to their last customer by chatting as
long as that customer wants, on the other to serve their next
one promptly. (Here in the UK ‘Chat with customers! Get
friendly! Ask them them if they have any plans for the weekend!’
is simply not a thing, so there would be no such dilemma - a
cashier who has finished a transaction should get straight on
with scanning the next customer’s stuff, and if instead they
keep nattering to the previous customer they are clearly in the
wrong.)
I don’t think you were rude at all. You were fully entitled to
make distress signals indicating ‘Sorry, but I really am in a
hurry: please can you try and wrap up there?’, and you were nice
when s/he did that. No offence offered and none taken from the
sound of it. It would only have been rude if you had barked
‘Hey! Some of us want to be served back here!’ or some such.
#Post#: 67479--------------------------------------------------
Re: Holding up the line
By: Hmmm Date: June 17, 2021, 8:43 am
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[quote author=FloBrez link=topic=2084.msg67466#msg67466
date=1623890687]
This may have been discussed at the previous board I’m not
really sure. What do you do when there’s somebody holding up the
line? I was in line today at a convenience store. The person in
front of me had finished their transaction and was now just
making small talk with the cashier. Asking her personal
questions like where she went to school, when will she finish,
blah blah blah. Meanwhile I was next in line and I was in a big
hurry. I mouth to cashier I needed something behind the counter
telling her sorry but I’m in a real hurry. The person in front
of me left. I apologize to the cashier for being rude but I
really needed to get what I needed and go. Probably not the most
polite way but how would you have handled it?
[/quote]
You were fine and handled it appropriately. I've been stuck
behind the customer who wanted to have a longer chat than the
time it takes to finish their transaction. If I am in a hurry, I
try to catch the cashier's eye and lots of times they'll move
the chatter along or even start my transaction while they are
still standing there.
I'm a very impatient person and an extra minute in line is an
eternity to me. (I want to shake my fist at people who wait to
get out their method of payment until after everything is rung
up.) But with the pandemic when I know some have been lonely,
I'm been trying to be a tiny bit more patient.
#Post#: 67481--------------------------------------------------
Re: Holding up the line
By: IWish Date: June 17, 2021, 8:45 am
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My guess is that since this was a convenience store, the
employees have probably not been instructed to be super chatty
with customers, certainly not as much as other retail stores
might be. After all, the sole purpose of a convenience store is
to get in and out quickly. OP, I think you handled it just fine.
#Post#: 67483--------------------------------------------------
Re: Holding up the line
By: Isisnin Date: June 17, 2021, 8:53 am
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You were fine. Actually, you didn't need to mouth that you
needed to check out, you could have just said it out loud to be
sure the sociable customer heard you.
In the States the pressure on cashiers to be friendly can be
unreasonable as it can end up with customers having long
conversations with cashiers while others are kept waiting. And
sometimes if the cashier asks the friendly customer if they can
take another customer, the friendly customer can start
complaining to management that the cashier is rude. So it is
best if the next customer says something like "Excuse me, can I
check out while you two chat, please?".
Writing this, I realize how convoluted an nutsy this is, but it
is what it is.
Just saw IWish's point about this being a convenience store, and
that's an excellent point. But still, even though speed is
important in a convenience store, management would still
probably hold the cashier responsible to an extent i they got a
complaint about the cashier being "rude"
#Post#: 67487--------------------------------------------------
Re: Holding up the line
By: sms Date: June 17, 2021, 9:54 am
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Urrgh I think we've all been there. Nothing wrong with a little
chitchat if it isn't dragging out a transaction but I don't
think you were rude at all to signal that it's time to get a
move on.
The customer might have been clueless and / or just plain
inconsiderate and I feel for customer service staff who are
sometimes between a rock and hard place.
I liked Isinin's suggestion about requesting to check out while
they chat. That's actually pretty generous. And I think if I
had to get bit pissy I would direct it more to the customer
holding up the line so they could get mad at me rather than the
cashier. I might think differently if it is clear that the
cashier is the one who is keeping the conversation going.
#Post#: 67489--------------------------------------------------
Re: Holding up the line
By: TootsNYC Date: June 17, 2021, 10:13 am
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Here in NYC, we tend to reach around the chatty customer and
place our items on the counter, even if it's physically awkward
and we have to wriggle between the customer, etc.
#Post#: 67490--------------------------------------------------
Re: Holding up the line
By: gramma dishes Date: June 17, 2021, 10:15 am
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My daughter worked as a cashier at one of the major chain
grocery stores in the area during her senior year in high
school. They were evaluated for performance every three months
and one of the biggest thing they were judged on was speed.
How many cash register entries during a certain period, space
between one customer check out and a new tab for new customer
beginning, etc. So they really strongly discouraged people
from lingering. I suspect the customers had no idea why and
just thought the store had very shy or even unfriendly
employees!
#Post#: 67491--------------------------------------------------
Re: Holding up the line
By: BeagleMommy Date: June 17, 2021, 10:24 am
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OP, I think you were fine.
I feel that any conversation with someone who is obviously
working that goes beyond "hi, how are you today? or that's a
pretty necklace. etc" is too much.
#Post#: 67493--------------------------------------------------
Re: Holding up the line
By: Lilipons Date: June 17, 2021, 11:15 am
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I have always lived in the NYC area. When traffic is light in
stores and there are no other customers in line, it’s fine to
engage in a little chat with a cashier you know and ask about
how ‘young Buford’ is doing in school.
If there are other customers in line, you finish your
transaction and move on. You might compliment a young cashier
on her nails but that’s about it.
The idea is to be polite but efficient and professional.
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