I had yet another case of cash register rage this week. Yes, I’m sure you can all note that it’s a silly reason to get mad, there are more important things in life, I should pick my battles, and patience is a virtue. Well, it’s not a virtue I possess. And where is that lack of virtue most frequently tested? At the cash register. So I’ve decided, even though I know it’s for naught and won’t make the slightest difference in the world, to post some tips on cash register etiquette. Please forward these to all your friends who stand in lines, and to all your friends who operate cash registers. No, I am not joking.
Let’s start with the cashiers.
Cash Register Etiquette for Cashiers
- If you open a new line to ease congestion at another line, there is a standard protocol that must be followed. You can’t simply announce that a new line is open, and for people to come on over. This screws the people who SHOULD be next the most, and rewards the people who’ve waited the shortest amount of time. The proper way to open a new line is to find the next person in line, invite them to your register discretely, and enforce the same line ordering that you saw in the prior line.
- Please, for the love of all things holy and good in this world, REMOVE any security clamps that require the jaws of life to extract. Because I can tell you. You don’t want this happening: I get home, I’ve finally decided to get one little cute thing for myself after months of buying clothes for kids who outgrow them a week later. I finally get those nutty kids to bed, and go to enjoy my special, rare purchase. I discover I have to go back to the store, which I don’t have any time to do, just to unlock said purchase. I can assure you. I am putting all sorts of nasty hexes on you and yours at that moment.
I know there are more, but if I’ve missed some of your personal suggestions please comment below.
And hey, we are all responsible for cash register lines that don’t make us all crazy. Cashiers are often doing the best they can (and underpaid badly to do it). What’s even more crucial? That those of us IN the lines behave and, I don’t know, have just some very basic courtesies for our fellow man.
Cash Register Etiquette for Shoppers
- If a cash register opens a new line and you are at the end of a long tail of a line, don’t go. You aren’t next. It’s rude and obnoxious. I am hexing you, too, believe me. Look in front of you. Suggest the people who really are next go first. Don’t be a punk!
- If you have more than a dozen items and you’re just a very slow person, do not use the self checkout lines. We all know you will take a freakin’ hour. And some of us don’t have an hour, you see. That’s why we took our three little items over to the self-checkout. We didn’t want to wait for someone with a big cart full of crap to slowly, painfully ring each item up. Well, actually, to pause with a confused look and stare at each item… because you just aren’t sure how to ring up produce or how to use a credit card or how to write a check. Come on! You’re killing me here! And why are you writing a check anyway? You have HEARD of the debit card, right?
Alright, so dish. What ticks you off in line?
Photo of cash register lines, © Ernando Tangi
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Kelby Carr
Kelby Carr is the founder and publisher of Type-A Parent. She also is the organizer of the Type-A Parent Conference. She is the author of the soon-to-be-published Pinterest For Dummies, Portable Edition. You can follow her on Twitter at @typeamom and circle her on Google+.
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23 Responses to Cash Register Etiquette
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I get so irritated when the cashier doesn’t put the gallons (yes, gallons) of milk in bags. Can she not see that I have three kids with me? I can carry all the bags in at once, but when they aren’t bagged, I have to make separate trips to the car for them.
Conversely, I hate it when they use too many bags by double bagging *everything* or not filling the bag. Come on! You can put other things in with the tube of lipstick and bottle of shampoo!
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As a newly appointed walmart cashier I can tell you that it’s a lot harder to be a cashier than you might think. There are so many things one has to remember, not just which buttons to push but in what order to push them. We scan, slide, have a screen, a keyboard…different debit buttons, have to deal with discount cards, tax exempt cards, coupons and my personal favorite the person that comes to walmart and wants to comp (get an item at a competitor’s price) over 80% of their items. You have to do like 5 actions for 1 item. I am new…it takes me a while OK?
If it is a phone card of a gift card it is one way to pay for them, load them and another to use them or reload them.
How to insert checks and WIC into the machine to print and how to fill out the WIC vouchers correctly after reviewing the book to make sure that the customer got the right product allowed takes time.
As for bagging groceries, we try very hard to put cold things with cold…cans with cans, but then we have to separate things like cleaners and if we start a new bag and then something comes up like pinesol or somethng we can’t put with your food products then you might end up with a bag that looks like it has almost nothing in it. Sorry but it would take more time (that no one in line wants you to take) to even it out…so we leave it for then. It’s not intensional and as your cashier I am thinking…man I should have done that better. We aren’t ALL idiot knuckle draggers.
I was in TRAINING my 2nd night, standing at a register behind another girl getting trained. A customer wheels her cart into me behind me. There is more than enough room but she went sideways a little…no big deal. I tell her oh that’s ok and I smiled at her. Her HUSBAND tells her to tell me to move my ass it shouldnt be in the way anyway. He is ranting behind me and I am ignoring him…things like, Hey is walmart hiring I could use a job…and his wife must have said something to him because he said…I dont give a F8ck what I say in here (meaning we are all low life scum to be working to support our families I guess….?) Yes I hear this is not a rare thing….although it embarrassed me!
We are told to be courteous…which I am trying to follow, say hello, how are you? Have a nice day! If for some reason I miss 1 Have a Nice Day and you are the one that is going to get on a blog and rant…I AM SORRY…Have a Nice Day!
Yes, customers can be annoying and rude and THE “knuckle grinders” as well. I remember having a customer hand me a stack of coupons, which I KNEW, HE KNEW, he didn’t have them all for his purchases. He could tell I was new and probably wouldn’t check all of them and compare. Some of them I did reject because but then the line started building up. I wanted to do the right thing since I was new but eventually, the line leader just told me to scan them through even know he didn’t deserve those discounts! I hated when people would do this on purpose with a BIG stack of coupons- this was BEFORE Extreme Couponing! I get they want to save money but have some courtesy and try to have the RIGHT coupons knowingly AND not trying to be dishonest and/or place them closely or better yet, ON TOP of your items. I usually place my coupons with my purchase and give them a head’s up that I’m using a coupon. Sometimes, they would ring it out at the same time or sometimes they set it aside. However, I have had times where they forgot my coupons at the end after having placed them aside and then I had to customer service, draggin my children along with a cart filled with groceries just to get the discount(s).
I know what both sides is like.
I guess if they don’t have children or experience with them, then they may not realize it. OR they are just lazy and figure YOU will put them in the bags yourself. I usually end up bagging my milk while my children are in plain view. I do have some cashiers who ask if I want it bagged.
When the check out clerk (usually at WalMart) greets me with a Neaderthal-like grunt if they even say anything at all. Worse still is they hardly acknowledge my existence as they talk loudly to a co-worker. Knuckle draggers.
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It annoys me when a cashier asks me for exact change. For instance, if an item comes to $10.03, (s)he will ask me for the three cents, and smirk or groan, if I say I don’t have it.
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I’m with you on the check thing. Checks should be completely banned in express lines or self check outs. Come on!!
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Two peeves…
1. I can’t stand when checkers are annoyed with me for bringing reusable bags. Sometimes they roll their eyes or grunt like I’m inconveniencing them.
2. I can’t stand when checkers don’t use the reusable bags properly. I’ve experienced the too full bags (why, when I have unused bags? Is it to save the $.03 credit?) as well as too empty bags (if there’s room, use my bags NOT plastic).
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For the cashiers – SPEAK TO US – I really am bothered by those who don’t say hello or even glance your way. They just start ringing things up and if you are lucky they speak the total. That’s it! We have a Walmart that about 75% of the cashiers are like this.
For other shoppers – GET OFF THE CELL PHONE – I’m amazed at these people who are carrying on conversations and not paying attention and the cashier has finished and they are chatting on the phone and not paying and moving on – ack!
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Yes, it’s sad when I try to say hello to them and they just give a weak smile back and don’t reply. At the end, I always try to say thank you and call them by their name (on their name tag). I try to be personable with them… when it seems, they should try to be more too… being the cashier. I used to be one myself.
Other shoppers– share the dividers! You know, those convenient bars that allow me to divide my stuff from yours on the conveyor belt? If I can reach them, I’ll pass one to you. Likewise, can you pass one to me. I hate it when I get home to discover that I have unwittingly purchased the PopTarts someone else had intended for themselves due to the divider bar not being used.
Other shoppers– if you forgot to get something, don’t make the cashier and all the other customers in line wait while you “quickly” run back to get it. Finish your check out, then go back in to get it. Don’t make us all wait on you. Heck, better yet, review your list BEFORE you get in line. Then you won’t inconvenience anyone, not even yourself.
Cashiers– please don’t squash my plums, pears, or other soft produce by putting heavy items on top of them. Whether you’re bagging my groceries or sending them on through for me to bag, please be mindful of items that can damage/bruise/dent other items.
Wow… turns out I’ve got a bit of suppressed rage about all this… my heart is beating fast now!
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You can actually request the cashier to “SUSPEND” your transaction. They will stop the check-out process & print you a “receipt” that has your current items you’ve already bagged or set aside in your cart. I have children, so sometimes I forget an item due to being distracted but to be polite, I ask if I can set my card aside- as far away as possible so as not to be annoyingly in the way. I had done this too AFTER I was done ringing out everything in the Self-Check Out & was ready to pay, when I realized, I didn’t have my credit card. I had to run back home to get it.
Oh my word this made me snort and HARD! So true!!!
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It seems that the “relation” between shopper and cashier is similar all over the world. At least I myself (as customer) can speak of Germany. *g* Nevertheless I think being cashier is quite a hard job…
So true. the cashiers have a hard job to do. I try to be a good customer while I’m in the store, always greet the cashier, I use to be one.
Me too
I always try to say hello & call them by their name (I like to check out their name tags, if they’ve worn one that day.)
Interesting to read that i am not the only one to get cash register rage when i have to queue up for ages to pay for my goods at the supermarket checkout.
I have come across another article which i think you and your other readers will find useful to read.
Top 10 tips to prevent cash register fraud and theft
concerning the “line” concept at Walmart.
I hate when I am standing there waiting to see which register will open so I can move up and someone bust through beside me. It’s not hard people 2 registers in one aisle =1 line and if I am “next” that means you are not!
I totally know what you mean! Some people just are plain rude and no common sense. I could never do that. I guess I fear someone actually calling me out on it! Something, I’d be too shy to do!
Are cashiers actually being taught to “cup” the paper bills and lay the change in it to hand it to you? I hate that. If I don’t balance the bills with the change on them carefully while retrieving from the cashier, the change falls on the counter. I notice more and more cashiers handing you your change back in this fashion.
I was taught by my father that, you hand the customer their change in their hand and count the bills, or place it, into their hands. He was taught that it was disrespectful to just lay the bills and loose coins on the counter for the customer to have to scoop up themselves. To this day, I observe how cashiers hand me my money back. I used to be a cashier myself.
I cant stand it when I get stuck behind a slow person at a slow register only to have a new register open and the three people behind me get checked out before I do. There really should be a five second pause before the people behind you go to a new register. Its only respectful for the people who have been waiting all along!
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