Random Question

[5ft Diva]

So just wondering.....am I the only one standing at the check out register at the grocery store who can't get their stuff back in their purse fast enough before the store clerk starts the transaction for the next customer? I've decided that either I'm really slow or they're just super fast.

[runamyrun]

No you are not alone! I always feel so pressured to hurry! It is like we are on a conveyor belt, and they are trying to whip us through the line!

[bookworm]

I understand that at Macey's they're trained to wait for the first customer to leave before beginning the one behind. If they're rushing you through, tell a manager, because they aren't supposed to do that. Everywhere else, though- I agree with Amy, it's like being on a conveyor belt.

[5ft Diva]

Conveyor belt is a great analogy!

[Meticulous madness]

Conveyor belt is a good analogy! heehee.

I'm surprised Macey's employees are trained to wait. I think that's kind of cool in some ways, it's much more of a customer-based business strategy. But, if I'm being honest - I have to admit...most of the time (as a customer) I'm more interested in getting in and out, myself. But, that could be my background talking.

I used to work for Shopko, and much of their analysis of their checkers' efficiency is based on speed. They would rate their checker performances in a "numbers" kind of way. So...they would say, "Be as nice and pleasant and friendly as you can be, keeping in mind that you are being timed from one transaction to the next." Basically, the more people you can push through, the higher the numbers and the greater amount of people you can help (which helps to keep the lines under control, among other things). I'm probably not explaining it well, but hopefully it makes a little sense.

Anyway, I have at times felt pressure standing there cleaning up (or loading my cart back up) after buying my stuff - but I've also been the anxious customer waiting BEHIND a slower, more methodical person when a cashier is trying to be patient also (I'm unfortunately always in a hurry, and try very hard not to be bugged).

Personally, even though I can see both sides - I think I'd rather be rushed at the end than be waiting for the person in front of me to take their own sweet time, while everybody waits in awkwardness.

...I sound so shallow, don't I?

[natickgirl]

I'm with MM. I don't mind being "rushed" because I know someone is waiting behind me. I hate waiting, so I don't want to make someone else wait. If I'm taking a while to gather my receipt, wallet, children, and belongings, I step aside so the cashier can help the next person. I try to get my bags out of the way as soon as possible, so they don't get left or mixed up.

When I'm the one waiting, I try to be patient...but I wish all cutomers (and cashiers!) were mindful of others' waiting. It's very frustrating to be trying to get in & out quickly, especially in the express line, only to be stuck behind a very s-l-o-w person. If they're elderly or struggling, I don't mind...but if they can HELP it--or worse, if they're on the phone--it bugs me. I need to be more patient.

[Dia Minha]

Whenever I am asked to wait for someone, wether it is because they are late, or at a doctor's appointment or even standing in line at the grocery store, I try to think about how and what I would want to happen if it was me that I was waiting for.

I find it funny that women always complain about having to wait for their OB appointment, when the doctor has gone to deliver a baby. Don't they want their doctor there to deliver their baby? Why would it be any different for his other patients?

I hate making people wait for me, and I try my best to never let it happen, but sometimes it happens and I would want them to be just as patient with me as I am with them.

Yes, Macey's employess are trained to wait. One of the many reasons I enjoy shopping at their store, is because I feel important when I am there. Yes, I always feel an urgency to get in and out without much todo, but for the ten minutes that they are checking me out and until I leave their work space, I deserve and demand their 100% attention. I'm paying them to do such.

Now there are always exceptions. For example, nothing bothers me more than to see a cashier trying to take care of her customer, yet the customer can't seem to get off her cell phone. Not only does that take up the employees time, but mine as well and that drives me crazy. However, I too have received emergency phone calls while standing in line at the grocery store. Usually my little ones that I have left at home to make it faster and easier. I try to take care of it quickly, but there has been a time or two that I have had to apologize to my cashier for taking up her time.

Anyway, I guess technically, what I'm trying to say is, do unto others as you would have done to you, but remember sometimes life happens and we can't always accomplish what we set out to do, the way we set out to do it and we need give others that opportunity to use those same exceptions.

[Erudite]

Interesting discussion. I have been SOOOOO impatient with other people making me wait from the grocery store to the doctors office to the highway, because I have wanted to get it all done fast. But several years back, I began attempting to always go the speed limit, no matter how ridiculously slow it seemed. To do that, I'd usually set my cruise control at the speed limit (even at 25 mph!) and that kept me there. While I'm putt-putting along, I think what would be the consequences of me being late? More often than not, there aren't any...I'm not late because I got out of the door on time. Or it's not a big deal if I arrive one minute later than the scheduled time and so I don't speed up the car. That attitude is carrying over on to other things too. Is it a big deal to wait in line? It's usually not. I hurry because I hurry, not because there is something so vital that my absence or tardiness will ruin it. So when I find myself in a hurry and impatient, I analyze what is making me in a hurry and impatient and generally I find that nothing is or that what might be isn't so big of a deal that I need to speed or make someone else unhappy in my hurry. That calms me down and makes me pay attention to the moment I'm in. It makes me pleasant when my turn does come and I can smile at the cashier for the most part.

HOWEVER, I do get a little bugged with the dumb small talk that Macey's cashiers seem to think needs to happen. I have no desire to explain the recipe that "jicama" is going in or that the size of the one I'm buying isn't unusual. They couldn't possibly care one way or the other. I'm fine with answering "how are you?" and "did you find everything you needed?" but criminy...don't discuss what I'm buying. It's just silly.

[bookworm]

Originally Posted by Erudite

HOWEVER, I do get a little bugged with the dumb small talk that Macey's cashiers seem to think needs to happen. I have no desire to explain the recipe that "jicama" is going in or that the size of the one I'm buying isn't unusual. They couldn't possibly care one way or the other. I'm fine with answering "how are you?" and "did you find everything you needed?" but criminy...don't discuss what I'm buying. It's just silly.

Really, that bothers you? I don't always want to have a conversation, but I do appreciate that they are trying to make it feel all neighborhood-y and friendly. I think it's nice. Generally, I'm kind of reserved and don't always have anything to say, but I smile at people and try to be friendly, so that's how I take this kind of thing. Just like a smile- it's an effort at kindness and a small act of service... I kind of wish more people would make an effort at friendliness- I hate when I smile at someone and they scowl at me...

How do you know she really wasn't curious how to use jicama? I would be... I don't even know what that is...

[Erudite]

Ok...I hadn't thought of it as their attempt to be neighborly. I'll keep that in mind the next time! I really do attempt to converse with them, even about the size of the jicama I'm buying, but sometimes, that just really seems like a dumb conversation. I'm perfectly content to stand there smiling until it's time to swipe the card, you know?

Jicama, btw, is a root vegetable. It looks a little like a potato would look if it were round and a bit flat...and generally 3 times bigger. It has the same consistency as a potato when you chop it up so it's crunchy and fresh, but tastes more like fresh green peas...slightly sweet. The "j" is a spanish "j" so it's pronounced HICK uh muh.

[runamyrun]

I think it is fun to read about how different we all are. When the cashier is ringing up my items, I feel compelled to explain my purchases. I am especially bad at this when I am buying a bunch of candy or junk food. I start thinking about what they are thinking of me! I am getting better, though!

[bookworm]

LOL, Amy, that's too funny. I get VERY embarrassed buying certain items of a *ahem* private nature, so, I hide them beneath less provocative purchases, even when I put them on the belt. I even bought a cutting board I didn't need, once, just to hide something beneath it- my husband thought that was hilarious...

You're so fit and trim and healthy, Amy, you shouldn't worry what ANYONE thinks of what you eat! Vivez!

[Meticulous madness]

Originally Posted by runamyrun

I think it is fun to read about how different we all are. When the cashier is ringing up my items, I feel compelled to explain my purchases. I am especially bad at this when I am buying a bunch of candy or junk food. I start thinking about what they are thinking of me! I am getting better, though!

That IS pretty funny! I've never thought about that before, but I think I do the same thing. Mostly it's when I buy stuff for my husband, who is the biggest junk-food-junky of all time! I go through with my typical $15ish-worth of produce selection and then right behind that is a variety of hostess boxed items, gummy worms, and candybars (atleast double the amount of the healthy food). It looks like I'm bi-polar or something, from one eating-extreme to the other! heehee. Too funny!

And BW - I totally laughed out loud about your strategically placed cutting board! You make me smile.

[natickgirl]

Funny! I don't really care about what others think of my purchases...whether it's candy, "private" things for me, training bras for my daughter, or underwear for my son. It's life. Deal with it. I'm sure the checker sees it ALL the time and doesn't really care, ya know! [Now, if I ever get to the point where I'm buying Depends, I might be a little embarrassed...]

Jicama is great--crunchy & slightly sweet. Tastes yummy plain or with dip. Because it's so starchy, it doesn't keep very well once it's cut, so wrap it tight and keep it in the fridge.