http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/newsbysector/retailandconsumer/10156070/Sainsburys-worker-fights-back-against-mobile-phone-use-at-checkout.html

This is an interesting story. A girl working in a shop refused to serve a customer unless they hung up their phone. By the look of it the customer complained and the store backed the customer. Understandably so as who can afford to lose a paying customer these days but it does raise an interesting question of manners.

To be honest I can see both sides of this. I can see why it might be considered rude to carry on a conversation with someone else whilst being served in a shop, but on the other hand I'm one of those people who hates engaging in small talk with checkout assistants. I don't want to chit chat I just want to pay and leave and if I'm already engaged in a conversation with someone else, even if it is on the phone, I just don't see the point of ending in just for the sake of 2 minutes of awkward silence whilst the assistant rings through the shopping.

I worked at a video rental store for like seven years, during which time I had no issues with processing customers who were on the phone and can't see why that would be a problem. 100% back the customer and the store here

Two levels.

a) Interpersonal level: rude behavior, should get positive social punishment i.e. starte, telling someone he's rude.

b) professional level: act like you are expected to and serve the customers.

The latter has precedence. Sure, it's poor social behavior to keep talking to someone on the phone, but you are working there and have to stand above said behavior. If you can't, deal with the consequences.

Unless there's a rule that says no cell phone use during checkout, I don't see why a cashier thought they had the ability hold up a customers purchase.

I dont understand why people are against this, I work at subway and you would not believe how iterating it is to try and make someone a sub when they are engaged on their cell phone, making me hold up every time he/she tries to listen to something important. Its just outright rude behavior and I support this person.

I think it sort of comes down to the customer thinking that because people in retail are in the low jobs that they can look down at us. I'm a uni student and also junior pilot, I need money, there's no need for my customers to instantly treat me like a bit of dirt from under there show. So show some manners people.

Working in fast food =/= working in Sainsbury's, where the only questions I expect to be asked are "Do you want help packing?" "Do you need a bag?" and "Do you have a nectar card?". If I am in a position to answer all three of those questions in the same time I would without using my phone, then there is nothing wrong.

Nothing in the article mentioned that the customer had been ignoring the cashier's questions, just that the cashier took unwarranted offence and proceeded to attempt to blackmail the customer into complying with a personal wish.

Having worked at several coffee shops, I can tell you, donkey-caves talking on the phone are beyond irritating. That said, working in a service industry means having to put up with people acting like tools and treating you like trash with a smile on your face.

I always hang up before checking out/placing an order, however. It's basic courtesy.

People like the "victim" are totally not the kind of people to be apologizing to. I'm with some of the comments in the article; if you're having a face to face interaction with someone else, get off the damn phone.

 Necroshea wrote:
People like the "victim" are totally not the kind of people to be apologizing to. I'm with some of the comments in the article; if you're having a face to face interaction with someone else, get off the damn phone.

When I was a cashier, the only time that bothered me was when the person on the phone wasn't capable of multi-tasking. Other than that, I had no problem with it.

 Gentleman_Jellyfish wrote:

 Necroshea wrote:
People like the "victim" are totally not the kind of people to be apologizing to. I'm with some of the comments in the article; if you're having a face to face interaction with someone else, get off the damn phone.

When I was a cashier, the only time that bothered me was when the person on the phone wasn't capable of multi-tasking. Other than that, I had no problem with it.

Yeah, I'm referring to the people that tell you to hold on while they're talking to someone because they don't know how to stop talking and focus for mere seconds.

The only time it's acceptable to be on the phone while interacting with a service representative is when you are ordering food for somebody else and they are on the phone with you. And, of course, let the person assisting you know up front that is who you are on the phone with. It's easy to tell who has worked retail and who hasn't by the comments: those who have worked retail hate customers on their phones and those who haven't don't see what the big deal is. I applaud this girl based on the title. Haven't read the full article, but unless anything spectacular is said, it's pretty simple.

 timetowaste85 wrote:
The only time it's acceptable to be on the phone while interacting with a service representative is when you are ordering food for somebody else and they are on the phone with you. And, of course, let the person assisting you know up front that is who you are on the phone with. It's easy to tell who has worked retail and who hasn't by the comments: those who have worked retail hate customers on their phones and those who haven't don't see what the big deal is. I applaud this girl based on the title. Haven't read the full article, but unless anything spectacular is said, it's pretty simple.

Oh, ignore my previous post then. I forgot I never worked retail!

 timetowaste85 wrote:
The only time it's acceptable to be on the phone while interacting with a service representative is when you are ordering food for somebody else and they are on the phone with you. And, of course, let the person assisting you know up front that is who you are on the phone with. It's easy to tell who has worked retail and who hasn't by the comments: those who have worked retail hate customers on their phones and those who haven't don't see what the big deal is. I applaud this girl based on the title. Haven't read the full article, but unless anything spectacular is said, it's pretty simple.

I've never worked retail, and I fully support the shop worker. If it were me, you came into MY shop, not the other way round. As was said earlier, unless you are ordering for someone else and they are on the line, get off the fething phone while working with people in a face to face.

Police are in a form of "service industry", if you were pulled over, you tell the officer to hold on while you continued your oh-so-important conversation? Short answer is NO! In the age of being overly connected, we've lost one of the most basic of skills, and that is actual interpersonal skills, aka, how to act around people in public places.

Simple "your total is $x" and "do you have a rewards card" jobs, I don't see a problem with being on the phone (talking or browsing Dakka). The customer is still rude, but it doesn't affect the business.

If the customer is required to actually interact with the business (Like Subway or anything else where an actual two way conversation is required) then I don't have a problem with a business telling them to step out of line and come back when they are ready to order.

 Ensis Ferrae wrote:

 timetowaste85 wrote:
The only time it's acceptable to be on the phone while interacting with a service representative is when you are ordering food for somebody else and they are on the phone with you. And, of course, let the person assisting you know up front that is who you are on the phone with. It's easy to tell who has worked retail and who hasn't by the comments: those who have worked retail hate customers on their phones and those who haven't don't see what the big deal is. I applaud this girl based on the title. Haven't read the full article, but unless anything spectacular is said, it's pretty simple.

I've never worked retail, and I fully support the shop worker. If it were me, you came into MY shop, not the other way round. As was said earlier, unless you are ordering for someone else and they are on the line, get off the fething phone while working with people in a face to face.

If it was YOUR store, sure! You can make whatever rule you want. If one of your employees made up a rule and refused service to a customer if they didn't follow it? That's silly.

I want this to be a rule, but a clerk doesn't get to just make store policy unilaterally.

I totally support the employee. I've worked in service areas most of my life, nothing is so important you cannot get off the phone to get what you are supposed to be doing done , and that is contributing to finishing the order with the cashier/service person and not holding anyone else up.

I'd like to see how all these "talking on the phones is ok" people go when trying to do their job and the person you are supposed to be interacting with (think of it like completing a contract) is not paying attention and doing a half arsed effort at communicating. Retail/service is not different to any other job , you expect the person to at least pay you the courtesy of paying attention , hanging up and apologising.

I mean it's great the person on the phone is having a conversation but there are other people involved in the interaction , not just them.

When I have worked in service before i have a policy of "the customer is right if they are polite" if they aren't and are being rude, they get a minimum of service. I don't see why someone thinks it is Ok to be rude, something hasn't worked out well, deal with your frustration , don't take it out on the employee with a tantrum.

I once said to a barrista who had a had a problem with a customer who didn't like their coffee " if they are being polite give them their money back and a new coffee , if they aren't just give them a new coffee", another customer in the line (who happened to be a suit - always feth wits them ) said " I've never heard of such a thing " I said "politeness doesn't cost you anything, impoliteness does" and he shut up.

Why are suit wearers nearly always feth wits????

Bullockist wrote:
Why are suit wearers nearly always feth wits????

Because they're wearing a suit and you're not. I imagine the whole lot of them are condescending arses.

I knew a guy who ran a store and had a cell phone jammer, and he would turn it on if people just came up to the counter and tossed merchandise on the counter at him like he was a serf and the lord just handed him some boots to clean.

I have done, a little more passively, what she did in several places. I think more and more customers confuse the words service and servitude, they believe we are their bitches. Sorry, we are there to help, but when someone is on their phone, it makes helping them semi-impossible.

 SoloFalcon1138 wrote:
I have done, a little more passively, what she did in several places. I think more and more customers confuse the words service and servitude, they believe we are their bitches. Sorry, we are there to help, but when someone is on their phone, it makes helping them semi-impossible.

If it is semi-impossible for you to checkout a person in a supermarket line while they are on the phone then you shoud be on welfare because you are clearly unable to do anything.

There are plenty of legitimate situations where being on the phone makes it hard to help you. A regular checkout register is not one of them.

If you want to talk on the phone whilst at a checkout, go to a self service checkout ,that way you can interact with a machine as much as you like.

Bullockist wrote:
If you want to talk on the phone whilst at a checkout, go to a self service checkout ,that way you can interact with a machine as much as you like.

At least the machine doesn't try to sell me the store credit card every time I check out...

mine do

Bullockist wrote:
I totally support the employee. I've worked in service areas most of my life, nothing is so important you cannot get off the phone to get what you are supposed to be doing done , and that is contributing to finishing the order with the cashier/service person and not holding anyone else up.

I'd like to see how all these "talking on the phones is ok" people go when trying to do their job and the person you are supposed to be interacting with (think of it like completing a contract) is not paying attention and doing a half arsed effort at communicating. Retail/service is not different to any other job , you expect the person to at least pay you the courtesy of paying attention , hanging up and apologising.

I used to think like this. Back in my retail days, I was certainly guilty of ignoring customers standing at the counter until they hung up the phone, unless there was a queue behind them...

But on consideration, I have to wonder if there is really any reason to get uppity about it. We've decided as a society (or at least, parts of that society have... other parts of it don't see the problem) that talking on a phone while interacting with other people is rude. But nobody complains about serving a customer who is simultaneously carrying on a conversation with the person standing beside them... It's just talking on phones that we object to.

And ultimately, the customer being rude is rarely a valid excuse to not serve them. If that were the case, I would have had a lot more free time in my years at Kmart...

Bullockist wrote:
...(who happened to be a suit - always feth wits them) said " I've never heard of such a thing " I said "politeness doesn't cost you anything, impoliteness does" and he shut up.

I like my suit, though I do not wear it every day.

just because i think it doesn't mean i say it. The always is also a gross exaggeration , but hell, I'm on an forum.

Insaniak I always serve a customer, it's just that if they are rude they get basic service, in and out, no questions or offers of help or conversation, just here's your product you wanted, that's my money and bye.

People have a thing against people who wear suits now?

The hell?

I'm not suitist but after about 15-20 years in service I tend to try and avoid serving businessmen (or suits - small business people tend to be ok, it's the guys in big companies that tend to be less than helpful) .
The number of times I've had a table of people embarrassed by drunken suit guy because he decides it's good to take the piss out of the waiter is immense, or treat the service person like crap. It happens too often.

I worked in retail, in a corner-shop-newsagent type place, but back in the days before mobiles were really as popular. That said, you'd still get the odd customer trying to get served while messing with their personal organiser (yes, back then), or having a long-ass conversation with their mates when it's clear you're waiting on them.

When that happened, I'd give them a few moments to catch up but if they took too long or were otherwise being a numpty they'd get their items cancelled and I'd move on to the next person in the queue... who invariably was just as frustrated at the idiot holding up their day and completely on my side.

Oh, and I did pick up on this...

"I won't be shopping there again, I'll go to Waitrose in Dartford instead."

Waitrose have a reputation for overly expensive but admittedly high quality stuff. That means their customers have a reputation for being stuck-up rich ponces too...

Bullockist wrote:
I'm not suitist but after about 15-20 years in service I tend to try and avoid serving businessmen (or suits - small business people tend to be ok, it's the guys in big companies that tend to be less than helpful) .
The number of times I've had a table of people embarrassed by drunken suit guy because he decides it's good to take the piss out of the waiter is immense, or treat the service person like crap. It happens too often.

...so you'd hate me just because I am a higher-up in a company?

Thanks, mate :(

 Sigvatr wrote:

Bullockist wrote:
I'm not suitist but after about 15-20 years in service I tend to try and avoid serving businessmen (or suits - small business people tend to be ok, it's the guys in big companies that tend to be less than helpful) .
The number of times I've had a table of people embarrassed by drunken suit guy because he decides it's good to take the piss out of the waiter is immense, or treat the service person like crap. It happens too often.

...so you'd hate me just because I am a higher-up in a company?

Thanks, mate :(

Or because some of us just like to dress up a bit? What if I was in a sportcoat? A blazer?

 rubiksnoob wrote:
Or because some of us just like to dress up a bit? What if I was in a sportcoat? A blazer?

What if its after work and I've removed my tie? Or loosened it? Would that mean I'm still a suit wearer, and worthy of scorn?

Frankly your dress sense denotes you all as scum.

Also, worked retail for six years, no issue with people being on the phone so long as they went through the minimal actions of being a customer, aka, giving stuff, paying, taking stuff.

not everyone sygvatr , and probably not you anyways

Sportscoats seem to be ok it's the full suits that seem to have the attitude adjusting effect on their owners .

Beware the suit in a loosened tie , particularly on Friday nights . Friday nights is when the species of suits decides it's time to rampage

I hope the woman working at the supermarket gets a job with properly gakky customers.

Try credit control, or telephone customer services. Somewhere where you have to put up with people actively being rude and abusive to you, not just someone on the phone. Thats just modern life.

Being on the phone at a checkout is rude. But what is even ruder? Telling someone you are not serving them when the entire interaction you need with them is "That will be £X".

 MrDwhitey wrote:
Frankly your dress sense denotes you all as scum.

Also, worked retail for six years, no issue with people being on the phone so long as they went through the minimal actions of being a customer, aka, giving stuff, paying, taking stuff.

Not sure about the first part, but totally agree with your second comment.

I personally would never approach a checkout while I was on the phone, as I think it's quite rude & disrespectful, but I have had the issue of my phone ringing while at the checkout, and working in IT means I can't really ignore it, but I pay attention to the cashier, and if they say something that I miss, I ask the person on the phone to hold while I deal with the cashier.

I think this type of scenario is OK, and shouldn't cause a problem, but, I can imagine that it must be really frustrating if your working checkout, and some guy/gal is yapping on the phone completely ignoring you & holding up the line - in that case yep, refuse service until they're done.

I have been to some stores (mostly smaller, locally owned places) that have signs up at the register telling you that you will not be "served" so to speak if you are on your phone. I personally have worked in multiple retail establishments, and would back such a rule. People today just have no common courtesy to anyone... and feel like they are more important than anything or anyone else, so why should they stop what they are doing so that you can communicate with them.... We have too much of a superiority complex as individuals...

 Steve steveson wrote:
Try credit control, or telephone customer services. Somewhere where you have to put up with people actively being rude and abusive to you, not just someone on the phone. Thats just modern life.

I've not done credit control, but I've done retail as well as customer services. The former is still worse.

Simply put, a customer who delays their cash register transaction by simultaneously engaging in a phone call is being rude to the shop assistant and to other waiting customers.

I don't accept the idea that because some jobs are worse it means we have to put up with crappy manners. By that logic we should all return to cave man times.

I can swipe my card while on the phone, it's really not that hard...

 d-usa wrote:
I can swipe my card while on the phone, it's really not that hard...

Similarly, it's not hard to put your phone call down and not be a rude jerk to the bottom-feeder bagging your stuff. Is civility that difficult for some people?

 SoloFalcon1138 wrote:

 d-usa wrote:
I can swipe my card while on the phone, it's really not that hard...

Similarly, it's not hard to put your phone call down and not be a rude jerk to the bottom-feeder bagging your stuff. Is civility that difficult for some people?

+1

Just b/c something "isn't that hard" or "is easy" for you, doesn't mean that it doesn't make you a rude human being. Unless the phone call is life or death, then put the phone down long enough to treat the person at the register with some level of respect.... and if it is life or death, put the stuff down and come back after you fix the problem... lol.

 caledoneus wrote:

 SoloFalcon1138 wrote:

 d-usa wrote:
I can swipe my card while on the phone, it's really not that hard...

Similarly, it's not hard to put your phone call down and not be a rude jerk to the bottom-feeder bagging your stuff. Is civility that difficult for some people?

+1

Just b/c something "isn't that hard" or "is easy" for you, doesn't mean that it doesn't make you a rude human being. Unless the phone call is life or death, then put the phone down long enough to treat the person at the register with some level of respect.... and if it is life or death, put the stuff down and come back after you fix the problem... lol.

Please answer me this question honestly then:

How much interaction do any of you have with the cashier?

When I am not on the phone it is:

1) Good [whatever], how are you.
2) Thank you, have a good day.

When I am on the phone it is:

1) Good [whatever], how are you.
2) Thank you, have a good day.

Are people having life changing conversations with the person checking them out?
If you are talking to your buddy/wife/gf/bf/whoever while they are checking you out are you also a rude jerk?

Surprisingly enough I have the mental capacity to do more than one thing at a time and I can be pleasant and polite to the "bottom feeder" while doing something on my phone. Because with or without a phone, checking out at a super market is really not anything that results in a long conversation with the person helping you. If I am doing anything that requires a longer interaction with the clerk that is helping me then I am not on my phone.

Seems like people are just butthurt because they like being butthurt.

 Steve steveson wrote:


Being on the phone at a checkout is rude. But what is even ruder? Telling someone you are not serving them when the entire interaction you need with them is "That will be £X".

That's simply untrue though. There are several points in the transaction where you need to interact with the customer. If they're being an ignorant twerp and not paying attention to ANY of the questions you ask them. then they should get off the fething phone! It's not difficult.

You can really tell who has not worked in retail. This really bears repeating. Sainsburys still operates with mystery shoppers; so the cashier would have to go through the whole spiel. How would you feel if you're asking these questions you are required to do by your company and not getting any response as the div on the other side is chatting to their mate about some banality that can frankly wait 5 minutes. It is just rude. Simple as.

Phones are making such idiots out of people, at work I've seen far too many people have zero spatial awareness when texting or blabbing away on their phone. A few days ago for example I had a girl stop dead in the middle of our frankly super busy produce aisle to update her fething FB page! I was right behind her with a very large dollie full of potatoes. If someone with less strength than I were moving that I'd hate to think what would have happened.

It is really not hard.
PUT
DOWN
THE
PHONE.

 d-usa wrote:

 caledoneus wrote:

 SoloFalcon1138 wrote:

 d-usa wrote:
I can swipe my card while on the phone, it's really not that hard...

Similarly, it's not hard to put your phone call down and not be a rude jerk to the bottom-feeder bagging your stuff. Is civility that difficult for some people?

+1

Just b/c something "isn't that hard" or "is easy" for you, doesn't mean that it doesn't make you a rude human being. Unless the phone call is life or death, then put the phone down long enough to treat the person at the register with some level of respect.... and if it is life or death, put the stuff down and come back after you fix the problem... lol.

Please answer me this question honestly then:

How much interaction do any of you have with the cashier?

When I am not on the phone it is:

1) Good [whatever], how are you.
2) Thank you, have a good day.

When I am on the phone it is:

1) Good [whatever], how are you.
2) Thank you, have a good day.

Are people having life changing conversations with the person checking them out?
If you are talking to your buddy/wife/gf/bf/whoever while they are checking you out are you also a rude jerk?

Surprisingly enough I have the mental capacity to do more than one thing at a time and I can be pleasant and polite to the "bottom feeder" while doing something on my phone. Because with or without a phone, checking out at a super market is really not anything that results in a long conversation with the person helping you. If I am doing anything that requires a longer interaction with the clerk that is helping me then I am not on my phone.

Seems like people are just butthurt because they like being butthurt.

Methinks someone has never been the cashier getting treated like they are just a peice of furniture or equipment to do its job and go away....

As someone who has been the cashier... whether what you say changes while on phone or not, if you say "hey, how you doin?" to me while you are on the phone with someone else, I don't feel like you actually are speaking to me like a person, but rather just hitting the, "checkout now" button on a self checkout.... Its a matter of respect and consideration and manners for the other person (and believe it or not, people who run a cash register/deliver pizza/ whatever other min wage job you can think of that you treat like worthless piles of dung) are in fact, human beings, and should be treated as such, not as furniture.

Seems like some people are just jerks because their parents apparently never taught them any manners, and they are simply "superior" to all of us peons below them...

grrrrr

Bullockist wrote:
I'm not suitist but after about 15-20 years in service I tend to try and avoid serving businessmen (or suits - small business people tend to be ok, it's the guys in big companies that tend to be less than helpful) .
The number of times I've had a table of people embarrassed by drunken suit guy because he decides it's good to take the piss out of the waiter is immense, or treat the service person like crap. It happens too often.

I worked in a night club for 3 years when I was younger. Groups of guys wearing suits almost always came across as arrogant/condescending. As an example, when I worked in the cloakroom, people used to sometimes just throw their coat on the counter and walk out. Then when they came back, they'd try to get out of paying. These were normally guys in suits trying to look good. They'd just throw it on the side and say 'look after that' and then carry on trying to impress girls. It was 50p to put your coat in the cloakroom, the guy is wearing a suit on a night out, which means the guy was trying to look affluent. So then he haggles over 50p.
I think it's cause we were a small town - in cities, I've never seen this come across the same way, cos people wearing suits wear them for work and might have gone out after, not just 5 lads on the dole have got their job interview suits on to go out and try to pull for the night. Our club was a dive too, so I've no idea why you'd want to go there in a suit anyway.
They were nowhere near the worst customers we had though.
Our local Rugby club... They had the mentality of 'I'm out with my 15 biggest mates. I'll give abuse to everyone I see fit. If they say anything, then I'll fight them. After all, I am with my 15 biggest mates...'
That always made for a fun night.

The worst was randy grannies. Gaggles of 40-55 year old women that find it fun to try and molest 18 yr olds working in a night club. If it was guys doing it to a girl, the doormen would throw them out. Apparently the other way round is only funny and not in any way molesty.

AAnyway, more on topic...

When I worked on tills (I've had a few jobs ) I found it polite to be acknowleged by the people I was serving. I didn't mind them being on the phone, as long as there was some sort of recognition that I was doing a job for them. A nod was enough.

Being ignored completly while someone is on the phone, while you're serving them is just rude. I like people to use manners.

 Grimtuff wrote:


Phones are making such idiots out of people, at work I've seen far too many people have zero spatial awareness when texting or blabbing away on their phone. A few days ago for example I had a girl stop dead in the middle of our frankly super busy produce aisle to update her fething FB page! I was right behind her with a very large dollie full of potatoes. If someone with less strength than I were moving that I'd hate to think what would have happened.

It is really not hard.
PUT
DOWN
THE
PHONE.

Shoulda just ran her arse over with it, and done the obligatory, if completely faked "sorry bout that, this cart is really heavy, and I just couldn't stop it since you decided to randomly stop right in front of me" reaction.

I'm glad she kicked off with the customer, I can't stand rudeness, and there is literally no reason for it.

 Grimtuff wrote:

It is really not hard.
PUT
DOWN
THE
PHONE.

Then I really honestly hope that you do not read a magazine in line or that you speak with any of your friends while checking out.

Because anything that you have to say to your friends or family while checking out can obviously wait 5 minutes...


Automatically Appended Next Post:

 caledoneus wrote:

 d-usa wrote:

 caledoneus wrote:

 SoloFalcon1138 wrote:

 d-usa wrote:
I can swipe my card while on the phone, it's really not that hard...

Similarly, it's not hard to put your phone call down and not be a rude jerk to the bottom-feeder bagging your stuff. Is civility that difficult for some people?

+1

Just b/c something "isn't that hard" or "is easy" for you, doesn't mean that it doesn't make you a rude human being. Unless the phone call is life or death, then put the phone down long enough to treat the person at the register with some level of respect.... and if it is life or death, put the stuff down and come back after you fix the problem... lol.

Please answer me this question honestly then:

How much interaction do any of you have with the cashier?

When I am not on the phone it is:

1) Good [whatever], how are you.
2) Thank you, have a good day.

When I am on the phone it is:

1) Good [whatever], how are you.
2) Thank you, have a good day.

Are people having life changing conversations with the person checking them out?
If you are talking to your buddy/wife/gf/bf/whoever while they are checking you out are you also a rude jerk?

Surprisingly enough I have the mental capacity to do more than one thing at a time and I can be pleasant and polite to the "bottom feeder" while doing something on my phone. Because with or without a phone, checking out at a super market is really not anything that results in a long conversation with the person helping you. If I am doing anything that requires a longer interaction with the clerk that is helping me then I am not on my phone.

Seems like people are just butthurt because they like being butthurt.

Methinks someone has never been the cashier getting treated like they are just a peice of furniture or equipment to do its job and go away....

As someone who has been the cashier... whether what you say changes while on phone or not, if you say "hey, how you doin?" to me while you are on the phone with someone else, I don't feel like you actually are speaking to me like a person, but rather just hitting the, "checkout now" button on a self checkout.... Its a matter of respect and consideration and manners for the other person (and believe it or not, people who run a cash register/deliver pizza/ whatever other min wage job you can think of that you treat like worthless piles of dung) are in fact, human beings, and should be treated as such, not as furniture.

Seems like some people are just jerks because their parents apparently never taught them any manners, and they are simply "superior" to all of us peons below them...

grrrrr

Spend 5 years as a cashier in various places.

And really, if any of the people complaining about somebody being on the phone while checking out are ever talking to a friend or family while checking out then they should be punched in the throat for complaining in this thread. Because if you are talking to your mate you are being an inconsiderate elitist jerk who thinks that cashiers are beneath them.

Really, the crap people rage about these days...

Nothing like a bit of over-reaction when you see differing opinions to yourself.

Bullockist wrote:
just because i think it doesn't mean i say it. The always is also a gross exaggeration , but hell, I'm on an forum.

Insaniak I always serve a customer, it's just that if they are rude they get basic service, in and out, no questions or offers of help or conversation, just here's your product you wanted, that's my money and bye.

I wish all cashiers did that. I don't want to talk to you, just give me my gak and I pay you. Shopping already takes 99,9% too much time. As for the self service stations, if all the shops had them I would use them.

I think, actually, this comes under the same category as people in shops who get upset when you don't want to talk to them.

Seriously, it is a little rude, yes, but IMO not as rude as refusing to serve someone.

What also amazes me is the complete lack of basic respect for customers coming from people who are in agreement. If you don't treat the customer with respect, what do you expect in return? In my time in C/S and retail it was and is always the people who have the lowest opinion of customers that got the worst problems.

 Steve steveson wrote:
I think, actually, this comes under the same category as people in shops who get upset when you don't want to talk to them.

Seriously, it is a little rude, yes, but IMO not as rude as refusing to serve someone.

What also amazes me is the complete lack of basic respect for customers coming from people who are in agreement. If you don't treat the customer with respect, what do you expect in return? In my time in C/S and retail it was and is always the people who have the lowest opinion of customers that got the worst problems.

But customers ruin things

I did C/S in a diy shop and they were always asking me questions...when I could have just been stood there doing nothing...
Honestly, if it wasn't for customers, customer service would be easy

What do you say to an old lady who offers you jelly babies, then asks for the best way to fix a mirror to a bedroom ceiling?

 d-usa wrote:

 Grimtuff wrote:

It is really not hard.
PUT
DOWN
THE
PHONE.

Then I really honestly hope that you do not read a magazine in line or that you speak with any of your friends while checking out.

Because anything that you have to say to your friends or family while checking out can obviously wait 5 minutes..

Thanks for missing the point. In either of your examples I can stop and actually acknowledge the cashier (that's all it takes) as in neither of those activities I am being sucked into a device that for some reason at a point in time when it should not be has my undivided attention. If I'm chatting in line with my mates, I will stop and my attention will divert to the cashier for all of about 30 seconds. It's just politeness. 99% of the time a person who is blathering away on a mobile simply does not do this. It is frankly rude.

Mobiles have made zombies out of certain people. As with my previous post; I can list of scores of examples of the derpy behaviour I have seen with people on their phones either texting or browsing FB in the middle of their shop. These actions can wait, with the exception of a few extenuating circumstances; take the phone off your ear for all of a minute to express some common courtesy to the person serving you.

I do feel that if every single person in the western world has to do at least 6 months compulsory service in retail, then this world would be a much happier place.

 Grimtuff wrote:

 d-usa wrote:

 Grimtuff wrote:

It is really not hard.
PUT
DOWN
THE
PHONE.

Then I really honestly hope that you do not read a magazine in line or that you speak with any of your friends while checking out.

Because anything that you have to say to your friends or family while checking out can obviously wait 5 minutes..

Thanks for missing the point. In either of your examples I can stop and actually acknowledge the cashier (that's all it takes) as in neither of those activities I am being sucked into a device that for some reason at a point in time when it should not be has my undivided attention. If I'm chatting in line with my mates, I will stop and my attention will divert to the cashier for all of about 30 seconds. It's just politeness. 99% of the time a person who is blathering away on a mobile simply does not do this. It is frankly rude.

A person that doesn't stop chatting with his mates to pay attention to the clerk is a jerk.
A person on the phone that can say "hold on" and give his attention to the clerk for all of 30 seconds is fine.

Talking on the phone doesn't make you a jerk.

Being a jerk makes you a jerk.

 d-usa wrote:

 Grimtuff wrote:

 d-usa wrote:

 Grimtuff wrote:

It is really not hard.
PUT
DOWN
THE
PHONE.

Then I really honestly hope that you do not read a magazine in line or that you speak with any of your friends while checking out.

Because anything that you have to say to your friends or family while checking out can obviously wait 5 minutes..

Thanks for missing the point. In either of your examples I can stop and actually acknowledge the cashier (that's all it takes) as in neither of those activities I am being sucked into a device that for some reason at a point in time when it should not be has my undivided attention. If I'm chatting in line with my mates, I will stop and my attention will divert to the cashier for all of about 30 seconds. It's just politeness. 99% of the time a person who is blathering away on a mobile simply does not do this. It is frankly rude.

A person that doesn't stop chatting with his mates to pay attention to the clerk is a jerk.
A person on the phone that can say "hold on" and give his attention to the clerk for all of 30 seconds is fine.

Talking on the phone doesn't make you a jerk.

Being a jerk makes you a jerk.

Agreed. But if we were to make a Venn diagram, don't you agree that there would be a massive crossover point in the circles of "On the phone" and "Not acknowledging your surroundings". It just exacerbates any inherent jerkish behaviour in some people. If you stop to acknowledge me and answer my questions, regardless of what you're doing, then that is fine. You do not need to be on a phone to be a knob head, but in my experience most bellends are the ones who refuse to stop talking on their phone.

Are people so self important these days that they can't end a conversation for the 1 to 2 minutes it takes to give a cashier attention? Who cares if you personally are ok with people using phones, ITS RUDE. I'm with stores and companies that have have no phone policies.

 KingCracker wrote:
Are people so self important these days that they can't end a conversation for the 1 to 2 minutes it takes to give a cashier attention? Who cares if you personally are ok with people using phones, ITS RUDE. I'm with stores and companies that have have no phone policies.

Are people sof important these days that they can't send their friends and family away from the register for the 1 to 2 minutes it takes to give a cashier attention? Who cares if you are personally are ok with people talking to friends, ITS RUDE. I'm with stores and companies that have no companion policies.

Being on the phone isn't in itself enough to be a rude customer. It is when the customer is completely oblivious to everything around them because of it ie don't acknowledge the personnel, toss the merchandise at them, and seem bothered that you asked them for the payment and also just sort of toss that out as well, that it is a problem. In and of itself just being on the phone isn't enough to be rude, at least to me.

I don't get the whole suit tangent.

 LuciusAR wrote:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/newsbysector/retailandconsumer/10156070/Sainsburys-worker-fights-back-against-mobile-phone-use-at-checkout.html

This is an interesting story. A girl working in a shop refused to serve a customer unless they hung up their phone. By the look of it the customer complained and the store backed the customer. Understandably so as who can afford to lose a paying customer these days but it does raise an interesting question of manners.

To be honest I can see both sides of this. I can see why it might be considered rude to carry on a conversation with someone else whilst being served in a shop, but on the other hand I'm one of those people who hates engaging in small talk with checkout assistants. I don't want to chit chat I just want to pay and leave and if I'm already engaged in a conversation with someone else, even if it is on the phone, I just don't see the point of ending in just for the sake of 2 minutes of awkward silence whilst the assistant rings through the shopping.

if she lost her job I recemmend the gal follow the customer out the store and go at him like a pissed off Mountain Lion. Hell Hath No Fury Like Woman..er scorned!

d-usa, you seem to be taking other peoples personal opinions as insults and doing the classic internet forum template 'well if one thing is wrong then all things associated must be wrong, burn them all'

Articulate your arguments. For what it's worth, I think if someone was with a friend/partner and didn't at least say 'hi' or similar to the cashier, then it's rude. common decency in the age seems to be gradually eroding.

The Division Of Joy wrote:
d-usa, you seem to be taking other peoples personal opinions as insults and doing the classic internet forum template 'well if one thing is wrong then all things associated must be wrong, burn them all'

Articulate your arguments. For what it's worth, I think if someone was with a friend/partner and didn't at least say 'hi' or similar to the cashier, then it's rude. common decency in the age seems to be gradually eroding.

Well, if ignoring the clerk because you are talking to somebody is rude then it doesn't matter if you are ignoring them for a person standing next to you or a person on the other end of the phone.

I don't think I can make it much clearer than "people are jerks if they are jerks, technology has nothing to do with it".

 Rented Tritium wrote:
I want this to be a rule, but a clerk doesn't get to just make store policy unilaterally.

I'll agree with RT. That's it for the week, though!

 d-usa wrote:

The Division Of Joy wrote:
d-usa, you seem to be taking other peoples personal opinions as insults and doing the classic internet forum template 'well if one thing is wrong then all things associated must be wrong, burn them all'

Articulate your arguments. For what it's worth, I think if someone was with a friend/partner and didn't at least say 'hi' or similar to the cashier, then it's rude. common decency in the age seems to be gradually eroding.

Well, if ignoring the clerk because you are talking to somebody is rude then it doesn't matter if you are ignoring them for a person standing next to you or a person on the other end of the phone.

I don't think I can make it much clearer than "people are jerks if they are jerks, technology has nothing to do with it".

Not so.

People in your presence are more important than people at the end of a wireless connection.

 Kilkrazy wrote:

 d-usa wrote:

The Division Of Joy wrote:
d-usa, you seem to be taking other peoples personal opinions as insults and doing the classic internet forum template 'well if one thing is wrong then all things associated must be wrong, burn them all'

Articulate your arguments. For what it's worth, I think if someone was with a friend/partner and didn't at least say 'hi' or similar to the cashier, then it's rude. common decency in the age seems to be gradually eroding.

Well, if ignoring the clerk because you are talking to somebody is rude then it doesn't matter if you are ignoring them for a person standing next to you or a person on the other end of the phone.

I don't think I can make it much clearer than "people are jerks if they are jerks, technology has nothing to do with it".

Not so.

People in your presence are more important than people at the end of a wireless connection.

So in the hiarchy of "how below me is everybody" it goes:

Me > anybody that stands next to me > clerk > anybody I could be on the phone with

I think the difference is that using a phone is more self involving and anti social than talking with a mate. If you are with someone its completely natural to talk and interact, but anyone with manners would also say hi to the cashier.

A jerk is a jerk no matter what, I agree. But what you are doing is comparing one action with that of another, but doing it with a broad stroke that paints them both very convieniently into your vision.

The Division Of Joy wrote:
I think the difference is that using a phone is more self involving and anti social than talking with a mate. If you are with someone its completely natural to talk and interact, but anyone with manners would also say hi to the cashier.

A jerk is a jerk no matter what, I agree. But what you are doing is comparing one action with that of another, but doing it with a broad stroke that paints them both very convieniently into your vision.

So it's okay to ignore the clerk and act like they are beneath you as long as it is for somebody that is with you. Got it.

 d-usa wrote:

 KingCracker wrote:
Are people so self important these days that they can't end a conversation for the 1 to 2 minutes it takes to give a cashier attention? Who cares if you personally are ok with people using phones, ITS RUDE. I'm with stores and companies that have have no phone policies.

Are people sof important these days that they can't send their friends and family away from the register for the 1 to 2 minutes it takes to give a cashier attention? Who cares if you are personally are ok with people talking to friends, ITS RUDE. I'm with stores and companies that have no companion policies.

There's quite a difference between just talking to friends/family while going through the register line, and "talking" in line... We've all been there I'm sure, those donkey caves who are having a COPS level argument with their significant other whilst in line, creating a scene for everyone. When I'm going through a line with my family, I definitely make sure to tail off any conversation once we're actually ringing up, greet the cashier, be polite and amenable, and just try to make their day slightly better (especially if someone was incredibly rude to them right before me). If I have to interrupt my dealings with the register person, it's usually to keep my kids in line.

It does seem that there is a certain art to being polite in public that has degraded or declined significantly in recent years.

@Ahtman, I agree, certain activities or attire do not mean a given situation will happen. I believe that the guy who posted about his disdain for suit wearing folk stems from the area he works, and a majority of people who enter his establishment wearing them being poor customers.

For what its worth, what about the other way round?

When you're waiting to be served and the cashier etc keeps answering the phone?

I've had to do that before when I worked on c/s before - store policy was 'phone first - the guy waiting is already in the shop'.

 d-usa wrote:

The Division Of Joy wrote:
I think the difference is that using a phone is more self involving and anti social than talking with a mate. If you are with someone its completely natural to talk and interact, but anyone with manners would also say hi to the cashier.

A jerk is a jerk no matter what, I agree. But what you are doing is comparing one action with that of another, but doing it with a broad stroke that paints them both very convieniently into your vision.

So it's okay to ignore the clerk and act like they are beneath you as long as it is for somebody that is with you. Got it.

And it's obviously ok to just quote and reply to the posts that fit in with your argument, ignoring others that completly shoot your point out of the water Got it.

PredaKhaine wrote:
store policy was 'phone first - the guy waiting is already in the shop'.

Ewwwww, that's awful.

PredaKhaine wrote:
For what its worth, what about the other way round?

When you're waiting to be served and the cashier etc keeps answering the phone?

I've had to do that before - store policy was 'phone first - the guy waiting is already in the shop'.

Most places where I live that have that sort of set up are Mom and Pop joints, where Mom or Pop is the only employee working. If they value their business, they will honestly apologize before and after they answer the phone. In one instance, they answered the phone, realized it was a notoriously painful customer, and literally told them to call back in like 5-10 minutes as they were with a customer.

Again, I think that in all situations, there are polite ways to handle any given situation, and you'll get along better in life if you attempt to follow those ways more often than not.

PredaKhaine wrote:

I've had to do that before when I worked on c/s before - store policy was 'phone first - the guy waiting is already in the shop'.

I have been in stores where the clerk answered the phone and started a conversation as I was at the counter, and stopped ringing me up to handle that customer. Depending on my needs for the goods in my hand and the inconvenience of going elsewhere, I have put the stuff on the counter and waved good bye as I walked out.

 Ensis Ferrae wrote:

PredaKhaine wrote:
For what its worth, what about the other way round?

When you're waiting to be served and the cashier etc keeps answering the phone?

I've had to do that before - store policy was 'phone first - the guy waiting is already in the shop'.

Most places where I live that have that sort of set up are Mom and Pop joints, where Mom or Pop is the only employee working. If they value their business, they will honestly apologize before and after they answer the phone. In one instance, they answered the phone, realized it was a notoriously painful customer, and literally told them to call back in like 5-10 minutes as they were with a customer.

Again, I think that in all situations, there are polite ways to handle any given situation, and you'll get along better in life if you attempt to follow those ways more often than not.

This was while I was working in a major DIY store chain with 15-20 staff. Thats now gone bust...

I got sick of having to apologise to people with an apology that effectively means the following - oh I'm sorry, this man on the phone effectively just pushed in front of you, so I have to speak to him first now.

The Division Of Joy wrote:

 d-usa wrote:

The Division Of Joy wrote:
I think the difference is that using a phone is more self involving and anti social than talking with a mate. If you are with someone its completely natural to talk and interact, but anyone with manners would also say hi to the cashier.

A jerk is a jerk no matter what, I agree. But what you are doing is comparing one action with that of another, but doing it with a broad stroke that paints them both very convieniently into your vision.

So it's okay to ignore the clerk and act like they are beneath you as long as it is for somebody that is with you. Got it.

And it's obviously ok to just quote and reply to the posts that fit in with your argument, ignoring others that completly shoot your point out of the water Got it.

Nobody has shot it out of the water, except multiple people saying that being a jerk is jerkier if you are using technology to be a jerk.

 d-usa wrote:

 Kilkrazy wrote:

 d-usa wrote:

The Division Of Joy wrote:
d-usa, you seem to be taking other peoples personal opinions as insults and doing the classic internet forum template 'well if one thing is wrong then all things associated must be wrong, burn them all'

Articulate your arguments. For what it's worth, I think if someone was with a friend/partner and didn't at least say 'hi' or similar to the cashier, then it's rude. common decency in the age seems to be gradually eroding.

Well, if ignoring the clerk because you are talking to somebody is rude then it doesn't matter if you are ignoring them for a person standing next to you or a person on the other end of the phone.

I don't think I can make it much clearer than "people are jerks if they are jerks, technology has nothing to do with it".

Not so.

People in your presence are more important than people at the end of a wireless connection.

So in the hiarchy of "how below me is everybody" it goes:

Me > anybody that stands next to me > clerk > anybody I could be on the phone with

No, it goes:

People > gadget

Have we got a smiley for someone sticking their fingers in their ears and shouting 'NER NER I CAN'T HEAR YOU'?

It's very easy, you just answer and say "Thank you for calling X, please hold" and you help the customer. If there is a line, then you call for a coworker. If there is not a line, you prioritize people in the store and complain to your boss that you're understaffed.

 Rented Tritium wrote:
It's very easy, you just answer and say "Thank you for calling X, please hold" and you help the customer. If there is a line, then you call for a coworker. If there is not a line, you prioritize people in the store and complain to your boss that you're understaffed.

Thats how it should work. It doesn't work so well if your boss is telling you to ignore people to answer the phone. I'm glad I don't work there anymore. I walked out.

The Division Of Joy wrote:
Have we got a smiley for someone sticking their fingers in their ears and shouting 'NER NER I CAN'T HEAR YOU'?

I think the common substitute of that smiley that people use atm is the multi quote dissection of someones post line by line.

Bullockist wrote:

The Division Of Joy wrote:
Have we got a smiley for someone sticking their fingers in their ears and shouting 'NER NER I CAN'T HEAR YOU'?

I think the common substitute of that smiley that people use atm is the multi quote dissection of someones post line by line.

Nothing wins an argument on the internet more than destroying context, the multi quote is a dangerous weapon

The Division Of Joy wrote:
Have we got a smiley for someone sticking their fingers in their ears and shouting 'NER NER I CAN'T HEAR YOU'?

Is there one for people pretending that it is impossible to actually be polite and interact with people because of a gadget?

Because so far it seems like it is better to ignore the clerk as long as there is somebody next to you that is ignoring them as well, but being friendly to them and saying "hello" and "thanks" while on the phone makes me an elitist jerk.

 Rented Tritium wrote:
It's very easy, you just answer and say "Thank you for calling X, please hold" and you help the customer. If there is a line, then you call for a coworker. If there is not a line, you prioritize people in the store and complain to your boss that you're understaffed.

Agreed. See RT and I can agree on something.

 d-usa wrote:
makes me an elitist jerk.

You are a techno iconoclast breaking barriers!

The customer, Jo Clarke, was told her shopping would not be processed until she had finished talking on her phone.
...
Ms Clarke said: "I ended my call swiftly and said to the lady on the checkout 'Apologies, I didn't realise that it was Sainsbury's policy that you are unable to use your phone at the checkout', and she said 'Well, you learn something new every day'."

It doesn't sound like the cashier was exactly polite... Sounds like she was being rude to the customer...

I was at a ice cream store n Nachville twhere they had a little sign that explicitly banned cell phone use on the premises.

It was a very calming place.

 d-usa wrote:

The Division Of Joy wrote:
Have we got a smiley for someone sticking their fingers in their ears and shouting 'NER NER I CAN'T HEAR YOU'?

elitist jerk.

No need for that, I was only joking!

 Steve steveson wrote:

The customer, Jo Clarke, was told her shopping would not be processed until she had finished talking on her phone.
...
Ms Clarke said: "I ended my call swiftly and said to the lady on the checkout 'Apologies, I didn't realise that it was Sainsbury's policy that you are unable to use your phone at the checkout', and she said 'Well, you learn something new every day'."

It doesn't sound like the cashier was exactly polite... Sounds like she was being rude to the customer...

That would mean that she was at fault, however that does not relieve the customer of the need for manners.

 Sigvatr wrote:
Two levels.

a) Interpersonal level: rude behavior, should get positive social punishment i.e. starte, telling someone he's rude.

b) professional level: act like you are expected to and serve the customers.

The latter has precedence. Sure, it's poor social behavior to keep talking to someone on the phone, but you are working there and have to stand above said behavior. If you can't, deal with the consequences.

Exactly this. I was a cashier for over two years, and you have to put the customer first, despite the fact they're being quite rude.

My stance would be fair enough, refuse service, but only if that was store policy - from what I read, the cashier claimed it was "policy", and when the customer said they didn't know of that rule, responded: "You learn something new every day".

Now, for me, saying something like that is at least as rude as being on your phone.

While it may or may not be rude to be on the phone, unless it was store policy, she had no reason to refuse service - after all, some people think chewing gum while talking is rude, is that a reason to refuse service?

I think the reaction of the cashier was disproportionate to the actions of the customer. That's my opinion, anyhow.

 Grimtuff wrote:

You can really tell who has not worked in retail. This really bears repeating. Sainsburys still operates with mystery shoppers; so the cashier would have to go through the whole spiel. How would you feel if you're asking these questions you are required to do by your company and not getting any response as the div on the other side is chatting to their mate about some banality that can frankly wait 5 minutes. It is just rude. Simple as.

Like a canvasser, which is a job much worse than service; though the pay is better as well.

Though you do lack the recourse of adding bodily fluids to the guest's purchase.

I think the correct store policy, as set by management (not on the fly by staff), would be that if you get to the front of the line and you don't get off your phone, you go to the back of the line.

This is merely one of the dictates I will issue when I become emperor. Another is if you text during a movie, the police can drag you out of the theater by your hair and then hit you in the mouth with their nightsticks until they feel you have learned your lesson.

 Kilkrazy wrote:

People in your presence are more important than people at the end of a wireless connection.

I can imagine many scenarios in which that isn't the case.

 Kilkrazy wrote:

Not so.

People in your presence are more important than people at the end of a wireless connection.

I completely disagree. If I chat with someone I know and suddenly, an important client calls, he immediately gets my attention.

One can always excuse themselves from a call when dealing with something in person. Unless one is a neurosurgeon, talking someone through a delicate procedure, no phone call is unpausable.

 mega_bassist wrote:

 Sigvatr wrote:
Two levels.

a) Interpersonal level: rude behavior, should get positive social punishment i.e. starte, telling someone he's rude.

b) professional level: act like you are expected to and serve the customers.

The latter has precedence. Sure, it's poor social behavior to keep talking to someone on the phone, but you are working there and have to stand above said behavior. If you can't, deal with the consequences.

Exactly this. I was a cashier for over two years, and you have to put the customer first, despite the fact they're being quite rude.

Just accidently charge them twice for the same thing.


Automatically Appended Next Post:

Another is if you text during a movie, the police can drag you out of the theater by your hair and then hit you in the mouth with their nightsticks until they feel you have learned your lesson.

So you've been to the Alamo Drafthouse then...

 Ouze wrote:
Another is if you text during a movie, the police can drag you out of the theater by your hair and then hit you in the mouth with their nightsticks until they feel you have learned your lesson.

Interesting. What is your stance on requiring a written examination prior to breeding?

and just like we are taught in the service industry to consider, do we know what kind of day the cashier was having? how many self-important pricks were on their phones, delaying the line before the one she finally stood up to? Our culture has become so pretentious that a common courtesy as excusing one's self from a conversation so that a transaction may be completed is considered a hassle and a cause for complaint. In addition, customers have assumed the dominant role in a retail environment, believing they yave a God-given right to act as asinine and oblivious as.possible.

 SoloFalcon1138 wrote:
and just like we are taught in the service industry to consider, do we know what kind of day the cashier was having? how many self-important pricks were on their phones, delaying the line before the one she finally stood up to?

It's not her job to "stand up to" the customers. If she wants to try and change the policy regarding attentiveness at the register, then you complain to the people that own the offending business. You don't hold up a customer because you want to tell each other you're having a good day (No matter what kind of day you're really having).

everyone has a breaking point. much like the quotation from Mallrats, "the customer is always an [MOD EDIT - Please don't try to avoid the expletive filter. Alpharius]."

I assume, from the vigorous defense of cell phone usage, that simple politeness is now an inconvenience.

 SoloFalcon1138 wrote:
everyone has a breaking point. much like the quotation from Mallrats, "the customer is always an a&$hole."

I assume, from the vigorous defense of cell phone usage, that simple politeness is now an inconvenience.

No, having someone not ring up my items and let me get on with my day because of a made up rule is an inconvenience.

then, "Gentleman", get off your phone, be minimally polite, and move along.

 SoloFalcon1138 wrote:
then, "Gentleman", get off your phone, be minimally polite, and move along.

All I'm saying is jerks are going to be jerks. You can't legislate away murder, you can't everyone to be nice to people they don't feel the need to be nice to.

Also, I don't use my cell phone at the register.

 SoloFalcon1138 wrote:
One can always excuse themselves from a call when dealing with something in person. Unless one is a neurosurgeon, talking someone through a delicate procedure, no phone call is unpausable.

What if one is a husband buying food for his pregnant wife, who is now calling him, while simultaneously considering the reprimand he previously received from his boss?

In nearly every case a service worker is less important than whatever else is happening in the life of the person you are serving. As a service worker, you serve.

 Gentleman_Jellyfish wrote:

 SoloFalcon1138 wrote:
then, "Gentleman", get off your phone, be minimally polite, and move along.

All I'm saying is jerks are going to be jerks. You can't legislate away murder, you can't everyone to be nice to people they don't feel the need to be nice to.

Also, I don't use my cell phone at the register.

You can totally legislate and enforce people being nice to each other...
Great Example:
Pick up that Can Citizen




Edit: Seriously though, why don't you use your cell phone at registers?

 dogma wrote:
In nearly every case a service worker is less important than whatever else is happening in the life of the person you are serving. As a service worker, you serve.

Which is exactly the sort of attitude that lets people justify being rude to people in service positions.

Working in customer service doesn't make you a servant. You're still entitled to common courtesy.

 Alfndrate wrote:

 Gentleman_Jellyfish wrote:

 SoloFalcon1138 wrote:
then, "Gentleman", get off your phone, be minimally polite, and move along.

All I'm saying is jerks are going to be jerks. You can't legislate away murder, you can't everyone to be nice to people they don't feel the need to be nice to.

Also, I don't use my cell phone at the register.

Edit: Seriously though, why don't you use your cell phone at registers?

Usually I try to end my call while I'm in line or before approaching the registers to be more polite. I might appear to be arguing otherwise, but my argument basically boils down to "don't be a dick, but if you do decide to be a dick I can't really stop you".

 insaniak wrote:

 dogma wrote:
In nearly every case a service worker is less important than whatever else is happening in the life of the person you are serving. As a service worker, you serve.

Which is exactly the sort of attitude that lets people justify being rude to people in service positions.

Working in customer service doesn't make you a servant. You're still entitled to common courtesy.

WORD TO THAT.

She Who Must Be Obeyed's theory was that everyone should have to work in food service when younger. I'd add retail as an effective alternative as well.

 d-usa wrote:

 caledoneus wrote:

 SoloFalcon1138 wrote:

 d-usa wrote:
I can swipe my card while on the phone, it's really not that hard...

Similarly, it's not hard to put your phone call down and not be a rude jerk to the bottom-feeder bagging your stuff. Is civility that difficult for some people?

+1

Just b/c something "isn't that hard" or "is easy" for you, doesn't mean that it doesn't make you a rude human being. Unless the phone call is life or death, then put the phone down long enough to treat the person at the register with some level of respect.... and if it is life or death, put the stuff down and come back after you fix the problem... lol.

Please answer me this question honestly then:

How much interaction do any of you have with the cashier?

When I am not on the phone it is:

1) Good [whatever], how are you.
2) Thank you, have a good day.

When I am on the phone it is:

1) Good [whatever], how are you.
2) Thank you, have a good day.

Are people having life changing conversations with the person checking them out?
If you are talking to your buddy/wife/gf/bf/whoever while they are checking you out are you also a rude jerk?

Surprisingly enough I have the mental capacity to do more than one thing at a time and I can be pleasant and polite to the "bottom feeder" while doing something on my phone. Because with or without a phone, checking out at a super market is really not anything that results in a long conversation with the person helping you. If I am doing anything that requires a longer interaction with the clerk that is helping me then I am not on my phone.

Seems like people are just butthurt because they like being butthurt.

I do actually have conversations with the check out clerks who ring me out. Being a cashier is a gakky job-retail in general sucks. You get tons of whiney customers, disrespect, and usually near zombie-like interactions. I try to be pleasant, ask how they're doing, joke around a bit if they seem in a friendly mood, anything I can do to hopefully give them a minute or two of enjoyment. Can't do that when on the phone with somebody else.

 Alfndrate wrote:

Edit: Seriously though, why don't you use your cell phone at registers?

I don't because I dont want *THEM* getting my credit/debit card information through the air waves, man. The government is out there, just waiting for you to slip up, do something wrong, and they'll be on you, and make you disappear, man. All black bag style and stuff, man. you cant trust *THEM* with that kind of stuff. In fact, I don't have cell phone because the signals that *THEY* are gettin from my head man, they KNOW things about me........



























yeah, I don't do it because I generally think it's rude to do so, your job as a cashier is to ring up my stuff, and give me your 'undivided attention', etc. the least I can do is return the courtesy.

 Ensis Ferrae wrote:

 Alfndrate wrote:

Edit: Seriously though, why don't you use your cell phone at registers?

yeah, I don't do it because I generally think it's rude to do so, your job as a cashier is to ring up my stuff, and give me your
'undivided attention', etc. the least I can do is return the courtesy.

That was what I was reaching for... the cashier was rude with the way she treated the customer, but the customer could have at least given her the time of day as one might expect of a person interacting with another person. I may not like the dumb high school kid working at Burger King, but at least I'm giving him the attention he's giving me and maybe more (like when he feths up my order ).

I always try to thank cashiers/baggers/fast-food employees because they have a gak job and someone being nice to them won't hurt either of us...

 insaniak wrote:

Working in customer service doesn't make you a servant. You're still entitled to common courtesy.

It does make you a servant, and while you are entitled to courtesy it is not the same courtesy accorded to peers.

Mind, this does not mean that a person wearing a suit is superior to a person wearing a McUniform. But it does mean that, as a service provider, you have a specified relationship with either your employer or your customer.

 Frazzled wrote:

She Who Must Be Obeyed's theory was that everyone should have to work in food service when younger. I'd add retail as an effective alternative as well.

I would also add canvassing.

If food service is serving, canvassing is begging.

I'd have just laughed and dropped my purchases on the floor and walked out.

When I'm in a store, the people working there are slaves whose sole purpose while on the clock is to do everything they can to please me.

I'll talk on the phone all I want. Unless there is a sign that specifically tells me not to, such as "Please do not use cell phones in drive-thru".

There are places where talking on a cell phone is rude, a funeral, a wedding, a movie theater, a hospital ect.

The subway counter... geez. If you can't follow simple directions such as "Herb/cheese bread, ham, turkey, bacon, yellow mustard" then you shouldn't be making subs.

Nothing infuriates me more at a subway when I say that exact phrase (using the word "slash" and everything) and they still ask me "vegetables?"

Did I say any vegetables? Do I look like someone who eats salad? Better yet don't answer that. I don't want you thinking about anything but my sandwich.

Now throw that pile of heartburn in a bag and take my money.

And that attitude is exactly why people in food service spit in the food of the people they make it for...

 Alfndrate wrote:
And that attitude is exactly why people in food service spit in the food of the people they make it for...

Subway makes their sandwiches right in front of you. So no worries there.

 dogma wrote:
...it is not the same courtesy accorded to peers.

Mind, this does not mean that a person wearing a suit is superior to a person wearing a McUniform. ...

One of these statements does not appear to belong... because you do appear to be saying that customer service people are inferior, by suggesting that they are not your peer.

You don't become a lesser class of person just because you are in a job that requires you to help someone find that thing they want to buy. You just become someone who helps people find that thing they want to buy.


You don't have to share your life story with them... But saying hello and not completely ignoring them is just basic courtesy when you are interacting with anyone regardless of the purpose of that interaction.

 insaniak wrote:

One of these statements does not appear to belong... because you do appear to be saying that customer service people are inferior, by suggesting that they are not your peer.

My apologies. They are not my peers because I am not a customer service employee, and they are not political analysts.

They are not equivalent to me any more than I am equivalent to them.

 insaniak wrote:

You don't become a lesser class of person just because you are in a job that requires you to help someone find that thing they want to buy.

I agree.

 DeffDred wrote:
I'd have just laughed and dropped my purchases on the floor and walked out.

When I'm in a store, the people working there are slaves whose sole purpose while on the clock is to do everything they can to please me.

I'll talk on the phone all I want. Unless there is a sign that specifically tells me not to, such as "Please do not use cell phones in drive-thru".

There are places where talking on a cell phone is rude, a funeral, a wedding, a movie theater, a hospital ect.

The subway counter... geez. If you can't follow simple directions such as "Herb/cheese bread, ham, turkey, bacon, yellow mustard" then you shouldn't be making subs.

Nothing infuriates me more at a subway when I say that exact phrase (using the word "slash" and everything) and they still ask me "vegetables?"

Did I say any vegetables? Do I look like someone who eats salad? Better yet don't answer that. I don't want you thinking about anything but my sandwich.

Now throw that pile of heartburn in a bag and take my money.

Please tell me that was sarcasm...

 tuiman wrote:

 DeffDred wrote:
I'd have just laughed and dropped my purchases on the floor and walked out.

When I'm in a store, the people working there are slaves whose sole purpose while on the clock is to do everything they can to please me.

I'll talk on the phone all I want. Unless there is a sign that specifically tells me not to, such as "Please do not use cell phones in drive-thru".

There are places where talking on a cell phone is rude, a funeral, a wedding, a movie theater, a hospital ect.

The subway counter... geez. If you can't follow simple directions such as "Herb/cheese bread, ham, turkey, bacon, yellow mustard" then you shouldn't be making subs.

Nothing infuriates me more at a subway when I say that exact phrase (using the word "slash" and everything) and they still ask me "vegetables?"

Did I say any vegetables? Do I look like someone who eats salad? Better yet don't answer that. I don't want you thinking about anything but my sandwich.

Now throw that pile of heartburn in a bag and take my money.

Please tell me that was sarcasm...

Absolutely not. A lot of my friends don't like going to public places with me. I'm loud, ignorant and rude. On the plus side, I can admit it.

See, jerks will be jerks. Technology has nothing to do with it.

Why not give a thought to the person behind the registrar though, we could be A grade uni students, single mums, college students, broken family, junior doctors/pilots. We don't work in these places because we want to, but sometimes we do all we can to save a little money for either our family or our own studies. Just because we work these jobs does not make as stupid/inferior, so how hard is it to show a little respect, there is nothing wrong with some lite conversation.

 dogma wrote:

 insaniak wrote:

One of these statements does not appear to belong... because you do appear to be saying that customer service people are inferior, by suggesting that they are not your peer.

My apologies. They are not my peers because I am not a customer service employee, and they are not political analysts.

They are not equivalent to me any more than I am equivalent to them.

 insaniak wrote:

You don't become a lesser class of person just because you are in a job that requires you to help someone find that thing they want to buy.

I agree.

But you seem to simultaneously believe that you can treat them with a lesser respect; all that is due to mere servants? Perhaps I'm misunderstanding you.

On the plus side, this thread has really put proof into the truism - "when you're on a date; watch how your date treats the waitstaff, because that is how they will treat you in a few years".

 Ouze wrote:

On the plus side, this thread has really put proof into the truism - "when you're on a date; watch how your date treats the waitstaff, because that is how they will treat you in a few years".

That's total bollocks!! I treat waitstaff MUCH better than my wife


In my own defense, dealing with my kids has led me to have no real on/off switch at the house, if the kids are acting up the wife gets the same tone, generally speaking. Leads to some fun times for sure, lol

When I worked retail, I would not help anyone on their phone if I needed to explain a point-of-sale policy such as "final sale", because I insisted the customer understand what they were getting. The rage caused by a customer trying to return a final sale item because they didn't know it was final sale due to being on their phone when they should have listened is truly difficult to describe.

Standing in line, talking on your phone, while the clerk waits for you to finish your oh-so-important conversation is rude, not only to the clerk but all the people in line behind you.

Hang up the damned phone, conduct your business, get the hell out and stop wasting everyone's time. You are not some special snowflake.

Only a special snowflake would be unable to do two things at once.

 d-usa wrote:
Only a special snowflake would be unable to do two things at once.

Please drop the internet contrarian act, it's getting tiresome.

 Grimtuff wrote:

 d-usa wrote:
Only a special snowflake would be unable to do two things at once.

Please drop the internet contrarian act, it's getting tiresome.

Report me for spam if you want.

I will complain about this stupid argument as long as people will pretend that having a conversation on a phone is magically different that a conversation with somebody standing next to you and that it leaves you to dumb to actually interact with a clerk in a friendly and polite way.

After all, it's okay for people to violate rule 1 all over this thread by calling people in suits elitist jerks, people on phones special snowflakes, and so on. But pointing out that it is no longer about being rude to servic clerks, after all you guys keep reminding me that it is okay to have a conversations and ignore them depending on how you are talking to somebody, makes me contrary.

Might as well lock this thread it it is just service employee sable rattling.

As a service employee maximum power vegetable veterinarian of six years, again, I never had a problem with someone because they were on their phone. I had a problem with them being an ass.

It was very possible for them not to be an ass whilst also being on the phone.

I agree wholeheartedly with dusa.

 tuiman wrote:
We don't work in these places because we want to, ....

Some of us do. By and large, I quite enjoyed my years working in retail. Rude customers aside, customer service can be a bit of a buzz if you're good at it. I enjoyed my job, I made a point to learn as much as I could about the products I was selling, and I knew how to smile on demand... and it is a job that is a hell of a lot easier to cope with when you know what you are doing. It's an awesome thrill when a confused parent wanders up with some garbled description of some toy that they don't know the name of but that their child has described to them and absolutely must have... and be able to say 'Yup, that's right over here...'

For every customer who is rude, or treats you like you must be a bit thick because you're working in a shop instead of transplanting people's brains, or lies to your face in order to try to squeeze a discount or a refund out of you, there are a dozen who are polite and pleasant, and every now and then there's that one who just makes your day.


Automatically Appended Next Post:

 DeffDred wrote:

Absolutely not. A lot of my friends don't like going to public places with me. I'm loud, ignorant and rude. On the plus side, I can admit it.

Uh, yeah... if your behaviour is inappropriate and you realise that but refuse to do anything about it... that's not a plus side.

 d-usa wrote:
Might as well lock this thread it it is just service employee sable rattling.

Not sure where you got the idea only service employees think it rude to carry on a telephone conversation while interacting with staff someplace.

 DeffDred wrote:

 Alfndrate wrote:
And that attitude is exactly why people in food service spit in the food of the people they make it for...

Subway makes their sandwiches right in front of you. So no worries there.

You have no idea whats mixed into that mustard bottle... there is that age old adage... don't feth with the people that make your food. And as it has been said man, if you're being rude in public and you recognize this bit do nothing to fix it... that's not a good thing, nor is it "keeping it real". Social decorum is something we all have to deal with.

I have no problem with people being on the phone while at the checkout. I return the favor and everything is alright. Lay your purse on the table, I'm doing the rest myself. No interaction needed.
Thank you for the extra 5€, Mr. Show-off-your-Iphone. <- obviously that was a joke. taking tips is not allowed.

Also this 10x :

 insaniak wrote:
For every customer who is rude, or treats you like you must be a bit thick because you're working in a shop instead of transplanting people's brains, or lies to your face in order to try to squeeze a discount or a refund out of you, there are a dozen who are polite and pleasant, and every now and then there's that one who just makes your day.

The real fun stuff begins at the manager level where I'm normally doing my duty. Food retailing yields so many possibilities to feth off people, bad mood has seldom a chance to settle down. So dealing with the one rude customer a day is no problem.

 Weltenwolf wrote:
IThe real fun stuff begins at the manager level where I'm normally doing my duty. Food retailing yields so many possibilities to feth off people, bad mood has seldom a chance to settle down. So dealing with the one rude customer a day is no problem.

I particularly enjoyed a customer who wanted a discount for buying two bicycles (at the same time!!!one! For the record, we made around $5 profit on each bike sold at full price, so we didn't discount, regardless of how many of them you wanted to buy.) When I said no, he asked to speak to the manager. I told him that I was the manager, to which he replied 'You can't be the manager. The manager would give me a discount.'

There's a certain logic there. Somewhere...

 Ouze wrote:

But you seem to simultaneously believe that you can treat them with a lesser respect; all that is due to mere servants? Perhaps I'm misunderstanding you.

I think you are.

The respect accorded to a servant is not lesser than any other form of respect, it is simply the respect accorded to a servant. In the same vein I accord a certain form of respect to my boss, but not the same form of respect to my father, my mother, or my peers.

insaniak wrote:

 Weltenwolf wrote:
IThe real fun stuff begins at the manager level where I'm normally doing my duty. Food retailing yields so many possibilities to feth off people, bad mood has seldom a chance to settle down. So dealing with the one rude customer a day is no problem.

I particularly enjoyed a customer who wanted a discount for buying two bicycles (at the same time!!!one! For the record, we made around $5 profit on each bike sold at full price, so we didn't discount, regardless of how many of them you wanted to buy.) When I said no, he asked to speak to the manager. I told him that I was the manager, to which he replied 'You can't be the manager. The manager would give me a discount.'

There's a certain logic there. Somewhere...

I always made a point of leaving the room, then returning and re-introducing myself as the manager. Good times.

Something I picked up on from the original article. While the actual article, its headline and its editing seem to support the cashier, the statement from the customer is obviously heavily biased towards herself. I very much doubt she ever said the words "I'm sorry"... or if she did, they were heavily sarcastic. I also doubt the cashier was *as* rude to her as she's making out.

There's also no counterpoint from the cashier (who I'm guessing "couldn't be reached for comment").

Far from being impartial, or biased one-way, I think it's the first time I've managed to see news that's biased towards both sides!!

I've been a cashier and refused to wait on people on a cell phone. At different stores. (A sub sandwich chain that you're familiar with, and a gas station you probably aren't.) If someone comes up to the counter while talking on their cell, (without telling the person to hold on or some such) I just walked away, and refused to wait on them. If they got huffy afterwards, I just told them I was trying to be polite and not interrupt their conversation. It never went any further than that. (I got a couple middle fingers and couple choice words now and then, but no one ever went to a manager over it.)

Being on the cell phone is one thing. Not putting it down for the second it takes to handle your transaction is unbelievably rude.


Automatically Appended Next Post:

 insaniak wrote:

 tuiman wrote:
We don't work in these places because we want to, ....

Some of us do. By and large, I quite enjoyed my years working in retail. Rude customers aside, customer service can be a bit of a buzz if you're good at it. I enjoyed my job, I made a point to learn as much as I could about the products I was selling, and I knew how to smile on demand... and it is a job that is a hell of a lot easier to cope with when you know what you are doing. It's an awesome thrill when a confused parent wanders up with some garbled description of some toy that they don't know the name of but that their child has described to them and absolutely must have... and be able to say 'Yup, that's right over here...'

For every customer who is rude, or treats you like you must be a bit thick because you're working in a shop instead of transplanting people's brains, or lies to your face in order to try to squeeze a discount or a refund out of you, there are a dozen who are polite and pleasant, and every now and then there's that one who just makes your day.

This, by the way. I loved working at the gas station. (Although I did notice that people gave less respect to gas station attendants than to telemarketers.) There's always going to be folks who just want to act like a bag of dingleberries, but the vast majority of customers just want to get in, get their crap, and get out. Even as a gas monkey, (which had the highest percentage of dingle-bags out of any job I've had) the real weiners were comparatively rare.

I've worked as a cashier in Sainsburys before, and to be honest, I have a suspicion that the customer has exaggerated a bit to get some sort of compensation. The attitude towards customers, well in my store at least, was "they can do no wrong, and we'll even go against store rules and belittle the staff if we have to". I can't tell you how many rude customers we got there, not only ones on their phone but others who see a cashier as some sort of lower life form, as if they're about to yell "pack my bags, you peasant".

You try to stand up for yourself in such a scenario, they kick off and begin to argue. Your supervisors will do anything short of literal brown-nosing to make them happy. I even had a guy try to buy cigarettes for his son who may have been underage. Not wanting to risk it I turned him away, so he comes back with the supervisor, who then orders me to serve him, and I still refuse, at which point the supervisor's giving the typical "I'm so sorry for this sir, I hope this hasn't ruined your experience" speech etc etc. It's pathetic, the attitude of some of them.

Seriously speaking, I'd applaud the staff for sticking up and not serving the customers, it seems to be the spineless attitude of the rest of the store management that's really put this story in the spotlight. The customer could also have got some manners and hung up when being served.

 dogma wrote:

 Ouze wrote:

But you seem to simultaneously believe that you can treat them with a lesser respect; all that is due to mere servants? Perhaps I'm misunderstanding you.

I think you are.

The respect accorded to a servant is not lesser than any other form of respect, it is simply the respect accorded to a servant. In the same vein I accord a certain form of respect to my boss, but not the same form of respect to my father, my mother, or my peers.

I was talking about suits earlier in the thread.

Edited by AgeOfEgos

OP Dose this go both ways? if you were a customer and the person was on the phone.. would you want them to stop there convo just to serve you... when they can do there job and talk on the phone at the same time?.... I've work in retail and served people while they were on the phone.. I the one person that I did ask to "get off the phone" was the one who was more engrossed in the phone call than what i was doing.. and wasn't using the Eftpos. "swap card enter account/pin" I looked at her for like 1min. and the Que was long.. so i asked 'If you don't want to be served go the back of the Que... she looked at me and asked what did i say? "your more interested it the phone call than to be served then more to the back,NExt... Had the support of the other customers... She felt silly... ..If you can do both, do it.. If not.. (i wonder why i get in trouble with the boss so often? )

 SoloFalcon1138 wrote:
everyone has a breaking point. much like the quotation from Mallrats, "the customer is always an [MOD EDIT - Please don't try to avoid the expletive filter. Alpharius]."

I assume, from the vigorous defense of cell phone usage, that simple politeness is now an inconvenience.

Really this is what I've gotten out of this entire thread. I find it highly improbable that the phone call you're having during the whopping 30 seconds of the day, maybe even the week, while checking out is going to be extremely important. Is it possible? Well sure, but is it likely? Hell no. You're just being an arse and refusing to acknowledge it.

 Necroshea wrote:

 SoloFalcon1138 wrote:
everyone has a breaking point. much like the quotation from Mallrats, "the customer is always an [MOD EDIT - Please don't try to avoid the expletive filter. Alpharius]."

I assume, from the vigorous defense of cell phone usage, that simple politeness is now an inconvenience.

Really this is what I've gotten out of this entire thread. I find it highly improbable that the phone call you're having during the whopping 30 seconds of the day, maybe even the week, while checking out is going to be extremely important. Is it possible? Well sure, but is it likely? Hell no. You're just being an arse and refusing to acknowledge it.

/thread

There is definitely a group of people being an arse, and they are in this thread.

 d-usa wrote:
There is definitely a group of people being an arse, and they are in this thread.

Finally someone recognizes my talents!

Of course it's rude .. the sad fact is that a lot of people just aren't brought up with manners.

Was in the queue at a cafe the other day and some guy came back to the till to have a go at the check-out girl as she'd accidentally ripped his receipt, obscuring the total. In between a shaking head of disbelief he said that he wouldn't be able to claim back the VAT on his sandwich..(?!), and she ended up looking through the bin for the other part of the receipt.

I think having worked in retail or not you have to sympathise. I was next in the queue and, seeing she was a bit crestfallen, I brought up whether the guy seriously wanted to claim VAT on a sandwich.. we both had a chuckle about it and agreed that the guy was a tosser..

 Pacific wrote:
Of course it's rude .. the sad fact is that a lot of people just aren't brought up with manners.

Was in the queue at a cafe the other day and some guy came back to the till to have a go at the check-out girl as she'd accidentally ripped his receipt, obscuring the total. In between a shaking head of disbelief he said that he wouldn't be able to claim back the VAT on his sandwich..(?!), and she ended up looking through the bin for the other part of the receipt.

I think having worked in retail or not you have to sympathise. I was next in the queue and, seeing she was a bit crestfallen, I brought up whether the guy seriously wanted to claim VAT on a sandwich.. we both had a chuckle about it and agreed that the guy was a tosser..

I do the same. Can't say it's because I feel sorry for the attendant, but more about how ludicrous some people are and how they seem to have been raised by savages.

There was one time I took my niece and nephew to a nearby mcdonalds so we could grab a bite to eat and they could blow some of that near limitless energy. Well, as we're waiting in line, this rather thick women barges up to the counter with a burger in her hands and starts going on about how they've gotten the burger wrong 3 times or whatever, and she demands they fix it. When they glance my way I casually throw a hand gesture her way, showing them I'm in no rush so just deal with the crazy women before she get's even more unbearable. Once they had her fixed up and she storms off, I walk up to the counter as the employees are kind of having that look of people who just dealt with someone of that nature. Never missing a beat, the first thing I said was "Let's be serious for a moment here people, surely I'm not the only one who thinks she'll eat whatever you give her", only to have everyone bust out laughing. Mission accomplished.

People should be called out for bad manners, like really. I tend to notice that people tend to lose their spine when after they think they're going to 1v1 the teller, they get a piece of someone not even working there.

 tuiman wrote:
I dont understand why people are against this, I work at subway and you would not believe how iterating it is to try and make someone a sub when they are engaged on their cell phone, making me hold up every time he/she tries to listen to something important. Its just outright rude behavior and I support this person.

I think it sort of comes down to the customer thinking that because people in retail are in the low jobs that they can look down at us. I'm a uni student and also junior pilot, I need money, there's no need for my customers to instantly treat me like a bit of dirt from under there show. So show some manners people.

This. I was behind someone that would not get off their accursed phone. Just because you have time, doesn't mean that the avatar of Angron (who did not take his meds this morning) behind you has the patience and tolerance to wait while you tweet or tell your friend about your neighbor's cat's habits. Further, if you continue talking on the phone, and hang around lo genoughto obstruct me, you have no reason to be in the express checkout lane. I'm fine with. People on their phones in checkout, so long as they pay attention to what's gong on around them, and are capable of acknowledging that the universe will in fact go on if I run them over in the parking lot. I have the same allergic reaction on every escalator. I don't know what it is about north America, but PLEASE walk on the escalator!!! Walking up the steps cuts your time on the escalator in half and prevents you from bing jammed with someone's but in your face, and many, many other reasons....

Back to phones! Another reason to get off the darn phone is to watch and make sure the clerk doesn't choose to swipe that one bag of chips and a coke bottle a second time, and get a free snack courtesy of your credit card...

All spelling and grammatical errors in this post can be attributed to this worthless damn garbage ipad. Never buy one.

Having worked in retail for many years I just thought I'd offer my 2 cents on this.

Being at a cash desk and trying to ring someone up while on the phone can be an exercise in frustration. I've lost count of the number of people who have been having an in depth conversation on a phone and been completely oblivious to things like being told the total so they know how much to hand over, asking them to sign to authorise their credit card etc. That's leaving aside instances of forgetting the product they just bought, their change, their receipt, and/or their credit card.
Now add in complicating factors like trying to follow the canned interactions you're meant to follow while a manager is in the vicinity, having to ask about service agreements, asking them to confirm their age or other personal details, or the customer airing their dirty linen in public. I'm sorry but if a conversation is that important then you should be giving it your full attention.

That being said I have never refused to ring someone up because (s)he was on their phone.

Bullockist wrote:

I was talking about suits earlier in the thread.

Interestingly enough, I only wear a suit on rare occasions. Normally I wear a T-shirt and jeans.

Though I do like my suit because people accord it a certain form of respect, and consider the wearing of a suit to be a sign of said respect; for many stupid reasons.

Bullockist wrote:

Edited by AgeOfEgos

I serve the whims of my present employers. And, as a result, I am a servant.

Bullockist wrote:

 dogma wrote:

 Ouze wrote:

But you seem to simultaneously believe that you can treat them with a lesser respect; all that is due to mere servants? Perhaps I'm misunderstanding you.

I think you are.

The respect accorded to a servant is not lesser than any other form of respect, it is simply the respect accorded to a servant. In the same vein I accord a certain form of respect to my boss, but not the same form of respect to my father, my mother, or my peers.

I was talking about suits earlier in the thread.
Exibit A = dogma , someone who thinks they are better than someone who works in service. FOAD

Did he say that? I don't think he said that, and I like to think that my reading comprehension skills are quite good. What it looked like he was actually saying was that there are different types of respect, afforded to different people.

And based on how they're conducting themselves in this thread, and based on the fact that I believe you have stated that you worked in service, it would appear that Dogma is better than someone who works in service, as he hasn't been rude enough to tell someone to "Feth Off And Die" (FOAD) due to misconstruing their argument.
But then again I don't work in service, so my opinion won't be valid, will it?


(And before you ask, yes, I do on occasion wear a suit. Because they look cool, and they make lectures more amusing.)

 Ouze wrote:
On the plus side, this thread has really put proof into the truism - "when you're on a date; watch how your date treats the waitstaff, because that is how they will treat you in a few years".

Its more apt than some people may realise sadly.