The idiot’s guide to grocery shopping
Candace Caligiuri
After five years of working as a grocery store cashier, I’ve noticed that Winnipeggers don’t have a clue when it comes to shopping in supermarkets. I will do all of you, and all of us in the industry, a favour by writing the following guide to grocery shopping.
1. When the light is off, nobody is home.
You’d think this would be a common sense issue: the register light is off, there’s no cashier standing there, so therefore that till is not open, right? Apparently, this isn’t as obvious as I had thought. Many customers pull up to a register, plop their basket down and begin unloading. On the other hand, when someone is standing at his/her register with the light on looking bored, you don’t have to ask if they’re open. Just start unloading. They’re obviously open.
2. The cashier does not know everything.
Believe it or not people, the cashier only knows the cashier’s job. They don’t know the price per pound of watermelons, nor do they know when the next order of chicken is coming in. If you want to know, ask the employee who works in the appropriate department. This will save both you and the cashier a lot of headaches.
3. Loading two bags into your cart won’t break you.
Think about it. Cashiers lift hundreds of groceries into carts a hundred times a day. Their backs hurt, their feet hurt and their wrists hurt. Do you really think it is asking too much to have you lift your two parcels, already nicely packed into bags, into your own cart? Just because a service is offered doesn’t mean you have the right to abuse it.
4. When someone greets you, greet them back.
You’d be surprised how many people can’t be bothered to greet me back after I greet them. Isn’t this “friendly Manitoba?”
5. There’s no need to yell and swear at us.
If an employee tells you that you don’t qualify for that discount or that coupon, or that this is the real price, don’t get angry. We are only doing our jobs, and if we don’t follow through, we’ll have our bosses breathing down our necks. You have to follow the rules at your job don’t you? Our jobs aren’t any different. Screaming and swearing won’t get you anywhere.
6. Be kind, don’t throw your things at me.
This includes things like money, cards and garbage. We have the courtesy to hand you your change and your receipt. What makes you think it’s okay to throw your cards on the counter at me or hand me your garbage like I’m a waste bucket?
7. You’ll get more bees with honey than you will with vinegar.
If you talk to and treat us rudely, don’t expect smiles and pleasantness in return. When people deal with that a few times a day, it really does take a toll on them. Just think how you would feel.
8. Please observe posted shopping hours.
If the store closes at 10 p.m., it does not mean you grab a grocery cart and begin a mad dash down the aisles at 9:50. We would like to go home and rest, too. Why should we have to stay half an hour after our shifts have ended just because some people can’t read the signs?
9. If you don’t want the item, don’t be scared, we’ll put it away.
It’s really disgusting to find melted ice cream or meat in magazine racks at the end of the night. Don’t be scared. Just hand your unwanted food to the cashier when you come through and it’ll be put away right then and there.
10. Our home is your home.
When you come into our work environment, treat it as though you are a guest in someone’s home. You wouldn’t yell at your host, you wouldn’t throw your garbage on the floor hoping someone will pick it up later, you wouldn’t leave without saying thank you and good bye, would you? So don’t do it to the employees.
By just following these ten simple steps, you can make an employee’s day better and, in return, you will get the proper service you desire. As the old adage goes, treat others as you would want to be treated.
Candace Caligiuri is a creative communications graduate from the University of Winnipeg.
