Life is hell - official

[slowmotion]

I used to like going shopping with the baby in the sling. One shopping trip is about the length of their boredom threshold / nap, so they would inevitably start crying as I reached the till. At this point someone would appear and offer to unload my trolley and pack my bags for me. It kind of felt a bit fraudulent being waited on but it was nice. You get less of that with a two and a six year old.

Down in Cornwall, the ladies on the checkouts sometimes ask if I would like some help with packing. Do I look that old, FFS?

Bless them anyway.

 

[deptfordmarmoset]

It's all very well if you have a trolley but if you shop with a basket, which I almost always do, you will end up speed packing.

 

[deptfordmarmoset]

Is that the rules? Is it a condition of entry?

I've no idea.

There are written requests to pack at the shelves. This requires a certain amount of attentiveness, not always evident in supermarket queues.

 

[winjim]

I am methodical in my packing and have used my waiting time to arrange my shopping in the order I want it to go in my bags, heavier stuff at the start, all veg together, then lighter stuff, leaving squishables to the end.

The pace I put it all in the bags ensures nothing gets damaged and I am out of the way as soon as possible but I don’t fret if the cashier gets it all scanned before I am ready to pay. I won’t be rushed. Nor will I be told my trolley is at the wrong angle but that’s a different gripe.

But if the entire checkout system is predicated on paying at the till and packing at the bench, and you insist on packing at the till, then it's not you that's being rushed, it's everyone else who is being held up. If you want the luxury of taking your time at the till to pack, there are other supermarkets where you can pay for that privilege.

I hope everyone behind you in the queue rolls their eyes and tuts.

 

[Accy cyclist]

Are you sure it was an act?

Half and half. Sometimes the acting becomes reality.

 

[winjim]

Is that the rules? Is it a condition of entry?

I've no idea.

That's how it's supposed to work. Speedy checkouts mean minimum staffing. They have a very dynamic system wrt putting staff on and off checkouts and away from other tasks.

 

[Electric_Andy]

I try to keep up because I worked in a co-op when I was younger and even in the late 90s they were able to track how fast you were going. If you scanned too slowly then you'd get a warning, then a severe talking to. One of the lads was consistently slow and got the sack.

Don't rush, but consider the employee as well.

 

[oldwheels]

This is me too.

Its a bit like if you're being tailgated, whilst driving


The safest option is to slow down, so any possible impact is at a lower speed.

And I don't suppose the staff get paid any more for being faster, it's probs just a game they play between themselves to relieve the tedium..

So I'll join in.. You fling my shopping faster??

I'll pack it slooower..

Having said all that I have to confess to being more of a Waitrose gal myself on the whole..

So far as I remember you are not supposed to bag anything at checkout but take it to the counter provided and do it at your leisure. This is not for customer benefit but if one cashier can do more customers per minute that way the store saves on staff and their wages. In Oban and probably all such stores the same people also do shelf stacking in any slack time.

 

[Donger]

It amuses me to see shoppers frantically bundle their goods into bags in an effort to keep up with the Aldi/Lidl cashier.

Why do they bother?

I let the cashier scan as fast as he likes but my packing is methodical and careful. The goods will stay on the counter until I've packed them the way I want and without damage. He can't process the next customer until I'm done anyway and I won't be pressured into chucking stuff in as if it's a race.

What he said.

 

[oldwheels]

Well, these things will happen if people will torment themselves and shop in Aldi rather than enjoying the rather lovely sedate pace and chit-chat at the Waitrose check out....

My nearest Waitrose is in Clydebank about 100 miles and a ferry trip away. Can be done in a day out of tourist season.

 

[Ming the Merciless]

Down in Cornwall, the ladies on the checkouts sometimes ask if I would like some help with packing. Do I look that old, FFS?

Bless them anyway.

Looking at your avatar. Yes!

 

[oldwheels]

I am methodical in my packing and have used my waiting time to arrange my shopping in the order I want it to go in my bags, heavier stuff at the start, all veg together, then lighter stuff, leaving squishables to the end.

The pace I put it all in the bags ensures nothing gets damaged and I am out of the way as soon as possible but I don’t fret if the cashier gets it all scanned before I am ready to pay. I won’t be rushed. Nor will I be told my trolley is at the wrong angle but that’s a different gripe.

I do that but the cashier usually mixes things up anyway.

 

[slowmotion]

Looking at your avatar. Yes!

The avatar's been around for twelve years. I'm growing into it.

 

[mudsticks]

Possibly and you'll need a mortgage for the cost.

One basket at Waitrose = same price as a trolley full at Aldi..

Great if you're trying to lose weight 😊

So far as I remember you are not supposed to bag anything at checkout but take it to the counter provided and do it at your leisure. This is not for customer benefit but if one cashier can do more customers per minute that way the store saves on staff and their wages. In Oban and probably all such stores the same people also do shelf stacking in any slack time.

No worries, I live with a bunch of people who seem to be far more keen on shopping than I.

I'm sure they know the form.

I mostly take care of provisioning all the fresh stuff

 

[Arrowfoot]

I noticed that outside EU countries, cashiers do the bagging as well. You just hand over your bag or the supermarket plastic bags and they do it. Seen it in North America, Australasia, Asia and Africa. They place the bag on special rails in front of them and they also are trained to pack the heavier stuff first. And they are fast as well.