It’s time to talk cashier etiquette, and by cashier etiquette, I’m not talking about how cashiers should treat customers.
That’s pretty clear. Employees should be courteous, friendly and capable. In my experience at Wegmans, most workers meet the standard.
No, these rules are about how cashiers should be treated.
You’d be surprised. Customers have thrown gift cards at cashiers when they learn they can’t buy them in the middle of the night. I’ve heard customers tell cashiers to f*ck off when they’re prevented from buying beer after hours, or when they learn they can’t break a $100 bill for a $2 purchase at 3 a.m.
Maybe Wegmans workers are easy targets because the stores are open 24×7. Maybe the company’s reputation for service gives free rein to some people who need to vent. I don’t know.
But I offer a few suggestions:
- No matter how your day has gone, cashiers are not your punching bags. They’re not making big bucks. They didn’t get a vote on the New York State plastic-bag ban. (In fact, the ban makes their jobs more difficult.) Their feet hurt, probably more than yours do.
- Get off the phone. You may be one of those people who believes they have a right to yak wherever and whenever they like, but it’s an insult to keep talking while you’re checking out. The cashier feels like the invisible man. And your distraction slows the checkout process.
- Put your recyclable bag on the belt before the groceries, not after.
- Don’t try to pull a fast one. I can’t tell you how many people put the wrong prices on bulk items such as candy and nuts. They know full well that the code for chocolate bark with almonds is not the same as the code for gummy bears. They’re just hoping the cashier won’t notice.
- The store is not a free buffet. It’s a daily occurrence that people pick up a sushi tray or a bag of nuts, nosh as they walk up and down the aisles, then ditch the empty containers in the candy shelves before they reach the register. This isn’t just discourtesy. It’s theft.
Thankfully, these people are a small minority. Most of our customers are respectful. Some even bring us coffee and baked goods. We’re grateful for them.
Note: A link to this story has generated a discussion on Reddit, a site frequented by quite a few Wegmans employees.