Black Friday should be re-named. It should become a national holiday called "Be Kind to your Checker Day."
I work at a register at Hobby Lobby. If you are in my line on Black Friday, or any other day for that matter, you should just expect to be there for a long time. For many reasons. All of which are completely out of my control.
I cannot change the fact that Hobby Lobby does NOT (and probably will not ever) have scanners. I have to type in the price of every item from the sticker that other employees have stuck to that item.
I cannot change the fact that those stickers FALL OFF. And when they do fall off I have NO way of knowing what the price is unless it is something I have checked out a gillion times and just happen to remember. I have to call a floor person. They have to look for another of that item and hope that there is another and that it has a price sticker on it. And if there is not one with a price sticker they have to go look it up in an order BOOK. Because that is how HL functions. NO SCANNERS.
I cannot help it that a few of the customers in front of you have probably picked up an item with NO price sticker, thereby setting off this LONG chain of events.
I cannot change the fact that half of the customers in front of you will argue with me and tell me that EVERYTHING in the store is supposed to be half off. And they will not take my word for it that it is only select items. So I will have to call a manager so that they can also argue with the manager.
I cannot change the fact that there will be at least one person in front of you that will be very s - l - o - w to give me all of their items. And very s - l - o - w to get out their credit card or, worse yet, check. And even s - - l - - o - - w - - e - - r to write out their check and find their license.
And I cannot change the fact that most of those s - - l - - o - - w people are that slow because they are on their CELL PHONE and cannot stop talking long enough to pay attention and hand over their stuff and pay and get OUT of my line.
So when you finally do get to the register, slamming your stuff down and cussing at the checker and ranting about the fact that HL (or wherever you are) is THE most irritating place to shop in the whole world and that their policies and procedures are RIDICULOUS is really not going to help in the least.
You see, checkers are just the peon employees - corporate offices don't even know checkers exist. And wouldn't care if they did know. So it's not like your poor little checker can DO anything about all of those issues that you are mad about. That poor little checker is just STUCK with the system - just like you are. So yelling at the checker and making those poor little teen-age girls CRY at their registers is NOT going to solve ANYTHING!!!!
Ok, yes, I know that most of the people reading this will not be one of those irritating customers. But there is something you can do to help counter-act the effects of those people.
Be extra nice to ALL of your checkers - especially at this time of year when we all feel like this -
I work at a register at Hobby Lobby. If you are in my line on Black Friday, or any other day for that matter, you should just expect to be there for a long time. For many reasons. All of which are completely out of my control.
I cannot change the fact that Hobby Lobby does NOT (and probably will not ever) have scanners. I have to type in the price of every item from the sticker that other employees have stuck to that item.
I cannot change the fact that those stickers FALL OFF. And when they do fall off I have NO way of knowing what the price is unless it is something I have checked out a gillion times and just happen to remember. I have to call a floor person. They have to look for another of that item and hope that there is another and that it has a price sticker on it. And if there is not one with a price sticker they have to go look it up in an order BOOK. Because that is how HL functions. NO SCANNERS.
I cannot help it that a few of the customers in front of you have probably picked up an item with NO price sticker, thereby setting off this LONG chain of events.
I cannot change the fact that half of the customers in front of you will argue with me and tell me that EVERYTHING in the store is supposed to be half off. And they will not take my word for it that it is only select items. So I will have to call a manager so that they can also argue with the manager.
I cannot change the fact that there will be at least one person in front of you that will be very s - l - o - w to give me all of their items. And very s - l - o - w to get out their credit card or, worse yet, check. And even s - - l - - o - - w - - e - - r to write out their check and find their license.
And I cannot change the fact that most of those s - - l - - o - - w people are that slow because they are on their CELL PHONE and cannot stop talking long enough to pay attention and hand over their stuff and pay and get OUT of my line.
So when you finally do get to the register, slamming your stuff down and cussing at the checker and ranting about the fact that HL (or wherever you are) is THE most irritating place to shop in the whole world and that their policies and procedures are RIDICULOUS is really not going to help in the least.
You see, checkers are just the peon employees - corporate offices don't even know checkers exist. And wouldn't care if they did know. So it's not like your poor little checker can DO anything about all of those issues that you are mad about. That poor little checker is just STUCK with the system - just like you are. So yelling at the checker and making those poor little teen-age girls CRY at their registers is NOT going to solve ANYTHING!!!!
Ok, yes, I know that most of the people reading this will not be one of those irritating customers. But there is something you can do to help counter-act the effects of those people.
Be extra nice to ALL of your checkers - especially at this time of year when we all feel like this -
Ok, I'm done with my rant now. It's time to put my smile on and go stand behind my counter. Maybe I will wear armor today.
Please come back again! I promise my next post will be pretty! And I will not rant! Really!
Shannon
4 comments:
Exactly! I was in an HL for the first time this weekend and whew! What a lot of stuff! What a lot of shoppers! And you are exactly right! People need to stop and think a minute before acting like that!
Girly, you just go ahead on and rant...I'll listen. I think it ought to be a law you cannot have a cell phone at your ear while engaging in any type of transaction involving a line...whether it's a checkout or buffet! What in the world did these people do before cell phones?
Hopefully for every rude customer you have to deal with, there are three nice ones. That will be my Christmas wish for you!
Debbie
Me-thinks you had an unusually bad day very recently! I promise to be extra kind to all checkers this year! Ever since you have become one, I've tried to even make up for a rude customer in front of me that I watched by being a bit more cheerful to the harassed checker!
So, rave on, dear heart! We are listening!
Love you, M
PS: I did laugh while reading this! Love the pics!
Poor dear! HL needs to get with the hi-tech stuff, don't they? I will say though, that all of the checkers there, as well as the fabric ladies, (at least at our neighborhood store) are just the sweetest people!
Scribbler
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