Just a lowly cashier complaining about the unknowing irritation you cause by everyday purchasing transactions.

Tuesday, December 21, 2010

We Stand Divided

I finally got to the doctor this morning and I now have meds to clear up this sinus infection before next week! The doctor made small talk and asked me if I was in school or working, "I have my degree and I work at Walmart." He did a double take. Yes dude, I know... Well, we'll see if I really will be working at Walmart much longer after I drop the news today that I'm leaving for ten days to go home.

Ever used the little dividers on the cash register counter? Yeah, those things annoy the hell out of me. For one, I always end up on a register that is missing one. As a result, during just about every transaction I have on that register I have to hear the question, "Do ya have a divider?!" No. So they look agitated at the thought that, "Oh no! Their stuff could touch MY stuff!"

You'd think that they were in the Oklahoma land race and they were staking claim on some property. That THIS area of the belt is reserved for their stuff only and that if you breach that barrier, there's going to be some problems. They feel the need to tell me that, even though there is a clearly marked space between customer's items, that THIS is theirs and the line is the end of their order. No duh.

There's also the times where I have scanned the last item for the first customer's orders and both the front customer and the following one feel the need to nearly come out of their skin and exclaim that that was the last item. For some reason, this really agitates people. They don't enjoy the thought that their gallon of milk is fraternizing with the next customer's orange juice. If they are touching AT ALL people feel the need to shove them away from each other as if they are going to start infecting each other or something.

Then there are some people who hardly leave a space and get mad at me when I just wildly assume that items shoved on a belt together belong to the same order. What the hell was I thinking, right? And if ONE item gets scanned that's not theirs they freak the fuck out even though getting rid of the item is a hit of a button away. One tap and the item is retracted, it's not a reason to raise your blood pressure or bulge your eyes at me. If you were fucking paying attention to the progression of your transaction instead of staring off into space, you would have noticed the other customer's items inching into your belt territory.

All I ask for is for people to be a little more aware of what is going on. Being at the register is not an excuse to mentally check out. Do that when you're driving home... well, for some people they are always mentally checked-out.

And then after you've berated me for daring to ring up someone else's chapstick and I've handed you the receipt with a "Thank you, have a nice day" you reply with "You're welcome." I absolutely hate that. I'm thanking you for shopping here, not some stupid personal favor you have done for me. You just don't say, "You're welcome" because it makes you sound like an asshole. If anything it's a mutual "thank you" because I'm thanking you for shopping (even though I couldn't give a shit where you shop) and you're thanking me for putting up with you through the checkout line. You say "you're welcome" when you have actually really DONE SOMETHING for me. I guess saying "you're welcome" is better than nothing but it makes me wish I had stacked cans on top of your bread.

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