Serving people while on the phone

[Rincewind]

Yes I agree When I go and meet others we are normally

 

RING RING

 

HAN on a sec

 

 

Now where was I?

[BoneDog]

Unbelievable cheek from the checkout lady. I'd have said 'Get on with your job sugarplum'. 

 

You can still say hello and thankyou to the cashier, and bag your stuff up while you're on the phone.

 

Honestly, what is the world coming to when you can't even use your phone while on your own free time walking around a supermarket, without some total stranger giving you grief.

[Kitchandro]

The telephone is just the rudest of all means of communication. For instance, you're talking to someone face to face and it rings. Essentially the ringing is saying, "STOP WHAT YOU'RE DOING AND SPEAK TO ME NOW!" I often don't answer the phone if I'm otherwise occupied - that's what answering machines are for. Mobiles are worse because you can take them anywhere. The customer was extremely rude - and I don't care that people aren't there to have a conversation with the cashier and anyone who says those is blatantly an inconsiderate git with no proper upbringing - it's just simple politeness that costs nothing but 2 seconds of your life. Worse yet is when your in a room full of people who have come together to meet each other in an arranged event and most of them are on their mobiles. I'd quite happily see every single mobile dropped into a nuclear inferno.

 

Why is it? If I was serving someone who was on the phone I wouldn't think they were being rude. In fact I'd probably think nothing of it and just get on with my job.

 

It's got nothing to do with politeness and rudeness as far as I'm concerned.

[Alf Bentley]

lol

Yeah sure you were Kenbo. Brilliant stuff. Thanks for making my afternoon shit that much more amusing.

 

I hope you don't breathe your moosebreath all over any poor cashiers.

 

As a complete sidetrack, what made you choose that name? A quick Google search reveals that there is a Moosebreath trading company and a Moosebreath beer...is one of those a favourite product? Do you have breath that smells like that of a moose - or do you feel that it reflects your personality in some way? I've no idea, even, in what way the breath of a moose can be differentiated from that of any other animal. You'll probably tell me, now, that Moosebreath is the name of the world's trendiest DJ or champagne or something and I'll stand revealed as the uncool customer that I am....

[Trav Le Bleu]

Why is it? If I was serving someone who was on the phone I wouldn't think they were being rude. In fact I'd probably think nothing of it and just get on with my job.

 

It's got nothing to do with politeness and rudeness as far as I'm concerned.

 

I'm assuming the customer never once acknowledged the cashier and it's my bet that the customer was taking forever to bag up because of being on the phone and was then causing further delay with the cashier waiting to take her payment. I see it so often when I go to supermarkets and it is just basic human communication on it's most basic, primal, level, which to ignore is an insult. It's saying you don't even acknowledge the other person's existance. There's more to this than the customer being on the phone going through the checkout - you can certainly do that with manners if it's important (and if it's not important, tell them you'll call them back, IT WON'T HARM YOU!)

[AdamN]

You are missing out, I went out with a girl for three years who I met by starting a conversation on a checkout with.

 

I think I would if most checkout assistants weren't 50 year olds called Maureen. 

[MooseBreath]

I hope you don't breathe your moosebreath all over any poor cashiers.

As a complete sidetrack, what made you choose that name? A quick Google search reveals that there is a Moosebreath trading company and a Moosebreath beer...is one of those a favourite product? Do you have breath that smells like that of a moose - or do you feel that it reflects your personality in some way? I've no idea, even, in what way the breath of a moose can be differentiated from that of any other animal. You'll probably tell me, now, that Moosebreath is the name of the world's trendiest DJ or champagne or something and I'll stand revealed as the uncool customer that I am....

Ever thought that maybe, just maybe, it might be my actual name?

[Jon the Hat]

Outrageous behaviour from the cashier.  I would have walked out and left her to clear the conveyor herself, and made a formal complaint to the store manager.  Her job is to serve the customer, not pass judgement on their behaviour.  She clearly is not cut out for customer service - missing the serving the customer part is pretty fundamental.

[Bert]

I'd love for you to write a book about your life and everything that you have got upto. I certainly would buy it.

The life and times of MattP

[AyewJoking]

i'd have told the cashier to shut up and do her job.  then i would have walked away leaving my shopping thus angering the que of shoppers behind me. the cashiers job is to SERVE people.

[Kitchandro]

I'm assuming the customer never once acknowledged the cashier and it's my bet that the customer was taking forever to bag up because of being on the phone and was then causing further delay with the cashier waiting to take her payment. I see it so often when I go to supermarkets and it is just basic human communication on it's most basic, primal, level, which to ignore is an insult. It's saying you don't even acknowledge the other person's existance. There's more to this than the customer being on the phone going through the checkout - you can certainly do that with manners if it's important (and if it's not important, tell them you'll call them back, IT WON'T HARM YOU!)

 

You assume that, it doesn't say that. In fact it says she didn't even start checking the stuff and the woman was just waiting for her to so she could bag it up.

 

So really there's more evidence to suggest the cashier was just being a mardy, awkward cow and slowing everything down just because she was in a bad mood.

 

There's also nothing that suggests she was completely ignoring her.

[Jace]

Believe it or not this was back in the day where I was closer to being a Liberal Democrat than anything.

 

I was just passing through buying some booze and meat for a BBQ with a mate, got chatting with her when she asked if we were having a party and after a couple of minutes I said if she fancied it she should come and bring a couple of mates if she wanted.

 

She laughed and after a bit of banter I jotted my number down and said give me a call if you are coming and I'll send you the address, rest is history. Had a good time with her.

 

hero!

[StanSP]

Proper pisses me off when a customer is there on the phone while I'm serving them. It's just downright rude. I won't go as far as refusing to serve them, but what they also don't realise is that it affects the sales part of my job. We have targets and I can't sell something to someone if they can't talk to me! Luckily it doesn't happen that often and in most cases, customers do say to the person on the other end that they'll call them back cos they're at the till or something along those lines.

 

Regardless of the sales bit, I still like to make conversation with the customer - it's so miserable just to stand there and scan and for them to watch me scan.  Even just pleasantries if need be. 

[The Year Of The Fox]

Is there any correlation between opinion and age of person giving the opinion? Ie the younger posters amongst us saying it's not rude? (with being brought up having mobiles around them constantly)

[StanSP]

Is there any correlation between opinion and age of person giving the opinion? Ie the younger posters amongst us saying it's not rude? (with being brought up having mobiles around them constantly)

 

I think it's rude and I class myself as young!

[RowlattsFox]

Used to really annoy me when I worked in a newsagent, especially when fiddling about trying to get money out whilst on the phone holding me and everyone up.

Would never not serve though, although I did feel like it sometimes.

I would never go to the till on the phone.

[Rincewind]

Saw something in Wilkinsons I don't see often. An older male on the tills. He was on the fast lane. But before anyone says there is no reason why he shouldn't be I agree but it is rare. In his favour he was pleasant cheerful laughing and joking with the girl serving next to him. Perhaps that is why he got the job. He seemed to have good customer service skills and many years experience in sales.

Would anyone consider it rude if there were two customers chatting to each other while serving. Their attention would be distracted and the one on the tills would have to keep interupting. Excuse me would you like a bag/cash or card. help with packing? Same as them being on the phone.

Put the thing away five minutes then annoy someone on a bus by speaking loudly.

[Guest MattP]

Saw something in Wilkinsons I don't see often. An older male on the tills. He was on the fast lane. But before anyone says there is no reason why he shouldn't be I agree but it is rare. In his favour he was pleasant cheerful laughing and joking with the girl serving next to him.

 

I'm not surprised at that.

 

We had a few when I used to work at Sainsburys, Roger the Codger, Bruce the Paedo and Nearly Dead Fred were all regulars on the tills.

[The Year Of The Fox]

I think it's rude and I class myself as young!

I didn't mean indefinitely.

 

I class it as rude and class myself as young.

 

....Is 26 young???

[DANGEROUS TIGER]

I find it strange that this has made the news.Now if the cashier had grabbed her phone and jumped on it, that would be more interesting. Was it wrong of the cashier not to serve the customer? Well, I'm not sure, but the customer was being a tad ignorant, so I will go with the cashier. 

[Jace]

I remember years ago when I worked for a bank this bloke dumped a messy load of unsorted cash on me to count whilst he chatted away on his phone as I was sorting it out he told me to hurry up because he wanted it done quicker so I passed it all back and told him to find someone else , I was very young but when your counting 1000's quickly and someone is putting pressure and distracting you from doing it properly its easy to make a mistake so I wasn't going to take that risk 

[ScouseFox]

Yer it's annoying when they're on their phones. Just get on with it though.

There are more annoying things working on a till. People who try to ask you for stuff/prices with both headphones in then spend ages saying "what? how much mate?" etc. people who come round the side of a queue and say "can I just leave this 3 quid for these here mate, cheers." err no you can't join the queue like every other normal fücking person.

People are rude, that's life.

[Jimothy]

The checkout girl was wrong to say it was store policy when it wasn't. She should have said it was her personal opinion that she doesn't serve people when they are on their phone. But the customer is extremely rude, and to run crying to the newspaper about it is pathetic. The fact that she's actually quoted as as calling the checkout girl rude, is laughable. Manners and courtesy cost nothing and if that customer had walked into a shop and the till staff were chatting to each other and not engaging her she would be annoyed. Don't want to start saying "This is everything wrong with society" etc but if we really can't spend 2 minutes of our lives acknowledging and engaging with the person we are currently dealing directly with then society really is going down the shitter.

[Jon the Hat]

The checkout girl was wrong to say it was store policy when it wasn't. She should have said it was her personal opinion that she doesn't serve people when they are on their phone. But the customer is extremely rude, and to run crying to the newspaper about it is pathetic. The fact that she's actually quoted as as calling the checkout girl rude, is laughable. Manners and courtesy cost nothing and if that customer had walked into a shop and the till staff were chatting to each other and not engaging her she would be annoyed. Don't want to start saying "This is everything wrong with society" etc but if we really can't spend 2 minutes of our lives acknowledging and engaging with the person we are currently dealing directly with then society really is going down the shitter.

Staff who are paid to serve you chatting and ignoring you is not comparable to the CUSTOMER chatting to someone or on the phone.  I hope you can see that?  Nothing to do with manners, it was the cashiers job to serve the customer, everything else is irrelevant unless they were being violent or abusive.

[ADK]

I don't know why it is considered rude to be honest as there is next to no interaction between a checkout cashier and a customer. Even if it's "rude" anyone in customer service should be prepared to serve a "rude" customer as long as they are not being "abusive".