Thank God you're not Chinese, thank God you don't work in a Spar...

DublinWriter

So there I was in Spar on Camden Street today, third in the queue.

First customer was an elderly-ish woman with a Manchunian accent. She gets about 10 items and insists that the Chinese guy behind the counter puts everything into a plastic bag for her at the counter after paying with a queue of about ten people behind her. She gets even more indignant when the Chinese shop-assistant charges her 15c and he has to go “Government Tax! Government Tax!”.

Second guy up was a builder in a hard-hat, in his early 50’s with a Belfast accent wanting to buy ‘one’ single AA battery. Chinese guy proffers the usual Duracell pack of four, but the Belfast guy wants him to split the pack, holding up a finger and repeating “one….one!” with the Chinese guy answering “pack only….pack only” and the Belfast guy storms out of the shop shouting “never mind” back at the Chinese guy.

I saw the builder go into the Pharmacy next door and start looking around, probably for the battery section.

I felt kinda sorry for the Chinese guy, but he was totally unphased by it. They really have the patience of saints to put up with the great unwashed in an effort to come half-way around the world to better themselves.

BuffyBot

Welcome to the world of retail, no matter what race you are.

Gurgle

BuffyBot wrote:

Welcome to the world of retail, no matter what race you are.

Yep, nothing to do with being Chinese.

shroomfox

Who wants just one battery? That's insanely scabby.

I'm gonna start asking for single slices of bread and lone maltesers.

Earthhorse

I once had someone try to haggle me on the price of a battery when I worked in Centra.

It obviously accounts for a big percentage of some people's household spend.

shroomfox

Yeah, but this guy was a builder, so he's probably not too strapped for cash.

Earthhorse

Eh, I was joking! I can't see the point in arguing over the price of a battery.

Seriously, how often do you buy them?

shroomfox

Depends how many spoilt kids you have, I suppose.

I have 12. That's 301 batteries a week.

johny28

Gurgle wrote:

Yep, nothing to do with being Chinese.

I think It's a bit of both : the nature of retial business and the fact they don't
speak a good English and some people may abuse that.

dbnavan

Nothing to do with being chinese, just a sample of the iggnorant society we live in, I also find the title offensive, should say something like "pity the chinese for putting up with irish muppetry"

Third_Echelon

DublinWriter wrote:

First customer was an elderly-ish woman with a Manchunian accent. She gets about 10 items and insists that the Chinese guy behind the counter puts everything into a plastic bag for her at the counter after paying with a queue of about ten people behind her......

hold on a minute... this is one thing that really annoys me about these type of stores.. even tescos. Nobody will even help you pack your bag for you.. Were the hell is customer service gone?

I was buying a few items at a spar and I asked him for a bag. While I was getting my money out to pay he just threw the bag on the counter. Wouldn't it be a lot easier for everyone concerned if they just packed the bloody bag as they should do? In this case it would have saved time for everyone concerned.

Its a very rare occasion that nowadays with chinese and other foreign workers in these small convenience stores/supermarkets that you actually get your bags packed for you/even helped or offered to get them packed. Customer service has dropped a lot as a result. Its great to see a greater mix of nations in this country, but they have to adapt to the way we do things. Common courtesy is paramount....

ballooba

I would say it is more likely that a Chinese worker in Spar will offer to pack your bag than some "I'm too good for this job" student part-time worker. The Chinese work harder than Irish people in my opinion.

Xterminator

ballooba wrote:

I would say it is more likely that a Chinese worker in Spar will offer to pack your bag than some "I'm too good for this job" student part-time worker. The Chinese work harder than Irish people in my opinion.

Well at least your not generalising, and sterotyping people acording to some general catagory such as race.

X

Gurgle

Xterminator wrote:

Well at least your not generalising, and sterotyping people acording to some general catagory such as race.
X

Ethnic origin actually.
Not the same as race.

GreeBo

Third_Echelon wrote:

hbut they have to adapt to the way we do things.

Unless you are shopping in Superquinn or a family store no one is going to pack your bags.
St Patrick himself could be at the till and he will just give the bag to you, thats the way of it my man, nothing to do with race.

Third_Echelon

GreeBo wrote:

Unless you are shopping in Superquinn or a family store no one is going to pack your bags.
St Patrick himself could be at the till and he will just give the bag to you, thats the way of it my man, nothing to do with race.

No sorry. You work in a supermarket/store its part of your job to pack bags. end of.

Before the government levy there was never the problem of someone not packing your bag for you (or at least offering to), now that you have to pay for the bag, shop attendants seem to think its ok not to pack your items.

Ph3n0m

However in a busy corner shop when you are the only worker at the till - you cant be packing everyone's bag (in the highly unlikely event that everyone coming in buys more then 10 itms)

Third_Echelon

Ph3n0m wrote:

However in a busy corner shop when you are the only worker at the till - you cant be packing everyone's bag (in the highly unlikely event that everyone coming in buys more then 10 itms)

I'm well aware of that and the fact that not too many people buy 10 items or more in a cornershop/spar. Its the fact that they don't even offer.

If the shop is busy and the customer asks for a bag, to get the customer away from your till quicker they could help out by packing for them. There is nothing worse when you are left to pack a bag at the till and the next person in the queue comes bundling in with their goods...

robz150

DublinWriter wrote:

Second guy up was a builder in a hard-hat, in his early 50’s with a Belfast accent wanting to buy ‘one’ single AA battery.

In my local Spar they used to sell the batterys individually, if you asked for two they'd crack open a six pack and give you too. Maybe they did the same in the builders local Spar?

steviec

In my Spar we split open batteries regularly so I'd have assumed its common practice, if I was ever in a situation I only needed one I'd go into a shop and ask for one, although I doubt I'd go storming out when they said they couldn't.

Oh and the plastic bag tax is just a practical thing really. A few years ago you'd have the bag open and immediately start scanning items and dropping them in the bag as you go, but then the tax came in and you didn't know if they'd have their own bag(of course you ask but they amount of times I've asked people if they'd like a bag and they thought I asked if they have a bag, or just weren't listening at all...) so you'd leave the items on the counter, and if they ask for a bag halfway through its better for everybody queing that you hand them the bag and continue scanning/typing at the till instead of stopping everything. Obviously you'd bag stuff rather than just stand there if their counting change though.

I don't think ethnicity/peoples manners going down the drain have anything to do with it.

Morrigan

Third_Echelon wrote:

No sorry. You work in a supermarket/store its part of your job to pack bags. end of.

Before the government levy there was never the problem of someone not packing your bag for you (or at least offering to), now that you have to pay for the bag, shop attendants seem to think its ok not to pack your items.

Ah hear, that's not true at all. Not having your bag packed for you is not a new phenomenon. In my experience it was a rarity. In sspermarkets, if I was having trouble packing your bags because I'd bought a large amount the cashier would help me in order to speed things up for the other customers, which was fair enough.
I just think it's wierd if a shop assistant packs my bag. I all my faculties and am perfectly capable of doing it myself, and don't expect the minimum-wagers to serve me beyond just taking my money and maybe answering any reasonable queries related to the price/availability of items in the shop. And I don't think it's right to expect any more.

Q_Ball

Third_Echelon wrote:

No sorry. You work in a supermarket/store its part of your job to pack bags. end of.

packing bags has been phased out over some time. it used to be that the stores (quinnsworth, crazy prices, superquinn) would have someone specifically to pack your bags. now tho you're expected to do it yourself, or to tip the kid who's doing it for charity/local sports club. it doesnt actually say "pack customers bag" in the job description. its just assumed by the customer.

so dont assume, it makes an ASS of U and ME

Third_Echelon

My point is that even the thought of trying to help someone is not there anymore. I'm aware of all the scenarios that happen. I just think that a shop that serves customers should focus on customer service... not the grunt, here's your change variety of customer service, but some sort of common sense approach.

If I go to the supermarket, I am well capable of packing my own bags, I have no problem with that. My problem that is the person behind the counter wont even think of helping you. It makes everybody's shopping experience a lot better if they practised common sense... thats all.

We pay way over the odds in Irish supermarkets. We shouldn't get treated (as does happen in some cases) with il-thought and bad manners.

A german friend thought that the name of the convenience store 'Spar' (originally a german store) should change here as it doesn't really live up to its name. In german it means to save. In Ireland Spar means to 'get rode'....

Alun

Third_Echelon wrote:

A german friend thought that the name of the convenience store 'Spar' (originally a german store) should change here as it doesn't really live up to its name. In german it means to save. In Ireland Spar means to 'get rode'....

[pedant mode]
Actually it's Dutch and started in 1932. The name SPAR came from the initials of the last four words of their motto "Door Eendrachtig Samenwerken Profiteren Allen Regelmatig", or "By working together, everyone profits regularly". "Spar" in Dutch means a fir tree, hence the little green tree in the logo. Nothing whatsoever to do with the German word "sparen" - "to save" at all.
[/pedant mode]

thror

We pay way over the odds in Irish supermarkets. We shouldn't get treated (as does happen in some cases) with il-thought and bad manners.

just because the shop itself is taking all your money, doesnt mean that the person serving you is getting a fair proportion of the profits! You try being nice to people (most of whom aren't very polite to you) after working 7 hours at €7.65 an hour.

po0k

Earthhorse wrote:

Eh, I was joking! I can't see the point in arguing over the price of a battery.

Seriously, how often do you buy them?

Buy high-capacity, high quality rechargables and a solid charger.

Random

BuffyBot wrote:

Welcome to the world of retail, no matter what race you are.

Third_Echelon

Alun wrote:

[pedant mode]
Actually it's Dutch and started in 1932. The name SPAR came from the initials of the last four words of their motto "Door Eendrachtig Samenwerken Profiteren Allen Regelmatig", or "By working together, everyone profits regularly". "Spar" in Dutch means a fir tree, hence the little green tree in the logo. Nothing whatsoever to do with the German word "sparen" - "to save" at all.
[/pedant mode]

well thats what he told me...... doesn't really matter anyway...

Eru

ballooba wrote:

I would say it is more likely that a Chinese worker in Spar will offer to pack your bag than some "I'm too good for this job" student part-time worker. The Chinese work harder than Irish people in my opinion.

Very generalised of course but the Chinese are great workers and the foreign workers come in for a lot more abuse than Irish do purely because they are foreign.

Mind you I would never go back to retail again after my stint during college.

azezil

Third_Echelon wrote:

I'm well aware of that and the fact that not too many people buy 10 items or more in a cornershop/spar. Its the fact that they don't even offer.

From my experience that's not true at all, I frequently shop at a local Centra, its rather small, single isle, and the staff, all forign nationals as it happens, always pack my bag for me unprompted.

EamonnKeane

shroomfox wrote: »

Depends how many spoilt kids you have, I suppose.

I have 12. That's 301 batteries a week.

Rechargeable batteries cost twice as much and work for about 40 charges. I don't see why our eco-government haven't banned regular batteries, there's no point in them.

Dave!

BuffyBot wrote: »

Welcome to the world of retail, no matter what race you are.

This.

GreeBo

EamonnKeane wrote: »

Rechargeable batteries cost twice as much and work for about 40 charges. I don't see why our eco-government haven't banned regular batteries, there's no point in them.

I guess its becuase you cant rely on them in an emergency.
Also, to make sure they are powered up when required you have to leave them on trickle charge, possibly for months.
You need to take this into account when talking about how green they are.

cornbb

shroomfox wrote: »

Yeah, but this guy was a builder, so he's probably not too strapped for cash.

I only realised this thread was ancient when I read this

testicle

EamonnKeane wrote: »

Rechargeable batteries cost twice as much and work for about 40 charges. I don't see why our eco-government haven't banned regular batteries, there's no point in them.

So why did you drag up a 30 month old thread to tell us this?

oldscoil

Personally I fcuking hate when they don't pack my stuff or attempt to help you do it.

There was ten people in the queue? SO FCUKING WHAT?
When you are serving a customer...you are serving THAT cuastomer, I worked in retail for years, and thats a rule I live by, I expcet the same in return when I'm in a shop.

There's 10 people behind me....SO WHAT?!?! They can wait till I'm finnished.

This could easily appear as a thread on anothe rforum "Chinese guy in Spar wouldn't help elderly lady"...as for the builder, well some people are just cnuts.

I got blamed for the amount of traffic in and around the Blanchardstown shoppin centre when I worked in the Leisureplex before, it was xmas time, but some well spoken middle aged cnut decided to have a go at me about it.

Its called working with the public, people were rude to retail staff before 1998.

Gillo

GreeBo wrote: »

Unless you are shopping in Superquinn or a family store no one is going to pack your bags.
St Patrick himself could be at the till and he will just give the bag to you, thats the way of it my man, nothing to do with race.

Yeah, but he wasn't Irish, was he!!!

What's wrong with packing your own bags? I do it all the time, don't get me wrong it's nice if the person behind the counter helps but hey it's my shopping at the end of the day.

ScouseMouse

oldscoil wrote: »

Personally I fcuking hate when they don't pack my stuff or attempt to help you do it.

There was ten people in the queue? SO FCUKING WHAT?

Perhaps a little consideration for others wouldn't do you any harm???

Nolanger

If you really want to hold up a queue in a shop ask for a receipt.

I was buying a few items at a spar and I asked him for a bag. While I was getting my money out to pay he just threw the bag on the counter. Wouldn't it be a lot easier for everyone concerned if they just packed the bloody bag as they should do? In this case it would have saved time for everyone concerned.

When that happens I make sure to take my time packing the bag. I don't understand this not packing your bag thing. They pack it in the States, and they are working for minimum wage as well. It's part of the fecking job. Would you expect a maid in a hotel to leave you rubber gloves and detergent to clean your own bathroom because she was too busy to finish it off? The way some people go on you'd think retail workers were expected to do cartwheels or something. You work as a cashier? Then your job involves greeting the customer, scanning the items, putting them in a plastic bag, taking money and giving change. Not rocket science is it? They manage to do it everywhere else. That's why customer service is so lousy in Ireland, because people make excuses like 'oh but they're getting minimum wage' - which is frankly just condescending. I've done plenty of minimum wage jobs, and I did them properly.

And this not packing the bag thing makes things even more inefficient, when you're trying to stuff everything in a bag while the cashier is waiting with an outstretched palm for your money - I only have one pair of hands FFS! It's ridiculous, and people from other countries find it utterly bizarre and pointless.

axer

Third_Echelon wrote: »

well thats what he told me...... doesn't really matter anyway...

Haven't really came across them here in Germany (im in eastern germany) but I can tell you you don't get your bags packed for you here either. In fact in Germany they charge for bags and it is not even a government tax.

How hard is it to pack a bag anyway? I could understand if it was an old person or someone that is disabled but other than that you can pack it yourself. Also the shop is taking somewhat of a risk packing your bags because you will have idiots coming back to complain that their bag was not packed properly or wrongly and x broke etc etc so the shops are better off staying away from it and letting you do it yourself.

I wonder do people that want their bags packed tip the person behind the counter for doing it for them?

telemachus

[quote=[Deleted User];57324515]When that happens I make sure to take my time packing the bag. I don't understand this not packing your bag thing. They pack it in the States, and they are working for minimum wage as well. It's part of the fecking job. Would you expect a maid in a hotel to leave you rubber gloves and detergent to clean your own bathroom because she was too busy to finish it off? The way some people go on you'd think retail workers were expected to do cartwheels or something. You work as a cashier? Then your job involves greeting the customer, scanning the items, putting them in a plastic bag, taking money and giving change. Not rocket science is it? They manage to do it everywhere else. That's why customer service is so lousy in Ireland, because people make excuses like 'oh but they're getting minimum wage' - which is frankly just condescending. I've done plenty of minimum wage jobs, and I did them properly.

And this not packing the bag thing makes things even more inefficient, when you're trying to stuff everything in a bag while the cashier is waiting with an outstretched palm for your money - I only have one pair of hands FFS! It's ridiculous, and people from other countries find it utterly bizarre and pointless.[/QUOTE]

That simply isn't true unless you take the USA to be the entirety of "other countries" . I'm living in Rome and if anything it's even further the other way, the bag gets chucked on the counter, shortly followed by the shopping swiftly piling up ontop of it if you don't get to it quick enough, they also never, ever put money in your hand (i still get strange looks for unthinkingly sticking my hand out). No one takes any of this personally or bats an eye, it's just the norm, and personally i'd take it in a heartbeat over the horrendously grating American "HAVE A WONDERFUL DAY AND MANY PROSPEROUS AND FRUITFUL ENDEAVOURS IN YOUR FUTURE LIFE" routine.

Musha

If I am paying good money for a service, I expect the sales person to do their job, I hate the "bored out of my brain" looks from cashiers when you are trying to get 80+ items into shopping bags while they wait for the money.

I purposely wait until I have all the bags packed and back in my trolly before I hand over the money/card. If you hand it over before this they start on the next customer before you are finished and you find other peoples shopping flying down the counter on top of yours. This is my shopping experience I am tired of being rushed out of the Q just because the shop do not have enough staff on shift to cover the clients in store.

Bring back good customer service and manners.
I know Aldi do not pack for you but they do wait until you have finished unpacking the trolley and get to the till end before they start to process your shopping. Unlike the others where you are playing catchup.

dudara

I generally won't let sales people pack my bag, even when they offer. Most of them have no idea how to pack a bag properly, i.e. heavy stuff before light stuff, meat separate. Sometimes when they've packed the bag, I've had to unpack and repack.

axer

Musha wrote: »

If I am paying good money for a service, I expect the sales person to do their job, I hate the "bored out of my brain" looks from cashiers when you are trying to get 80+ items into shopping bags while they wait for the money.

I purposely wait until I have all the bags packed and back in my trolly before I hand over the money/card. If you hand it over before this they start on the next customer before you are finished and you find other peoples shopping flying down the counter on top of yours. This is my shopping experience I am tired of being rushed out of the Q just because the shop do not have enough staff on shift to cover the clients in store.

Bring back good customer service and manners.
I know Aldi do not pack for you but they do wait until you have finished unpacking the trolley and get to the till end before they start to process your shopping. Unlike the others where you are playing catchup.

Why not just put the shopping straight into the trolley first then pack everything into bags afterwards? Thats what people here in Germany do and it works fine.

People, it seems, want cheaper prices but want the same service for those cheaper prices.

GreeBo

Musha wrote: »

If I am paying good money for a service, I expect the sales person to do their job

No, you are paying good money for the product. A supermarket is not necessarily in the services industry. You have no idea what the "sales persons" job description is. Perhaps, now stay with me on this one, their job is to sell you things? Just because some stores decide to include packing as part of *their* service doesnt suddenly make it the standard. If you want more/better service then go somewhere else where you can get it (and probably pay for it)

Musha

axer wrote: »

Why not just put the shopping straight into the trolley first then pack everything into bags afterwards? Thats what people here in Germany do and it works fine.

This is what happens in Aldi/Lidi you have the space to pack your bags away from the till after you have finished paying. And I do this everyweek in Aldi

None of the "domestic" supermarkets have any space for customers to do this in store you would be standing in everyone elses way or in the car park in the rain.

Greebo, See above point. If they gave me somewhere to pack my own bags I would, But they are the one's not providing any option other than to pack my bags of the conveyer.
Every person working with the Public on a daily basis is in the "service industry" Whether they like or not does not mean they cannot help a customer or show some common sense over and above what their basic job spec says.
I am not expecting them to carry my bags to the car or fan me with plam leaves imported from the Maldives, Just a bit of help and manners.
Is that too much to ask?
I have found the one to be the most helpful/polite are in the basic/low cost stores.

StonedParadoX

wow im actually amazed at some of you

EXPECTING the Cashier to put it in for you
to me thats the height of laziness..
they have other stuff to do they got other people to serve


why cant YOU put in YOUR BAG??
whats wrong with that

whenever im in the shops and its usually more then 10 items ( i buy break/lunch for 7 people ) i always insist on putting the stuff in my bags myself
it makes the queue finish quicker and so on and u dont have to wait

seeing some twit expecting the cashier to put the crap in the bag just boggles my mind.

and yes jesus christ i hate that "stuff starts to pile up" argument.. thats cuz your too freakin slow man

some people ARE In a rush

Musha

StonedParadoX wrote: »

wow im actually amazed at some of you

EXPECTING the Cashier to put it in for you
to me thats the height of laziness..
they have other stuff to do they got other people to serve


why cant YOU put in YOUR BAG??
whats wrong with that

whenever im in the shops and its usually more then 10 items ( i buy break/lunch for 7 people ) i always insist on putting the stuff in my bags myself
it makes the queue finish quicker and so on and u dont have to wait

seeing some twit expecting the cashier to put the crap in the bag just boggles my mind.

and yes jesus christ i hate that "stuff starts to pile up" argument.. thats cuz your too freakin slow man

some people ARE In a rush

If you are in a rush go to a convienience store not the supermarket, I am there spending my money trying to get the awful task of the weeks shopping done in the quickest time possible, I don't go at lunchtime because I have to work too, I am not lazy or slow just a normal person trying to shop,
If you are the office gofor thats your problem not mine and if you are in a RUSH again that your problem! Don't complain to me, complain to the store managers because they do not have enough till open at busy times.

StonedParadoX

either im stupid or i dont get what musha said

i wasnt talking about rushing

whenever im in the shops and its usually more then 10 items ( i buy break/lunch for 7 people ) i always insist on putting the stuff in my bags myself
it makes the queue finish quicker and so on and u dont have to wait

It doesn't make the queue go faster. 95% of the time it slows things down because the person cannot pack their bag as fast as the cashier can scan. It's common sense. And then the cashier sits and looks at you while you scramble to pack your bag and fumble around for your wallet. Where's the logic in that? And no, I'm not slow at packing, it's just impossible to do everything at once. I don't mind in Aldi/Lidl where you move to the side and there's space to pack your bag in peace, but in most places you get all flustered because you feel like you're holding up a queue. As far as I'm concerned, packing the bag is part of the service. Would you go to Penneys and expect the cashier to fling a bag at you for you to pack your own clothes? Why are supermarkets different?