Express checkouts- 5 items or less:mad:

LikeOhMyGawd!

Yesterday evening I called into Tescos on Baggot Street. I only bought one item so thought I'd be better off joining the queue for the 'express' till (somehow usually the one with the most gormless employee in the shop). Anyhow, they have a polite notice about the 5 Items or less nature of the checkout but regardless, a girl, two people ahead of me, dumps her basket full of stuff on the counter. There were a few tuts and groans from the queue yet she brazenly took her time packing, paid with credit card and got her Tesco points. What is the craic with some people? Are they stupid, ignorant or just brass-necked? I wish Tesco could sort it out! :mad:

irlrobins

Was in Marks and Sparks food hall coming up to Xmas a couple of years ago. Was in express ten items or less queue. Girl in front of me had a basket of about 12 to 13 items. Mad busy so huge queues for all tills.

She gets to the till, the cashier has a quick count and tells her she has too many items. She starts protesting, saying she has a basket etc. Guy refuses to serve her and asks for my items. Girl had to go back and rejoin a long queue.

Fair play to the cashier for not giving in and sticking to the rules. She won't make that mistake again!

aidan_walsh

What is the craic with some people?

I don't know. They'll moan to the world about any silly little inconvenience, some of them.

fillmore jive

i used to work in tescos and the customers always acted like spas. not all of them now, but you had a good few, like the one in your story. and the truth is the tesco employee couldn't give a damn about the customer in your story, they'd rather see back of them as opposed to starting an arguement with them, because the 'customer is always right'.

Gone West

dude...
There are bigger things you can worry about.
Chill out, it probably took you longer to write that post than it took you to wait...

Day-wanna-wonga

irlrobins wrote:

Was in Marks and Sparks food hall

It's called Marks & Spencers, no? Where did you get "Sparks" from?

stovelid

I especially dislike when the offender does the nonchalant-stare-ahead-and-not-catch-the-eyes-of-other-people-in-queue thing. Cnuts.

LikeOhMyGawd! wrote:

Yesterday evening I called into Tescos on Baggot Street. I only bought one item so thought I'd be better off joining the queue for the 'express' till (somehow usually the one with the most gormless employee in the shop). Anyhow, they have a polite notice about the 5 Items or less nature of the checkout but regardless, a girl, two people ahead of me, dumps her basket full of stuff on the counter. There were a few tuts and groans from the queue yet she brazenly took her time packing, paid with credit card and got her Tesco points. What is the craic with some people? Are they stupid, ignorant or just brass-necked? I wish Tesco could sort it out! :mad:

monkeyfudge

Day-wanna-wonga wrote:

It's called Marks & Spencers, no? Where did you get "Sparks" from?

It's a pretty well known nickname for the place. I'm amazed you've never heard it before.

Day-wanna-wonga

monkeyfudge wrote:

It's a pretty well known nickname for the place. I'm amazed you've never heard it before.

What does it mean? Where did it come from? It sounds stupid IMO. Do you say "chillax" too?

seamus

irlrobins wrote:

Was in Marks and Sparks food hall coming up to Xmas a couple of years ago. Was in express ten items or less queue. Girl in front of me had a basket of about 12 to 13 items. Mad busy so huge queues for all tills.

She gets to the till, the cashier has a quick count and tells her she has too many items. She starts protesting, saying she has a basket etc. Guy refuses to serve her and asks for my items. Girl had to go back and rejoin a long queue.

Fair play to the cashier for not giving in and sticking to the rules. She won't make that mistake again!

If that cashier was being employed by me, he'd get a severe taking down for being an idiot.

There's being a prick and trying to get through with a full weeks' shop, and then there's only having an extra item or two and avoiding the queues.

dr.bollocko

Hey man, chillax a bit.
U are harshing my buzz buddee.
Tbh.
:-)

dr.bollocko

seamus wrote:

If that cashier was being employed by me, he'd get a severe taking down for being an idiot.

There's being a prick and trying to get through with a full weeks' shop, and then there's only having an extra item or two and avoiding the queues.

Sorry man but I just dont agree. I hate that too, the express checkout normally has one of the slowest moving queues, because of people filling their basket to the brim, with a number of items way over what ever the sign says, and then going through the express checkout anyway. If the sign is "ten items or less" And U have more than ten, then **** off to a proper till.
And dont pay with a credit card!

Ste.phen

credit cards often take less time than cash
espcially if its a woman paying cash :rolleyes:

Little-Devil

I was a cashier back in the day ( my teenage years ) I use to work the express checkout. I use to find it borning and the odd time if it was quite i would take someone who had more then 10 items.

I was stuburn p**k when it came to customers with more then 10 items. I would have no problem helping some of lets say the older folk and i always did as long as it wasn;t busy. What really annoyed me was there would be people on there lunch buying rolls and generally small bits and were rushing, which is why you would use the express checkout. IF i had a customer with more then 10 items i would always tell them that i was a express checkout and they have to go to another till, simply because there was customers in the Q for there lunch. They would always end up screaming at you asking for a supervisor. They always threw up in the line "its a basket" yeh but has about 20items etc.

There was one well known customer in on a saturday and she walked up with her trolley and started unloading and one of the girls basically told her it was a express checkout. The shop was packed that evening and she was moaning saying she was a loyal customer etc, in the end she left her trolley and left the shop never to be seen in my time again.

CiaranC

Day-wanna-wonga wrote:

What does it mean? Where did it come from? It sounds stupid IMO.

You sound stupid

Robbo

Igy wrote:

credit cards often take less time than cash
espcially if its a woman paying cash :rolleyes:

Worst case scenario: Woman, paying by laser and wanting cash back. And I guarantee you that not at any time in the queueing process has it occurred to said female to root around in her Tardis of a handbag and find the damn laser card before it's needed. The cash back is just a final insult to the quick paying members of the public. Why actually carry around money with you when you can hold up the queue, pay with laser and *then* get the actual money.

Apparently there's these pieces of paper and discs of metal, they can be used to pay for goods and services.

Day-wanna-wonga

CiaranC wrote:

You sound stupid

Great answer. Well done.

Terry

don't get me started on those ****ing things.
there's an ATM at the side of my local supermarket, yet people still just go up to the till and pay with the laser card and get cash back. it defies all logic.

bonkey

fillmore jive wrote:

the truth is the tesco employee couldn't give a damn about the customer in your story,

Well, yes. Thats pretty much what the problem is - people dealing with customers who don't believe customer-relationships are a part of their job.

This is not purely the employee's fault, but they're not devoid of blame here either.

because the 'customer is always right'.

In this case, there were a large number of customers disapproving, and one knowing they were in the wrong.

The message sent by the cashier is "this ignorant customer is right, and all of the rest of you are wrong to expect us to enforce our own rules that are supposedly for your convenience".

I had someone like that get served in front of me once, after expecting them to be told to shag off. I just put my basket down mid-queue and walked out. Supervisor came running after me to give me a hard time about just dumping the basket. I asked why the person with too many items was accomodated for being a prick but I wasn't....despite there being signs up about the queue and none up about "please don't dump your basket and leave".

Yes, yes. I'm the bad guy. Completely unreasonable of me to expect anything like customer service. The customer is only right when they're not me.

They would always end up screaming at you asking for a supervisor.

When they did, I hope you asked them to step aside and not hold up other customers whilst waiting for their dispute to be handled by your boss.

jimmycrackcorm

Day-wanna-wonga wrote:

Great answer. Well done.

He's not the only one who wonders which planet someone has been living on that they are unfamiliar with the nickname. Irish Times reader only perhaps?

Mossy Monk

irlrobins wrote:

She gets to the till, the cashier has a quick count and tells her she has too many items. She starts protesting, saying she has a basket etc. Guy refuses to serve her and asks for my items. Girl had to go back and rejoin a long queue.

it is a shame that all cashiers dont do this. people who go with too many items are ignorant in my opinion

Ruu_Old

LikeOhMyGawd! wrote:

Yesterday evening I called into Tescos on Baggot Street. I only bought one item so thought I'd be better off joining the queue for the 'express' till (somehow usually the one with the most gormless employee in the shop). Anyhow, they have a polite notice about the 5 Items or less nature of the checkout but regardless, a girl, two people ahead of me, dumps her basket full of stuff on the counter. There were a few tuts and groans from the queue yet she brazenly took her time packing, paid with credit card and got her Tesco points. What is the craic with some people? Are they stupid, ignorant or just brass-necked? I wish Tesco could sort it out! :mad:

They would be all of the above. I haven't seen a 5 items or less checkout but something like 10 or less, yet people come along with their huge trolley packed full of groceries and their kid sitting ontop.

Wishbone Ash

I was in a shop recently. It had a "CASH ONLY AT THIS TILL" sign at one of the tills. I had one item and intended to pay with cash so I joined the appropriate queue.

Everyone ahead of me in this dedicated cash queue were using Laser or Credit Cards. I mentioned it to a floor supervisor who was passing. "I'll sort that out" he said and promptly tore down the sign! :eek:

monkeyfudge

Day-wanna-wonga wrote:

What does it mean? Where did it come from? It sounds stupid IMO. Do you say "chillax" too?

Well it's like how someone called Charlie can be called Chuck and also Sparks rhymes with Marks... It works on so many levels.

Got a bunch of gift tokens for there this morning from one of my classes... I'll be sure to avoid the express line if I have 10 items or more.

Archeron

Once in Supervalue, someone pulled up an oldish woman for having too many items on an express checkout. The poor old woman went purple with rage that someone could pull her up like this. At the time, she was holding a carton of cotton buds, and when she turned to the clerk to finish checking through, she must have squeezed it and about 200 cotton buds went flying everywhere.
I nearly wet myself laughing, you should have seen the look on the clerks face.

smallpaws

I hate the over the limit items people only if it's above the limit by more than one or two things; otherwise, I assume they simply ballparked their guess and didn't count before they got in line. (the ones with the shopping carts in the 14 or less items line I could strangle on the spot--invariably, they all have the same excuse "Oh, is THIS 14 items or less? I didn't see the sign!" while they are piling their stuff onto the belt regardless.)

Others who tie them for p1ssing me off in the "speedy" check out line are the ones who blithely watch and wait until AFTER the cashier has rung up and bagged every f***ing item, announces the total and then, after that, the f***er slowwwwwwly digs into the handbag to look for the checkbook. Then they find it. Then they slowwwwwly dig again for the pen. Then they find it. Then they sheepishly ask, "What was the total again?" as if they were not aware there were a line of people glaring at them in utter hate and venom who also had lives they would like to continue living at some point in the day. Do they not understand the meaning of consideration for others? Staying on task? Finishing a process?

FS, did they think they had won the grocery store lottery and they wouldn't have to pay before they could leave?

A that point, I do sort of snap and just want to bounce their empty heads off the conveyor belt till sense is beat into their skulls: You *WHAP!* will *WHAP!* get*WHAP!* your checkbook out *WHAP!* BEFORE *WHAP!* your order is rung up! *WHAPWHAPWHAPWHAPWHAPWHAP!*

dabbler2004

I'm just wondering if the OP brought this issue up with the girl in question at the time or left it till the following day to post it on boards? Also while the OP said there was a 'few tuts and groans' from the other people queueing did any of those actually say anything to her?
and OP while I actually agree with you that she was in the wrong but why not speak up for yourself too instead of waiting for an employee to 'potentially' get in trouble for pissing off a customer?
If enough people had pointed out to the girl (verbally) that she was in the wrong maybe she would have backed down...although I doubt it tbh.

FranknFurter

smallpaws wrote:

A that point, I do sort of snap and just want to bounce their empty heads off the conveyor belt till sense is beat into their skulls: You *WHAP!* will *WHAP!* get*WHAP!* your checkbook out *WHAP!* BEFORE *WHAP!* your order is rung up! *WHAPWHAPWHAPWHAPWHAPWHAP!*

LOL, an PERFECT description of how I feel pretty much every time I use an express checkout. Somhow, I always seem to be behind that person.

I swear, the next time I'm in Dunnes in Blanchardstown shopping center (tonight), I may seriously hurt that person who will, inevitably be in front of me, at the 10 or less checkout, with 50 items squeezed into a basket.

On a side note, ever noticed how the "wide isles" with the little wheelchair symbols are ALWAYS closed? I myself have often been TOLD to take my TROLLEY to the 10 or less till when they are closed, and you can *feel* the venom from the rest of the queue. Not somthing I ever want to do.

b

LikeOhMyGawd!

dabbler2004 wrote:

I'm just wondering if the OP brought this issue up with the girl in question at the time or left it till the following day to post it on boards? Also while the OP said there was a 'few tuts and groans' from the other people queueing did any of those actually say anything to her?
and OP while I actually agree with you that she was in the wrong but why not speak up for yourself too instead of waiting for an employee to 'potentially' get in trouble for pissing off a customer?
If enough people had pointed out to the girl (verbally) that she was in the wrong maybe she would have backed down...although I doubt it tbh.

To bring it up with her would just have been terribly undignified! And to be honest, Tescos don't pay us to enforce their rules to ensure efficient and expeditious operation of their checkouts - in fact, as customers, that's what we pay them to do.

smemon

yeah, i hate timewasters or people who hold you up due to their stupidity or failure to anticipate things or lack of consideration for others.

it really gets my blood boiling. in the last few years, i've switched completely to online-banking, got a credit card and do my shopping on the net. I also have a 'notes only' policy when i go into shops and only use notes, i always carry 1 of every coin in my wallet though incase i'm asked for the exact amount.

before approaching checkout, i'll whip out the wallet and get the cash, keep it in my hand and keep my wallet open in case i need the exact change.

THATS how you shop. I also avoid peak-times such as friday evening/ all day saturday...

there should be a 'men only' queue in every shop. That would speed things up.

Naked Lepper

LikeOhMyGawd! wrote:

Yesterday evening I called into Tescos on Baggot Street. I only bought one item so thought I'd be better off joining the queue for the 'express' till (somehow usually the one with the most gormless employee in the shop). Anyhow, they have a polite notice about the 5 Items or less nature of the checkout but regardless, a girl, two people ahead of me, dumps her basket full of stuff on the counter. There were a few tuts and groans from the queue yet she brazenly took her time packing, paid with credit card and got her Tesco points. What is the craic with some people? Are they stupid, ignorant or just brass-necked? I wish Tesco could sort it out! :mad:

JAYSUS were ye buyin tampax yeh

arseagon

Everybody should just relax (chilax ) and do as I do...... Get somebody else to do your shopping !! I'm 28 and avoid supermarkets like the plague.

muletide

I was at Tesco once and I had a can of coke and one of those pre packaged sandwiches. I joined the queue for the 10 items of less as it looked short. But then I looked down the line and saw a woman with a basket with 14 items - fourteen items I counted them.

You will never guess what I did - I realised that there were alot more important things in life to get my blood pressure up for. So I stood there and queued the extra one minute paid for my items and left. I really would like that minute of my life back.

Relax people

Ruu_Old

Next person who has too many groceries (and knows it) in an express line, my trolley might "accidentally" move forward and run into their leg.

grumpytrousers

Day-wanna-wonga wrote:

What does it mean? Where did it come from? It sounds stupid IMO. Do you say "chillax" too?

Stupid my ass...the name's been around for ages...quoted on 'All the Young Dudes' sung by Mott The Hoopl2

"And wendys stealing clothes from marks and sparks
And freedys got spots from ripping off the stars from his face
Funky little boat race"

No sign of Dame David of Bowie (for twas he what wrote it) using the word 'chillax' in any of his tunes, mind...

DilbertPartII

well, some peple just tend to ignore standards. makes them big heads bigger when they aren't reprimanded lest checked with their insensitivity.:mad:

dabbler2004

LikeOhMyGawd! wrote:

To bring it up with her would just have been terribly undignified! And to be honest, Tescos don't pay us to enforce their rules to ensure efficient and expeditious operation of their checkouts - in fact, as customers, that's what we pay them to do.

Undignified? You were riled enough to make a point here on boards, why not in person? Much better result I would think.
also Tesco* don't care how many people queue in a line or how many items are in your basket, at the end of the day all they want is your euros in their till. (This also applies to other supermarkets such as Dunnes in my opinion)

* I am employed by Tesco (yeah, yeah I know: spit!)but this is not a pro Tesco post, more of an anti moaner one. Customers in the store where I work complain if they have to queue for a couple of minutes but I have seen them stand for approx. 15 minutes in the likes of Lidl and Aldi and remark how great those stores are!

Tescos

Pedant: There is only one 's' in Tesco

Supercell

Be thankful for the "express checkout"..try on the fupping self service checkouts in Tesco for blood vessel popping fun.

The so called "quick" shoppers have to figure out how to weigh their poxy fruit - surely a task worthy of the Krypton factor of old..for some.

Nearly every fupping customer needs a Tesco employee to assist them, mostly because the average fupping paddy is technically challenged it appears.

The fupping packing area won't allow you to put yer shopping bag on them to fill directly before scanning your items (Interestingly in the Churchtown branch - you can hang yer bag on the rails and then fill after scanning - and the self service actually almost works till biddy gets to weighing her vegs and all hell breaks loose), maybe they train their staff better..or maybe they just set up the damn checkout the way it should work.

I'm about to go postal thinking about it so will just say express checkouts with a few extra bits FTW!!!, if you REALLY REALLY want to be put into a nice cell with a nice tight fitting jacket try Tesco self service tills in the evenings (16:00 - 19:00) or any other bloody time the shop is full.

10 items only, christ i'd take 30 items only over an aul wan (or any other technically phobic/challenged/braindead person) with a peice of veg and a packet of tea biscuits to scan through a Tesco Self Service any day!!

liverpoolkev

I hate people when getting something in the Spar or whatever at lunch and there are about 12 people behind them in the cue they get to the top throw the one item on the counter, checkout girl scans it tells her the price, she then has to look at the screen like they are after asking for a million euro and then go search through their purse for money trying to find the money. I mean come on, you knew you were going to have to pay for it why not have it ready.
And I have seen it happen where its Jammers and they get to the top of the cue and look through their purse to find the right change or whatever and then just take €10 out of their coat pocket:mad: :mad: .

mloc

it should be a capital offense to break the maximum item limit. doubly so if your old, you should know better by now. shops have been around for a while.

iFight

mloc wrote:

it should be a capital offense to break the maximum item limit. doubly so if your old, you should know better by now. shops have been around for a while.

O yea, always gets me. Especially when Id just go in to a shop to get one item, sitting in the queue waitng for someone with a full trolley!!

FX Meister

I'll always take the shortest queue, I don't care if the goons behind me get held up a little. Queues are for suckers, FACT. Anything I can do to avoid a queue I will do.

Supercell

FX Meister wrote:

I'll always take the shortest queue, I don't care if the goons behind me get held up a little. Queues are for suckers, FACT. Anything I can do to avoid a queue I will do.

You never watched the Simpsons episode about supermarkets then eh ?

Its the shortest queue for a reason you know!

In fact the longest queue might be the one to go for, but you gotta judge the female and old people portion of the queue before joining (sorry ladies but you are unbelievably slow on average compaired to lads that just wanna get the fup outta there..we don't see shopping as fun!) if you are to escape the shop as soon as possible.

Feral Mutant

In the words of Dr Cox "If the person in front of me hasn't decided what they want in the timeit takes them to get to the register, I should be allowed to kill them".

Tbh the whole thing of people with too many things going into the 10 or less queue could be stopped if they weren't allowed get away with it in the first place but a lot of places don't want the hassle/don't want to offend the customer.

As for people taking their time, I get as frustrated by this as anyone else but some people are just slow because of age or something. I doubt anyone is deliberately slow, there's nothing to gain from that.

Collie D

But some pople are deliberately awkward and that goes for staff too. I hate having to shout an order through those glass screens at garages, why don't they use the bloody intercom system. Lost count of amount of times I've missed buses baecause of some slow ****er (staff and customers). As for the idiot in Paddy Power's today arguing about fifty cent and making me miss my bet on a winning ten to one shot......

smemon

i really think the 'men only' checkout would be a success. in fact, 'young men only'.

i'd love to gta a supermarket (in a game of course). you know, go in with a few petrol bombs in your pockets, chainsaws, flamethrowers, knuckle dusters

i'd pay good money for that game

looksee

I hate supermarket shopping. I hate the way the tokens in Tesco won't open the trollies, I hate the way you have to wait in the lotto/customer service q to get a euro. I hate the kids playing tag in the aisles. I hate the amateur packers (though I think its a great way for associations to make a few bob, so long as they are not on my checkout.) I really really get aggravated :mad: by the witless Lidl business of turning your trolly round at the checkout so you can't easily reach it - its not as though they are packed out with customers that you are going to obstruct. I've become obsessed by it, even to the point of letting them arrange it then moving it back beside me again. That got a supervisor giving out to me. I only go in for the beer, orange and cheese so now I have perfected going no more than once a month. And identifying which checkout operators are less bothered about regulations. I really need to get a life. I suppose if I kept a cow and a few chickens in the back garden, grew fruit and veg and made my own bread and beer. Nah, I don't think so. I'll be in tomorrow Tesco.

nlgbbbblth

LikeOhMyGawd! wrote:

Yesterday evening I called into Tescos on Baggot Street. I only bought one item so thought I'd be better off joining the queue for the 'express' till (somehow usually the one with the most gormless employee in the shop). Anyhow, they have a polite notice about the 5 Items or less nature of the checkout but regardless, a girl, two people ahead of me, dumps her basket full of stuff on the counter. There were a few tuts and groans from the queue yet she brazenly took her time packing, paid with credit card and got her Tesco points. What is the craic with some people? Are they stupid, ignorant or just brass-necked? I wish Tesco could sort it out! :mad:

Why didn't you confront her about it?

Beats complaining about it on the internet.

Never were truer words spoken

'The majority of the general public are spastics'
Easons manager, December 1991

Our man in Havana

nlgbbbblth wrote:

'The majority of the general public are spastics'
Easons manager, December 1991

I agree with that 100%.

I will strangle the next gormless supermarket employee that askes me for a clubcard. Dunnes Stores take notice.

il gatto

nlgbbbblth wrote:

Why didn't you confront her about it?

Beats complaining about it on the internet.

Never were truer words spoken

'The majority of the general public are spastics'
Easons manager, December 1991

Surely a pointless confrontation. If it ended up getting heated, you'd look like a complete twat for getting involved. If the shop makes the rule, the shop should enforce it. Not vigilante customers. We all need somewhere to let off steam, and boards.ie fits the bill admirably. Better than taking it upon yourself to pull up random strangers on minor, but irritating acts.
I think supermarkets, who are already making massive profits, should spend some money on customer services and employ enough checkout staff so nobody has to wait ages.

Slunk

It wouldnt bother me if the person in front had maybe 12 or 13 items on the 10 items or less til. You guys need to relax a bit. In superquinn the sign says about 10 items. I think thats the right way to do things, not send them to another til because the have say 11 items. Like its going to take forever to scan one more item. I agree some people abuse it but youve got to cut some slack.