Supermarkets saying hello.

kneemos

It seems the supermarkets have developed a policy of saying hello to each customer at the checkout,Aldi and Lidl have taken it a stage further by saying "hello how are you." I don't particularly have a problem with it but was wondering if anyone knew the reasoning or psychology behind it.

Larianne

Being polite?

alwaysadub

They are being polite!

Max Power

Wild guess here but maybe they are trying to be nice?

phasers

lidl and Aldi have always done that, it's just being polite. I always say hi to people at checkouts, it's friendly.

MJ23

Cash or Laser?
They do it Aldi all the time, even when you're nearly waving the 20 note under their nose.

ballsymchugh

it's just common manners really. better than a grunt from someone who makes dealing with you look like a chore.
it's not near as annoying as shops that have greeters. it's getting very common in the UK. doubt it'll be too long before the UK chains have them in ireland too.

MadsL

I miss the good old Celtic tiger "are you OK, dere" or "Y'right"

Immaculate Pasta

Agreed it's a disgrace OP. :mad:

You grumpy bugger.

Skylinehead

kneemos wrote: »

It seems the supermarkets have developed a policy of saying hello to each customer at the checkout

The supermarkets themselves are saying it? Snazzy :cool:

Miss Lockhart

I'm surprised this warrants a thread tbh! Surely it's just basic manners to say hello at the beginning of an interaction with somebody.

BBDBB

kneemos wrote: »

It seems the supermarkets have developed a policy of saying hello to each customer at the checkout,Aldi and Lidl have taken it a stage further by saying "hello how are you." I don't particularly have a problem with it but was wondering if anyone knew the reasoning or psychology behind it.

they are trying to compete on service for your business rather than just prices. The thinking is that if the staff are pleasant and polite you will get a lovely warm feeling associated with shopping in their supermarket and feel inclined to shop more, spend more money and urge your family, friends and complete strangers on the internet to do likewise

cml387

Yes, and you might like to say hello and thanks back.

Read this thread and weep for humanity

WoollyRedHat

Yeah, I hear they say hello and wave goodbye.... As for me well, I'll find someone who's not going cheap in the sales.. say hello and wave goodbye

tuxy

I always say hello to checkout assistants so I don't see how it's weird if they say hello first. I do find it weird in the states when places like walmat pay people to stand at the door and say hello to every customer though.

MistyCheese

kneemos wrote: »

It seems the supermarkets have developed a policy of saying hello to each customer at the checkout

kneemos wrote: »

Aldi and Lidl have taken it a stage further by saying "hello how are you."

Where will this madness end?

OneArt

Well they do it in Germany all the time so it makes sense in Aldi and Lidl.

I thought they always did it in Ireland though?

OneArt

Well they do it in Germany all the time so it makes sense in Aldi and Lidl.

I thought they always did it in Ireland though?

monkeysnapper

I always try to be genuine , nothing worse than somebody just going though a process, i ussually try to change it around, say hello how are you to customer 1' then next customer, hi lovely day isnt it, then next customer , hi there madam/ sir your looking very well today f they look likevthey might be up for a little craic

Washington Irving

It's subliminal messaging, they think they're being clever. Don't let them get to you, OP

BBDBB

hello to everyone reading this thread






send me your money

skinny90

As posted above its pure acknowledgement of you presence and thanks for your custom,regarding greeting theres nothing wrong with it,its very customer service based,its not a UK things,tis more of an American thing,Indian owned shops are great for it

mackg

MistyCheese wrote: »

Where will this madness end?

Goodbye?

Miss Lockhart

skinny90 wrote: »

As posted above its pure acknowledgement of you presence and thanks for your custom,regarding greeting theres nothing wrong with it,its very customer service based,its not a UK things,tis more of an American thing,Indian owned shops are great for it

I really don't get this. Saying hello to somebody is very customer service based and is an American thing?!

It's just saying hello to somebody. That's it. It would be weird not to. This is nothing like the American practice of having a scripted and pre-rehearsed spiel for every customer.

tolosenc

In before someone complains about Americans saying "have a nice day"...

I always do a quick "Hey, how's it going", didn't think much of it til now.

Siuin

I've always been rather suspicious of anyone acting nice for no reason... especially when they're taking my money...!

kneemos

I kinda feel sorry for them having to say hello to everyone,particularly the surly ones (Aldi,Lidl) who you know would much rather tell you to feck off.

burstbuckle

It is beneath me to darken the doors of aldi or lidl,what if people seen me there.

Az0th

phasers wrote: »

lidl and Aldi have always done that, it's just being polite. I always say hi to people at checkouts, it's friendly.

I found it to be the the opposite. The people working the counter at Lidl or Aldi would never give eye contact or smile.

The cashier said "hi" to me last week. I remember it caught me by surprise as it has literally never happened to me in a Lidl or Aldi.

nbar12

this is disgraceful behaviour OP! I think it's time I give my friend JOEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE DUFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFY a call about this!

M cebee

hope they don't try it on me
i'll prob freak out

MistyCheese

mackg wrote: »

Goodbye?

That dog won't hunt, Monsignor.

The only thing that supermarkets say to me is, "Unexpected item in the bagging area".

MistyCheese

Deleted User wrote: »

The only thing that supermarkets say to me is, "Unexpected item in the bagging area".

Ooooooh, Mr. Moneybags, shopping at Tesco.

flutterflye

I thought they always did that?
It annoys me when they say anything more than "hello" or "hi", coz then I'm expected to say something back other that "hello" or "hi", and I'd rather not.

Mint Sauce

ballsymchugh wrote: »

it's just common manners really. better than a grunt from someone who makes dealing with you look like a chore.
it's not near as annoying as shops that have greeters. it's getting very common in the UK. doubt it'll be too long before the UK chains have them in ireland too.

Or even saying nothing and just sticking their hand to take the money from you, and not even tell you how much your shopping came to.

starviewadams

The staff in Waitrose in the UK are the friendliest I've ever experienced,real smiley,happy and chatty.

Makes a nice change from some moany auld bint in your local Dunnes who doesn't know how to give cashback.

kneemos

starviewadams wrote: »

The staff in Waitrose in the UK are the friendliest I've ever experienced,real smiley,happy and chatty.

Makes a nice change from some moany auld bint in your local Dunnes who doesn't know how to give cashback.

At least the auld bint is genuine.

krudler

jaysus next they'll be saying please and thank you, worlds gone to hell.

wobbles

There was a survey done in the UK about this recently, and the results have made supermarkets more aware of this kind of thing.

The supermarket i work in even went so far as to have a training session with all staff to highlight how important it is to be friendly/polite etc because theu did so bad in the survey.

Personally i like that the people on the checkouts acknowledge you, but i dont want to make small talk. Just scan my stuff and let me pay so i can get out of there

Voltex

Put it this way:

1. Fiday night in Aldi: Checkout assistant greets me with a smile and asks me how I am. I leave the store thinking...Wow what nice people they are...I must come back here again
2. Sunday night in Tesco Cabra: Im standing at the checkout waiting for my groceries to be scanned because the yolk on the till is having a conversation with some flute 2 tills away about how he'd probably get battered if he goes to a public house called the Oasis (I may have picked up the name wrong..I couldnt be sure given the local skanger dialect she was using). I leave there thinking why cant Aldi sell Cow & Gate Stage 2 Infant Milk!

Rubber_Soul

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vzRkwa2qwxY

looksee

cml387 wrote: »

Yes, and you might like to say hello and thanks back.

Read this thread and weep for humanity

Hm, seems to be just me that can't access that thread 'go away looksee you can't come in here'. I feel shunned and rejected.

I work at a till and I always say hello to the customers. It's not store policy, it's just the most basic social etiquette there is.

Basic Manners:
-Acknowledge a person when initiating an interaction with them.
-Say please when asking for something.
-Say thank you having received something.
-Acknowledge a person's departure from an interaction.

So every customer gets a hello, please, thank you and goodbye, or variations of those terms. It's not some huge conspiracy, and it's pretty rude when a customer doesn't reciprocate.

Miss Lockhart

looksee wrote: »

Hm, seems to be just me that can't access that thread 'go away looksee you can't come in here'. I feel shunned and rejected.

I can't access it either.

kneemos

looksee wrote: »

Hm, seems to be just me that can't access that thread 'go away looksee you can't come in here'. I feel shunned and rejected.

First class passengers only.

PizzamanIRL

Oh I don't know OP, why on earth would one human being say to another human being 'Hi, how are you?'

Madness I tell ya. Next thing they'll be saying 'bye, have a nice day'.

Ted_YNWA

Ya cant win on AH,

Moaning that cashier acknowledges the customer.

Next week it will be :

that ignorant (insert additional adjectives of choice) person in Tesco's grunted at me when i went to buy a pint of milk

Its all madness Mary, i tell ya , madness

snubbleste

A supermarket has never spoken to me even though I wander past every day and enter a few times a week

stupidfishy

Saying hello is basic manners.

HMV are taking this a bit further, there was a member of staff standing at the door at the weekend individually thanking each customer for coming in. Took me by surprise anyway, they must be getting fairly desperate at this stage.