Supermarket Employee Reveals What Annoys Her the Most

Hardly any group of customers is more diverse than the one at the supermarket checkout. For cashiers, therefore, the day-to-day isn’t always filled with pleasant encounters. One cashier on Reddit shared some details from her everyday life. 

These Five Things Annoy Supermarket Cashiers 

1. When customers don’t use a divider 

Apparently, many people forget to place a divider on the conveyor belt to separate their groceries from those of the person in front of and behind them. As a result, items are accidentally assigned to someone else, which cashiers then have to cancel. They often get snapped at when they ask whose items are whose. This is nerve-wracking and disrespectful.

If someone is standing in line with a deposit receipt but isn’t using a divider, cashiers sometimes end up assigning the receipt to the wrong purchase. This also gets on the cashiers’ nerves—and would be so easy to avoid.

2. When bottles are placed incorrectly on the checkout conveyor belt

Misplaced bottles on the checkout conveyor belt also cause frustration—they roll back and forth and, ideally, knock the rest of the groceries and the divider out of place. Bottles that are standing upright and might tip over and break also make the job at the register more difficult. Cashiers and many shoppers agree on this: Bottles should always be placed lengthwise on the conveyor belt.

3. When fruit isn’t sorted 

By the way, it’s also particularly frustrating for cashiers when they have to weigh the same fruit or vegetable five times because customers place individual apples, carrots, and the like in different spots on the conveyor belt. A better and more practical solution for everyone: Place fruits and vegetables in groups on the conveyor belt according to type.

4. When payment is unnecessarily complicated

Many customers rummage through their wallets for the last bit of change to pay the exact amount. While usually well-intentioned, this unfortunately unnecessarily delays the checkout process. Cashiers therefore prefer either card payments or quick cash payments with change. By the way, you can’t just pay with your partner’s card unless you have power of attorney.

5. When customers are rude to staff

A classic scenario familiar to anyone who works in the service industry: rude customers who consider even a simple greeting beneath them. Yet a simple “Hello” and “Goodbye” can go a long way toward making the cashier’s day more pleasant.

By the way, the staff at the register can’t do anything about incorrectly priced or out-of-stock groceries, but they’re often blamed for it by customers. 

So here’s our tip: Do better—the next time you’re at the register, along with a smile, maybe also offer a word of thanks. It creates a good atmosphere and keeps everyone’s nerves in check.