Is it acceptable to be on your mobile while at a check out in a supermarket.

Its rude, really rude.

The person behind the till is doing his/her job serving you. Give them those few minutes to smile, say hi & thanks. How long does that take? Take your cell call once youre done

This is the way I see it :)

This habit is right up there with friends who are on their smartphones swiping away while you try to hold a conversation with them.
 
Prompted quite possibly by this thread:eek::D The industry looks set to respond with the T631ph:eek:

Due to come online probably before your next shopping escapade or at least by the year 3000 the T631ph is set to fulfil all your needs (and for many their worst nightmares:p:D)

Some early test footage has been leaked:eek:

 
I find a lot of checkout assistants seem to think they are doing you a favor, also a lot of them, where they are supposed to bag your products for you, obviously can't be bothered so just throw an empty bag at you and then continue to start texting on their phones. One girl in Morrisons once asked me where her tip was?
 
86JR said:
I find a lot of checkout assistants seem to think they are doing you a favor, also a lot of them, where they are supposed to bag your products for you, obviously can't be bothered so just throw an empty bag at you and then continue to start texting on their phones. One girl in Morrisons once asked me where her tip was?
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Should have whipped it out - "HERE'S MY TIP, *****!"
 
Monkeymatt said:
As someone who works on a till it is a little frustrating when people are on the phone. Especially as I have targets for things such as rewards cards and it's impossible to tell them about the positives of having one whilst they're on the phone..
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Evading that is a good enough reason by itself to be on the phone.

I know that staff are usually ordered to irritate customers in order to increase the profits for their employers, but that doesn't make it any less irritating for the customer. If I want X, I will have picked up X while shopping or will ask for X at the till. If I haven't done either of those things, I don't want X. Pushing it at me wastes my time and yours and irritates both of us.

It's one of the reasons why I like OcUK and recommend it to anyone who asks me - they don't do it. Staff know what they're selling and will advise if asked, but they don't irritate customers by pushing stuff at them. I'm assuming that it's company policy because the people in charge at OcUK have a clue.
 
Monkeymatt said:
As someone who works on a till it is a little frustrating when people are on the phone. Especially as I have targets for things such as rewards cards and it's impossible to tell them about the positives of having one whilst they're on the phone..
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pfft do you want a topup with that? how about a lottery ticket? (anytime I'm in wilko because they removed the self service tills)

OH **** off!
 
Egon said:
I do think it's a bit rude on behalf of the OP, but the till operator has no right to tell him what to do.

TBH it's the staff at my local Tesco need some training on manners, I've lost count of the number of times I haven't had a hello from the attendant, they're usually to busy nattering on to their colleague behind them that I don't even get recognition. I've even had one lady not look or speak to me the whole time while she was having a convo' and just held her hand out for the money!
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That wouldn't bother me in the slightest.

When I'm a customer, I'm there to buy things and the staff are there to make it possible for me to buy things. It's not a social thing. Their interaction with a coworker is a social thing. It's more important to their lives than exchanging meaningless noises with customers, which is meaningless.

I know that it is common custom to assume that since they're just a servant then they should ignore all social interaction and their own life in order to constantly focus on those who they serve, but I consider that to be a bit rude and I try to not do it myself. I expect them to do their job with a reasonable degree of efficiency. I don't expect them to ignore their own lives for me. So I don't care if they are sitting down (prolonged standing is a fairly serious health risk - why would I want them harmed for me?), drinking (people need to drink quite often and they are people) or talking with coworkers (social interaction is important to almost everyone). Yes, they are servants. But they are people who are servants, not machines.
 
lowrider007 said:
Just been told off for taking a call while at a checkout in my local Aldi's, a carton of eggs are sitting there waiting to be scanned and the young girl at the till glares at me with her hands in the air and says rather aggressively "do ya want a be served or wot?" I said "excuse me whats the problem?" and she starts ranting that I shouldn't be on the phone while at a checkout.

A quick google threw this up,

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-23158579

So to sum up do you think it's acceptable to use your mobile while at a checkout?
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OK so turn this on it's head. My parents were in Aldi recently and the cashier was on the phone! When asked if she was serving or not she became rude and aggressive (my folks are 70 years old!) and told my father to **** OFF! I've been over a week now since the letter of complaint has gone in and nothing, not even a call from them!

so.. next steps?
 
Robdav said:
OK so turn this on it's head. My parents were in Aldi recently and the cashier was on the phone! When asked if she was serving or not she became rude and aggressive (my folks are 70 years old!) and told my father to **** OFF! I've been over a week now since the letter of complaint has gone in and nothing, not even a call from them!

so.. next steps?
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She needs sacking tbh
 
Egon said:
TBH it's the staff at my local Tesco need some training on manners, I've lost count of the number of times I haven't had a hello from the attendant, they're usually to busy nattering on to their colleague behind them that I don't even get recognition. I've even had one lady not look or speak to me the whole time while she was having a convo' and just held her hand out for the money!
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Heh, my dad used to make a point of starting conversations with checkout staff if they didn't even say hello, asking questions to push at least some acknowledgement that he was there.

Re OP, yes, it's rude.
 
arknor said:
pfft do you want a topup with that? how about a lottery ticket? (anytime I'm in wilko because they removed the self service tills)

OH **** off!
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You and lowrider really do come across as being total social ******s at times.

Didn't you or don't you deliver things for a living? Dam delivery monkeys.
 
When I worked at the checkout people used to be on their phones quite often but as long as they just paid when I told them the amount, I didn't really mind.

I actually prefer checkout people who are quieter than people who tell me their life stories. It irritates me when I'm behind someone who's being served a lot slower than possible because they won't shut up.
 
Ghosteh said:
Found it much more annoying working in a bar when people would come and order a drink, then go and ask what someone else who's part of their round wanted, order that, then them asking the next person, and so on. Stuff like that where you're holding me, and usually other customers up, THAT is annoying, and rude. However I still wouldn't tell them it was annoying me, all about customer service at the end of the day.
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I feel that pain on a daily basis...;)
Or taking years to count out change, with a queue forming behind them. You're thinking "For ****'* sake just give me that tenner!", but you can't say it.
Or ordering four or five drinks- one at a time- so you serve them, and when you ask anything else, they say "Yes, and a Guinness.".


I need a new job.
 
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But back on topic, I consider it rude if the customer does not even acknowledge the cashier. A quick pause from the conversation to smile and say hello to the poor sod behind the till really does make all the difference.
It's common manners. Totally free, and makes everybody's day better.
 
For all she knows you could have been taking an important call. It's not only poor customer service but being a crappy human too.
 
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