When the shop assistant doesn't say "please" when stating the amount...

[TwixOwl]

I have a new pet hate...

It makes my blood boil when shop assistants scan and just say "359"... 359 what and where are your manners? £3.59 please!!!

Does this annoy anyone else?

Take your custom elsewhere. They don’t deserve your business.

It will be a relief for all of you.

I used to work on the tills and was always polite to customers. However the amount of rude customers I had including one who said I was thick as shit because I asked if he needed a bag and he already had one (that I didn’t see until he produced it)

however I’ve also been a customer and had incredibly rude staff

works both ways

You’re not even paying the hourly rate they get, £3.59 😂

I do agree with you though, manners cost nothing.

I agree that people everywhere should be more polite. It costs nothing!

But this is in all jobs. Not just shopkeepers.

Customers do pay their wages, how do you think they get the money to pay the staff!

What you actually said was It may be a boring job, but I'm still paying their wages
So if you didn't go in that week to get your bread and milk the cashier wouldn't be paid?
I disagree, no customers spending money in the shop means the company can't pay the wages of the staff.
Do you think people will boycott Tesco or wherever because the cashier has made a statement as @HeddaGarbled has said

What a surprise that this was the first response 🙄

The one that annoys me is when you've been waiting ages, the shop assistant knows you've been waiting ages but doesn't say "sorry for the wait". When that's coupled with no please and thank you, it does make my blood boil. I worked in retail for years, we were always told to say please and thank you and apologies for the wait. I'm always polite to shop staff.

Nah, if there are massive queues then that’s down to the shop management/systems or just volume of customers. I don’t need some poor assistant to have to apologise to me on behalf of their crap management. I know they are the “voice” of management but I cut them some slack on that one.

See, I think "please" implies that paying them is optional. They aren't asking you for anything, they are telling you how much your shopping costs. Do you say "please can I pay by card?" or similar

Being smiley and not actually rude is enough. They are the ones doing something for you.

No, I wouldn't even notice.

It's common for people who think they are getting terrible service everywhere to fail to realise that they're the problem.

No, everyone else isn't rude. You are. Other people are there to do their jobs, not bow down in humility to you.

At £3.59, you aren't even paying for 5 seconds of their time - that money will be going to electric, insurance, covering shoplifting, shareholders, suppliers and executive pay. Maybe a millionth of one penny would go to that particular employee.

The company pays their wages by providing a service or product to you that you want.
I think there has been a flip since covid when it became clear that shops provide essential services to customers - I.e. you need to buy your food from somewhere. They don't much care if you do it online or in store. And for the big companies they don't need to chase after customers - yeah you might get shitty and go elsewhere but you'll soon either get sick of paying more for better service or find it's much of a muchness. Probably not worth the training budget to chase the customers that get uppity about the service.

I think the please sometimes feels a bit odd to me as they're not personally paying me? I'm just scanning the stuff?

"and that comes to £359, is that cash or card?" Please doesn't seem natural to say at the end of the sentence.

I’m 100% with you OP!

Why? There's a stark difference between op arriving at the till, throwing the items down and say 'SERF, DO MY BIDDING!!' and 'Hi there, how are you?'.

Are you a shop assistant?

Because you’ve phrased it as a question, rather than a request for payment.

"I pay their wages". are you sure that your £3.59p purchase pays their wages? I work for the police and i am sure you can imagine how many times i hear this in a week?

no you don't pay their wages, unless you are the boss and its your company and your employee. i find this such a rude and arrogant statement to make to anyone. you are paying to purchase a product, over the counter, in a shop!

I agree that manners are free, and the majority of customers are nice friendly people, but maybe today or whenever you made your purchase the person behind the counter was having a bad day? were not feeling well, were being forced to work beyond a break, for any number of reasons.

no it would not bother me, not would it stop me from being friendly and polite anyway.. i would still say thank you and have a nice day (which is a habit i've picked up from DH) and be on my way without another thought

I don't like the "I pay their wages" attitude.

But in general, I agree, although I don't get worked up about it. I worked as a cashier for years, and yes it's boring, yes customers can be rude etc. But it's not difficult to have a very basic level of politeness, which is what I'd consider please and thank you to be.

A lot customers don't say anything to you.
You hold your hand out for the money and they throw it down on to the counter/floor.
You hand their items or a bag and they snatch it from you.
How soul destroying.
And to cap it all you have idiots (OP) saying 'i pay your wages you low life piece of )

but I'm still paying their wages and it's just polite to say "please" and "thank you".
one of life's most arseholey statements, nobody is entitled to bowing and scraping.
I could not tell you who says pleas e and thank you.
Get over yourself.

As pp have said, they are informing you of the total, not asking for payment.

They're not asking you, they're telling you what you owe. Thank you, I'd expect, but not necessarily please

Yep!
I was a very polite retail worker who when asked someone for id was told to “go fuck myself”. I guess he was paying my wages too, so was perfectly entitled to say this 😆 ( I just called out “have a lovely day” as he stormed out )

I wouldn't notice this tbh. You're overthinking it massively. Time for a cup of tea I'd say a glass of wine if it wasn't 9am