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?

If you don't shop there the cashier will still be paid so no, you definitely don't pay their wages. You do sound like an entitled arse though, for someone who is so big on manners.

It depends on their overall attitude. If someone is really grouchy it is a bit irritating, but I don't even notice if they say please or thank you so long as they're generally cheerful and polite.

"Please" and "thank you" are not the only requirement for being polite. If someone is pleasant to me I couldn't care less if they say please. It's possible to be very rude but still say please.

You're not personally paying their wages. Come off it.

I actually agree with you. It is so basic. Most people working in shops are really polite and lovely so it is really noticeable when someone doesn’t say please and thank you. It gives the impression that they think they are too good for their job which is a bit ironic really.

I do think shop assistants should say please and thank you although I wouldn't complain if they didn't. I said it to every customer I ever served in my 10 years on retail as it is just basic politeness. The only time I stopped was with a customer I served weekly for 2 years who never said it back. I always say please and thank you in shops as a customer.

I agree people should say please and thank you and I haven’t noticed checkout staff not saying it. Even on the longest day at my job, I still have to be polite to everyone.

Well I think the "I pay your wages" says a lot about you, not very nice things at that.
You don't pay cashiers wages, so if you don't go in that day or choose another shop does that mean they don't get paid?
They are supplying you with an essential service. Where would you get your food if they didn't do that job?

On the other hand I work in a chain pub, it can be very boring, I don't earn a fortune and people can be rude, talk down to me and sometimes are just downright vile.
That is no excuse for poor customer service or bring rude or surly to other customers.

I have no idea if there's been a please in this situation in any of the hundreds of shop interactions I've had in theast few months. Wouldn't notice at all.

Why should they say please? Like they're begging you to buy it? They are skits stating the price. I think not saying 'thank you' following transaction would bother me more than them not saying 'please'

Unless you own the shop, no, you aren’t paying their wages. You are making a purchase, the profits of which go to their employers.

Maybe get off your high horse, because if your entitled attitude comes across in person the way it has in this post, it is a marvel shop assistants are even civil.

The majority of the customers wouldn't notice tbh or at least not care. Many customers ignore the shop assistant . You however feel you pay their wages and are bored enough to make a post on Mumsnet. Did you complain to the manager/head office too? I think you should take your business elsewhere, that'll teach them op

I don't envy retail workers at all - I've been there - but I always go out of my way to make eye contact, smile, NOT be dicking around with my phone and be a pleasant customer to deal with. So I can't help but feel a tiny bit disappointed when I get grunted at in return or they can't say please when they take my money.

But still, it's actually quite rare and they've probably had a shitty crappy day with shitty nasty customers so I just withdraw my engagement, and get on with my day. But I'd be lying if I said I didn't notice it!

I was also a former shop assistant and I absolutely agree with OP -it makes you feel better when you are nicer in general to people instead of just stating the cost, never mind the fact it's simply just good manners. Yes there were always plenty who were off hand to me when I was on the till but that's really no reason for me to have followed up with being off hand too -no one wins from rudeness and sometimes a pleasant word or two can elicit a smile from an otherwise grumpy soul!

I think tone is important, rather than just listening for the word please. If someone sounds polite and friendly as opposed to rude or aggressive, that'll do for me.

You pay their wages if you are the one who employed them, who co-signed their employment contract, who actually signs off on the sum going into their bank account at the stipulated time, who has the power to terminate their contract.

If not, you are solely, and merely, a consumer, whose custom contributes to their wages.

And you sound an absolute joy to 'serve'.

There are all sorts of way to 'say' please. There's the smile. There's the consoling tone at the rather large amount. There's the rather obvious 'please'. There's the joke between customer and retail assistant - that's reserved for those that don't have a broom sticking out their arse and a cat's butt where their face should be.

There's also all sorts of ways for the unwary and past the point of caring retail assistant to say 'oh for God's sake, not you again, isn't my life shit enough without you wanting me to tug my forelock to you and thank you profusely for spending your 3 poxy 59 in the bosses shop again'. . not saying 'please' is just one of them.

I find it odd when I go to the counter (usually in a petrol station or a small shop it doesn't happen in supermarkets) to be asked "Anything else?" Like what? A few plastic dinosaurs? A tin of grease? It happens more times than it doesn't.

As long as they are not outright rude I wouldn't even notice this.

To be honest, I find your attitude of "I pay their wages" extremely arrogant and disdainful. You are looking down on them and, as someone said earlier in the thread, sound as though you are one of those customers who is on a power trip.

YOU don't pay their wages. Their employer does. You pay their employer for providing the service and then the employer pays staff wages along with a whole host of other bills and overheads every month. Or do you think that your £3.59 covers all of that?

Yep lost all respect for you after this post. The old “I pay their wages” power trip along with sweeping generalisation about the younger population 👍

I'm not a shop, but I have to admit I don't say please when settling up with clients. It's usually a case telling them the total and I just ask how they would like to settle the bill. Its a transactional thing where afterwards they thank me for my service and I thank them for their custom.

This is the problem, people think that any type of service worker is basically Oliver Twist, sitting with their little bowl, thankyou kind lady for paying my pittance. They're grown adults with their own lives, issues going on and minds. So they didn't say please, grow up

Paying their wages😅😅😅 there's a hell of a lot more money floating around a business before daily takings are even taken into account for wages, so I'm sure your 3.59 isn't doing much in the grand scheme of things... Please 😂

Cigarettes and alcohol are kept behind the tills, and often scratch cards.

Exactly, I can't stand the term, I pay your wages. 🤢 delusional sense of grandure I think

I actually work in a supermarket on the checkouts and kiosk, we ask anything else on kiosk because I physically have to get anything you want, so if you could over with a drink and ask for a vape, I will say is that everything for you? Because if not my job isn't done is it 😄