to think the checkout operator shouldn't call me lazy for buying prepared veg?

[oldmum42]

I have a large family, so had a big pile of veg for the next 3 or 4 days. peeled, prepared, ready to bung in the oven roasting tatties, prepared fresh wedged tatties, carrots and other "hard" veg ready cubed.

She's raised an eyebrow before, but today she said "Is mummy having a lazy day today then? That must cost you a lot extra" (aimed in the direction of my 16mo in the trolley seat). I replied that it does indeed cost extra, but worth it to me as I have arthritis in my fingers, which shut her up somewhat.

Actually I don't have Arthritis, but I have hypermobile finger joints and peeling/chopping and even writing causes pain for hours if I'm not careful, and I am at high risk of Arthritis when older because of it - so I try limit peeling/chopping.

AIBU to think the checkout operator should not to calling customers lazy or otherwise making comments about a customers shopping................ they are there to sell us stuff, not police what we are buying!

Even if I was just "being lazy", then so what? My money, my business, surely? Fuming slightly about this (and a few other insensitive remarks I've had lately from people who should be paying a bit more attention to customer service).

bejeezus There was no reply. She just got on with it and one or two people in the queue behind me nodded in agreement with what I had said. They were waiting for the monologue to finish so that their goods could go through too.

I hate it when they comment on my shopping and who cares if you buy prepared veg it not lazy it is common sense. The best one I had was when the checkout asked if my 12 year old Daughter had ID as if she was not my DD I would not be able to buy my wine !! I was soooooo offended what did she think I was ???

I can't see why anyone would be judgemental about frozen bags of veg!

I served a woman last week and she must have planned her whole week of meals out as she had bread, jam, fruit, potatoes veg, pizza, salad, some pies (:o) squash etc and it would have fed a family of four and came to £23, which i thought was bloody impressive. Did I judge her for feeding her family pies and pizza? did I heck!

I buy ice cubes. No cashier has ever commented.

What's supposed to be wrong with frozen veg?

imnotyourmum, it depends where you live and where you shop tbh. If there is a specific problem with adults buying alcohol for minors then the shop does have to be more careful about who they do and don't sell to. t's not really meant to be offensive though i can imagine how annoying it is.

I once bought condoms and the young cashier said, 'wow, is that how much they cost? No wonder people don't usually bother with them!'

I'm so glad self service machines were invented.

oh god that' awful isn't it?

TBH I expect shop workers, hairdressers, barstaff etc. can't please everyone, all the time.

I don't particularly like the sort of comments I get from the creepy bloke who works in one of our local shops e.g. "Someone celebrating something?" after I bought a bottle of wine and some chocolate. I'm afraid I was a tad brusque - "No" was my short reply.
But he genuinely is a bit creepy and I'd rather keep conversation to a minimum in his case.

On the other hand I natter away happily to most other shop staff if they chat about items e.g. "That's a really nice jumper/cheese/wine etc.

And I enjoy a bit of light banter - helps the boring weekly shop go a bit faster.

She is rude , she is forcing her opinions on others. She probably thinks it is lazy not to chop your own veg and also costs a lot, but that her opinion and should be kept to herself. Just a thought this woman probably does it to other customers too so don't feel she singled you out. Maybe next time say to her well I can afford to do it shame you have to chop your own.

Haven't read replies but just wanted to congratulate you on your sensible pacing with the food prep. I have hypermobile bloody everything and I have a huge wheelchair and get very self conscious about using it because I can walk okay, just can't then walk the day after if I do, hence the need to be careful, but frequently end up walking more than I should rather than face the stares. I guess she was just trying to make conversation, as is everyone who chirpily comments "you can walk better than I can" when I dare to get out of the chair, because apparently that's either supposed to be very funny or they think I'm faking it or something.

I think you did well not to beat her furiously with the preprepare veg, though obviously very carefully to protect your poor fingers. It's easy to become very hyper sensitive to these things. Try to take it as just a very bad joke by someone who hasn't thought it through, she has no idea what's going on in your life and frankly it's not her place to judge even if you had a full time staff of forty pandering to your every need, it's none of her business. It sounds like she at least had the good grace to shut up when you mentioned arthritis.

MOOBEE - I once bought condoms and the young cashier said, 'wow, is that how much they cost? No wonder people don't usually bother with them!' at that comment!

RACHYRACH, fortunately for my joints, I can afford to buy the expensive option, but I'd feel like a bit of a cow if I said so! I guess I'm a bit over-sensitive about the pre-prep veg as I have had both looks and comments previously (from customers I mean), so am a bit defensive....

Well, I'd be upset and a bit shocked too. I also often buy prepared veg, and for the same reason. I am hypermobile in pretty much every joint in my body, and I am in chronic pain because of it. I'm only 26, tall, generally healthy looking - if you don't know me you wouldn't know there's a single thing wrong with me and I get very upset by implications of being 'lazy', because I've so often been told I am lazy for not doing something/using technology to do something for me that you could do by hand, like using a breadmaker instead of kneading myself. It took until I was 20 for me to realise that actually, most of the population is not in pain every single day, how I felt wasn't normal, and I was not just a lazy cow and a total wimp for thinking chopping potatoes is hard and hurts my wrists. I know that sounds ridiculous but it is all I have ever known, unless you actually stop and think about it, and ask someone, how would you know that's not how everyone feels? That's why a judgment of laziness would upset me.

That said, it is, in the grand scheme of things, a small thing. She shouldn't have said it, and seeing as you mentioned arthritis, I doubt she'll ever say something like that again - most people just don't think about it. I honestly don't mind cashiers chatting about what I'm buying, in a general sense - a Chinese cashier saw I was buying a particular kind of rice and told me to cook it a certain way, it'd be nicer (I tried it, and it was!), another cashier saw me buy a new type of pastry the store had just introduced and asked if they were nice, she'd been looking at them and wasn't sure what to think...that doesn't bother me at all. Just leave off with the value judgments.

Pseudo, , sorry to hear your hypermobility affects you to that extent, I get off lightly in comparison. I had to use walking sticks when preg (due to pelvis separating), and had a great deal of pain in hips, but on a day to day basis, it's ok and I "pass for normal" - except some days I get out of bed and can hardly walk, usually I've overdone it the day before, gardening or whatever and I know what you mean, people are less understanding with a variable condition, they think if you are fine for weeks on end, then you are a faker!

I recently had a cashier who raised her eyebrows at a luxury item I had in my trolley ( nice pud for a special occaision as I had been working and didn't have time to make one) and made a "must have more money than sense" comment -"you could make it for half that".
I pointed out that it was my "more money than sense" which was paying her wages. She shut up at that point and just processed the rest of my stuff without a word!

When I worked as a checkout operator we were told to make nice or chatty comments about the customers purchases. I specialised in super-sacchirine sweet politeness to those who were nastily rude. Both sets of cheeks ached from over tight clenching. Of course the odd sourfaced self-important sod came through who told me to mind my own business, or to shut up or to even concentrate on what I was doing :o I apologised to her and the next time she came through I commented on EVERYTHING and went very slowly. I could be such an arse to rude customers but I'd never give them anything to whinge about (well nothing that wouldn't sound ridiculous when said out loud "Oh dear Madam, Fucks really shouldn't have said that her Mum likes Mellow Birds too and as for placing those tins of pilchards into your shopper bag slowly so they didn't dent? I can only apologise profusely..." ) :o

You didn't really say you were paying her wages? that's so arrogant :(

You didn't really say you were paying her wages? that's so arrogant Ooh nothing makes me cringe more. Its an embarrassing thing to claim.

Naoka I understand the pain comment - I've always had pain after doing things and was even older when I realised it was not normal to have sore thumbs/wrists/elbows/shoulders (every joint really )all the time (I did a lot of outside work, lifting cutting, digging).

I try to avoid the things that cause the pain - I don't want to use painkillers all the time, it worries me that I might injure myself more if I do things while on painkillers, IYKWIM though my GP DH says this is "rubbish".

Deary me, us bendy people are coming out of the woodwork today!

I think people at the checkout can cut the chatter full-stop. I am not there for social time, I do that with my actual friends.

As to the ready-veg - whatever floats your boat.

If you need to, say "hi" or whatever, but commenting on my shopping is a no-no.

Or
Actually, Mummy cares about the future viability of checkout jobs available, which is why I am in the manned checkout rather than the self-checkout - not because I am up for idle commentary on my shopping choices.

/snark.

How rude and insensitive. She needs to stick to talking about the weather! I'd hate to go through her check out with the amount of crap food I've been feeding my family lately (just moved house). I feel sensitive enough about it without having someone point it out.

I don't mind a chat I just don't like it when they start reading my Take A Break magazine.

"I think people at the checkout can cut the chatter full-stop. I am not there for social time, I do that with my actual friends.

I feel the same.

A smile & a greeting-which I will return is enough for me.

"A smile & a greeting-which I will return is enough for me."

Zactly.

So those of you who work on checkouts where the policy is to comment on customers purchases-doesn´t it all just feel ridiculously forced?

Would you rather just be able to smile & say hello & chat if the customer wants to?