...to hate Sainsburys checkout staff asking "and what have you been up to today?"

[goodbyegirl]

...as if I was 10 years old and they were my auntie? I know it is part of their training to engage with customers but not all of us want to discuss our activities - feels a bit intrusive to me. I'd rather a harmless chat about the weather!

[NewtRipley]

Jelly

They ask that because if you looked and didn't find something they might be able to help. I assume.

Bastards.

[MaryBennett]

Local shop started this too. Some lad packing my shopping asked me if I had plans tonight. Thought I'd pulled .... But no. Standard patter. Very irritating BUT have to confess, if I was on tills I would chat too just to escape the tedium.

[Fideliney]

[shockinglybadteacher]

I like it :) I like talking to people and you get some brilliant responses from the checkout assistants.

If they ask me that I will actually tell them the truth and then ask them. I've had a checkout assistant tell me "OMG to be honest I'm tryin really hard not to puke. I'm hungower and I had a customer in earlier wi a stinkin' cheese and I had the dry boak! Ye're lucky"

[Piccarcas]

DD worked for Sainsbury's throughout her Uni years. Checkout staff are told to chat and are monitored to ensure it happens. She disliked doing it because it was forced, however She also disliked customers who couldn't be bothered to answer. Surely a couple of minutes of pleasant chat between to adults isn't too much to ask.

[Delphiniumsblue]

I do find people odd. You don't have to answer, but you can be friendly and chat- it doesn't cost anything!

[Fideliney]

I think it is the assistants who deliver 'the line' but make no attempt to conceal their boredom at the whole resulting exchange that are soul-sapping shockingly.

Staff who are genuinely chatty/friendly/happy would be so anyway, regardless of what insincere enquiry they have been told to start the conversation with.

[whitepuddingsupper]

I don't mind small talk but am at the "where in the world would you like to visit" one, I would feel put on the spot with that one to come up with a "good" answer, it's too intrusive.

[Fideliney]

I will always chat to anyone, whether they are doing the chat-a-bot routine or not, but it does make you feel a slight pillock when your interlocutor stares slack-jawed and disinterested into the middle distance while you are brightly responding to their listless opening gambit.

[SquigglySquid]

DB was a cashier and he had to ask funny questions like "Did you enjoy your shopping experience?" and "Did you find what you needed?" until they did some "research" and decided that this was not connecting with the customer (ya think?) and told all the cashier to just ask "Hi. How are you?" or whatever feels natural and be open to a conversation if the customer wants to chat while scanning items.

[HappyAgainOneDay]

IbizaTime and the poster immediately below.

Using the self-service is not helpful if you can't pack your own shopping. I have a broken arm and can't. I have to say though that, when I was at a manned checkout, I had to ask for help because the usual "Would you like help?" was not forthcoming.

I do not want to chat. I want the checkout member of staff to concentrate on what he/she is doing so mistakes are not made. I wear hearing aids so cannot hear (ignore) any comments anyway.

[LGJ]

I was doing some shopping for myself and a neighbour recently in JS, the young lad who served me, gave all the patter, I answered, he then subtotalled my shopping and started on my pile of groceries and asked me the exact same questions.

I just fixed him with a hard stare, and he had the good grace to blush.

[Fideliney]

Where was this outbreak of common sense Squiggly? Can you tell us?

[purplesel]

Having been a checkout supervisor at one of the major supermarkets, I can advise that most checkout operators hate false conversations too, most also can tell when customers don't want to talk and will back of having asked requisite questions as required by company. The weird thing is more customers complain in store that staff are rude when they didn't initiate the annoying chit chat but give more than adequate service.

Personally, I hate inanities but don't see the harm in chatting to someone as I'm paying for my shopping, sometimes a quick chat can make the day go a bit better for the usually minimum wage earning tillminions staff.

[Delphiniumsblue]

Supermarkets would be better not asking staff to do it. Those who are chatty do it anyway and those who are not fail. Just side step any questions you don't like and put in a subject of your choosing.

[Delphiniumsblue]

'Thank you for waiting' is my pet bugbear- I had no choice!

[shockinglybadteacher]

Fideliney I agree. It's fairly rubbish when you know you're going through the motions on both sides.

I once did a very stupid thing. I had been arrested earlier on that day but they didn't hold me in custody overnight (long story). I was released, and I was wandering about in a bit of a daze. I suddenly realised I had no food in the house and it might be a good idea to buy some. So I went to Tesco on my way home.

The guy behind the counter (who was all of seventeen) asked me, as required "So, how have you spent the day?" and I answered him (still not being in a fit state to lie). "In custody. They've let me out now, though. Sorry, how much was that again?"

I still cringe every time I think about that...

[Fideliney]

Exactly purple. I used to like chatting when I did those types of jobs, but I think being forced to, in proscribed formats would have shortcircuited my brain. Aren't checkout staff's throughput rate measured now too? That's enough to concentrate on/ evaluate by.

[Fideliney]

Ouch shocking. Bet that jolted him out of his reverie!

[JamJimJam]

I totally agree. I would find it excruciating if I was told to do this as a checkout worker. It's so phoney.

I also hate it when chuggers say something like, 'hello, gorgeous'. Like I am going to be so flattered I will stop. Or bloody call centres phoning and starting with 'how are you today?'. I have been known to come over all imperious and say, 'why do you need to know how I am, what relevance does it have?' That's when they cut me off, usually.

[shockinglybadteacher]

Fideliney he just kind of stared at me and I went "Sorry, it's been a long day" and shoved £20 at him :) I also cringe at the fact I felt that I should inform him they'd let me out - unless he assumed I was either an escapee or a hologram from the prison custody suite, he may have guessed this...

[Doingakatereddy]

I don't mind a quick natter (unless kids are screaming and clinging onto me asking a hundred questions)

But in my local sainsburys there is one woman, oh dear god she must have no social skills and she won't shut the gu k up. I avoid her. Deliberately. Like will query at a full line or run off to look at batteries

[AnyoneForTennis]

We are told to ask the customer 'did you find what you were looking for'

I changed the wording to suit my personality and also tweak it to suit the type of customer

Had no complaints but get hundreds a month in extra sales by helping the customer get what they actually came in for. Most are great flu for the reminder. Everyday life distracts us, we have stuff on our minds and forget.

Not every customer is a clued up MNer with a well thought out mental (or paper) list!

[AnyoneForTennis]

*greatFUL!

[Scholes34]

Arrggh! This happens in my branch of Nationwide and I hate, hate, hate it. I have someone asking me what I've been up to that morning, what plans I have for the rest of the day or even if I'm buying anything nice with the money I'm withdrawing.

The whole idea hasn't been thought through properlly. It's obvious they're not remotely interested in what I might say and probably don't even listen.

If they do want chit chat it would be preferable if they asked something neutral, of interest to us both, like "Is it busy out there in town?", or when an assistant in another building society mentioned she'd got caught in the heavy rain the previous day on her way home, and so had I (it was a particularly heavy rain storm - certainly worthy of mention - and we'd both been on bikes.)