...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!

[SloanePeterson]

Yanbu. There's one man at our local shop who asks every single time if I'm having a nice day,what I've been up to, what I'm doing later. He asked me two weeks ago if I'd had a nice day. I'd just got back from the hospital where I'd been told I'd had a mmc. It was the worst possible thing he could have said. I'd been holding it together to pick up the dc but it winded me. No one else in that shop does it, so I'm not sure it's part of their training. And I know they're bring chatty and trying to be nice. But sometimes you just want to pay and leave. The same thing happened in a different shop when I'd just lost my grandad. If I want to chat, I'll happily ask the cashier a question. And I'm. It rude, I never just ignore a checkout person. It's the false interest in my wellbeing that grates.

[daisychain01]

All this 'customer engagement' bollox/ first name on coffee cup etc is the evil work of young recently graduated marketing men in their sharp suits sitting in their posh head offices dreaming up new formulae to increase market share they dont give a flying 4X what real customers think, they all out of touch

Meanwhile there are thousands of poor check out people who have no choice but to trot out these lines while they sit there for hour after hour scanning baked beans and packets of cornflakes.

I do tend to cut through the script in the few minutes I'm at their till. If only because I think it breaks up their tedium a bit. Especially at my local Tescos where the ladies (and they are all ladies in that shop!) are tremendous. In fact I was short of 20p for my shopping the other day at the self service (I had just grabbed a handful of change) and a member of staff took 20p from her pot of change in her drawer which she keeps "to help people out".

A bit off-topic, I know, but just to say they are people doing a job and having to work to a script to earn a living, so I can't take it out on them, I'm afraid.

[OorWullie]

It's probably sad that this makes me a bit sad. I work as a customer service assistant (till girl) and the one part of my job i do enjoy is engaging with the customers. I don't do it because I'm forced, just to be pleasant.

To be fair i usually don't ask nosy questions though.

[myroomisatip]

shockinglybadteacher Do they? That explains it then. :)

[CoreyTrevorLahey]

Oh for fuck's sake. YABU. They have to say it. You trying being on your feet for an 8 hour stretch and having customers bristle at you because you asked how they were.

Deal with it.

[OorWullie]

Should also point out that i don't have a script, the only bits i am required to say are offering a receipt and please, thankyou.

[KenDoddsDadsDog]

Asda have scripts taped to the monitor at my local branch. I quite like a chat though .

[bedhaven]

I'd rather they were chatty than not saying anything at all, it's a skill to engage people (whilst efficiently scanning my shop at a reasonable speed) and some are better than others. That said, I don't like it someone pays more attention to the chat than the task at hand. Especially with two kids in tow and I want to get outta there as quickly as possible. I actively avoid one man at sainsburys and would rather queue than feel exasperated. I probably get more annoyed when someone doesn't say a word.

[cheminotte]

yabu - I like a bit of a chat, especially if I've been at home with the kids all day.
I agree re Starbucks though, I avoid it for that reason. Most people spell my name wrong and I don't need to be spelling it out just so I can have a coffee, but it iritates me when it's spelt wrong. I should probably give them a false name of course!

[fluffyraggies]

I don't want to be asked abruptly what i'm doing, or where i've just been. It puts me on the spot a bit. I'd just had a smear test one morning and the bloke at the till asked where i had been that day so i told him. We were both and i didn't want to tell him, but i wasn't expecting the question and wasn't ready with a suitable swerve!

There's a difference between being chatty and shooting probing questions at strangers out of the blue!

Who the hell thinks up these questions for the poor cashiers to deliver?

What's wrong with good morning/afternoon and a nice smile? If that's met with an enthusiastic response from the customer then perhaps an observation about the day, a compliment, a genuine observation about one of the purchases (not if it's condoms or vagisil obviously ). Hate the probing questions.

[Mrsjayy]

Tbf they get reprimanded if they dont engage with customers stop being a miserable bugger, sainsburys have turned my shy dd into a chatter box because she has to chat to customers on her till, fwiw the staff dont realy care what you have been up to today

[fluffyraggies]

The more i think about it the more i feel that it's perfectly adequate to just smile, greet the customer, apologise if there's been a long wait and ask sincerely about help with bags/packing (if it's a big purchase). That's quite enough chat to initiate a conversation if the customer wants to be chatty.

People either want to chat or not. If they do want to it will flow naturally if you project a bit of friendliness.

[fluffyraggies]

It's awkward if you've having a shit day though. A simple hi, how are you is easier to breeze through than all this persistant ''Where have you been?'','' are you enjoying your outing?'', ''What are you plans after this?'' stuff -

Doctors
No
The chemist and home for a cry

Or lie?

Er, mc donalds
Just loving it
Jetting off to Las Vagas

I know it's not their fault and they're told to ask. We all know that. Loads of us work with the public ourselves and we know the score.

I might write to tesco and tell them to let the cashiers just be polite and then be themselves. Social interaction needs to flow naturally.

[Mrsjayy]

I suppose if you just want to do you r shopping and leave you could always jusr give yes no answer s

[Andrewofgg]

Machines don't ask. Or discuss yesterday's TV with each other. Five years from now staffed tills will only be for booze and smokes and the lottery and other age-restricted purchases.

[Andrewofgg]

"Getting my probation officer to join me next time I rob a bank. She's going to drive the stolen car."

[MovingGal]

I worked on a till for years and tbh it can get very tedious for 8-9 hours a day. A quick chat with the customers brightened my day, and sometimes theirs.
(our only "script"in those days was "offer a friendly greeting")

[TheOriginalSteamingNit]

I think something like 'is it still chilly out?' or basically, anything weather-related, tends to work better than questions which you can't think of a good reply to, or which are a bit dead-end ('are you out doing some shopping?').

I know Top Shop etc are doing a script when they say 'oh, you've got a good bargain there, haven't you?' or 'oooh, I love this, I've got it in all the colours', but can get on board with it as I know they have to.

[TheOriginalSteamingNit]

Have yet to meet a staff member in Office who doesn't own and love and wear all the time whatever shoe I try on!

[Mrsjayy]

My dd get s a customer every saturday morning the woman is elderly looks for dds till they pass 5 minutes of chatting while she puts her shopping through really if people arehaving a bad day use the self scan

[whattheseithakasmean]

YANBU, I hate it. If I want chit chat, I'll go to my local shop. If I have gone to the supermarket, I have chosen faceless global efficiency & I just want to get my stuff without intrusive questions.

Even the sad, bereaved & traumatised have to purchase food for their family and sometimes you really do just want to be left the fuck alone to struggle through a shit day.

I know, I should use the self service tills - but the fuckers start moaning about an inappropriate item in the bagging area, so someone has to come & sort it and ask me about my plans for the day.... Why would I tell a complete stranger what I plan to do that day? Why do they have to pretend they give a fuck just so I can buy a necessary commodity to keep me & my family alive?

I know it is not their fault, so I would be polite, but sometimes you are feeling hollowed out and just want to be left alone. A supermarket is not a corner shop.

[BeeBlanket]

I get the best, most genuine chats at Asda and Waitrose where there are staff I see regularly and actually converse with. I'm equally happy not to but if they start chatting it's fine. I don't mind if you feel like you are really talking to someone. My fave at Waitrose is an older guy who lives in the area and does a lot of community-spirited things and we chat about those. Another lady chats about the food and often says "Ooooh I got these last week" but it's clear it's actually true and she will point me towards the best specials etc.

Buuuut I hate it when it's just going through the motions and you can tell they are bored rigid which is more the case at Sainsbury's and Tesco. It would be good if there was some kind of Masonic sign you could make at the beginning that meant "It's OK you don't have to talk to me".

I have also had overt anti-English racism from a checkout lady in Tesco. That made an interesting change!

[Mrsjayy]

My dd get s a customer every saturday morning the woman is elderly looks for dds till they pass 5 minutes of chatting while she puts her shopping through really if people arehaving a bad day use the self scan

[Delphiniumsblue]

A lot of people are so miserable! They have to chat- give them a break- especially those who are not natural chatterers!

[Fideliney]

Delph it is the senior retail management who inflict the farce on staff and customers I am moaning about. Is that really so miserable of me?