AIBU to think that a cashier shouldn't comment on personal items you're buying?

[catlover1987]

Just home from the weekly shop at Asda. The cashier gave a running commentary on all of my shopping. Oh that looks nice, oh aren't those ready meals handy, oh what is that, I'll need to try that. Mildly annoying but I'm sure she was just trying to be friendly. However, where I think she really crossed the line was when she seen my pregnancy test and said, oh I hope it's a yes! I didn't know what to say!

jennifer so what if they're not ? Can't you offer them some basic respect?

Once dd bought a t shirt. Cashier said 'you shouldn't be buying that - it's a BOYS t shirt. Little girls (she was 12 ) should be wearing a nice sparkly pretty dress!' She was really embarrassed so was going to put it back, but I just said to her that she can wear and buy what she likes, regardless of some random old man's opinion on peoples clothing choices. That shut him up, and I went on with my payment with a face.

The positive comment directive can backfire. By DH is v health conscious and when he was buying some fruity nutty snack things in Tescos the cashier said 'I love those, I get them all the time'. As she was obese, my DH has never bought that product again - marketing fail.

I go to supermarkets for a swift impersonal experience, I specifically do not want it to be like a chatty corner shop.

People say the most ridiculous things sometimes just because they feel the need to make conversation. Why can't being polite and attentive be enough? Trying to hard to force conversation with anyone leaves you wide open for putting your foot in it!

moreslack If people were denigrating retail staff, I must have missed it. I didn't see anyone carrying on about being too good to talk to check - out staff, only that they didn't want to be forced to discuss their purchases, especially the personal ones.

And do you look down your noses at them? Thanks for the hmm but I've just posted some very identifying details about myself so frankly stick your hmm

Er no. I have a job and a mortgage myself.
The was a wtf, not 'i don't believe you'

Anyway. A Boots cashier once made a sleazy comment when I bought some KY jelly when I was young and an easy target. These days I would tear him a new one.

When I was buying my pregnancy test last year, the cashier nodded at the badge on my school T-shirt I was wearing (I'm a teacher) and said "I would've thought you'd know better".

Are teachers not allowed to TTC then..?!!

Maybe posters could realise that it's the shops that make the workers do this and not them?
I am so thankful i don't work retail anymore because of this ( i still have to speak to people so haven't quite escaped unfortunately)
You can say 'well you don't comment on this and that etc' 'i just want to go in and pay' 'use your head' these threads always go the same way.
Some places will get their staff to say the same things 'thankyou for waiting etc' and if they don't they're in trouble. Multiple people have said this on here.
If it bothers people so much don't go to a manned till!
I manage to always say hello and make conversation when i go out.
I prefer to use the manned till everytime.

and when he was buying some fruity nutty snack things in Tescos the cashier said 'I love those, I get them all the time'. As she was obese, my DH has never bought that product again - marketing fail.

More a logic fail on your DH's part really.

It can feel a little nosy at times but definite no no on the pregnancy test. No one knows the circumstances when buying one and should not be commenting on that IMHO.

Meh. When we were trying to get pregnant, a cashier asked me about the pregnancy test as they ran it through, saying "is this is a good thing or a bad thing?" I was a bit but said "It's a none of your business thing!" I know, not very nice, but couldn't believe she asked that!

Occasionally I get a cashier in tesco asking what kind of dog I have (presumably based on my dog food purchases). The answer takes some time and clearly not going to work with those people who love pugs, French bulldogs etc. It's a mongrel, don't really know which specific breeds are involved, about the size of a small boxer, brown.

I'd rather just pay for my shopping and go home asap

I was in Next last week buying a dress and not in the best of moods and it was possible quite obvious I didn't look chatty.

"Oooh" said the cashier, "that's a nice black dress".

Me: "it's for my mums funeral tomorrow".

No option of self service there!

I understand why they cashier have to have random chat but it's so unnecessary. And can upset customers. Just.stop.it.

And I say that as someone who did work in retail and had to do the annoying greeting of every customer who walked through the door.

This happened to me when I was buying a pregnancy test expecting DS2. DS1 was 9 weeks old at the time and I was feeling pretty self-conscious but figured that no checkout person would comment on something so personal, but she did. "Ohhhh, how old's that one?" ..."Do you want another one?" "That'll be hard work". I was mortified. This was in the days before self-service tills.

Personal items shouldn't be commented on. I don't mind people asking about food etc, I seem to get a lot of how do you cook that, what's that taste like, is that any good type thing... Maybe I buy odd stuff

Would be better if the managers etc who are demanding this level of interaction spoke to the customers to find out if it is what customers want.

For anyone reading this who has any control over this, I don't need the cashier to comment on my purchase. I'm buying it because I want or need it. Having a cashier comment on it is only going to ensure I buy it from somewhere else. Like Amazon.

Wow. YANBU . Some things are personal and pregnancy tests are one of them!

I feel sorry for assistants now being forced into making these phoney conversations with customers. They usually sound so insincere too, quite understandably.

I think it's quite remarkable that whatever I buy in most clothes shops, the assistant has also got it. No matter that I'm pushing 60 and they are usually in their 20's. It immediately makes me question if I'm dressing too young. But then i just thing "nah, she hasn't got the same one, she's just having to say that." It's a bit bonkers.

moreslackthanslick
I'm sorry if I offended you by using the term "wage slave":
it wasn't meant in an offensive way - more as an expression of commiseration with the shop staff who are required by management to make chit chat with customers who often have no desire to respond.
I was relieved to see that another poster commented that it wasn't a derogatory term..... it was not my intention to make out that I was in any way superior to checkout operators.
In fact this thread has opened my eyes to the fact that it can be a requirement imposed on them by management (not the case where I live) so I'll try and be nicer to the staff next time it happens: I'm not your average supermarket shopper, fact - nothing to do with being superior - I don't live in the UK and am not "doing the weekly shop"..... just stocking up on stuff I can't get "at home" - which must make for an interesting analysis of my trolley contents.

Just for the other side of the coin, when I was TTC, I'd had a miscarriage a few months prior. I was going into work to do some training that isn't advised for pregnant women. I went to the supermarket to get a test, purely as a precaution (it did turn out to be positive, which was the best shock I'd ever had) the woman at the check out smiled and said "I hope it says what you want it to say"

At a time when I was still grieving, and my husband and family were telling me not to get my hopes up about being able to concieve at all, it was lovely to have someone be positive for me.

"I was served by someone in Tesco who told me her boss was a rugmuncher"

Were you buying a rug?

Anyone else ever wondered if supermarkets are training their staff to make comment on shopping knowing it'll put a lot of people off and encourage use of scan as you shop/self service? The cynic in me says the intent is to have to employ less staff.

Thanks for apology and explanation Meluzyna

I've served "stocking up" ex pats though and usually it ends up in an interesting conversation about where they are living. My dream is to move to Spain (when DH gets the stick out of his arse) so I genuinely find it fascinating. Need to get more down with the lingo though so I can be a supermarket cashier there! 😂

I've had "naice" (on paper) jobs in the past but working tills in a supermarket is my favourite job ever.

steppedonlego that's lovely glad it turned out well.

60sname my mortgage was paid off 3 years ago but cheers anyway.

@ rug munching boss.