AIBU to HATE checkout operators commenting in my purchases?

[lallyk]

It drives me mental! I think it's so rude 🤣. One day I might put some KY, cucumbers and Johnnie's on the belt just for laughs...

This has never happened to me!

@Savoury99 nope, not me that's miserable 😉

Eugh, I feel the same. I don’t mind small chat but I just want them to make polite conversation about the weather or something, not what I’m buying 😂

One day last year my DP was on the front of the Times when he was working at a sporting event. It was a large picture and I bought several copies for him to send to his family.
DP is very tall and can look quite intimidating.........checkout woman said ‘Blimey, I wouldn’t like to meet him on a dark night’.... then asked why I was buying 7 copies, I think she put two and two together.
I just did that open mouthed exhalation ‘heh’ that you do when you have no idea what to say

Yep. I remember when I was around 12 I was buying some ice creams and sweets in the local shop..

This old prick worked there and said in a snotty way when I went to pick up something else 'don't you have enough there? ' i was overweight and not confident at the time and remember how shit it made me feel.

How i would love if he said that to me again at this age Id have the cheekiest come back ever.

'dont worry about me just keep scanning thanking you'

Or worse

@lallyk

Oh jeezo, I always forget how seriously these threads can be taken 🙄. To be clear, I was just making a wee light hearted observation at something that I find irritating. Yes, I was a checkout girl too, and a waitress, and a la senza shop assistant (I didn't find any of these jobs shit or mundane though, just jobs) yes, I know some people like to make small talk (so do I, about the weather etc) and yes, I always engage back (would never, ever ignore someone or be rude) but, like previous posters, I want to be able to go to the shop, buy a bottle of wine, a family bag if crisps and a gigantic bar of chocolate and not feel like I need to explain myself! Is that too much to ask?? 😂)

You are perfectly within your rights to feel this way, and ignore the ones who say you are miserable and grumpy, and to get over yourself. You don't owe any checkout operators an explanation on why you are buying what you're buying, they have no right to comment, (or ask you about anything,) and you don't owe anyone any conversation.

And people saying anyone who doesn't want to stay yapping to checkout operators is 'miserable' can bore off. It's got naff-all to do with them if people don't want to talk to checkout operators.

It's not LAW to make conversation with people serving you on a checkout FFS. Be polite and courteous of course, but you don't have to engage in a full blown conversation! If people want to swing by and not speak much, or be grilled over their purchases, they are well within their rights to do this. Without passive-aggressive, underhand, shit from people calling them 'miserable.'

And don't even get me STARTED on the checkout operators making intrusive comments about pregnancy tests, and hair dye, and condoms, and how much alcohol and food people are buying, like a number of posters have said on this thread! That's disgusting. Nosey bastards!

And it's laughable that people say that the self serve checkout is the answer if you can't be arsed to speak! Every single fucking time I use them, I get a problem that ALWAYS results in someone having to come to the till! The other day I needed an age verification check, for a pack of halls bastard mentho-lyptus !

Generally I quite like a bit of chit chat at the checkout, I’m a SAHM and it might be the only grown up conversation I get in a day. Having said that I totally agree with PP who said they shouldn’t comment on personal items. I suffer recurrent miscarriages and I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve been given the “Oh how lovely” smile and various comments when buying pregnancy tests. I’d have used self-service, but they went through a period of keeping even the cheapy tests in those individual little locked plastic cases and having to call someone over to open them was worse. I was just too angry with the world one day to do the smile and nod routine, and answered the “Awh, think you’re expecting another? That’s nice” with a flat “No, I’ve just had my fifth miscarriage and I need to check if it’s completed properly or whether I’ll have to go in for surgery this time”. The cashier looked mortified and didn’t speak or even really look at me for the rest of my shop. I still feel guilty about it years later, she didn’t deserve that, but I bet she doesn’t comment on PTs any more, so at least it was a learning experience I suppose. I started buying my tests online after that.

A lady on the checkout once sniffed the cheese I was buying. Picked it up, pressed to nose and snorted.

Chat about weather- fine.
Cheese inhaling. Bleugh.

@cantchooseanothername

Sniffing your cheese?! With her nose squashed against it?! 😵

Vile cow. 😂

it's laughable that people say that the self serve checkout is the answer if you can't be arsed to speak!

I speak to those machines more than the humans at checkouts. "No, there is nothing unexpected in the bagging area!"

One woman in Tesco had to ask me what veg or fruit my loose parsnips were. She was about 30 I would say. I automatically replied 'oh, parsnips'. Then asked if she genuinely didn't know what parsnips were.

She didn't.

How can a 25-35 year old not know what parsnips look like?

Another told me that diet slimline tonic was 'syn' free on slimming world so did I want to swap.

And another told me that the bakery had only just reopened after a pest infestation so I was brave buying donuts.

This thread is hilarious. My worst (best?!) was the teenage lad in the mini Tesco's who I had to ask for a pregnancy test as they were behind the counter. He went bright red bless him but rather than just take my money and say nothing he decided to engage me in conversation! Which went something like 'ooh, I hope it's positive for you!.... Unless.... Ummm.... Well.... Unless you hope it's negative.... Ummm.... Do you want a baby?!' I just laughed

Yikes, MitziK was that what it sounds like? What did she say?

@ImnotawitchImyourwife

they went through a period of keeping even the cheapy pregnancy tests in those individual little locked plastic cases and having to call someone over to open them was worse. I was just too angry with the world one day to do the smile and nod routine, and answered the “Awh, think you’re expecting another? That’s nice” with a flat “No, I’ve just had my fifth miscarriage and I need to check if it’s completed properly or whether I’ll have to go in for surgery this time”.

The cashier looked mortified and didn’t speak or even really look at me for the rest of my shop. I still feel guilty about it years later, she didn’t deserve that, but I bet she doesn’t comment on PTs any more, so at least it was a learning experience I suppose. I started buying my tests online after that.

I'm so sorry to hear of all your bad luck with M/C.

Whether the cashier deserved it or not is debatable, I think she did frankly. Commenting on people buying pregnancy tests is deplorable.

One time (when you had to take your photos to be developed - maybe 15 years back;) I took two 32-photo films into our local pharmacy (at the time,) to be developed. When I went back 3 days later, the shop assistant who was always super-chatty (sometimes TOO much,) and always made comments on EVERYthing, waved at me as I was coming into the shop.

'Ooooooh, she said, (as she handed the pics over,) your pics came in this morning. I saw your photos, they're smashing; lovely ones of the kids, and you and your husband. Nice dining room you have there, and the conservatory is nice, is it a 10 x 8? Or a 12 x 10???'

Cheeky bitch had opened my photos (that had been taped up by the developers,) and looked through them all. There were pics of me in my jammies and slippers, and a couple of me drinking a glass of wine, and she commented on them too.

I stopped going there after that!

I know that's a bit of an extreme case, but I just thought of this when reading this thread.

My shopping once included, amongst other things, a bottle of wine and a pregnancy test. The boy on the checkout said “well you won’t be able to have that“ (nodding towards the wine) “if that’s positive (nodding towards the test) will you?!”

I understand why they do it, and sometimes it's fine, but even if they're polite and making innocuous comments about a new product or how they also like such-and-such food item, it demolishes any hope that they aren't really paying attention to my purchases and don't also notice any potentially embarrassing or personal products I may be buying at the same time. I know they probably couldn't care less if I'm buying stool softener, for instance, but still...

It's always fun when they notice multiple snacks/sweets/sugary drinks and ask if I'm stocking up on treats for the kids. Yes, "the kids" (i.e. me and my husband) do enjoy our junk-food snacks!

@SimonJT, I think the 'older lady' who asked if the condoms were chewing gum was probably taking the piss.

How is that rude? How bizarre!
Unless they are commenting things like, "oh those biscuits won't do any good for the waistline" or "TWO bottles of wine!?"

But I doubt they are commenting in that manner and rather, "oh I tried those biscuits, they're lovely" or "that's a nice top you're buying."

Correct me if I'm wrong but if it's the latter then yes you ABU and are quite ridiculous.

Is some of this made up or are people really just cunts nowadays?

I agree OP. I think just put it through and give me the total.

I don't need "That's a bargain isn't it" or "You can't go wrong with them at that price"

Very irritating.

I've even had one ask me where I the store I got X , as she wanted one, then she asked me to wait and went to get one.

I bought a pregnancy test at my local the other day. She looked me straight in the face while scanning it and said "good luck" with the biggest grin.

It was negative, I cried. I think she jinxed me and now how will i show my face their again, I'm terrified she will ask me how it went.
Just scan my items and ask me about the god damn weather.

There* what a horrible grammar error.

kicks myself

This thread makes me a bit sad.
My ds2 is a checkout person... and he's loud.. and friendly...

And also autistic with learning disabilities who didn't speak til he was 5 and after special school we never thought he'd have a job. Asda gave him a chance... and he'll have been there 3 years this month... never late, always happy to work and to help and has been voted best customer service ... he remembers every person he speaks to, asks after their kids and their pets and apart from the odd tendency to sing if it's quiet, he appears to be loved by the customers and staff alike.

He LIKES people, in his odd asd way and those brief chats are his entire social life. He finds the grunters bewildering because..why can't you just at least smile and be polite back.

I tell him that he is probably the only chat some lonely people get and that he should be proud!

I was buying a kindle in Tesco and the elderly woman at the till said ‘this is very expensive, do you know how much this costs!’ not sure if she was implying I looked like I couldn’t afford it or I was some kind of idiot who didn’t look at prices

I bought some size 12 long legged trousers for my 5'7" tall DD. I am size 18 and short. Lady on till said "you'll need to take those up?"!! We had quite a laugh about it. I also chat to special needs supermarket staff if they speak first (don't want to stress them). I imagine they have to deal with fairly unpleasant customers so I am nice. My DD is ASD.