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AIBU?

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Original poster

To wonder who decided that customers want small talk at the till in a shop?

319 replies

YouWonJayne · 09/05/2023 12:31

Seriously I want to know their names. Which suits sat in a boardroom and said “Do you know what customers really want? When they’re stressed and frazzled trying the find a plain black shirt and black skirt for a 9 year old’s school play, which BTW are nigh-on impossible to find, when they get to the till they want the assistant to ask what they’re up to this morning and if they’re busy? That will keep customers happy!”

The poor girl on the checkout was trying her best not to look bored as she asked the woman in front of me “Have you got much planned this morning? Do you have a busy day” especially when the woman have details of all the wedding outfits she needed to buy for her grandchildren.

I hope the assistant was relieved when I just gave a “No” when she asked me the same. I really couldn’t be arsed.

I noticed this everywhere now. Is it just me who doesn’t actually want small talk, who just wants to buy my stuff and get on with me day without being a conversationalist extraordinaire? Don’t get me started on upselling! Or the people in Lush who pounce when you’re through the door. It’s completely insufferable.

The worst part is these poor people (probably on minimum wage) get bollocked if they don’t behave this way. I can’t imagine any of them want to behave this way.

I feel like it needs a serious platform, a campaign called Leave Shoppers Alone (half joking) 😂

OP posts:
EarthwormJane · 09/05/2023 12:38

You might not like it, but for some people, that person on the till is the only person that they've spoken to all weekend.

purplecorkheart · 09/05/2023 12:40

I don't mind the small talk too much but hate with passion the upselling.

90stalgia · 09/05/2023 12:40

There is no 'one size fits all'. Some customers might welcome this. Some staff will feel it makes the day pass more quickly to have a bit of small talk with the customer. Others, like you, hate it.

RonObvious · 09/05/2023 12:41

I think we need badges that we can wear to signal whether we are / are not available for socialising on any given day. Like how dogs can have specially coloured leads if they are nervous or reactive. Sometimes I do feel like a chat, but other days I just want to be left alone.

EmpressaurusOfCats · 09/05/2023 12:41

purplecorkheart · 09/05/2023 12:40

I don't mind the small talk too much but hate with passion the upselling.

This.

AllOrNothingSituation · 09/05/2023 12:42

This is why I use self checkouts

RowenaRosewood · 09/05/2023 12:42

purplecorkheart · 09/05/2023 12:40

I don't mind the small talk too much but hate with passion the upselling.

Omg have you been to Superdrug lately? You spend about 5 minutes of Till time saying "no thank you, no thanks, no, fgs no, nooooo, leave me alone...".

NooNooTheNotSoGreat · 09/05/2023 12:44

Some people enjoy it. Some are unlikely to talk to anyone else that day. Personally I have no problem with having a brief talk.

Sheepsheepeverywhere · 09/05/2023 12:44

My ds has just started at Asda. They are expected to chat to customers as a gesture of acknowledgment that they exist! Some people don't speak to another person every day otherwise.. There are lonely folk who do appreciate it. Maybe a market for a STFU badge for those who don't?

Kolakalia · 09/05/2023 12:46

You don't have to engage.

For some people it might brighten their day or be the only conversation they have that day.

I worked on the checkouts for a while and I'm not a particularly chatty person overall and I'm happy with silence but I always made an effort to have a bit of a chat with customers, if they were very clearly not interested that was absolutely fine but with some people I had the most lovely connection. Now I'm older I really, really appreciate when people who work in shops or cafes are kind and friendly and chatty too, it can be an exhausting and shitty job and I respect and appreciate the amount of energy it takes out of you to go above and beyond and treat people like people instead of just doing the basics of your job.

TheCountessofFitzdotterel · 09/05/2023 12:48

When I go to the greengrocer we have an actual chat. She tells me all about her vintage tractors and lack of central heating and why she voted for Brexit.
I like that. Very different from Seasalt where it’s all scripted and tedious and feels both fake and intrusive.

tuvamoodyson · 09/05/2023 12:48

I’d rather small talk than being served in complete silence. I like it.

HappiDaze · 09/05/2023 12:48

It's very annoying when they carry on chatting after the all the shopping has gone through the till and you're waiting behind thinking 'hurry the fuck up I've got somewhere I need to be'

CamoFlamingo · 09/05/2023 12:49

I hate it too because it's fake. I don't mind it if the person seems genuinely chatty but when they're clearly just reeling off a script it's awkward.

ItsCalledAConversation · 09/05/2023 12:49

I totally agree. I hate all the small talk (questions) and particularly the upselling. It’s nice if you strike up a conversation naturally, but being asked about what I have planned for the rest of my day by a spotty, over-zealous 19 year old in Wilkos is just too much. It’s a shopping trip, not the end of a counselling session! I tend to become monosyllabic, very unlike me. I don’t want to be unkind, but I don’t want to be patronised.

HowcanIgetoutofthisalive · 09/05/2023 12:50

The worst part is these poor people (probably on minimum wage) get bollocked if they don’t behave this way. I can’t imagine any of them want to behave this way.

DD works for a very well known, chain shoe store (old firm). Staff do get bollocked by the manager if they've not approached someone within 10 seconds of the customer stepping into the shop. And the upselling of shoe care at the till!😳 They have to sell 2% shoecare of overall shoe sales during the shift; if they don't, that's another bollocking.

I agree OP. I hate all the small talk.

pussycatinfluffyslippers · 09/05/2023 12:51

Any human is better than automated self-scan checkouts that then summon a human.

If I have to do the scanning of my own shopping, why don't I get a discount?

NooNooTheNotSoGreat · 09/05/2023 12:52

I totally agree. I hate all the small talk (questions) and particularly the upselling. It’s nice if you strike up a conversation naturally, but being asked about what I have planned for the rest of my day by a spotty, over-zealous 19 year old in Wilkos is just too much. It’s a shopping trip, not the end of a counselling session! I tend to become monosyllabic, very unlike me. I don’t want to be unkind, but I don’t want to be patronised.

You have an appropriately ironic username for this thread.

Lullibyebye · 09/05/2023 12:52

As a customer, I hate it. I used to work in Tesco many years ago and were encouraged to talk to the customers. It wasn't a policy or anything, just a manager who realised that it is the only form of communication many people have. Some really appreciated it and I liked getting to know many of them.

Hereforarant90 · 09/05/2023 12:52

purplecorkheart · 09/05/2023 12:40

I don't mind the small talk too much but hate with passion the upselling.

Omg I had an interview recently for a cosmetics brand and it involved going to 'get' customers from other areas of the store to come try makeup on. I felt so uncomfortable, people aren't stupid.

pussycatinfluffyslippers · 09/05/2023 12:54

RonObvious · 09/05/2023 12:41

I think we need badges that we can wear to signal whether we are / are not available for socialising on any given day. Like how dogs can have specially coloured leads if they are nervous or reactive. Sometimes I do feel like a chat, but other days I just want to be left alone.

I'd probably need a "Quite happy to chat, but be quick as I might need a wee" badge.

sandyhappypeople · 09/05/2023 12:59

I think it’s actually rude of checkout staff to start up a conversation knowing they have a queue of people behind to serve, small talk yes, instigating a conversation no no fucking no.. I’m talking about you co-op workers! You know who you are!! 😂 I work customer facing roles and always chat with people, but never at the expense of other customers waiting to be served, it’s not a one size fits all policy.

if the shops cared that much they should just hire ‘meeters and greeters’ to engage with the customers, without annoying the shit out of the people like me who want to be in and out!

RonObvious · 09/05/2023 12:59

pussycatinfluffyslippers · 09/05/2023 12:54

I'd probably need a "Quite happy to chat, but be quick as I might need a wee" badge.

Show quote history

😆There could be a whole market here. I sometimes have trouble with boundaries, so maybe also a "Tendency to overshare" badge, just so that people know what they could be letting themselves in for.

Rolothecat · 09/05/2023 13:01

I hate it! I was in sainsbury cafe just browsing the sandwiches and drinks and an assistant came up behind me asking what I’m looking for and what I fancy? I don’t know I’m just blooming looking, then proceeded to ask what I’d been up to

Kolakalia · 09/05/2023 13:01

I used to work at Currys/PC World and the upselling pressure was INSANE

We literally weren't allowed to put a sale through the till unless it had certain things attached to it:

a monthly insurance
'tech friend' a paid for helpline for tech questions
a laptop bag
disc drives
other accessories

so if you attempted to get someone to buy all of those and they declined, when it came to put the sale through you had to go fetch a manager who would then slither over and start a 'casual' conversation like 'oh, that's a great machine! What are you using it for? Great. Oh, did Laura not mention to you about tech friend/whatever happens?' and so forth. Another round of pressure.

I had customers literally get up and leave due to the pressure more than once and it was so awful, I/we didn't want to treat them that way but we were pressured into it for fear of being sacked. If you didn't get a certain number of those add-ons then you'd be fired.

I feel sorry for anyone upselling cos I know it's coming from above them and politely decline.