Queuing up to pay for newspapers before doing rest of shop

[ifm1]

I was at a Sainsbury’s as bought an item of clothing back as faulty. Staff member had to get replacement from the back in my size. In the meantime, I was hanging around the kiosk/customer service desk.

There was a queue of elderly customers just buying a newspaper or two. Wanted to get the receipt as going to main shop. The kiosk/CSD isn’t before the shop area, it’s between produce and clothing. Then it went quiet. Assistant at kiosk told me that she and her colleagues have no idea why these elderly customers insist that they purchase their newspapers separately before they do their main shop. It’s not like they have a conversation with the assistant. One man just handed over the paper. Assistant scanned it and said “70p please”. Customer gives £1. Change is given “receipt please” grunts man.

Do you have any idea why customers do pay for newspapers separately when they don’t chat with the assistant at kiosk? Obviously got nothing else better to do than queue up twice

I think the logic is probably similar to people starting threads like this :)

To scan the headlines while walking round ?

OR

If you're carrying a newspaper it's a secret code to join the dogging round the back of the supermarket at 9.30am

Is there a cafe they go to before doing the rest of the shop?

It's part of their routine, and they enjoy it. I used to be a manager in retail and this happened so often - god forbid the newspapers weren't out the second the shop opened or were missing a supplement too!

At my local supermarket where a friend works, there's a pair of friends who met during covid when everyone was queuing up to get in etc, they'd turn up at 6:15 when the shop opened at 7 and would chat. Now, come rain or shine they're there at 6:15 every Saturday - I stopped for petrol there a few weeks ago and saw them!

We're in a world where we all think everything must be done as quickly/efficiently as possible, but some people enjoy the routine and slower pace of doing things in the order they like, even if it makes no sense to anyone else!

I knew that I’d read this thread before. Was it yours?

https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/am_i_being_unreasonable/5087256-paying-for-newspapers-separately-then-do-main-grocery-shop

Why don't you ask them why they do it?

I'm going to assume they're all like my grandpa and they do it because that's the way they've always done it. Popping to the shop for his paper then the grocers for his spuds or whatever has been my grandpa's routine for the best part of 80 years, times changing and shops being very different today hasn't changed his desire to stand in a queue, buy his paper and then do the food shop.

At our local newsagent the more popular papers sell out some days, could that be it?

Perfect reply.

This. My grandpa did the same. Newsagents for paper, different shop for his morning rolls, another shop for some nails before going into work for the day. Habits of a lifetime and all that.

Why do people ask these pointless questions in aibu.

😃 I don't really have anything else to say really

They are buying for someone else - hence receipt and change

No cafe. Plus Sainsburys are closing the rest down

I’ve never understood this either and it irritates me as I’m always in a rush to get a refund or buy a bottle of water and then leave the shop and I have to queue behind all these people who could just pay when they buy all their shopping.

I could understand it if they want to chat with the shop assistant as most of the other tills they’d be using for the rest of their shopping would be self service, but I don’t observe many conversations going on. They simply put the paper in their bag after paying and then go in the supermarket to do their shopping.

Oh no old people getting in the way of your very busy life, sprinkleofsunak you could use the self scans for your bottle of water or maybe shop smarter so you don't need "refunds"

On the individual day it holds you up. But in the long term it keeps the customer service desk open. My local Sainsbury's tried to get rid of it all together. They made a tiny desk about a foot and a half square between two tills. Hopelessly impractical for the staff!

To check for all the supermarket special offers before shopping?

👍

As someone else pointed out they might be buying the paper for someone else hence paying cash and getting a separate receipt. Possibly helping out a less mobile friend. In any case OP older people are allowed to use the same facilities and space as you.

Because they don't it can be scanned at the same till they use to pay for their food. They see the "newsagent" part as a different store as it has it's own till unlike the fishmonger or bakery department.

How fucking dare they hold you up, don't they realise you are so so busy.