WIBU To ask for a different lady to scan my shopping?

[goodoldsussexbythesea]

I do my big shop in Tesco once a week. I usually have around 100 items. I do scan as you shop and I seem to get picked a lot for a random basket check. Fine.
There's one lady who always seems to be working on the self-scan when I go in. She's an older lady and she is incredibly slow. It's so frustrating as I usually don't have a lot of time.
I don't just mean a little bit slow either. I mean about 10 seconds or so between scanning each item. With lots of sighing and breaks and stopping. I think last time she could see the frustration on my face because she said "it's stressful, isn't it?" and I'm like yes... because you are being so slow (didn't say this out loud). I almost asked if she'd like to give me the scanner and let me do it for her but I didn't want to be rude.
Last time, the scanner was telling her she needed to scan over 80 items so it took absolutely forever.
And she puts it all back into the bags wrong too.

So anyway, today I went to tesco, got selected for random bag check and saw this lady was on. My heart sank. I needed to rush home and put it all way and then go on the school run. I didn't need another 20 minutes adding on. She started making her way very slowly towards me and I said, in the politest voice I could muster "do you mind if your colleauge does it?" She looked really taken back so I said "it's just I'm in a bit of a rush, sorry" I tried to look as apologetic as I could but she looked really confused and a bit upset.

The colleague heard the conversation, came over and started scanning. I was out of there and in my care in under 5 minutes.

I feel so bad though. I don't like upsetting people and I keep thinking of her face. I just couldn't do it though, it's so bloody painful.

I don't want to be mean enough to say anything to her supervisor but I really don't think she should be on that section. She should be sitting down on one of the tills, where she's not on her feet and customers haven't chosen a quicker option.

WIBU?

She probably quit her job because of you and now she can't feed her family.

Just kidding. It's not nice for her but you weren't being unreasonable OP. You weren't rude and you had a genuine reason for requesting someone else. Tesco is BU for not recognising she's not suited to that area. It must annoy her colleagues too if she's really that slow, so sooner or later she probably will be moved elsewhere.

I find in the long run scan as you shop is a bigger faff than using an ordinary manned checkout. The rescans, the scanner bombing out half way through, etc.

Or, if I were you, I'd find another supermarket.

I think thats fair. Shes not really up for the job and should be moved to something else. Theres a very slow assistant in my local Co-Op. I only ever get a few items and make sure I have time if shes on the till. They don't have self service!

Couldn't really be helped. All I can think of is that you might try, in this situation, would it be possible for two of you to do it because I'm due on the school run? That should get the message across. But it doesn't sound as if you were unpleasant

I think you were fine - the idea of scan as you shop is to make it quicker, there’s no point even doing it if the checks at the end make it slower than just checking out through the till. It’s their fault for not addressing it/ putting the lady in a more appropriate position.

i hope when you are old and tired and working past time you thought you would be retired by that some young woman treats you as badly.

Why not get your shopping delivered

I do click and collect... drive there, stick everything in my bags and leave... takes about 5 minutes. In Tesco it costs £1.50... so worth it to not have to actually go in the shop!

She didn’t treat her badly though. The poor woman’s feelings were hurt, as she has been placed in a situation where she is unable to provide the required service at a reasonable speed. That’s not her fault, and it’s not the OP’s either.

Personally I couldn’t cope with doing a full shop using self scan. I get checked SO often and while I understand the need for it, I have no interest in packing/unpacking/repacking items and the inevitable confusion/struggle for space when they check the items. On top of that, while they’re mostly very careful, sometimes they chuck the items around and anyway I don’t want the washing powder next to the peaches.

I'm totally amazed at this. Surely you calculate the time in for doing the check out if you've got over 80 items of shopping and don't expect to be done in 5 minutes if you have to do the school run?

I don’t think you were unreasonable. I recommend online shopping though. It’s great! I never do a big shop in person these days.

Forgot to add i don't think the self service is designed for 80 items so of course you're going to be checked. Just go to the checkout next time?

I had to leave my full shop in Tesco last year after a similar experience. I don't bother shopping there anymore.

Why are you leaving yourself so little time

Thats what shoplifters do

I have to shop on the day I get paid, which is weekly on a Thursday. I don't have the budget to order it in advance and I'd have to order it a few days before to get the slot I need. I believe they check your card to make sure you've got the money on there, and I wouldn't have on, say, a Tuesday, I'd only have my weekly spending money which isn't as much as I spend on a big shop. If that makes sense.
Same reason I can't get it delivered.
Can't chose another supermarket either as we are remote. I only have a tesco and a waitrose. Otherwise, I'd shop in lidl.

Because I have so little time. I am a single mum of three, working two jobs. There's no other time available to me. I can't go out in the evening when the kids are in bed as I have no babysitters. I can't go out after I pick up my kids because my autistic daughter can't cope in busy supermarkets. So I have the window between finishing work on a Thursday and picking them up.

I have Tesco deliveries or do click and collect, they don’t pre check your card and just take payment on the morning of your delivery or click and collect slot when your order is picked.

If you choose an evening slot they often don’t take the payment until lunch time

Well the government won't let people retire so what do you expect them to do

I work in retail - we employ older / younger / deaf / wheelchair users. There will always be a customer that finds a fault with any person that is different. Sometimes they ask for me to vent, most of the time they wait for the email survey which they don’t realise is sent directly to the employee. It’s all round sad. They will make out that it’s not because of the characteristic but it’s 100% a micro aggression.

My stance on this is - why on earth are you doing a shop with more than 80 items just before the school run? That’s poor planning, sorry. Frankly the people that work there don’t care you have a school run to go to, just as much as you don’t care they need a little longer to re-scan your items.

The quick reaction her colleague makes me think they’re aware of the problem. It’s a shame her managers haven’t noticed as it puts everyone in an awkward position. A slow person would suit the manned checkouts perfectly (assuming your branch has them) as I think there’s a contingent of people who go there specifically for the human contact element and wouldn’t mind waiting so much.

When I do my click and collect, I book the slot and put a few items on it and then checkout... this holds the slot until I get round to completing it. I then do the whole shop the night before (you can make changes until about 11pm). It gives you an expected cost. They then pick out the shopping and the money is taken the morning of the order. So I'm pretty sure you don't need to have the money to pay into your account until the day you have booked to collect. If I'm wrong and they do, just put a couple of things on to secure it and do the shop the night before.

me too. problem solved.

Tesco take the money the day you get it .