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?

I know you have had a lot of people saying online shopping but I really think this would make life easier. You can book the slot way in advance and they don’t take the money until the morning of delivery. If you are in of an evening you can book the cheaper 4 hour slots.

I go shopping on Thursdays. And that is that. For GOODNESS SAKE.

Then use a normal check out, you said yourself it’s so quiet the time you go.

It’s like you want to whinge and wine about how busy and difficult your life is when no one if forcing you to use a self scanner which often flags up checks for you.

Age is one thing but disability is something else if it stops you doing a job.

I didn’t get a job at Blockbuster back in the day - I had a training session and they said I was too slow.

I have ADHD and take longer to pick things up. It’s a disability. But if I can’t do the job I can’t do the job, having a disability doesn’t mean they have to employ me.

The issue would be if they refused to even interview me because I had ADHD. But disabilities can genuinely mean that you’re unable to do certain jobs to the required standard. It’s obvious really.

The issue here isn’t the staff member’s age, it’s that she’s really slow.

I've had advice and the debts are not eligible to be included in a DRO. Genuine thanks, but I don't want to go into detail.

OP they 100% don't take the money until you have your shopping picked. I order every single week - in fact I order my slots 4 weeks in advance, usually with pennies in my account for a £150+ shop. They don't make sure you have the money at all, they just confirm your card is valid. Some places used to take a penny per time you amended it (Asda) but I've shopped online with Tesco for 16 years every week and never had this issue.

I just check out with a couple of bottles of gin to secure the slot.

I don't blame you OP, I'm getting second-hand sweaty panic at the thought of having 15 mins to cross town for the school run, finish the shop bang on time...and then i get a rescan...and see the world's slowest shop assistant ambling towards me with the scanner😱😱

I also believe you that you can't get it delivered - apart from anything else you probably don't want to fork out an extra 10-20 quid a month delivery charge!

I get having to wait until being paid it's a bugger out there at the moment but have you considered a credit card? Order on a Tuesday it'll probably be taken on Thursday anyway or if not you can log on on Thursday as soon as your paid this might save you the stress?

I use the self scan because most of the time it's a breeze and I get through super quick. Because half the time I don't get selected for a bag check, and half the time that I do, I don't get the slow lady. So 75% of the time I am fine.
Where as 100% of the time the manned checkout is slower.
Typically, the 25% of the time I get stuck with slow lady, is the times I am having the most stressful day, because that's just sod's law isn't it?
I am not moaning. I delt with the problem by asking for the quick lady. I am just asking if I was unreasonable in doing so. Because I am nice and her face keeps popping into my head and making me feel bad.

OT but I used to do that until one fateful week when I was too busy and forgot to change the contents of my basket.

It was during Covid and I had to put a mask on as I couldn’t look the delivery guy in the eye 😅 Three bottles of Beefeater. And I still had to go to the shops as we had nothing in 😂

I expect them to do a different job. Th bb ge ones at my local Morrisons are way past retirement age and possibly earning extra. Fair enough, but not on the tills.

I also get them about 50% of the time, a bit more often in Sainsburys if anything. It drives me crackers! I wonder if it's because it's a large amount of items? I have thought about going back to using the manned checkout but they have so few of them on that there's usually a huge queue so you can't win.

Are people not afraid (God or karma to you) to even have thoughts like that, never mind acting on them? Apart from good manners and civility and all that? It is good you feel bad about it, it means your heart is in the right place even if your head overruled it.

A credit card company would laugh in my face, the state I'm in right now.

Even the shit credit ones that everyone can get would run a mile.

You have to book slots in advance, they fill up. And they check your card when you order. They don't take the money but they check your card.

I promise. I have tried all angles.

If you had 80 items to be rescanned then you must have had a huge shop. I work in retail and have never seen anybody need that many in a random check even at Christmas unless you failed the check and needed a full rescan

Exactly and other PP have said the same, but for some reason OP is insisting this doesn’t work for her and ‘has tired many times’ even though the first time is was suggested her reply was:

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.

I swear you are misinterpreting what the little bank authorisation box says.
It’ll quote the expected total and confirm they’ll look for that amount come the day, but if you carry on and check out there and then, I bet you it’ll go through even if you are skint until next morning.
(Well, naturally your pay needs to be in by the time the shopping’s picked next day, but that must be obvious)

Why do you keep insisting on doing the shop and scan then? You know this is a big issue with it, you don’t have the time so like get it delivered or do click and collect?

With respect, I think that is a foolish question.

The purported aim of self scanning is to save time for shoppers by allowing the scanning to be done as they go around the store. A customer choosing this option typically has little time.

If every shopper has to build in enough time for their items to be scanned by a member of staff anyway, the whole process provides no benefit at all to the customer, but only to the supermarket which controls the decision as to how many customers to check on any given day.

For some unknown reason I put a bottle of champagne in my basket, as it’s only one thing you have to add to secure the slot. I don’t drink and I didn’t like chisel I did! There have been a couple of times I have had to ring to say please don’t bring me just one bottle of champagne today. They always refund.

If you were a customer in my shop. I would be asking you to shop elsewhere.

Retail workers should not have to put up with this attitude towards them.

Yes you have issues & problems, as does the majority of the population & also the retail workers themselves.

Your situation means you are limited in options so you need to work with what's available.

Rescans/basket checks are definitely not random. If you are getting more than average then in the kindest way you probably need to use a manned checkout or click & collect - you could split it into 2 shops if you struggle to budget.

Taking it all out on retail workers is not the answer

I can't believe what I've just read 🤢

What do you mean? Are people not afraid to feel frustrated at a rescan taking 20 minutes?

they are never open in my local Tesco or Sainsbury's - so frustrating!

I have explained SO MANY TIMES why I can't!!!

It's okay to feel frustrated.

It's not okay to take that out on retail workers.