holy crap, where have I been?!
Nov. 7th, 2009 08:43 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
hollybrookeI've been away from the Internet for a good couple of weeks (maybe a few?). I don't really have much of an excuse. I just got tired and bored of getting online and doing the same old stuff and going to the same old websites (and reading a lot of the same old snarky stuff on ![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-community.gif)
ohnotheydidnt). That, and there's been some stuff I've had to do around the house that didn't require me being online as much as I usually am, like the humongous project of cleaning up/out the basement. Besides, my life shouldn't be dictated by what I do online.
But yeah. I spent a good healthy chunk of time offline. I spent time playing with Bo. I'm teaching myself how to speak French. (Not an easy task.) I've been working (ugh). Work just really manages to piss me off anymore. I get tired of dealing with the same customers all the time, and their little smart-assy comments about how expensive groceries are, and them trying to get all chit-chatty and chummy with me when I just don't give a crap. And they keep putting me on self-check more often, which I really loathe. Why do I loathe self-check? Because all the stupid customers come down to use them, and they are just clueless about operating them, even when I guide them through.
Here's a few pointers about using self-check registers at grocery stores:
--If you're going to have so much of a problem with using it and bitch about things not ringing up right and not want to follow my instructions and just make me ring it all up for you, GO TO A REGULAR REGISTER and have a cashier ring it up for you there. They are self-check registers; I shouldn't have to take care of the whole damn order for you unless I am stationed at a regular register.
--Why the hell are you going to act stupid about using self-check registers when they are pretty much self-explanatory and have an automated voice telling you what to do? Using these things is not brain surgery. A monkey could operate them. *headdesk* The stupid, it burns.
--If you are a parent and have kids with you and they bug you to let them ring the whole order up on self-check because they like the sheer novelty of being able to ring up their own stuff, DON'T LET THEM! For one thing, they're going to take too long and you're probably in a rush anyway. Then they'll probably leave one item in front of the scanner too long and it'll ring up twice or three times or four times, and I'll have to come over and void them off while you're standing there thinking, "This is so embarrassing, I should've just went to a regular register." Or your kid--being a kid and all--will drop something while trying to get it out of the cart and it'll spill all over (like that grape soda from a couple of weeks ago), and once again, you'll stand there feeling embarrassed, thinking, "I should've just went to a regular register."
--Self-check is not the same as the service center. I can't do refunds or exchanges for you there. Don't get angry when I explain this to you. It doesn't mean that I don't want to--I am just unable to. Please walk the extra ten steps over to the service center and they will be able to help you out.
--I'm waiting for the day a careless customer tries to shove-roll his or her cart over to the cart corral and hits me in the process because I will raise SUCH a big stink about it and will want to speak to the union rep ritenao. Customers have to quit doing this. It's rude, it's careless, and I really don't want to have to take the carts back over to the corral when I should be managing the self-check registers.
And now a rant about the grocery baggers. Our dairy manager was talking to one of the baggers about this in the break room a few days ago. He was saying that he agrees with this "no more gabbing at the registers" rule that our head managers and CSMs are trying to enforce. He went on to explain that every time he comes up to the front end from the dairy department for something, he sees the cashiers doing more bagging than the carryouts. Cashiers should not have to be worried about picking up for them when they slack off, they are cashiers and need to be focusing on ringing the customer up. He was even saying that if they were really good, they'd be done with bagging the order as the cashier is finishing up the transaction. And really, I agree with him, because that was the way it was when I was a carryout at Wilco in high school. I just kept my mouth shut or else I'll probably get a bunch of carryouts pissed off at me. Besides, not a whole lot of the carryouts particularly enjoy their jobs either, so why should they feel compelled to put in the extra effort?
And now a rant about a particular carryout who's really been getting on my nerves lately. I was in the breakroom about a week ago on my break, going over my French flashcards. This carryout comes up to me and is curious about what I'm doing. I tell him I'm trying to learn French. He asks why I want to learn French, of all languages. I tell him it's always good to learn another language. He asks, "Then why not try to learn Spanish? There's a lot more people in the USA who speak Spanish instead of French." I tell him I already know Spanish. "Then why French?" I make some smart-assy comment about someday I might choose to go to France someday. "Why?" (God, this nosy fucker asks too many questions.) I make another smart-assy comment about how France has better health care than America. He launches into this thing about, "Well, I hope you've done your homework about France's healthcare system then," like he knows so much more about it than I do. I tell him, "Yes, I have. I know people have easier access to healthcare over there, I won't have to wait six weeks for a freaking appointment with a doctor over there and have a health condition get worse in the process, and they don't have as many problems with health insurance than we do here in America." And he had the nerve to call me a "stupid liberal" as soon as he had his back turned. Seriously, what the hell was that about? That "stupid liberal" comment was uncalled for, but I let it go. But after that little encounter with him, I've come to realize that not only do I hate nosy people, but I also can't stand people who offer their unsolicited opinions and advice. And he should be lucky that he doesn't have a really bad disease that he needs expensive treatments for that he can't afford on his fucking pathetic salary as a grocery bagger and can't get any health insurance because of his job title. Oh wait, he's a "musician" on top of it all, so he's a cheap-ass who's pouring more money into his "musical" career that will probably go nowhere aside from cutting a few albums with his band that only locals recognize. THERE. I SAID IT.
I HATE KNOW-IT-ALLS WHO OFFER THEIR UNSOLICITED OPINONS WHO DON'T HAVE THE NERVE TO CALL ME A "STUPID LIBERAL" TO MY FACE. And dare I say it, all of the people who are opposed to health care reform and a public health insurance option are just rich, disgruntled Republicans who are still pissed off that Barack Obama was elected president. And I'm not getting into any more arguments about this with anyone who comments because I'm tired of being called a "stupid liberal" because I have an opinion. ASSHOLES.
(And in case you haven't been able to tell, my anger levels have been raising in the last few weeks. Expect a lot more ranting in future posts.
GOD, I don't want to go to work today.
ohnotheydidnt). That, and there's been some stuff I've had to do around the house that didn't require me being online as much as I usually am, like the humongous project of cleaning up/out the basement. Besides, my life shouldn't be dictated by what I do online. But yeah. I spent a good healthy chunk of time offline. I spent time playing with Bo. I'm teaching myself how to speak French. (Not an easy task.) I've been working (ugh). Work just really manages to piss me off anymore. I get tired of dealing with the same customers all the time, and their little smart-assy comments about how expensive groceries are, and them trying to get all chit-chatty and chummy with me when I just don't give a crap. And they keep putting me on self-check more often, which I really loathe. Why do I loathe self-check? Because all the stupid customers come down to use them, and they are just clueless about operating them, even when I guide them through.
Here's a few pointers about using self-check registers at grocery stores:
--If you're going to have so much of a problem with using it and bitch about things not ringing up right and not want to follow my instructions and just make me ring it all up for you, GO TO A REGULAR REGISTER and have a cashier ring it up for you there. They are self-check registers; I shouldn't have to take care of the whole damn order for you unless I am stationed at a regular register.
--Why the hell are you going to act stupid about using self-check registers when they are pretty much self-explanatory and have an automated voice telling you what to do? Using these things is not brain surgery. A monkey could operate them. *headdesk* The stupid, it burns.
--If you are a parent and have kids with you and they bug you to let them ring the whole order up on self-check because they like the sheer novelty of being able to ring up their own stuff, DON'T LET THEM! For one thing, they're going to take too long and you're probably in a rush anyway. Then they'll probably leave one item in front of the scanner too long and it'll ring up twice or three times or four times, and I'll have to come over and void them off while you're standing there thinking, "This is so embarrassing, I should've just went to a regular register." Or your kid--being a kid and all--will drop something while trying to get it out of the cart and it'll spill all over (like that grape soda from a couple of weeks ago), and once again, you'll stand there feeling embarrassed, thinking, "I should've just went to a regular register."
--Self-check is not the same as the service center. I can't do refunds or exchanges for you there. Don't get angry when I explain this to you. It doesn't mean that I don't want to--I am just unable to. Please walk the extra ten steps over to the service center and they will be able to help you out.
--I'm waiting for the day a careless customer tries to shove-roll his or her cart over to the cart corral and hits me in the process because I will raise SUCH a big stink about it and will want to speak to the union rep ritenao. Customers have to quit doing this. It's rude, it's careless, and I really don't want to have to take the carts back over to the corral when I should be managing the self-check registers.
And now a rant about the grocery baggers. Our dairy manager was talking to one of the baggers about this in the break room a few days ago. He was saying that he agrees with this "no more gabbing at the registers" rule that our head managers and CSMs are trying to enforce. He went on to explain that every time he comes up to the front end from the dairy department for something, he sees the cashiers doing more bagging than the carryouts. Cashiers should not have to be worried about picking up for them when they slack off, they are cashiers and need to be focusing on ringing the customer up. He was even saying that if they were really good, they'd be done with bagging the order as the cashier is finishing up the transaction. And really, I agree with him, because that was the way it was when I was a carryout at Wilco in high school. I just kept my mouth shut or else I'll probably get a bunch of carryouts pissed off at me. Besides, not a whole lot of the carryouts particularly enjoy their jobs either, so why should they feel compelled to put in the extra effort?
And now a rant about a particular carryout who's really been getting on my nerves lately. I was in the breakroom about a week ago on my break, going over my French flashcards. This carryout comes up to me and is curious about what I'm doing. I tell him I'm trying to learn French. He asks why I want to learn French, of all languages. I tell him it's always good to learn another language. He asks, "Then why not try to learn Spanish? There's a lot more people in the USA who speak Spanish instead of French." I tell him I already know Spanish. "Then why French?" I make some smart-assy comment about someday I might choose to go to France someday. "Why?" (God, this nosy fucker asks too many questions.) I make another smart-assy comment about how France has better health care than America. He launches into this thing about, "Well, I hope you've done your homework about France's healthcare system then," like he knows so much more about it than I do. I tell him, "Yes, I have. I know people have easier access to healthcare over there, I won't have to wait six weeks for a freaking appointment with a doctor over there and have a health condition get worse in the process, and they don't have as many problems with health insurance than we do here in America." And he had the nerve to call me a "stupid liberal" as soon as he had his back turned. Seriously, what the hell was that about? That "stupid liberal" comment was uncalled for, but I let it go. But after that little encounter with him, I've come to realize that not only do I hate nosy people, but I also can't stand people who offer their unsolicited opinions and advice. And he should be lucky that he doesn't have a really bad disease that he needs expensive treatments for that he can't afford on his fucking pathetic salary as a grocery bagger and can't get any health insurance because of his job title. Oh wait, he's a "musician" on top of it all, so he's a cheap-ass who's pouring more money into his "musical" career that will probably go nowhere aside from cutting a few albums with his band that only locals recognize. THERE. I SAID IT.
I HATE KNOW-IT-ALLS WHO OFFER THEIR UNSOLICITED OPINONS WHO DON'T HAVE THE NERVE TO CALL ME A "STUPID LIBERAL" TO MY FACE. And dare I say it, all of the people who are opposed to health care reform and a public health insurance option are just rich, disgruntled Republicans who are still pissed off that Barack Obama was elected president. And I'm not getting into any more arguments about this with anyone who comments because I'm tired of being called a "stupid liberal" because I have an opinion. ASSHOLES.
(And in case you haven't been able to tell, my anger levels have been raising in the last few weeks. Expect a lot more ranting in future posts.
GOD, I don't want to go to work today.
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2009-11-07 04:10 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-11-07 04:28 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-11-07 04:33 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-11-07 06:26 pm (UTC)Which is why I hate my customers so much. I don't give a shit if you think the coffee's expensive - if you don't want it, go to Dunkin Donuts. And don't get me started on the coupon-abusers who have the most smug smile on their faces as they go on line three separate times to use three coupons on three items. (Which, yeah, is a corporate issue, but people just delight in pulling a fast one on us and scamming us out of money. Thankfully, corporate finally woke up and is fixing the coupons so they stop doing that).
Self-checkout is the easiest thing ever. I can't help but laugh seeing people struggle with it and needing to get help. Because, like you said, the thing tells you what to do and people are acting like they're being asked to perform brain surgery.
no subject
Date: 2009-11-07 08:49 pm (UTC)This is pretty much my not-so-sneaking suspicion, as well. I can understand the aversion to things that border on socialism, cause socialism in the past in other countries equaled bad things, but come on, really? Something drastic has to be done to take care of our own here. People are suffering.
no subject
Date: 2009-11-13 07:01 pm (UTC)