I work at a grocery store. I wonder what that means to most people. Consider for a moment your feelings about your grocery store. How do you feel when you go to the store for some bread and milk? Are you happy, sad, neutral? Have you had good experiences or bad ones? Maybe it's a mixture of both, depending upon the day, the cart with the broken wheels that you're given, your bag of flour with the unnoticed hole, the tricky signs over what you think are sale items, or the selection of cashiers to choose from in the front area. In your time of going through your list, trying to see if you've forgotten anything, have you seen the people around you? Do you know how everyone else feels? From where I stand they'll tell you.
As a fellow cashier I think of the minors that I work with. I considered the issues that they might face in today's world. I notice this constant struggle between the kids and the adults they service in their line. There seems to be this pressure that people place on them. If the cashier doesn't have the answer, on the spot, ready to go customers will blow a fuse.
I am currently enrolled at college, studying to become an art teacher. I do not have my degree, and I am not any child prodigy, but I know a thing or two. I am doing my part to avoid working 2 fulltime jobs to make ends meet and attempting to make a contribution to society by becoming a working citizen with a degree (not saying that people who haven't had the opportunity to go to college, or that unemployed people aren't doing the same- just pointing out that I am making an attempt). I personally have experienced the wrath of some angry customers. For example, how many different apples can you name? There are Golden Delicious, Gala Apples, Granny Smith, Red Delicious, Macintosh, Organic, Crab apples; should I go on? Now, do you know the codes? Each produce item has a 4-digit code. Organic items have 5. There are reasons for these codes. There are different prices for the apples, depending upon the season and quality. There are different ways for us to put these items into the system. It's a lot to memorize, and the codebook is not a best seller.
To make things helpful, workers in the produce part of the store place a sticker with the codes on the items. To make things even more complex, some of the items have 2, count em', 2 different codes; and they're the SAME EXACT ITEM. The reason for the different codes is because sometimes we get apples from one state and some apples from another. Even though they're the same item, and priced the same, the code just tells us where it is coming from, in case if we ever have a recall on things. Remember the issues with the E-coli fungus in spinach? It's kind of important. It is standard that we cashiers will look to see what the code is. We look at many codes, and we see a lot of numbers in the hours we work there. It's not a bad thing to double check, just to make sure I'm not charging you for yucca root when you're only getting bananas. The moment I pick up the bag of apples to double-check I hear a loud, "THEY'RE APPLES!" No shit. Still I smile and offer a firm, "Right!"
Bags can be a real issue. What to do with all that plastic? I'll say it; many times they are poorly manufactured. It's like they have a shelf life of 4 hours. They suck, and in more ways than one. It is these little plastic items, essentially made from oil, that are causing so many issues; and we want our bread double bagged. Our grocery store sells the green earth bags that are made of canvas material. If you bring your own bag, whatever it is made of, we will take 3 cents per bag off of your bill. Granted it isn't that much, but if you use them enough, the green earth savers will essentially pay for themselves. They are so strong that I use them to carry around text books at school. How cool is that?
The logic not to buy these earth savers is, "Oh I'll forget them." I understand, no one's perfect. Maybe it's not so much the use of plastic bags as it is the overuse. Potatoes already come in a plastic bag; put two of them in one plastic, "Oh can you double bag that? Thanks! Makes it easier to carry." Gallon jugs have handles; you can only fit one in a bag, if you need it. Because water is on the dry shelf, and milk in the coolers, people don't seem to mind the water without a bag, but if you don't put the milk in more plastic it'll lose it's refrigeration. Maybe people need the extra bags for insulating their homes. That must be it.
I made some attempts to get people motivated to avoid plastic and use their muscles, but when asking, "Do you want that in a bag," apparently my disappointed facial expression is not enough for them to decline. Now I'll look at another side, sometimes it is logical to get your groceries with paper in plastic; the reason being that they are taller and can hold more groceries (thus leading to less plastic use), they tend to be stronger and can be reused (screw purchasing the earth savers when you can reuse these), and one person said that the paper can be mulched into her garden; how nice. If you put the heavy stuff on the bottom it can even be arranged for a balanced distribution of weight so it's not TOO heavy. But paper in plastic is also abused, especially when they want all the cereal in the same bag, or should I say the 3 Paper and 3 plastic bags that it takes to fit it all in. Other reasons to double bag is for someone with a severe handicap, someone who's walking home a long distance, or maybe we all know that bag is just not going to make it to your car; I can understand this. I hate to say it, and I hate to judge, but I'd like a better excuse than, "It makes it easier." I am tempted to respond, "Mother Nature thanks you," or "You and Al Gore would get along great."
Knowing that there is usually a small desire from the customer to help out with this plastic epidemic, there are other ways a cashier can reduce their usage of plastic. In the training cession they call it 'building walls'. According to our training video, believe it or not, if done properly you can fit up to ten items into a grocery bag. I know what you're thinking, it seems as mysterious as the sushi in the seafood department, but it's true. The idea is to use the items so that they create more space and are structured so they will not collapse in on the other groceries. It is not difficult to do. This system can be proven to work, it's PHYSICS! Laws of gravity, think about it! Yet it is hard to trust seeing your 83 cent store brand bread go in with a box of Kellogg’s mini-wheat’s and a can of baked beans. How about that whole grain Sarah-Lee bread firm and good for you; there is so much nutrition packed into that brick you can probably put your canned goods on top of it and still make it home intact. Still, "Could you put the bread in a separate bag? Thanks!" *Sarcastic Smile* Then they're annoyed with me for trying and I look like an idito to them, or at least that's how they treat me.
Now how about that new technology? Those credit card machines? Do they ever work right? If it is possible, I'd love to have a clip from the security camera of how the customers treat these machines. I'll start by discussing how to use them properly. This technology is very sensitive, it doesn't take much to set them off. In fact, just a simple vibration will have the machine select a button without a person even touching it. For the most part all it takes is a simple press with the pen and a lift. Think of it like a key on a computer keyboard; it takes a gentle press and then lift to make a letter appear on the screen. It seems that some people believe that the button is hidden deep down inside the machine and it will take 30lbs of pressure on the little glass to make the button register. Some customers will lean their entire body weight into the machine, shaking as they place 210lbs of pressure channeled through this little pen.
In case you didn't know, this technology is extremely expensive. The cost for one coupon machine ranges from about 1,500 dollars to 3,000 bucks, just to spit coupons out at you. They're not something that any company will want to replace often, but they do. These things break down. Every once in a while I'll be placed on a register where the pen for the credit card machine is not functioning properly. To add to the sensitivity of how the pens are made, to guarantee the accuracy of where the computer recognizes the touch of the pen on the screen, a miniature magnet is placed inside the tip. Customers who do not have the patience to notice the message under their signature, after pressing the okay button that reads "Signature Accepted" will use the pen to aggressively jab the screen about 15-20 times. I wonder if this jabbing motion has anything to do with amount of pens the company has had to replace this year.
There seems to be this collective belief that all you have to do is swipe your card and you’re done. Customers will become annoyed when I explain to them that you have to select your payment type before sliding your card, yet they will still attempt to swipe prior to the payment selection. When the machine reads, "Please Swipe Card," they respond, "I already did." What baffles me is when they compare the machine to what it is like in the 'other store.' I think those key words say it all, and I'd bet that the other store's machine also has directions right on the screen; all you have to do is read and if you are having trouble I will be glad to talk you through the process.
With the holiday season we have been selling a lot of gift cards. They can be quite a convenient gift to give. Sometimes though there can be an issue. The cards need to be activated to work properly. It takes a simple scan, and once the payment is made, the receipt will print out, and shortly after so will a second receipt that confirms if the card was activated properly. Normally there isn't a problem at all. Yesterday I had a customer who purchased a card. She needed to see the second receipt confirming the activation. I am very willing to share this information with her, yet I am a little concerned with the eagerness she was presenting. She was telling me how the previous year she purchased a card for a friend only to have it not activate properly, "I was so embarrassed," she said. I could be wrong, but there seemed to be a feeling as though she was putting the responsibility of the failed activation of that previous card on me and that I too should feel embarrassed for her. I was wondering why she would allow such a thing upset her; a situation where truly no one could control. I can understand the desire to have our plans workout without any issues, but I am confused as to why we'd let these situations tarnish our self-esteem. Hopefully when I confirmed to her that this card was indeed activated she left feeling more confident about this Christmas.
I think my main objective in writing about these issues is to bring to light some of the things we are allow to frustrat us. People seem to become angry over the smallest things. I really am no one to judge, as I too fall victim to bursts of anger, but I am making an attempt to better that behavior. I get frustrated when I am standing at my register, making eye contact with the customer, my light is clearly on, and the customer will still ask, "Are you open?" I try to tell myself, 'They're just double checking. They don't know any better.' I am concerned about how we treat each other. I believe our behavior in the grocery store is no different from other environments; that we should be conducting ourselves in diplomatic ways showing our maturity and patience. Sure people make mistakes, but your patience can help the situation in so many ways.
Remember that we are surrounded by people. There are opportunities every moment of our lives to create deeper and more meaningful relationships with the strangers that surround us. Opening ourselves to small amounts of intimacy that come in acts of patience, eye-contact, smiles, and a calm speaking voice can do wonders in a person's life. Yet, we need our bread by itself, in a separate bag; heaven forbid it be smushed; how angry we'd be if we had smushed bread. Mind you we are 'screaming' at the cashier, I mean robot behind the register. Robots don't have love, they don't care about your smushed bread. They're not human, or are they?
Thinking again about the minors I work with, I think about the stress they face. Some of them are working to support their family while their peers are with other groups of people purchasing candy and other snacks. Some customers are so demanding and scream in angry and violent tones. I think of the minors and how loud their childhood is with the stresses of school, home life, work life, peer pressure and how little time they are given to be alone to explore life, discover, grow, and learn from observing their environment, but instead they have to deal with this aggressive and demanding energy. How can these people learn to be calm and happy inside when their environment is screaming at them to get the item at the correct sale price? I tell myself there has never been anyone to teach people, in general, "how" to treat one another; this being the reason why we forget to think about our tone, behavior, and other actions. This is the reason why parents hit their child’s hand, screaming that the kid can't have the candy, which happens to be placed in a 'grab-and-go' section of the store, and not considering that the child just doesn't know any better, or that a simple and calm "no" might just be the better solution.
I'm not trying to say that I have all the answers, or that I know every scenario. I'm not attempting to stereotype any particular people, class, race, gender, or age difference as every sort of people appear to fall under these ethical and behavioral issues. I am just trying to point out some of my observations. If I were to suggest any sort of strategy it would start by observing your behavior in public. Don't allow yourself to be angry with things that can't be controlled. It is no ones fault that the item is not scanning, and believe me when I say the cashier does not want you to be angry. It is not in their plan to make your experience miserable; they are trying to help you get your items at a convenient pace. If they appear annoyed, maybe we should consider how they've been treated in their day. Sure, we too have bad days, but if we learn to have some compassion on the situation it may prevent any further issues from occurring. If you can, try to reduce your plastic usage with bags. Most of us are somewhat aware of the issues with oil, global warming, and other economic and political issues. Try to reuse your bags, or just make a note on your grocery list so you won't forget the earth-savers. Read the directions, most of the technology is programmed to have all the directions right in front of you. There is never any reason to scream. All you have to do is ask for assistance. This can be done calmly. Sometimes we'll have to bite our tongs to hold in a scream, but people will be much more willing to cooperate with you without needing to see your tonsils. Remember you're in front of people, and everyone has a life. They are paid to work, but they also can experience just as much suffering as you can.
If you make some kind of sacrifice of pride or laziness, your effort may go unnoticed, but don't let that discourage you. Making efforts to improve ourselves is not a one-time and done, it is a lifestyle and it needs practice to be maintained properly. If you make an effort to behave better give yourself credit, pat yourself on the back, and then look forward to the next attempt. Forgive yourself and others when mistakes are made, and try to see the attempt being made, even if it appears to be a small one. This effort is everyone's responsibility.
