I worked one Christmas break at American Eagle. That was one of the worst Christmases ever. I won't call AE upscale, but a lot of the crowd think THEY are upscale. And I say some because I shop there, and I don't act like most of the people who shop there. And at Christmas, when the store closes, EVERY SHIRT, PAIR OF PANTS, UNDERWEAR, EVERYTHING has to be RE-FOLDED!!! I wanted to pull my hair out most days.

[Edited on July 9, 2008 at 2:10 AM. Reason : ]

7/9/2008 2:09:45 AM

DONT

Get behind someone with Beast and/or Beast Ice, cause they're paying in change

7/9/2008 2:10:40 AM

For the daytime crew...

DO: Ask for a rain check on something that you want at the sale price when its all gone, rather than get mad.

7/9/2008 12:01:56 PM

bethaleigh i'm just assuming this story trumps yours...not that it matters(lol my story is better!!!1 )


one time this woman came through my line with 2 carts of groceries....total was 410....her foodstamp card didn't have the funds on it and me and the manager had to put up all 410 worth of food...410 was also the largest order i had ever had

7/9/2008 12:06:23 PM

I hate going to the grocery store.

When I go to Food Lion or Harris Teeter there is always a bunch of sorry trash who are too lazy to park in a parking spot or put their cart up.

When I go to Whole Foods there are a bunch of people mulling around and getting in the way. There are always a bunch of people just standing at the hot bar staring at the food like they are about to go into a diabetic coma or something. Makes it hard for the person who actually has a plate in their hand trying to put food on it.

[Edited on July 9, 2008 at 12:13 PM. Reason : l]

7/9/2008 12:12:32 PM

If you're paying with a check, fill out everything but the $ amount beforehand.

7/9/2008 12:14:22 PM

Monday I had a $450 order. They only had $400 on their food stamp card, so we put back about $30 of the food. The 4 of them were all adults and all high. They came in like 30 minutes before the store closed (with the munchies) and got 2 carts full and arm loads of other junk, and finally checked out after we had closed. One guy asked me if he could get a shirt for 1/2 price because it was dirty, I told him no and to wash it. The receipt was about 4 feet long. Then the only woman with them was like "Man, I gotta have this ice cream, and these, and these...etc." So she paid cash for it, and her guy was like "Well, nobody better not be eating it!"


Long ago, I had to have a cart of food put back (by my bagger, not me. I would have, but we were too busy for me to get off a register.). This was after it had all been scanned and bagged.


DO: Remember your debit/credit card or money.
DON'T: Ask the cashier to wait while you run out to your car to get it when there is a line of people behind you.

[Edited on July 9, 2008 at 12:20 PM. Reason : ]

7/9/2008 12:17:51 PM

well this was back in 2001 for me...in todays dollars that would probably be a 600 dollar order

7/9/2008 12:41:42 PM

For Grocery store employees:

Don't:
Put that raw chicken in the same bag as the deli meat.
Have an attitude with customers for no reason. If you're so obviously unhappy to be there that you have to be shitty to everyone who just wants to buy some food, just quit your job.
Stand around with your thumb up your ass when there are huge lines at the 2 registers you have open.

7/9/2008 12:42:49 PM

I once forgot my wallet, and I felt like a complete moron, which I guess I was to have forgotten it in the first place. But fortunately I just had a little hand basket of stuff and my apartment was literally right next to the store, so I said if I'm not back in 5 minutes you can put it back.

[Edited on July 9, 2008 at 12:45 PM. Reason : and I realized it before she started scanning anything]

7/9/2008 12:44:35 PM

haha, excellent story tara

7/9/2008 12:46:41 PM

I do what I can.

7/9/2008 12:47:35 PM

I have a similar story but its not as good as having my apt right next to foodlion...before i totaled my car, I had a small amount of items and left my wallet in my car...there were people behind me but since i'm fit and dont care to make myself the center of attention sometimes, I ran to my vehicle and got back in within 20 seconds.

7/9/2008 12:49:11 PM

I meant to say this:

DON'T: Ask the cashier to wait while you run out to your car to get it when there is a line of people behind you and we have started on your order already.

If you realize beforehand, thats awesome and makes everyone's life a little easier!

Quote :

"Have an attitude with customers for no reason. If you're so obviously unhappy to be there that you have to be shitty to everyone who just wants to buy some food, just quit your job."

There are 2 stores that I have had this problem myself at while shopping, one in Greensboro (that I worked at) and the one in Raleigh on Lake Wheeler - both somewhat ghetto areas. The good thing about Lake Wheeler though, is that if you speak to a manager, they DO repremand their employees to clean up that behavior. I get so pissed when they don't greet me or say thank you, kiss my ass, or anything. And I have talked to the manager at Lake Wheeler about their bad employees. They just cleaned house and it was better, aside from one employee; but I wouldn't be surprised if she's not there when I go back to Raleigh in August.


And yes! Chicken ALWAYS goes in a bag by itself in my line, unless the customer says otherwise. I bag things the way I want my stuff bagged, and I've never had a complaint.

[Edited on July 9, 2008 at 1:06 PM. Reason : ]

7/9/2008 1:01:36 PM

in my opinion, that 20 seconds it takes me to get my wallet can be used by the cashier to ring up my order...

[Edited on July 9, 2008 at 1:03 PM. Reason : but its literally only happened once ever]

7/9/2008 1:03:00 PM

And I bet you were back before she was finished, which also falls under the OK category. Its when the cashier is finished and waiting for payment, and then the customer is like "Oh noes, where's my card!?"

[Edited on July 9, 2008 at 1:14 PM. Reason : its ok if you've done it, its just annoying.]

7/9/2008 1:05:20 PM

7/9/2008 1:11:46 PM

Don't pay with a check.........ever

7/9/2008 1:27:25 PM

i started bagging groceries at 6 or 7
started cashiering at around 10
managed the store at about 15 until i came to college.


i have stories.

i dont know where to begin.

maybe about the guy who tried to steal steaks under his shirt AFTER TAKING THEM OUT OF THE PACK

or people who's kids grab a candy bar, eat it, and then the parents proceed to take it away, rewrap it, and try to put it back.

and dont get me started on wics.

or the time before ebt cards. you know- paper food stamps.

im gonna have to think about this and then have 4-5 hours free so i can type it all.

[Edited on July 9, 2008 at 1:42 PM. Reason : safddsdx]

7/9/2008 1:41:57 PM

Wic is probably the most annoying thing ever.

"I promise you thats not a wic item"
"It says you can only get 3"
"It says 46 oz"
"Eggs aren't even on here"
"I know it used to be, but its no longer an accepted wic item"

7/9/2008 1:44:54 PM

don't hold everyone up at the redbox if there's a line

7/9/2008 1:48:07 PM

DO:

Tell me that you don't want bags BEFORE I put all your groceries in bags.

7/9/2008 1:48:44 PM

Quote :

"don't take beer into the self-checkout"

FUCK THAT. I will take my beer to the self checkout all I damn well please. Especially since the other registers that are open (of which there are usually only 2) typically have people with full carts of crap. If I am buying just beer, it is faster to go to the self checkout and take the extra 15 SECONDS (zomg thats sooo long!!) to show my ID to the person standing 5 feet away.

People need to quit bitching about this. I'd be more concerned with the assholes in self checkout that have a full cart and don't know how to use those computers than the person with a thing or two of beer.

7/9/2008 1:52:05 PM

the Food Lion near my house only ever has 2 registers open, and no self check out. fucking drives me nuts

7/9/2008 1:54:01 PM

Quote :

"don't hold everyone up at the redbox if there's a line"

fucking seriously.

7/9/2008 1:55:53 PM

DO:

Write out date/name of store/sign your check before you see the amount if there is a long line.

7/9/2008 1:56:06 PM

They must not want self check out at the registers on Kent for loss prevention reasons.

7/9/2008 1:58:41 PM

DO:

Pay attention to the credit/debit card machine. Don't answer one question, think you're done, then stare off into space.

DON'T:

Try to talk to me and someone on your phone at the same time.

7/9/2008 2:02:51 PM

DO: Either have a store rewards card, have it out, and have it ready, or tell the clerk straight up and firmly that you're not interested in the rewards, instead of filling out a form for one there at the register, or playing 20 questions to guess your phone number

7/9/2008 2:03:41 PM

Hahaha back when I was working retail in high school, these two rednecks tried to steal a bunch of pills (the weird thing is that it was like aspirin and vitamins and crap like that...) by wrapping the bottles in aluminum foil because they though it would go through the door without setting off the little alarm. The pharmacist happened to be walking by when he saw these guys doing it and they took off running, and he took off after them. I was hanging around at the front and these two guys came running by as fast as possible and the 60 year old pharmacist hurled himself at one of them and knocked him over, then held him down until the police came. The other guy got away but they got him. It was quite a sight.

7/9/2008 2:10:41 PM

Quote :

"or people who's kids grab a candy bar, eat it, and then the parents proceed to take it away, rewrap it, and try to put it back. "

I have seen this happen in KMart. Some brat grabs a pack of gum off the shelf, opens it, and starts shovelling it into his mouth. Mom takes it away, yells at him for a minute, and puts it back on the shelf. WTF? Take responsibility for your kids' actions.

7/9/2008 2:11:42 PM

^^haha awesome.

i used to take the sticky alarm thingies that were on the cigs. and stick them on the back of the bagboys as they'd walk out

^I KNOW. i've seen it with HALF EATEN candy bars.



[Edited on July 9, 2008 at 2:12 PM. Reason : sadfdfd]

7/9/2008 2:11:58 PM

Quote :

""Look in shock and horror that somebody under the age of 30 is wearing a t-shirt and shopping in your grocery store." What?"

Haha, at the Lowe's Foods in Cary I've gotten some hilarious looks before from some older people when I went in there dressed in a t-shirt, shorts, some tennis shoes that have seen slightly better days, and with 2 days of stubble on my face. A lot of the time when I go there (on a Sunday) people are pretty well dressed, and I'm one of few younger people shopping at that store. I just thought I'd make that comment because the crazy old people that shop there like to give suspicious looks to people like me, for some reason, when it's entirely unnecessary.

7/9/2008 2:16:11 PM

^I've never gotten any strange looks and that is pretty much how I dress all the time in the summer when I'm not at work. Then again I do live in Alabama...

7/9/2008 2:19:27 PM

my cell phone ring for d7freestyler is him singing "our god is an awesome god".
HILARIOUS.
but anyway one sunday im bummin' out at the harris teeter in cary (the new one) with all of these old and older men and women in line behind me. clearly just coming back from church

cody calls.

i dont think ive even gotten so many mean looks at one time. ever

7/9/2008 2:21:34 PM

^^^ haha, oh! I figured there had to be a good story with that one.

One of the store managers chased a guy into the parking lot and tackled him when he walked out the door with 4 cases of beer. That was a fun night.

One night, he and I were the only ones there, and it was 11pm; so the store was closing. We kept seeing this guy walking back and forth around the HBA aisle, kinda frantically. The manager came over and grabbed my microphone and said "Watch this..." .... "The condoms are on the end of aisle 7." The guy goes to aisle 7, grabs some rubbers, and comes to the check out. It totally made my night. After the guy left, I took my till to the office, and he and I laughed till I cried.

[Edited on July 9, 2008 at 2:25 PM. Reason : ]

7/9/2008 2:24:39 PM

^ Nah, no really good stories. I just dress like your average college student and when you go to that Lowe's Foods the wealthier, older white people (even some as young as their late 20's) will give you funny looks, haha.

7/9/2008 2:27:06 PM

http://youtube.com/watch?v=gSkKRXBoGsk

this made me think of this

7/9/2008 2:30:55 PM

I guess I never noticed it before. The store I work at now is pretty much run by people my age and high school kids. Another one was somewhat near A&T and right by Emerald Pointe, and then the one by NCSU. So, our crowd is a little different.

7/9/2008 2:31:52 PM

If you are paying in change PLEASE go to the damn self checkout. About every two weeks, I dump all my change on a six-pack of Woodchuck (and make sure there's no one else waiting to use the self-checkout when I pull this crap.)

7/9/2008 2:32:14 PM

I totally agree with everything. I've worked at this grocery store for the last 3 summers as a stocker but I bagged at least two days a week so I know/agree with all of you.

funny story, the other day, my manager and I drove around the neighboring ghettos to look for carts, we found 6 in various locations (yards, alleys, middle of the road) and put them in his truck and took them back. We left one that was like moldy or something. It had to of been there for like 2 years.

stocking is >>>>> better than bagging. The only times you deal with customers is to tell them where an item is. which is ridiculously easy when you've been there a long time.

it's weird how out of place I am in the stock crew though, they are all like 25-30 and are working to pay their child support/drug/alcohol habit. I'm working for extra cash during college. It makes me want to come back to college and finish so I won't be working as a stocker for the rest of my life

7/9/2008 2:57:22 PM

have your own mvp card and dont ask to use mine.

7/9/2008 2:58:44 PM

I worked at Winn Dixie when I was in high school. I won $1000 for being "Cashier of the Year" it was pretty cool.

I pretty much agree with everything in this thread, and I just wanted to say that the worst times to work at a grocery store are:
1)Right before Thanksgiving
2)Right before Christmas
3)Whenever snow is forecasted

7/9/2008 3:04:05 PM

how much are people getting in food stamps to be able to get $400 in groceries?

7/9/2008 4:36:50 PM

2 or sometimes 3 big carts. (oversize carts)

7/9/2008 4:45:19 PM

I think he means how much $$$ does the EBT/whatever card end up giving on a regular basis.

I dunno, myself.

7/9/2008 4:49:43 PM

Quote :

"they should make people who use food stamps go to a special food-stamp checkout line"

hahaha A++

7/9/2008 4:57:29 PM

lol i need to damn fill out my fuckin shit for that foodstamp thing

7/9/2008 4:58:58 PM

oh

a $400 order on EBT will usually come up as like $380

7/9/2008 5:02:26 PM

Quote :

"Be rude and ghetto to grocery store employees, unless you want to get cancer/smitten."

SMITTEN WITH EMPLOYEES

<3 <3 <3

(while I'm aware you meant the past participle of "smite," I giggled)

7/9/2008 5:02:59 PM