Supermarket check-out queues....

[percy toboggan]

I thought this might get yer attention - as it has to be a contender for the peoples popular choice thread - shoppin' and supermarkets.

I hate it when I cause a queue. You know, when the debit card thing won't work or when something isn't right and you just have to query it. I don't like holding people up beyond a few seconds. Are you the same?

How would you feel if you were in Sainsbury's then , with a four pack of Ale in your trolley, or a bottle of wine. As soon as it hits the little conveyer belt the checkout operator holds up her hands in horror because to serve you would offend her religious sensibilities. She is a muslim you see.

Apparently Sainsbury's deploy in 'another member of staff' to complete the transaction. How very understanding. I doubt this less selective employee is lurking nearby on the off chance and it must take a minute or three for them to show up. Thus causing delays and possibly disaproving glances at my four cans of bitter.

I have to ask why the operator applied for the job in the first place, and whether you have a view on this.

I also have to add that I'm happy to shop elsewhere.

[connieb19]

I'd be leaving my shopping and going elsewhere.

[johno]

I thought this might get yer attention - as it has to be a contender for the peoples popular choice thread - shoppin' and supermarkets.

I hate it when I cause a queue. You know, when the debit card thing won't work or when something isn't right and you just have to query it. I don't like holding people up beyond a few seconds. Are you the same?

How would you feel if you were in Sainsbury's then , with a four pack of Ale in your trolley, or a bottle of wine. As soon as it hits the little conveyer belt the checkout operator holds up her hands in horror because to serve you would offend her religious sensibilities. She is a muslim you see.

Apparently Sainsbury's deploy in 'another member of staff' to complete the transaction. How very understanding. I doubt this less selective employee is lurking nearby on the off chance and it must take a minute or three for them to show up. Thus causing delays and possibly disaproving glances at my four cans of bitter.

I have to ask why the operator applied for the job in the first place, and whether you have a view on this.

I also have to add that I'm happy to shop elsewhere.

valid point there Percy, if the assistant do,est like the trees she should stay outa the forest. she is there to serve you not to express her beliefs on you.

[Angela]

Percy, this has quite often happened to me over the years when checkout assistants aged under 18 have been legally unable to sell me a bottle of wine.
I do appreciate that there is an obvious difference -in that these young people probably would have, if they could have -but the effect was much the same...they would ring for a supervisor, while holding the bottle aloft and yelling "alcohol"!
Which - as well as causing a delay -could feel quite embarrassing at times!
But would you say that under 18s should not be employed on supermarket checkouts if they can't sell you an alcoholic drink?

[percy toboggan]

But would you say that under 18s should not be employed on supermarket checkouts if they can't sell you an alcoholic drink?

Yes I would.Find other rolls in the store for them.

Incidentally sixteen year olds will be allowed to serve/sell cigarettes.

[Dadie]

i dont know about you but i always choose the wrong till ..the slowest one where the person in front cannot pack their bags as the shopping goes along the conveyor belt..a price is missing or an item wont scan and the barcode cannot be read..the shopper infront then packs their bags slowly before raking in their purse for their money off vouchers and then their cards ...arrrgghh shopping rage!!

[bluelady]

There should be a till which reads - no alcohol to be purchased at this till, then peeps could have no problems with till operaters shouting "Alcohol" or holding up hands in horror etc, and saving embarrassment. Next thing will be peeps who's religion disallows blood foods or forbidden foods refusing to sell them. As mentioned, till operators should be asked if they have any objection to selling certain items before being taken on as till operators. I usually get e woman who has forgot something halfway through piling her shopping on the belt, then runs off to find it leaving everything in mid air... aggh

[percy toboggan]

There should be a till which reads - no alcohol to be purchased at this till, then peeps could have no problems with till operaters shouting "Alcohol" or holding up hands in horror etc, and saving embarrassment. Next thing will be peeps who's religion disallows blood foods or forbidden foods refusing to sell them. As mentioned, till operators should be asked if they have any objection to selling certain items before being taken on as till operators. I usually get e woman who has forgot something halfway through piling her shopping on the belt, then runs off to find it leaving everything in mid air... aggh

why should small minorities be catered for when the law of this land says alcohol can be purchased by any person over the age of eighteen?
If a person chooses to follow a faith wholly alien this country a relatively short time ago and then asserts to impose their minority view on the rest of us then we have a severe case of tail wagging dog.

What next? Tills devoted to Pork Scratchings only ? The whole scenario is a complete and utter nonsense and further proof that we are going nuts as a nation.

[karia]

why should small minorities be catered for when the law of this land says alcohol can be purchased by any person over the age of eighteen?
If a person chooses to follow a faith wholly alien this country a relatively short time ago and then asserts to impose their minority view on the rest of us then we have a severe case of tail wagging dog.

What next? Tills devoted to Pork Scratchings only ? The whole scenario is a complete and utter nonsense and further proof that we are going nuts as a nation.

Nice to see you doing you bit for race relations and general harmony percy!

Have you considered a job in the diplomatic corps?...or perhaps a job with the UN?

Karia

[Serenity]

Yes I would.Find other rolls in the store for them.

White or brown?


(sorry couldn't help myself)

[percy toboggan]

White or brown?


(sorry couldn't help myself)

Neither can I. I prefer the brown ones with bits in.
(Not a bad gad gag though, actually - nice nickname too)

[Angela]

White or brown?


(sorry couldn't help myself)

LOL Serenity!

I was very surprised recently to hear of the gentleman in his 70s who was not allowed to buy 2 bottles of wine in a supermarket, because he would not confirm that he was over 21!
The checkout assistant had apparently insisted on this and he had refused, since he was plainly a good 50 years over the legal age for buying alcoholic beverages. The manager was called, the man wouldn't comply and say "I am over 21", upon which the manager returned the offending bottles to the shelf....so the customer left all his shopping...and walked out of the shop.
I don't blame him!
Another case of common sense flying out of the window ....?

[lady penelope]

The store I work in allows under 18's to sell alcohol. They just ask for 'authorisation' or 'permission', usually the nearest over 18 staff member.
As for holding up a queue - take as long as you like. The people behind have probably 'faffed' and held up queues themselves!
If I'm holding up other people behind me I just smile sweetly. It always works for me.
Never apologise - then it means it's your fault

[scorrie]

I thought this might get yer attention - as it has to be a contender for the peoples popular choice thread - shoppin' and supermarkets.

I hate it when I cause a queue. You know, when the debit card thing won't work or when something isn't right and you just have to query it. I don't like holding people up beyond a few seconds. Are you the same?

How would you feel if you were in Sainsbury's then , with a four pack of Ale in your trolley, or a bottle of wine. As soon as it hits the little conveyer belt the checkout operator holds up her hands in horror because to serve you would offend her religious sensibilities. She is a muslim you see.

Apparently Sainsbury's deploy in 'another member of staff' to complete the transaction. How very understanding. I doubt this less selective employee is lurking nearby on the off chance and it must take a minute or three for them to show up. Thus causing delays and possibly disaproving glances at my four cans of bitter.

I have to ask why the operator applied for the job in the first place, and whether you have a view on this.

I also have to add that I'm happy to shop elsewhere.

I think it is a load of nonsense. After all, there is a layer of tin or glass between the operators hands and the "evil brew".

As said already, where would you draw the line? eg "I refuse to sell you those faggots Sir, because it would offend me, as a card carrying anti-homosexual"

I recall a good few years ago when one of the stores in the County refused to stock Smokey Bacon crisps because they were Muslim. That was their choice of course, but the funny thing was that they stocked Gammon flavour crisps for years, totally unaware of what Gammon was!!

Incidentally, I think that the law on cigarettes has just changed and you need to be 18 to buy them now. That should put checkout operators under the age of 18 in the same position as it is for alcohol. I remember that Somerfield's young operators used to have to hold the firewater aloft and roar the magic code 66 in order to gain the temporary superpower of being able to scan the "electric soup" without penalty. I jokingly suggested to one lassie that the number should be changed to 666 but I don't think she got what I was on about. Perhaps for fags, a button that resulted in the playing of the song "Puff The Magic Dragon" would suffice to alert supervisors that the Melvyn Braggs were on the conveyor belt.

[horseman]

I had an example of this in my local safeway strore-only my 'no no way' was a ready cooked chicken-well wrapped an still hot-passed it last of all along conveyor at checkout, an the operator started having the vapours big time-she was a vegetarian an so had big time troubles handling this purchase of mine. My youngest daughter-with me at the time knew the girl personally an tried reasoning with her- we got there eventually but it left a big question mark- was the till operator fit for purpose or immensly strong in her principles an there no fit for purpose. I sympathised with her-but I wanted to buy what the store had on sale,an she was giving me aggro!

[Dadie]

did the sausages and bacon go through ok??

[scorrie]

I had an example of this in my local safeway strore-only my 'no no way' was a ready cooked chicken-well wrapped an still hot-passed it last of all along conveyor at checkout, an the operator started having the vapours big time-she was a vegetarian an so had big time troubles handling this purchase of mine. My youngest daughter-with me at the time knew the girl personally an tried reasoning with her- we got there eventually but it left a big question mark- was the till operator fit for purpose or immensly strong in her principles an there no fit for purpose. I sympathised with her-but I wanted to buy what the store had on sale,an she was giving me aggro!

I don't mind Vegetarians but I think some of them take it a bit far in advertising their status. I remember a guy in an Orkney pub who ordered a plate of Macaroni Cheese. Fair do's. After it arrived he legged it up to the Bar with the plate and demanded, rather loudly, to know whether there was any meat in the dish!!

"Oh sorry Sir, forgot to take that 10 OZ Sirloin out from under that strand of Macaroni". Honestly, it's a wonder that he wasn't crying "Murderer" at me as I tucked into a Lasagne that was non-Linda McCartney in origin, ie edible.

[Murchiemannie]

Happenened to me in Asda Aberdeen. Had a full trolley which went through no probs. then I decided to "top up" my mobile card along with the shopping.........and the till started to have a heebie jeebie and went into meltdown...it was going crazy and the queue was getting bigger and bigger.To cut a long story short we had to unpack everything from the bags put it back into the trolley and go down the escalator to the ground floor escorted by an assistant to have the whole lot minus my top-up put through all over again......sooooooo embarrassing!!!!

[Julia]

If you avoided the till being manned by a muslim member of staff would you then be viewed as racist all because you are looking to get your shopping plus tinnies out of the shop in one smooth transaction.

A member of staff who can't perform a basic task should not be in the job, it's like me taking a job as doctor but refusing to handle blood.

At the self-serve the other week in Tesco I bought myself a nice bottle of wine, the till thingy bleated for assistance and then asked for my date of birth to be keyed in.... not only am I obviously over 18 but now they know my age!!

[TBH]

I thought this might get yer attention - as it has to be a contender for the peoples popular choice thread - shoppin' and supermarkets.

I hate it when I cause a queue. You know, when the debit card thing won't work or when something isn't right and you just have to query it. I don't like holding people up beyond a few seconds. Are you the same?

How would you feel if you were in Sainsbury's then , with a four pack of Ale in your trolley, or a bottle of wine. As soon as it hits the little conveyer belt the checkout operator holds up her hands in horror because to serve you would offend her religious sensibilities. She is a muslim you see.

Apparently Sainsbury's deploy in 'another member of staff' to complete the transaction. How very understanding. I doubt this less selective employee is lurking nearby on the off chance and it must take a minute or three for them to show up. Thus causing delays and possibly disaproving glances at my four cans of bitter.

I have to ask why the operator applied for the job in the first place, and whether you have a view on this.

I also have to add that I'm happy to shop elsewhere.

That is just so ridiculous, why employ someone who wont serve you alchohol or pork in a supermarket or any other grocery store, she is obviously unsuitable for the job so shouldn't have been hired.