Stray carts in the parking lots can be dangerous, putting them in the stalls helps make things a little safer.

My BIL started working for a chain of local grocery stores when he was 16. He was a good worker, worked his way up to manager of a big store. He will retire at the age of 55 (2 years) well over being a millionaire. This store is employee owned. His hard work and dedication has paid off.

Moonie, your dear grandson needs to understand that any business needs to operate efficiently in order to be profitable.

If he works hard and stays focused, he will stand out as a 'keeper', believe me!

I have a nephew who turned his high school grocery store job into being a regional director of a multi billion dollar international (food) conglomerate. I kid you not! His success is due to his stellar work ethic and great attitude.

And then there is the "self" check out. Don't use it!

I see moonie's post as being 'in jest'. No need to get sanctimonious. Glad to know her grandson HAS a summer job.

It's up to your grandson to keep working with his own attitude and work ethic. Maybe some advice from grandma would be welcome.

One thing I advised my kids when they started working is that if your shift starts at 9:00, don't show up at 9:00, show up at quarter to 9. That's when you take off your coat, wash your hands, make sure you're presentable,etc and then be on the floor or at your work station AT 9:00.

When the self check outs were first installed in my grocery store so few people used them and long line-ups were forming at the regular check-ups that they converted a couple of them back to regular check-outs. I don't think that it was the aversion to self check-outs that was the problem but rather the fact that the shoppers wanted to say hi to the check-out staff. The check-out staff are all long-time employees and really friendly and greet you like you're special.

Tell your grandson to make all the shoppers feel special with a good morning and a smile - even in the parking lot as he's leaving or arriving.

Um, that was from a 15 year old who is not yet as worldly as others. lol

'Tell your grandson to make all the shoppers feel special with a good morning and a smile - even in the parking lot as he's leaving or arriving.'

Just don't ask them (for the millionth time in their day) 'did you find everything you need?' lol

Moonie, tell your grandson to stay in school! I know your heart is in the right place, but I will keep placing the cart in the kiosk.

Please DO ask if they've found everything. In Home Depot about a month ago and just yesterday at my grocery store I got asked that after not finding what I was looking for and deciding that the first place was out of stock and that the grocery store didn't carry the product. Turns out I was wrong on both counts and left the stores with what I needed. I thanked both employees for asking!

I have been filled to the brim with that ridiculous and monotonous question. I am in checkout. Done shopping. I know how to go to Customer Service if I need to!

Actually, any time I have said that as a matter of fact I didn't find something, they just looked at me, like they didn't know what to do from there, lol. Except the time the checker stopped the whole line for at least 5 minutes trying to have the item located. Last time!

They hate it too. So, please, put everyone out of their misery and stop requiring it, lol. Enough is enough.

I think it's nice when I'm asked at checkout if I found everything, however, it's useless for me. I will say yes 90% of the time because I'm standing in checkout, people are waiting behind me, and frankly, I'm ready to leave.

I don't want to wait, hold up the line, or get back in line even if they could find something that I couldn't.. If I wanted or needed it that bad, I would have sought help before I got in line to check out.

I typically use the "did you find everything you need" question time for complaining. If I didn't find it, asked and they didn't find it, then I'll say no, no, I didn't find what I needed. Otherwise, it's pretty useless to ask. It's nice, but useless.

The problem is not asking such a question, really, but that every customer service person in the country has been required to ask this question. So, around here anyway, we get hit with that and other interruptions to our shopping continuously when running errands. Sometimes you are even stopped in the aisle while minding your own business looking at items - are you finding everything you need! I stopped in to browse a recent grand opening and must have been hit by 9 different associates in the first 10 minutes whether I wanted a cart or basket. Nope, I would have grabbed one.

Too much of a good idea, I guess. I did read that another reason they ask is to see what additional products people are interested in.

In a retail setting, "Did you find everything" is a throw away cordiality, just like "Hi, how are you?" It's not that saying it is being friendly, or that the worker cares at all (they really don't), it's that a failure to say something like that would be taken to be rude.

If you want more employees working in grocery stores, stop shopping for items based only on which store has the lowest prices. Labor levels get skinnied down, wages get frozen, shelves get bare, when stores have to watch costs like hawks to maintain price levels. Not every store or chain takes this approach. If you don't like what you find, let the managers at those stores know you are willing to pay more for better quality and better service and then practice those words.

snookums - your last sentence actually makes sense. Especially with so many allergies and health concerns these days. They may be relying on their customers to fill them in on new items of which they are unaware.

While I agree and find "Did you find everything?" as more of a polite greeting, Elmer's comment that the worker really doesn't care is off the mark, in my opinion. Many people enjoy their jobs and interactions with people. "Did you find everything?" is in response to their training, I believe.

I actually like to chat with the checkers ;-)

I guess I miss the old days where things were more natural and genuine than constantly getting hit with and interrupted by what is obviously companies' aggressive sales & marketing initiatives.

I can only relate my own experiences. I worked for 5 years part time as a stock clerk (overnight chain gang work) and checker for a large So Cal chain while in HS and college. I'm an outgoing people person and I always enjoyed customer interaction. However, on an 8 hour check-stand shift, when expected to process (don't remember the exact number) but something like 20 or more customers an hour, I saw hundreds of people daily. Many of them regulars, some not, but most of them just wanting to pay and leave. Honestly, I was not alone in being friendly and cordial but distant. My smile is always genuine, I enjoy meeting new people, but it stopped with that. It was what the situation called for.

Elmer - are we to take that as you didn't care if your customers found what they needed or not? ;)

No, not at all. If I was on the floor, I'd take them to look. If in the checkstand and it was a simple request, I would send the bagger to get it. But whether they said "I'm having a great day" or "My back hurts", there was little I could do about it and I came to realize that too many people want to just complain if someone is listening. That gets tiresome. Really tiresome.

I was in tourism in my younger years and adored seeing to the needs of others. Somewhere along the line I began to hate travel, would rather never fly again, and just prefer a quiet country life away from hustle and bustle. The changes in this world has turned me off to people for the most part. Fussing and complaining doesn't bother me but hatefulness does. Animals are much better company and I consider my animals as best friends, with only a few humans listed after them. Still, I have a desire when I see someone in need, whether because they don't know what aisle peanuts are on or need help backing out of a parking space. I care more than I realize.

My first job when I turned 16 was in a supermarket and I worked 25 hours a week all through college and grad school. We had conveyor belts in the stock room then too - and that was in the 1960's. I always put my cart in the cart check and I'd hate to try and navigate a parking lot where everyone just left their carts where they parked.

Well, I guess any bubbling up chuckle would only come if it was your own kid. I don't even know if my GS was serious when he told me not to put my cart away. I thought he was kidding around. Anyway, I would not suggest to anyone that they leave their carts to roam the parking lot, nor would I suggest having employees running around doing my bidding. Geez, some of you are tough cookies! Sometimes it's really hard to share a giggle here.

I understand what you are saying moonie, especially with your recent clarification. It would be the same as my husband telling people to "by all means, download apps from unknown sources" (wink, wink) or a hairdresser saying "yeah!! You should cut your own hair" (so you'll pay me to fix it)

Just a joke about job security, not anyone actually wanting things to be harder.

Yep ,moonie, you're right. I should remember that this is Kitchen Table and sometimes a giggle is needed. Your comment about carts roaming the parking lot did produce a giggle when I thought about that image.

Haven't had time to read more than the first few posts, but I've got to say I was curious to see why someone would put a cart in a restroom stall, with fruit in it. :)

Haha @ sephia and sjerin!

The small chain store in our town has very little space for parking. There is no 'cart corral'. Shoppers leave carts ahead of the front bumpers of their cars. Now that I think of it, it's amazing that there is so little damage to cars from carts. There is even little damage from car doors. The spaces *are* wider than in many parking lots. (I suppose there's some 'formula' that applies to space size/carts/corrals.)

If I want my loonie or quarter back, I put my cart back in the stall. Most places here put a coin box on the carts to ensure carts are not taken home, or left in the parking lot to roll away and hit parked cars. Even when we shop at grocery stores that don't have the coin box on them, I put the cart back in the stall. We usually park as close as we can to them, so it's easier to do that. When it comes to retail, the only thing I refuse to do is use self check outs. They take jobs away from humans. And if a store wants me to ring out my own groceries, they can pay me over $18 an hour (my wage at the store I work at).... ;)

If I see a cart abandoned in the lot and I'm near it, I'll grab that one to take into the store.

The self-checkouts are a catch-22. They're often faster......except when one person fills the cart to the brim and they're the only one unloading and scanning. Then it takes forever. In that case I don't know why on earth they don't use a cashier.

When at a Walmart I use the self checkout whenever they're open. First, they're faster. Second, I like to bag my own stuff so I can separate it the way I want and not put the 6 pack of juice on top of the bread. Third, they often have as many or more self checkouts going than cashiers. Fourth, I'm less likely to lose something at the checkout. They get a little annoyed with me when I spin that Lazy Susan around checking that they gave me everything. I sure don't mind doing the minimal work to save time and gain the benefits. My time comes before my ego. Bagging my own is no putdown to me. I am becoming convinced that they either intentionally hire slow cashiers or tell them to move slow.

There's a maximum number of items to be able to use the self checkouts at WM but I'm sure that's not enforced either. Not that many things I get at Walmart. Never buy produce there, the stuff is awful. I don't trust their fresh meat either and the deli is mediocre at best. So I go to other stores for a lot of things. There I can use a cashier and bag my own.

chisue it may be different where you live but here, the cart corrals are a store decision. However the parking lot is determined by the local authority and specified in the CUP. Although they have to adhere to ADA standards for "disabled" parking for instance, the space widths are up to the locale. This changes over time so an older store may have a different looking lot than a new place.

Every time I go to Aldi I chuckle at what most people will do for a quarter. Just a 25¢ deposit has most people bringing the carts back to the front door and lock it up. I'm not sure how big a savings that really is but company-wide, I'm sure it's very significant. And it sure wouldn't (well shouldn't!) stop cart theft. I remember back before Aldi came into the area a comedian had a routine about this. I think it was Gallagher. He said basically Look what I just bought for only a QUARTER! And showed the grocery cart. Then he took a sledge hammer (so it MUST have been Gallagher!) and bashed away at it talking about the wobbly wheels and things then smashed the lock mechanism and picked up the coin and goes AND, I got my QUARTER back!

Jasdip, at our Stop and Shops we use a wand while shopping. You get your wand when you enter with your store card. I weigh and put stickers on my fruits and veggies, scan them and put them in the bag in my cart. All items are scanned as I shop.

Check out is super fast. A bar code comes up on my wand, it is scanned, my everything is itemized with the total.

I don't like the self check out because if I have a large shop. The items pile up, I find it awkward to scan and then pack all of it at the end.

Every so often, you are requested to be audited. A worker comes over and scan a designated number of items.

Truth be told, I am sure people are putting more expensive fruits with the less expensive version of the item on the sticker. But, I guess the possible loss is still cheaper than paying an employee.

There's only one brand of store that has the deposit for the carts. They're usually 25 cents, but one is $1 (We use $1 and $2 coins). One shopper was horrified that they had to pay to use a cart, not understanding that he gets his money back, and walked away to shop elsewhere. I was too far away to explain it to him.

I read online that there is more theft associated with self-checkouts: people buying cherries, for example, but putting them in as grapes, and that kind of thing. That doesn't surprise me at all.

Years ago our W/M were the first to come out with self-checkouts then they removed them all. They were replaced with the style where everyone is in a lineup, weaving thru to a bank of cashiers. You go to the next available one.

Our supermarkets don't have self-checkout. Wal-Mart might, but I wouldn't get my groceries there - our local one is pretty skeevy. Home Depot does, but it really isn't any faster than the regular lanes. Mainly with people trying to get awkward objects to register. And HD hires staff to watch the self check lanes anyway.

Cynic, even with a cashier, I sometimes bag my own groceries. I hate cashiers simply sticking two objects into a bag and moving on to yet another bag. Or putting lettuce under canned goods.

I think our new Aldi's charges for carts, but I've only been in there twice, and neither time picked up more than I could carry.

I haven't seen wands at the Stop and Shop, but our local one is further off the beaten path for me to patronize it much.

I like self checkout when I'm only buying 1 - 5 items. When I have many items, or a cart full an experienced cashier is much faster and more efficient than I. What I've noticed is that the more self checkout registers a store has, there may be only 1 or 2 cashiers and lines for the cashiers back up into the aisles. And no one calls for more cashiers. This strikes me as a passive-aggressive way for the store to make people scan and bag their own groceries.

And where have all the baggers gone? In stores that don't have bag carousels I often find myself bagging my own groceries because it's faster than waiting for the cashier to ring everything up, then bag it, and then put the bags in my cart. I especially feel pressure do this if there is a longish line behind me - because there are not enough cashiers!

I do like it when employees on the floor ask if I am finding everything. Often I am not, and they are very helpful taking me to the shelf where the item is. In fact, it's just nice to actually SEE employees on the floor. I hate stores where I need to ask for help locating, or information on something and there is not an employee to be seen anywhere on that side of the store.

I once enjoyed shopping at Walmart. I rarely go in there now because of some of the above issues.

A lot of our supermarkets have self-check. They get used quite a bit. There is always a cashier watching. Walmart does not have self-checkout. Home Depot does not have any checker lines other than the for the pros. Just the self-serve. I've never heard of the wand. I guess they are monitoring losses pretty close with these things. It does sound a lot easier for shoplifters to do their thing.

Job growth doesn't come from trying to employ people in jobs that are no longer necessary. It's too expensive for everyone. Rather job growth comes from putting people to work in positions where they are most productive.

Here is a chart of employment in the US since 1993 when NAFTA was signed.

I am a cashier(actually, I'm a receiver but do go on cash quite often to help the front store), and I've read on this forum for the past 15 years, give or take, that everyone hates when a cashier asks, "is that everything?" when they hit the total key. Why do we ask that, you may wonder because you're standing in line. Well: we sell bus passes. We sell stamps. We sell lottery tickets. We sell electric toothbrushes and razors. We sell cell phone top up cards. We sell gift cards. We sell movies. We sell, a ton of stuff; IT'S ALL BEHIND THE COUNTER. So when we ask if that's everything, 9/10 it reminds the customer of that one item they came in for that they forgot, or they'll ask for one of the MANY items we have behind the counter. We also ask if you need a bag for your items. Just because you have a cart full of little things, doesn't mean you need to buy bags. Yes, we charge 5 cents for each bag you need. Why? Because we encourage reusable bags, or recycling of the bags you already have. And NO, we can't see inside your purse or pockets to see if you already have bags. So we don't need cocky replies to a simple question. A simple yes or no is all we need. And we don't need to hear how terrible it is to charge customers for bags. A nickle. That entire nickle gets donated to a Womens charity (cancer, emergency shelters, mental health clinics, etc.) We are the only chain in Canada who donates the nickle to charity. If our store got self checkers to get rid of a cashiers job, I would probably go find another job. When there are 4 or 6 self checkers in a grocery store with one employee watching over them, I see a 3 or 5 jobs lost. I refuse to use them. I also get paid $18.40 to ring up my customers purchases. When I go shopping and am forced to use them (Target forced customers to use them at the mall entrance at one of our malls, there were no lineups with a human cashier!), I felt like I am robbing someone of their paycheque.

snookums2, Home Depot in Canada has self checkouts.

That's what we have, one checker watches. There is a pro checkout line with a cashier. There do seem to be a lot of associates working the floors just not the registers.

Snookums, Our Home Depot does have a cashier - there is always at least one at the contractors' end of the store, and at the right hours they'll open up other lanes to customers. Plus the garden center lines have cashiers.

The Home Depots in my area do have self-checkout. I use it, I don't think there's any political or social connotation to doing so or not doing so, it's just personal preference. They're there for their convenience and the convenience of customers.

Rather than having more cashiers, I much prefer that they continue to deploy lots of employees on the floor and in the aisles. That's more useful for me, to help find something small among the gazillions of items and shelves that they have.

Yes, they do have the pro line and garden center checkers. The main store doesn't have the checkout lines anymore, it has self-serve with one checker. You can go through the pro line if you want. It's usually not busy. Lots of associates working the floor.

Lowes still has numerous cashier lines.

I was only talking about the local stores around here, not nationally.

Interesting thing I noticed about Home Depots around here is they have someone at the self-checkouts who come and want to scan/ring your stuff for you. Thought that was sort of an oxymoron.

Debby_ab, you being in retail can appreciate what I've experienced. I've had a lot of retail experience over the years. Asking if there is anything else prompts people to get moving, promotes impulse sales, reminds if you forgot something and more. Anyone who gets upset about that should not be allowed in public. I've said for a long time that people should have to do some time serving in a retail setting and dealing with the public to understand what the employees go through day in and day out with the customer is always right attitude and snob attitudes. Shame on all of them. They think they're so much better than retail employees but they ain't better than anybody. In fact, they're much below.

As far as I know all the Aldi stores use the coin system to help return carts. No, there's not a "charge" or a rental, it's simply a deposit. That's why I chuckle about what people will do for a quarter.

And many of the stores with checkouts have people watching on monitors to cut down on customer theft at the self-checkouts. People try all sorts of things, from making a motion like they are scanning and drop it in the bag without actually scanning, item substitution, even putting different bar codes over the one on the item. The scale has cut down on that, but it's still out there.

I too think the employees would be far more valuable on the floor keeping the store stocked, helping people find things, get more when they run out, answer questions and in general, serving the customers. While I understand the argument of a job is lost, streamlining a store's operation is essential for the store to be able to continue and for those people to even *have* a job. I often thought it was shameful to have just one person working a gas station/c-store at nights (or during the day for that matter) and subject them to robbery and more. I had nightmares that something would happen to one of my employees similar to what happened to Katie Poirer some years back. I'm so relieved to see that many places have changed their policy in this regard.

'Interesting thing I noticed about Home Depots around here is they have someone at the self-checkouts who come and want to scan/ring your stuff for you. Thought that was sort of an oxymoron.'

I had a guy grab my credit card right out of my hand thinking I couldn't handle it after I asked a question! Annoying as hell. They really need to back off, lol.

What does asking for fresher fruit mean?

I learned after having 2 kids in car seats at the same time, to park near the cart coral so I could load my babies and then have a short walk to return the cart. My babies aren't in car seats anymore but it's still a habit.

Fortunately, no store around me has the coin deposit. Also don't have poles prohibiting walking the cart to the car.

Hate stores with no cart kiosks, although I do go to one in particular because it's a really nice Giant (great staff, new etc.). They have one guy who works the lot, helping customers and taking the cart back. He's great when available.