Ya this is a common experience for me--but we don't' have baggers, so they call back to the department and we wait for someone to answer often communication is hard so the person schelps all the way to the front then goes back looks and either brings the wrong size or calls and say no we don't --which is why it's not on the shelf!! There's only a skeleton crew all busy so the option is to WAIT and watch the people behind you WAIT and WAIT and WAIT so I never say more than Yes or no but there's always next week. But I am glad you got your stain fighter. I hope your apology to the people waiting behind you was enough to wipe out the truth they just missed their next appointment while they waited.

"I hope your apology to the people waiting behind you was enough to wipe out the truth they just missed their next appointment while they waited."

One should not plan a trip to the grocery store that requires more than the self check feature if you have a pending appointment. And I don't feel an apology is necessary if you are being waited on efficiently by the checker. Typically they ask that question early enough in the checking process so it seldom delays any check out, not wait until the very end of the process to hold things up.

Arcy, I’m in Florida where there are mostly retirees. There are more than enough check out lines. Honestly, the five minutes it took did not bother the one person behind me.

In my experience most people are kind.

Not sure where you live, where the people seem so hostile?

Gardengal, yes exactly.

I work at a cash register and honestly never ask that question. Where I work, if there isn't anything on the shelf: we sold out. We do what is called a "pick list" every single day. If we sold something that our computer knows we have stock of in the backroom, we go pick it and put it on the shelf. Empty shelf means there's no more in the backroom. When I'm on the salesfloor and see someone appear to be looking for something, I'll ask them if they need help finding something and walk them to the product.

And if you're at the cash register and the cashier can get someone to find something for you, why not pay for the items you have and stand aside to let the people behind you pay for their things while waiting for the item you're looking for? The cashier should have automatically done that. @arcy_gw I think you may need another coffee or tea or maybe just some food in general. I do hope you have a better day.

Deb, that is what she did. Once we knew it was on the shelf, and the second bagger was going to go get it, i paid for it and stepped aside.

Eileen, that is hilarious.

I get help at Trader Joe's all the time - that is their policy.

At Ralphs or Stater Brothers, I will tell the checker if they appear to be out of something (they rarely are), and at SB, the response is to blame the supply chain, and yet I can go to Gelson's and find that item in stock. Sometimes what I want (such as Diet Shasta Grapefruit Soda) has been discontinued, which is the biggest disappointment of all. Then I have to buy grapefruit and make my own diet soda. I make my own diet tonic water because the tonic water I find either has high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) or the diet version will have saccharine, which tastes horrible.

People should be doing their shopping after their appointments instead of before. I find people who cut their schedules too tight to be extremely annoying - much more annoying that having to wait behind someone is getting help finding something. Patience is a virtue, but is not one that my sister Karen possesses.

they just missed their next appointment while they waited.

That was their choice. If it was an important appointment, they could have left their groceries and gone to the appointment. I'm sure the store understands that this happens from time to time even if they do have to put stuff back.

Publix is known for having excellent customer service, so is Trader Joe's.

If I really, really want/need something and can't find it on the shelf, I'll ask a staff member nearby, not wait until I'm in the checkout line. When the cashier asks, I will tell them what I missed, but it's almost always something they're out of for sure, and I don't ask them to check. Both Publix and TJ's employees are very helpful and will always check on items for customers.

I don't go to any one store so frequently that I've memorized where each item is located. I seem to often go to stores I haven't been in before. If I can't find something, I don't wait until I'm at the check stand, I like to find someone to help me while I'm shopping.

Out of consideration to others, I try get through the check stand quickly and without needless delay. I don't have any off-topic talk with the cashier. My credit card is in my hand, not in my wallet, and I'm ready to go.

FWIW, TJ's rearranges their stuff pretty regularly, so it can be confusing sometimes.

<"Tip: If you're in a hurry at the grocery store, get behind a man at the check stand. They never have coupons and usually pay with cash."

They also don't tend to chit chat about random unrelated matters with the cashier>

This does not describe me at all. I frequently use coupons, but they are scanned just as quickly as the food items. If you are in a hurry, buy 15 items or fewer and get in the express lane, or just go to the self-service line and skip buying booze.

The last time I was at TJ's, I just happened to mention to the checker that I preferred to buy a larger pot of basil but didn't see it, and so she had someone bring it to the check-out. The smaller plants were on a shelf, and the larger pots were on the floor, which is not where I generally look. I had thought that they just didn't have it that day.

I will sometimes make random comments with the cashier, if I am asked how I am doing. I take that question seriously, and when asked that at that particular TJ's, I told her that at least no one had tried to run over me in the parking lot that day [unlike the day before in Rancho Mirage]. That was the extent of my random chat.

We get a lot of bad drivers in the Valley in the peak winter months - especially February - and the woman who had almost run over me had an Iowa license plate, and she did not drive like most of the year round residents. I guess it is okay to hit pedestrians if they are in a parking lot in Iowa. If I had not glanced behind me while walking in the parking lot, I could easily have gotten hit, as she was driving way too fast. The population in Coachella Valley almost doubles in the winter months, and this is one reason I don't mind the heat there in the summer.

Lars, don't take a question asking how your are too seriously. Everyone is so greeted because not doing so is often seen as rude and unwelcoming. You can expect that the question and the smile that accompanies it are usually quite perfunctory. When asked, I return the gesture with the a smile and a polite response, both perfunctory from me too.

FWIW, I was prepared to leave the store without my Oxiclean, planning to add it to an online order at Walmart, possibly.

But, I answered and was presently surprised to actually BE helped.

This thread was meant to be a ” feel good” pass along.

A few stores around here do it. I always answer yes. If I answer no I know it would be a delay for me and the other people waiting in line behind me. Not everyone is retired like me and has all the time in the world to stand in check out lines. I still remember how limited my time was when I worked full time and had a full time family.

If I can't find something I don't wait until I check out, I ask at the service desk before checking out. That way nobody is inconvenienced. If it isn't on the shelf, they don't have it. If I can't find something it usually because I don't know what area of the store it would be in to begin with.

Along the same line, I was at Giant recently and my order was pretty big. I bought a lot of sale items . I waited for the ” enter your phone number” screen to pop up but it never did. I asked when I could enter it. The checker said I asked you if you have a Giant card. Between her mask and her mumbling, i never heard her. Rather than hold up the line, I went to customer service and they gave me $8 in cash, which is what I would have saved.

I hate self checkout. I only go in that line if I have a couple items with clear bar codes.

Even if i didnt find what i was looking for i always answer yes because i just want to keep moving.

Ded, up north, my Stop and Shop has the wand. I scan and bag all my items as I shop. All i have left to do is pay at the cash register.

Actually having a cashier seems antiquated to me.

At my Publix, the lot looks filled on any particular day, yet there is always just one person ahead of me and maybe one behind me.

That is a standard situation where I live.

As for the comment about holding up the line, yikes if you are on that kind of schedule running your errands, you are the one with the problem, not the shoppers or the store.

They do ask, If I've found everything. Eld I'm glad you had a good experience. I had a run around on my last shopping trip.

They stick red 50% off tags on random products. They were trying to get rid of ice cream, unpopular in the winter months.

I told the cashier he'd missed taking off the 50% on my ice cream....so he entered the item AGAIN and took off the 50%. 😕 My ice cream should have cost $2.75, I paid...$9! I took the problem to the customer service counter, she couldn't follow any of it....and refunded me $10! 😁

Score!

Arcy, I think you owe someone an apology for your comment. Have you ever shopped at a Publix? If not you should know that any wait in line for this service is quick and doesnt hold up any more than a normal, random price check would, which has happened to any of us at some time in our lives. Get a grip!

Eld, I’m happy you found what you needed. I love Publix and any store that offers to look for something you didnt/couldn’t find. They ask me all the time. If I answer yes, they often refer me to customer service to let them know so they can ensure it is on order or check for when an order will arrive.

FWIW, I try to make a point of saying something pleasant to the person ringing me up or helping me in a store. I believe in letting people know they're appreciated, and I like to spread some positivity. IMPE, it costs nothing, not even any extra time.

And also IMPE, you often get better service as well.

If you miss an appointment because of a slight delay at the checkout in the grocery you didn't manage your own time very well. There are delays at checkouts or longer lines. If you time it too narrowly you will be late for appointments. Not the other customer's fault or the cashier's.

I like a little chat at the checkout.....but nothing that slows down the progress. It is customary here to wish someone a nice day and we say thank you. Nicities.

I'm glad you were able to get the product that you wanted/needed. I always tell people what I couldn't find. I don't expect them to drop everything to find it but I do hope that they might pass on that information to someone who can research it for the next person.

Where I shop there is only one line for full service checkout. It's something that in the past they institute at CHristmas and did so for covid.They do it at Christmas to prevent the line going down the product aisles and clogging them. Everyone stands in one line and there is a digital sign that is also voice-activated that tells you which cashier is free. It prevents me from always being in the slowest line. They still have it up and I love it.

Blfenton, they do that at my local Marshalls.

"They stick red 50% off tags on random products. They were trying to get rid of ice cream, unpopular in the winter months.

"I told the cashier he'd missed taking off the 50% on my ice cream....so he entered the item AGAIN and took off the 50%. 😕 My ice cream should have cost $2.75, I paid...$9! I took the problem to the customer service counter, she couldn't follow any of it....and refunded me $10! 😁"

Was every carton of ice cream on sale for 50% off, or just random cartons?

So... the regular price of the ice cream is $5.50 (half of which is $2.75). The cashier scanned in a total of $11 for the twice-scanned carton of ice cream, and deducted $2.75, which left a balance of $8.25 charged to you, when you should have only been charged $2.75. You complained to Customer Service in such a way as to confuse the woman so she refunded you $10 -- when you should have been refunded $5.50 (for the second scan of the one carton of ice cream). You did not point out this error to Customer Service. You pocketed the money and bragged about it here. Okaaay.

Recently, even Trader Joe's has been hit by supply chain problems. One day there was no low sodium tomato soup. When asked if I found everything, I mentioned it to the cashier, and he said that they do still carry it, but it just doesn't come in regularly. I was afraid it had been discontinued, as happens at TJ's, (Remember the 1000 layer crackers?) Next visit, there was a good supply of my soup and I bought 4 boxes to keep in the pantry.

Tj's always asks if I found everything I needed. My answer (which is always true at TJ's, "I found even MORE than what I needed!" I'll exchange a pleasantry, but really hate chit chat like, "What are you up to today?" I try to say something nice back like, "I intend to enjoy the sunshine!" or some other innocuous thing, but I'd really prefer to not chit chat.

I always ask at Trader Joe's, too, because they regularly discontinue items and there's no point in me continuing to look for it if it's never going to be back in stock.

You did not point out this error to Customer Service.

We do not know at this time if the $10 was an error or if the amount was somehow part of a store policy.

Years ago there was a store in the town I was living in at the time which had a policy: If one was charged for an item in error and that was reflected in the register receipt, one could go to the customer service desk and they would refund the paid price of the item and let you have it for free. I imagine different stores may have varying policies on how to manage overcharges.

**note to self: when you go to work tomorrow, remember not to ask customer how they are. They don't like it. But also note: that when we get the customer surveys back, same customer will complain we did not ask how they were. We are to be nice and polite to said customers, but we are not allowed to talk to them. I'm not sure how this will work, but I will try my hardest to smile (wait! I'll be wearing my mask to protect you so I hope you can see it in my eyes), but yet, I won't make eye contact as the customer might think I want to talk to them. Little do they realize, I get paid to talk to them. I honestly do not want to but it's in my job description. I'm really confused with what customers want in customer service these days. If we are nice and say "Hi! Hows your day going?" we are either going to get a grunt. (seriously, I cannot tell you how many people grunt) or they'll tell me how their day is going. Which I don't care. All you have to say is, "good!" One word. Good. Even if it isn't. And I'll reply: "I'm glad! Are you paying cash or card?" Then I'll end it with, "Enjoy the rest of your day". If that's okay with everyone. Because now I'm really confused.

@Lindsey_CA, I think your maths is wrong. The icecream was charged twice = $11, and discounted once. $11 - $2.75 = $8.25, which is what eld was owed back.

You didn’t need to be quite so pithy in your reply, IMO.

I always answer "yes", even if I didn't find everything I originally intended. I adjust my menu plans on the fly for what's in stock -- never a big deal. But it's nice to hear that sometimes the question works :-)

@colleenoz - First, eld is not owed anything, as she is not the person who purchased the ice cream.

Second, as you said, the ice cream was charged twice ($5.50 per carton, times two, equals $11). The 50% off discount ($2.75) was applied once, leaving a balance (that was charged) of $8.25. But the person who posted about this (not eld) still was supposed to pay $2.75 for the one carton of ice cream that was purchased. That leaves a to-be-refunded balance of $5.50 -- the amount that was charged that should not have been.

I self-scan at my most frequent store but if I encountered a cashier who asked if I found everything , I'd tell her there has been zero fancy feast canned cat food for four months now, and now there's a shortage of bagged cat and dog food.

If I cannot find something at TJ's I always ask before they start checking me out. Sometimes they know if something popular has been discontinued and will tell me, or if it's just out of stock they often know that, too. Something that should be on the shelf is often in the back waiting to be stocked so they will either ring the bell to have someone at CS check the computer, or send another worker back to find out. It's very efficient and no one ends up waiting very much.

Deb, I appreciate that you ask a friendly question that can be answered without much thought. I like friendly workers and can appreciate the exchange of pleasantries; I just don't want to chit chat, which is different in my mind. Keep doing what you're doing. The grunters are gonna grunt, lol!

There was one worker at TJ's for a while who would ask these random, off the wall questions, totally out of context, like "What was the best movie you ever saw?" or something like that, instead of "How's your day going?" I liked that, too, because it made me laugh, it was so unexpected. More often than not, I'd reply by just asking him his favorite, so I didn't have to really think too hard. It kind of made my day because it was just such a funny thing to do. I could imagine him on his way to work thinking up his question or two for the day.

Obviously, I'm on a different continent so I'm unfamiliar with any of the stores mentioned on this thread. I will say that, if I can't find something, I ask one of the shelf stockers, not the cashiers. There are always people stocking shelves or filling up the orders for pick-up, and they all know where things are. They also have a handle on supply-chain issues.

I don't generally use the cashiers at all (I prefer the self-serve checkouts) but I have always found the cashiers I have encountered perfectly capable of managing an exchange of pleasantries while continuing to scan the products and pack the bags.

My husband shops at Publix, and always thanks the cashier and bagger, then calls them by their name, which is displayed on their name tag. They probably don't hear that very often.

Deb_Ab ;) keep being pleasant at work. It doesn't take much for a customer to say "fine" and in return say back " how are you". It's common courtesy. Let the grumpy be grumpy. They are the ones with a problem. The ones that tell their story made me laugh. My MIL lived with us for a few years. When any of our friends came over I would warn them not to say " how are you". Say "hello", nice day,etc, but definitely not "how are you". If asked she would go into a long winded list of all her aliments.

lily316, what do you expect the cashier do about the MIA cat food. I'm sure after 4 months she already knows they are out of cat food.

Right? I have a problem with people who act like workers in stores are basically invisible, non-human servants.

"then calls them by their name, which is displayed on their name tag. They probably don't hear that very often."

It was a long time ago but I had a part time cashier/stock clerk job with a large regional grocery chain when I was in school. We all had name tags. I'm an outgoing, confident person but I found it creepy when male customers I didn't recognize or recall knowing just came out and called me by my first name. I don't know if women in that situation would feel the same way or not.

@Lindsey_CA...Only random cartons of ice cream were discounted. They put a red tag over the bar code that has a 50% on it.

My store card gave me a discount. You won't be able to do the math....I didn't give enough information. The fact is....I paid $9.....it should have cost $2.75....at THAT point a normal person could figure out how much my refund should have been. $6.25. (They have a store policy that if something is rung up wrong...they give you a FULL refund. I wasn't asking for a FULL refund, just my $6.25. But.....I was given an extra $1 over what I paid)

Note: I went to customer service and showed the woman my receipt. Said I was over charged $6.25. She gave me three one dollar bills. I said no...that's not correct. She then gave me another three bills. I stuck the wad of bills in my jogging pouch. I said thank you and left. Later found a $5 bill in the middle of the ones....

I thought it was frustrating...because my ice cream was going to melt. 😊

You complained to Customer Service in such a way as to confuse the woman so she refunded you $10

Goodness, what an astounding accusation.

Nicole, you wily one ;-)

We wear jackets over our uniform tops. I wear my name tag on my top but zip up my jacket so nobody can see my name tag. It creeps me out when customers call me by name.

Sorry @Lindsey_CA, I stand corrected. It was Nicole, not Eld. And it’s a bit convoluted but thinking it through again, she should just have been refunded the cost of one full price icecream. I’m not surprised the customer service person was confused :-)

I was being facetious when I said I'd ask where the fancy feast was. I self scan at that mega store but have a cashier at Aldi and I always thank them and say have a good day.

I usually say hihowareyabeenalongday,Ibet.

If it’s really busy, I pull out an old beat up frayed map of the city on the other side of the state and ask them if they can tell my how to get to Myrtle St. from ….

I know someone (retired) who works part time as grocery store cashier. She is very fast, organized, experienced. She’s a smart bagger as well. She’ll chat howdy etc. to some of the customers. She’s got ”followers” that wait to get in her queue. She commented on one fellow’s hot sub smelling great and he went back to the deli (after he’d gone through the line) and bought her one to pick up when her shift ended. She shared it with me. Yum!

She’s had a customer hand her a bunch of bills and ask if she’d give it to her next customer.

When asked at the checkout if I found everything, I always say yes, even if I did not. Its an automatic thing. Just like when they ask how my day is going I say good even if it is most definitely not.

I have noticed when shopping at Publix in particular that workers there will often ask me if I need help finding anything in particular. This happens a lot. If Publix were not known for its friendly and helpful staff I might think that I look lost and confused all the time! But I always appreciate a nice gesture and helpfulness. Sometimes it comes in handy. Like when I was at the meat counter looking for some shaved ribeye I use to make SO his cheesesteak sandwiches. They did not have it for a while but every time I went I would look. Well, the nice woman behind the counter asked me if there was something I was looking for. When I told her what I wanted, she informed me that they did not carry it anymore, but a different location did. This was helpful to know because they other location was on my way to work and I could stop there and now I know where to get it. I probably would never outright ask for something like that.

I prefer self checkout most of the time but will go through a normal checkout line occasionally. I will never start a full on conversation with a cashier but will engage in one if they instigate it, which happens to me often too, both at stores and restaurants I frequent where they know me by my first name. It takes no effort or money to be kind and friendly, and no one has ever tried to hold me up to extend a conversation, thus inconveniencing the next customer. Some people try to make the best of their day, and that may include light and friendly conversation with people.