SPECTRUM 2007-2008

“Oh, come on. Can you go any slower?”? The impatient customer paced back and forth. “I am old, am slower, and I can’t see well. What more do you want me to do?”? The old lady in line in front of the impatient customer started to defend herself. For me, I just tried to mind my own business and do my job. “Can you please just give this ma’am one minute, please?”? I had to ask the lady in back of her. “Fine,”? the woman replied. I started at Super One about a year and a half ago. When first starting, I didn’t know how to handle all the weird customers, but as time went by, it got easier. When I worked as a cashier, I had many unforgettable experiences with shoppers. Shoppers at Super One can be classified into three groups: Sardines-In-A-Can shoppers, Ramen-Noodles-12-For-$1 shoppers, and Red Bull shoppers.

Sardines-In-A-Can shoppers take a lifetime at the checkout and don’t think of others. They seem to think if they forget an item, it would be faster for them to go get it. For example, one day I worked on the register. I had just opened, and an old man came through, asking, “Oh, you are just waiting for me?”? I laughed and said, “Yes, I am.”? He started to unload his cart but then stopped and walked away. When I looked up to try to see if he was coming back, he wasn’t. I waited for a bit because nobody was in line. “Where is the bread?”? someone asked me, and as I looked up, the old man waited for my answer. “Can I go get the bread for you?”? The man had forgotten to get bread and had trouble looking for it. I went and grabbed some for him to hurry everything along before another customer came. In addition, Sardines take their time writing checks. For example, one day I got ready to close my till, and a little lady wearing a ruby red hat and a scarf asked if I was still open. I had started closing early, so I said, “Yeah, I can help you.”? The lady started to put up one item at a time and was really talkative. “Oh darling, you look just like my daughter,”? she stated. She was making conversation, and all I wanted to do was get out of work. After I got done with her groceries, she finally started to write out her check. “What’s the date, dear?”? I was getting very impatient, and I wanted to leave. Finally, after about ten minutes, I got to finish closing and leave. A Sardine-In-A-Can shopper makes me consider a job change.

Ramen-Noodles-12-For-$1 shoppers have to save money. They think that coupons work on all there groceries. For instance, one Saturday afternoon the store was busy as usual. A lady had a huge cart load of groceries; I thought, “Great. This is going to be fun.”? Then she gave me about two inches of stacked coupons. After I rang up her groceries, I took the coupons and started to scan them. “Beep, Beep!”? the register went off because the coupon wouldn’t work. “This coupon won’t work, ma’am.”? I said. This lady flipped–I mean really flipped. She started to scream and swear at me. “What the h*** is wrong with you? Don’t you know how to ring up a coupon?”? I told her she could talk to a manager, which shut her up. When she acted all nice and kind, I was in shock. Raman-Noodles-12-for-$1 shoppers can also annoy me. For example, with store coupons, the customers think we always have the coupons on us at our registers. “Hey, do you have a coupon for the pop?”? a customer would ask at the end of his transaction. “Hold on one moment,”? I had to say one Sunday morning. The new ad arrives on Sundays, and as cashiers, we have to grab a new ad for the register. I didn’t grab one, and of course that customer needed a coupon. I had to run over to the service desk to grab one. When I got to the service desk, another customer needed help, and I sat there listening to her. When I finally got back, the first customer was all snobby. “Where did you go?”? he asked. “I had to get an ad; you should have one when you come to the register,”? I snapped back. He just looked at me and then left. I just can’t stand people who want me to have things for them when they should responsible for the coupons. Ramen-Noodles-12-For-$1 shoppers make me want to pull my hair out of my head.

Red Bull shoppers want to get in and out as quickly as they can. They like to run through the store and knock over displays or even people. For example, one day I stocked shelves, and a lady ran right past me. When I looked up, packets of taco mix flew though the air. The lady had knocked down a display and just continued to run. Also, Red Bull shoppers like to run and find the shortest line at the check-outs. For instance, during Christmas time I worked on Register Five, and a lady ran around the store. When I looked at her, I realized she probably was nuts. She ran to each register to find the shortest one; she was getting into people’s ways just to find one. She finally picked my register, but when she got to the front, the person in front of her didn’t know how to use her credit card. The lady’s jaw dropped. I just continued and tried not to laugh. A Red Bull shopper always wants to get in and out of the store fast.

At a grocery store, there are many different shoppers who can make a job fun. Sardines-In-A-Can are slow and can’t help it. They like to scream when people complain about them. Ramen-Noodle-12-For-$1 need to save money all the time. Coupons are always free to them, or so they think. Red Bull shoppers have to be speedy quick through the store. It is like watching a race with obstacles. No matter what, there is always going to be some crazy shopper who makes my head spin.