What I have learned!

Well, I have been a grocery store cashier for a whole month now. I have been a grocery shopper for many, many years and have learned more in 1 month then over all of those years as a shopper.

From the other side of the register, let me give you some tips...

1. DO NOT GROCERY SHOP AT THE REGISTER. What does that mean? It means, if you know you have $60 and only $60, take a calculator to the store. Don't go to the register with what anyone can tell is $200 in groceries. You are deciding one item at a time what you do and don't want to buy and want a running total. Yes, I will take that, no, take that off. How much was that one? No, forget it. Wait, leave that and put this one away. Oh, I don't want that loaf of bread. It's squished. Don't know how that happened with my 2 cantalopes on top of it. That wastes the cashiers time and do you think ALL of those groceries walk their way back to the shelf? No, someone has to take the time to return all of that stuff. The store has to pay that person and you in turn pay the store to pay that person.

2. DO NOT STOWE THE THINGS YOU DON'T WANT IN THE MAGAZINE RACK AT THE REGISTER. Yes, I did say to not shop in line but better to shop then to abandon that yogurt container that is found after who knows how long. Guess what, in the case of a perishable, we have to throw that out. That again means, food is wasted and guess who pays for that. Yep, you.

3. PAPER OR PLASTIC? Seriously, if you want to be green, there is only one way to do it. Invest in canvas bags that can be used over and over. Plastic bags last thousands of years. Paper bags use paper which comes from trees and the process of making the paper and then the bags, release by products into the environment which also lasts thousands of years. From the cashier stand point, plastic is WAY easier. Since the environment suffers either way, pick the plastic. Your cashier and bagger will secretly thank you. Then go out and buy those canvas bags. Yes, canvas is harder to bag like the paper, but at least when we are doing it, we know it really is for a good cause. Check around the house. Bet you can find at least 3 canvas bags counting those free ones that came with magazines, clubs you joined, even a beach bag not being used.

4. THE WORST OFFENSE? CAN YOU GUESS... I bet you can. HANG UP YOUR CELL PHONE! Seriously, is your conversation so important that you can't hang up and call back while you are checking out? Fine, talk as you walk through the store (although if you have on one of those ear things... you just look like a dork talking to yourself) but when you get to the register, when you are in a face to face with another person, HANG UP THE PHONE!!! In the month I have been there, and the couple hundred, and yes, I mean couple of hundred, people who have been on the phone while checking out, only 2 have apologized. One had just been robbed that day so she was talking to her insurance agent and the other had been trying to reach his elderly dad all day and was getting worried and he finally got through. Dad just wanted to chat so the man, red faced, apologized.

So, there you have it. My observations from my side of the conveyor belt!