Talking to people in shops

Will using self-service tills keep staff in jobs, Ana?
I am not telling you what to do. I am telling you what I do.
I like talking to staff, so I use staffed tills. If you do not want to talk to staff, use self-service tills. That's easy.
Do you always have to criticise everything I say?
Where's your Christmas spirit?

It seems to me that you were criticising those who didn't particularly want to strike up conversations willy-nilly, durhamjen.

Suggesting that people like me should use the self-service tills certainly isn't helpful, or indeed friendly.

In our family, my younger sister takes the prize for getting other people's life stories in a train, a bus, a queue or a hospital waiting room. I've never seen anything like it, so if you are ever in Dundee - beware!

No, I wasn't criticising, Ana, just being practical.
People who want to chat can use the staffed tills; those who do not want to chat can use the self-service tills. It just makes sense to me. Why use a till with staff and then moan about chatting customers in front of you?
I mentioned staff jobs being saved because in the supermarket I use where there are both sorts of tills, there is one member of staff to cover six tills, whereas before there would have been three tills in the same space with three members of staff.
That's why supermarkets brought in self-service tills, and why I never use them. If the supervisor comes over and tells me there is a self-service till to use, I explain why I would rather not and tell her I know how to use self-service. They usually assume that someone standing in a queue of two does not know how to use self-service.

I don't use them either. I prefer to deal with another human being, not a machine, and I never moan about customers in front of me carrying on a conversation with the checkout person.

The OP was about whether one is 'chatty' or more reserved, and I'm perfectly happy to be one of the latter group. I don't really see it being a problem NanKate when we are old(er) and possibly lonely. It must be even worse to be desperate to have someone to talk to when you've been used to it, but can't get out any more.

Anno, I will have to go to Dundee and meet that little sister. In our family, I am the chatter to every one every where person- a big joke with our girls. But they do people talk to me always- and not necessarily me seek them out.

Self service tills are great conversationalists.
"Unexpected item in bagging area" can start a whole conversation, usually involving an array of expletives and ending up with chatting to the nice lady (men are available) that sorts me out.

What they don't do is chat to their mates whilst serving me, that really gets my goat.

I would always prefer a live checkout, makes work for the working man to do.

Exactly, Pompa, but not the sort of conversation you want.
The way I found out how self service tills work was to go through one with a Guardian and a 50p off voucher. I occasionally do it just to find out if the system has improved. It does not appear to have done so.
However, the assistant helping usually has to go away quickly and help the next unfortunate.
Much prefer real people to bagging areas.

I don't go out of my way to hold conversations with strangers, they seem to seek me out. My family all laugh about it, my DD says I have 'one of those faces' - whatever that means. People are very nice and kind and helpful and interesting, I find. If I popped into town and didn't hold some kind of conversation with someone at some point, I think I would feel there was something missing from my day.

It all depends on the people I meet. Sometimes I can be out for a whole day and not talk to anyone, another day somebody will say something and it will start off a whole conversation.

I was chatting to an elderly lady on the sea-front the other day, she told me all about the care home "they" had put her in and how "they" would not let her swim in the sea as she was too old. I sympathised and said the water is probably too cold this time of year. Then she turned to me and said "Which care home are you in?".
Note to self - must buy anti-wrinkle cream and refrain from talking to elderly ladies, not good for morale!!

pompa I am laughing so hard about your Purina story I am going to have a coughing fit!!

I talk to strangers in supermarkets, well, anywhere really! I do make an exception to speaking to toddlers sitting in trolleys whilst waiting in the checkout queue though. I was told off in no uncertain terms by a young mum for engaging her son in conversation about the Thomas the Tank Engine he was showing me. The mum turned to me and said 'please do not speak to my child, we are bringing him up not to speak to strangers' I was speechless for once and didn't reply. All I could think was...well, he started it!

Well, he obviously does not take any notice of his mum already. Feel sorry for his teachers in a few years time.

A child started chatting to me when I was paddling in the sea in NQ a couple of years ago, telling me that he had arrived on a 'big aeroplane and been to his aunty's wedding'. His daddy then wandered up and carried on the conversation. Turned out that he lived just round the corner from where I was brought up in the Midlands and a few doors down from my aunt's house - small world.

Blethering is a national pastime here. Wherever you go, if you are in the mood for a blether, there is always someone willing to join in. Nothing better to cheer you up if you are having a fed up day.

Something DD2 in Australia misses.

Now there's a word I've missed hearing Agus thoigh I did accuse my 4-year old GS of blathering last week.

Blethering....'twas the iPad that did it!

I quite like a little smile and a natter with strangers to be honest. Makes the world seem a happier place but I totally understand it's not everyone's cup of tea.

I have to admit chatting to people whilst serving is OK providing they can keep the flow moving, if not then it is a bit of an annoyance.

I'm a people watcher too.

Both GDs are a pair of blethers too Anya. They have a giggle when I start feeling their back, telling them I am looking for the OFF button .

durhamjen He was only about 18 months old. I was doing the talking, he was showing me the engine, I was just responding in a 'grannie of a toddler' kind of way. Couldn't see how he could have any concept of a stranger really.

Juliette Isn't it a shame when people either feel inhibited about speaking to children or are reprimanded for doing so. Your thoughts on that - "he started it" - made me laugh.

It's very difficult to know how best to protect children and I can understand why people get nervous and perhaps over vigilant.

I'm not sure that forbidding or preventing children from responding in any way to unknown adults is the best thing to do. Statistically children are at far greater risk from people they know and perhaps it is more important to instil confidence in them so that they feel able to disclose straight away any worries they may have about possible inappropriate adult behaviour.

I volunteer in a charity shop in aid of a local hospice. One day an elderly lady started chatting to me and as the shop was not very busy, I was happy to spend time talking to her. After a while she said 'thank you for talking to me, here is £5 for the charity'. I was torn between feeling awful that she paid for a chat and grateful for the donation.

When I moved from West London to Darlington in 2010 I was amazed and delighted by the number of people who chatted to me at bus stops, in shops, at the swimming pool and all sorts of other places. Londoners have a reputation of being unfriendly but I think that they just live life at a much faster pace and generally don't have time to stop and chat. When we used to visit Mr absent's family before we moved to Darlington, they used to joke that they would have to tie my ankles together because I walked so fast.