Cashier in Waitrose

I think a 'are you allowed on your phone while you are serving?' question would be good - she then says sorry and hangs up or explains it was an urgent call (yes I know it was about holidays but change of flight times or something)

If you got no response from that, then report to manager - I would do it in writing - either one of those feedback forms if they have them or a letter or email to the store - with details of time, which checkout etc and the persons name if they were wearing a name badge.

Keep it polite and to the point.

The same thing happened to me years ago when I did my shopping on a Friday night and back home to supervise 3 children to bed. The girl on the checkout chatted to her colleague on the next checkout about a pub night out the entire time she was scanning my groceries. I said to her " How do I know you have scanned my items correctly as you haven't stopped talking since you started "?She cheekily answered that she knew what she was doing and did I want her to rescan everything? I paid up and left but always regretted not going to the manager.

welbeck

nanna8

I don’t think I have ever come across that here. It would be instant dismissal, plenty of other willing workers.

don't know where you live, but i'm glad we've still got some workers' protection laws in this country. uk.
i can't understand why some posters are so exercised about this.
such contempt for people doing a boring, hard minimum wage job.
if you are charged the correct total, what's the difference. you complete your shopping and leave.

I think nanna8 lives in Australia where checkout operators not only have to stand for the whole shift (no chairs allowed) they also are expected to pack for you.

Helpful assistants here in the UK will ask if you need help with the packing but it's not compulsory.

The staff are not paid to chat. If they do their job quickly and efficiently that's all they need to do.

Bodach, I completely agree with * Caleo* that you have the skill of John Sullivan. Do you have any more Snottagrams? I’d love to read another.
At my local Waitrose, the staff are very attentive and friendly. We’re on first name terms and I receive exceptional service.

welbeck, do you ever check your bill? Sadly, it isn't just a case of scanning items which will be correct. I have found things that have been double scanned, wrong prices to the ones on the shelves and reduced items which haven't been reduced...on a regular basis. Now, I am not saying the cashier could catch all these mistakes but it is likely goods wouldn't be double scanned.

Riverwalk

^I would have filmed her and shown it to the information desk on the way out^

Gawd, no wonder there's a dire shortage of staff in service industries!

Absolutely agree. If you’d try to video me doing my job I would have complained about the customer!
I think OP is overreacting and should have said something to the Welcome Desk on the way out, not on here.

I would feel it’s rude for a customer to talk on a mobile whilst being served by a cashier so it’s definitely rude if the cashier to carried out a call whilst serving a customer.Not on and I seriously doubt she is allowed to do this

Welbeck, I’m surprised you find that acceptable.
If they don’t want to talk to me, they don’t have to open their mouths, but carrying on a phone call whilst dealing with another person is just plain rude in a shop or anywhere else. I can just imagine the uproar if I carried on a personal phone call whilst ushering children out of school at the end of the day!
Sainsbury’s today: person on bakery lost sales for both me and the lady after me because she stood their on her phone, tapping away despite us asking if she could help.
I reported her by name. when they sent their usual “How did we do?” at the same time as I praised the young man who helped me and the girl and the girl on customer services who dealt promptly with a returned item.

I think OP said she was discussing her holiday.

Personal calls are only allowed in emergency my guess is it either was or it was a staff member, they have just introduced headphones for supervisors to communicate more easily with till staff

For all those advising "contact Head Office", my advice would be not to bother! During the height of Lockdown, I visited my local Waitrose. It was raining and because restricted numbers were being allowed in the store, I had to queue for a while to get in. I did a substantial shop using Quick Scan but because I had alcohol, I had to wait for an assistant to check my age. I waited for over 20 minutes and when someone finally came, she went to help someone who had just arrived. I said (very politely) "Excuse me, I've been waiting a lot longer than that lady". She turned to the lady and said "This woman says she was here first". Then she came to me and said "Stand back" and sorted out the age verification. She was as unfriendly as she could be. I found out the (then) newly appointed CEO of Waitrose and wrote to him. I got a call from a v. nice lady from his office and she told me she would look into it and come back to me. We arranged a very specific time on a specific morning. I waited and no call came. So I signed up for Tesco and have done my on-line shopping with them ever since. So don't bother contacting Waitrose Head Office - they don't give a hoot.

I was once a bit taken aback when a till operator commented on a vase I was buying. These are all right, aren’t they?. Opened my mouth to agree, but realised she was talking to the next cashier along. I should have asked them what they thought of my choice of wine, but wasn’t quick enough.

Can't we handle these things ourselves without reporting them?

Agreed. I’d either have said something directly or just let it go, depending on the mood of the day.

Dear Caleo and Nannagarra,
I'm glad you enjoyed the "snottagram". I didn't get a direct response from Stuart Rose, but (according to the short response I subsequently sent) I did get a personal letter from the store manager; acknowledging each of the points I had made; apologising for his staff's poor performance that evening, and promising to do better. That's about as much as one can expect, I suppose.

Yammy

You should have reported her.

Can't we handle these things ourselves without reporting them? A loud, "Sorry if I'm interrupting your social life" or words to that effect might have been useful. Unless it wasn't social - maybe an ill relative or something..

Awful. Doesn't even have to be on the phone as I have experienced cashiers busy gossiping to a friend (the cashier was french so they were soeaking french) or the cashier next door. Neither took any notice of me tryong to alert them to errors - you can bet I complained at being overcharged.

Nannagarra

I know it wasn’t Bodach, Miss Volver, as I am wearing my thinking cap. How about awarding me 11 out of 10 today?
?
Tbh welbeck, I too think the cashier should concentrate on providing service rather than taking a personal phone call.

Ah, sorry Nannagarra I misread it! 2 out of 10 for me for comprehension. ?

but what other service do you expect, beyond scanning the items, which equals charging the correct price and total.
if that is done correctly, i can't see what the problem is. why should you have their total attention, as if you are invading their soul.
leave them be.
if the total is correct, they've done their job correctly. that's all.
i think some of this outrage is arrogant attitude.
you are just a customer. buying things. for which you pay. they complete that process by scanning the goods.
that's all. you are not the queen. are you.

I am trying, but I can't imagine this scenario at all.

welbeck it may not be instant dismissal in the UK but, in the supermarket where I used to work, would certainly have meant a word from a supervisor or manager if noticed and further instances would progress the employee through the disciplinary process towards dismissal.

Do you think that even the most low paid job deserves to be carried out well Welbeck . I think a customer needs to have the attention of the cashier or other worker irrespective of their role in the organisation. Having a phone conversation with someone else whilst serving is not good practice. I would have spoken to the person myself though not taken it further.

I know it wasn’t Bodach, Miss Volver, as I am wearing my thinking cap. How about awarding me 11 out of 10 today?
?
Tbh welbeck, I too think the cashier should concentrate on providing service rather than taking a personal phone call.

nanna8

I don’t think I have ever come across that here. It would be instant dismissal, plenty of other willing workers.

don't know where you live, but i'm glad we've still got some workers' protection laws in this country. uk.
i can't understand why some posters are so exercised about this.
such contempt for people doing a boring, hard minimum wage job.
if you are charged the correct total, what's the difference. you complete your shopping and leave.

Very rude for either the staff member or the customer to be on the phone whilst going through checkout.