Supermarket staff - engaging with the customer?

Let us know Phoenix.

Phoenix, we have a new Waitrose nearby and methinks the staff have had a similar training scheme, they seem to want to chat about all sorts of things.....'What are you doing this afternoon?' 'Oh you're buying strawberries...I love them...how do you grow them?' 'Oh you've got some nice olive oil...when I lived in Italy...blah blah blah'.........All I want is smart professionalism and a smooth trip through the checkout. I have not come in for a chat, I have come in to buy my groceries.

Local Morrisons have the right mix...a friendly greeting.....they concentrate on what they are doing, offer help for packing and remind you to check if you have any vouchers and then bid you a cheery and genuine sounding 'goodbye, see you again'.

I know what you mean Hilda

When I was designing mystery shopping programmes I had to get across to the client that although mystery shoppers can tick the box as in "did this happen, yes/no" for example "were you offered help with your packing?" if the shopper was asked for a sentence or two to say what they thought of the whole experience, the answers were bound to be subjective.

Someone nipping in on their lunch break wants to get in and out as quickly as possible, whereas someone living alone might welcome the chance for a chat, if you see what I mean?

No Phoenix its you! I've watched the assistants and they hardly say anything to some customers but are friendly and outgoing to others, yes, including me. It must be because you smile at them and treat them as normal human beings instead of ignoring them or treating them as part of the supermarket fixtures!

Perhaps that's part of their training too, Nonnie, to use their own judgement. If a customer looks taciturn and non-communicative they probably don't want any chit-chat, and vice versa.

Oh I fully appreciate there will be those who do want a chat.....a few years time I could be a lonely old thing on my own and I'd be glad of the chance.
My annoyance with the newly trained staff at this Waitrose is that they keep trying to chat with you as if you are an old friend despite the fact that I eventually start to give monosyllabic answers and the queue is quickly building up. My quotes were just a snippet of what I have heard.
A friendly genuine sounding greeting....competent handling of till and goods....not being distracted by others and a friendly exchange of greetings at the end with perhaps a few comments as to weather/choice of flowers etc is perfectly adequate. What I've experienced (and husband agrees - and he's a much nicer/tolerant person than me) - is an almost one sided running comment on all and sundry during which time the staff member stops scanning several times. Yes, its all very nice and friendly but its as if they are not using any common sense to differentiate between the quite obvious different types of shoppers.

Oh and P.S. I worked behind the tills at a Waitrose a few years ago...and we were expected to be swift yet polite and professional.

That is the funniest post I've read on GN so far Phoenix thanks for making me LOL

but I thought the reason was because they liked me��

Thank you Anya! Are you new?

Oh Hilda I wouldn't like it if it slowed the process down, I think ours just get the balance right, pleasant but not intrusive. It didn't occur to me that they had been told to do it I just thought they were nice people as everyone seems to be round here

Nonnie...when it sounds genuine then they have got it right....well done them.

Phoenix, I love your list of items with which to test your theory, it made me laugh.

I think a few of ours could do with going on the 'friendly course' - you're lucky if they even acknowledge you exist until it comes to you having pay!

I suppose if I'd added a pregnancy testing kit it might have been seen as wandering into the realms of the surreal.........................

Been around for a couple of weeks Phoenix I needed cheering up and that certainly did the trick

Phoenix you are a case! Always make me smile! Hope the new job is OK and you are settling in and making them glad they found you. Are the furry boys missing you though?

You learn something new every day on this forum!

I've just got back from my local Sainsburys, I have a busy couple of days in front of me and was mentally going through everything I needed to get done when the check out assistant tried to engage me in conversation, as my mind was elsewhere I didn't hear what she said so said "pardon?" at which point she must have thought I was a deaf old biddy and ignored me for the rest of the transaction (which suited me perfectly!)

The staff at my local Waitrose are friendly but professional. I have known one or two since it opened around 12 years ago so I do not mind if they moan if they are working 3 lates on the trot. I usually ask first if they are working late. Nobody has ever commented on my groceries but I may point out to them if something in my trolley was really good if it was a fairly new item.

Cari

Phoenix's list has reminded me of the time I was a very naïve Saturday girl working in a small branch of Boots....back in the day when they had separate departments. I wanted to be a glamorous make-up girl (If only I had known how to be glamorous) but was put on the Surgical counter instead (mainly because my Mum was there during the week).
I would be asked for all sorts of things I had no idea about - the one I shall always remember was being asked by a perfectly smart youngish man for some 'protectives' and I dashed around asking everyone what that meant....I honestly did not have a clue.