A few months ago I decided that I was sick of a certain something and I started taking matters into my own hands. However, the problem of which I speak occurs everytime I shop and I'm fed up with it. First I'll tell you the issue, then I'll tell you what I did about it.
So imagine yourself at Costco or Safeway or Smith's, whatever your stores may be. It's your turn to be helped at the checkout and you're standing next to the thing where you type in your phone # and possibly swipe your debit card. In most of these situations I am using cash. Finally all of your groceries are bagged and in the cart and you are being handed a WAD that contains your receipt, a few dollar bills and some change. The change is teetering precariously on top of the bills and the receipt. So your cart is ready to be pushed out of the store but you have to deal with this problem in your hands. Now the old me used to close my fist and move my cart out of the way to put all of this stuff in my purse. I really didn't have a choice because as soon as the cashier has handed over my change, they start ringing up the next person in line. Well, I got sick of feeling pressured to move out of the way to do this. I decided that I can choose to calmly stand right where I am and put my $$ in my wallet and put my reciept away. It takes 20 seconds. Once I started doing this I am much more content at checkout. Especially at Costco where they run us through there like we're cattle. The person behind me gets irked though. If they could tell me what they are thinking, it would be this:
"Hey, how long are you gonna stand there? You have your $$ and receipt, now get out of my spot. Because as soon as you have those things you are no longer the customer. You must move immediately. Out. Out of my spot. Shoo!"
To which I would reply: "I have every right to stand in this spot until my $$ is put away and I feel like I'm ready to push my cart away. Is waiting an extra few seconds going to kill you? Chill!"
It's the worst at Costco. I literally sweat during the exchange because it is so fast and I feel like everyone in line is glaring at me and my kids that they won't smile at for some strange reason. While I calmly put my $$ away, I completely ignore the person behind me and I make a point of the ignoring. When I do walk away, they usually aggressively push their cart forward and make a huffy sound. And guess what? I don't care. It's their problem that they want to be so mean. At least I know that my $$ isn't gonna fall out of my pocket because I felt rushed. This applies to using a debit card too. Sometimes I would just shove it inside my purse when I felt the pressure to move and then I'd panic later when I couldn't find it. Does anyone else feel this way, or is it just me?
4 comments:
I do feel that way. I'm the person who feels the need to hurry up and go which is why my messy purse looks the way it does. I shove it all in and leave. I'm also the person next in line who wishes YOU would hurry up and move it....it's my turn now!!!!
I feel the pressure, too. But, I think the cashiers should do something about it. They need to not throw everything at us at once. I know that they have to get through so many customers in a certain amount of time blah blah blah. I get bugged that I haven't even moved up in line and they're already scanning my items. I like to stand there and make sure I'm not being charged twice (which happens to me often at Target) and to make sure things that are marked down are really being given to me at the sale price. I could go on for hours about it, but I'll stop here. I think you've heard enough. :)
Shauna, just hurry and get out of our way!
Yup. I've seen Shauna in action. And in the anxiety I felt while she was standing there calmly putting her change away at Safeway, I asked what the heck was taking her so long??!? Then she explained it all to me.
The funny thing is, I'm BOTH of those people. I take my money/receipt/cash wad, shove it wherever I can, and run because I hate the nasty glares. And I hate being run over by shopping carts. And when I'm the NEXT customer in line, I'm staring down the dummy in front of me who has the nerve to fumble thru her change. Isn't that funny?
From now on, I'm no longer shoving and huffing my way to the cashier, AND I'm standing there and putting my change in my wallet. It'll be the new, improved Shopper Kristin.
By the way, Jay has always stood there and put his change in his wallet, and it makes me CRAZY!! I walk away because I'm embarrased that's he's taking SOOOO long to put his bills in his wallet.
This has been a good lesson for me. Thanks Shauna!
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