Is it acceptable to be on your mobile while at a check out in a supermarket.

antijoke · 6 May 2014 at 18:09

MooMoo444 said:
While I don't see issue with being on the phone will being served, the cashier shouldn't have to wait for you to finish.

I agree at a supermarket, I was talking more about whilst I was at cpw

Sega Mega Dave · 6 May 2014 at 18:36

Shows the way this generation and the next is going if this is seen as anything but rude.

Sad state of affairs.

Vampyre · 6 May 2014 at 19:14

Westyfield2 said:
Very rude.
If I received an incoming call whilst at a checkout I'd check the name on the screen and then either ignore it or if it's important I'd answer with a "Sorry can't speak right now, I'll call you in 5mins".

My sentiments exactly...

pepsilol · 6 May 2014 at 19:32

rubberduck said:
I often see these situations as an opportunity to practice my social skills. Some people are really natural with such things, others have to work at it a little more and as I fall more in to the later camp always try to put in that extra bit of effort when I can. Next time you sit down at the barbers (for example) see if you can get a decent conversation going and make the person cutting your hair warm to you, as opposed to just sitting there like a lemon and saying nothing. Being comfortable with strangers and having the ability to strike up conversations (and ultimately make them like you) can be a really useful skill and is transferable to lots of situations such as job interviews etc.

I don't mind talking to my barber, I am there for 25 minutes. The checkout person I see for 60 seconds.

I don't have any social interaction issues, I'm just grumpy I guess.

Well Splattered · 6 May 2014 at 19:34

Depends on the call and how welcoming the checkout person is.

The checkout person does not need 100% of my attention while I am there. On the flip side, to the cashier, it is no different to a conversation between two people in front of them.

Not everyone wants to make small talk that the cashier has heard all day. I do not care when the cashier started work, or finishes. I am not trying to get into their pants, I am trying to pay for my shopping.

Monkeymatt · 6 May 2014 at 19:44

arknor said:
pfft do you want a topup with that? how about a lottery ticket? (anytime I'm in wilko because they removed the self service tills)

OH **** off!

I am supposed to try and sell everything under the sun to people at the tills but generally can't be bothered. A rewards card on the other hand is free, easy to obtain and can make buying certain items more affordable. However it's impossible to explain the benefits of having one to people on the phone so they miss out. And as I am expected to hand out a certain amount of them it means both me and the customer lose out.

I wouldn't even dream of refusing to serve someone who was on their phone as it isn't rude but it is definitely a massive inconvenience. For example people on their phones almost never notice any price inconsistencies until after the transaction is over, making it a far longer process to correct. And most don't seem to pay any attention to me or the card machine. That turns basic things such as them entering their pin or removing their card into a game of tillpoint charades which gets irritating very quickly.

86JR · 6 May 2014 at 19:48

Spook187 said:
Still they should not encounter rude people on their phones whilst trying to do their job.

I am there to buy something. I am only at the checkout to pay for something. As long as my conversation does not effect the efficiency of the till then it should be a moot problem.

Too many people in life in general seem to think they are doing you a favor by selling something to you; and most of these people do not even own one share in the company they work for!

3DNow! · 6 May 2014 at 20:19

lowrider007 said:
Just been told off for taking a call while at a checkout in my local Aldi's, a carton of eggs are sitting there waiting to be scanned and the young girl at the till glares at me with her hands in the air and says rather aggressively "do ya want a be served or wot?" I said "excuse me whats the problem?" and she starts ranting that I shouldn't be on the phone while at a checkout.

A quick google threw this up,

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-23158579

So to sum up do you think it's acceptable to use your mobile while at a checkout?

So as long it does not hold up the queues or waste others time because the person was on the phone and got carried away they quickly run to get something and basically your are holding their queue for them. No I wouldn't consider it rude.

3DNow! · 6 May 2014 at 20:33

MooMoo444 said:
While I don't see issue with being on the phone will being served, the cashier shouldn't have to wait for you to finish.

Not to be disrespectful but what cashier would wait for their customers to finish their phone call. I mean I get a lot of customers like that, if they are on the phone I would total up the goods and tell them the total, no fuss at all they get out the cash and always say thank you at the end.

bainbridge · 6 May 2014 at 20:37

It IS rude. I wouldn't feel comfortable doing this.

HaloUK · 6 May 2014 at 20:46

Not acceptable. Don't be so damn rude.

mattyfez · 6 May 2014 at 20:53

You're buying shopping ffs, lol!

I always say "hello, how are you?"
"no I don't need help packing"
"no I don't have a loyalty card"
"no I don't want a loyalty card"
"no give the voucher to the next person who wants it"
"thanks, bye!"

That's basically my supermarket script.

quigleyjames50 · 6 May 2014 at 21:20

I would say it was rude, however, it was Aldi so no biggie. Seriously, the customer service from Aldi and Lidl staff (at least here anyways) is utter pants.

Having said this, I haven't been in a Lidl or Aldi for some time, Sainsburys is the go-to supermarket.

HAz · 6 May 2014 at 23:15

Pudney · 6 May 2014 at 23:29

Self serve. Solves so many problems.

£15 · 7 May 2014 at 12:37

lowrider007 said:
Just been told off for taking a call while at a checkout in my local Aldi's, a carton of eggs are sitting there waiting to be scanned and the young girl at the till glares at me with her hands in the air and says rather aggressively "do ya want a be served or wot?" I said "excuse me whats the problem?" and she starts ranting that I shouldn't be on the phone while at a checkout.

A quick google threw this up,

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-23158579

So to sum up do you think it's acceptable to use your mobile while at a checkout?

Rude? Possibly. Especially if you were so engrossed in your call that you were ignoring the checkout girl when she was asking for payment, for example, or causing delays. I'd suggest not doing it again, out of common courtesy. (A call can't be that important that it can't wait a couple of minutes.)

However, what she did was far worse. It was rude and unprofessional. I would have asked to see the manager there and then. (Actually, I wouldn't. I'm a coward and avoid confrontation wherever possible.) She should accept the fact some people will not want to converse with her and do her job without verbally abusing customers.

I would write a letter of complaint offering 'feedback'. Do not demand compensation. Be polite and ask what their company policy is on such things. I bet it mentions nothing about customers not being able to use their mobile phones, or staff being able to mistreat customers that do.