Lindsay
Anyone with a cashier job has judged a customer’s purchase — it’s the only entertaining thing a cashier has at their job.
Seriously, though. Cashiers are expected to stand all day and stare into space until a customer arrives. It’s not a fun job. While not all purchases are memorable, there are a few all stars if you’ve worked as a cashier long enough.
Redditor DiabloStallion13 knows there are some good thoughts going through cashiers’ heads and headed to the r/askreddit subreddit to get some answers.
So, they asked the following:
“Cashiers of Reddit, do you judge us customers by the products or quantity of products we buy? What are some stereotypes?”
A surprise to nobody, there was a lot of condom talk.
Below are 20 replies on cashier judgement.
1.
Not at all. We serve so many people and handle so many products, we will already have forgotten what you bought by the time we’re serving the next customer.
Having said that, I had an internal chuckle at how common it was for people to buy condoms and pregnancy tests at the same time.
2.
Worked in toy stores at an amusement park for children when I was 16 or so.
I only ever judged people that bought 1 litre of still water for about 5€ ($6) while there was free access to tap water. You might think “tap water can be unhealthy” but yeah, no, not here. We literally have stricter quality regulations for tap water than for bottled water.
I mean, who buys a litre of water for 5€!???
3.
I worked in a small convenience store in a small town so about 60% of my customers were “regulars”. They were always pleased and surprised when I had their cigarettes waiting for them or reminded them they hadn’t asked for ice if they normally got ice every day.
With teens buying condoms I tried to be extra “I’m not noticing what you’re buying” because some 16 year olds kind of cringe buying condoms from a 50-something woman. Kudos to you young man!! I’d have paid for them if I thought that would increase the number buying them.
The only time I ever felt the need to comment on someone’s purchase was a guy buying one six pack of Stella and a bunch of Milwaukee Best. I paused. And then had to ask if he had a friend he didn’t like that wanted to share beer or what the hell? He said he drank the Stella and then once he was drunk he might as well drink piss. I congratulated him on his cost effectiveness.
4.
I used to work at a drug store through college and hardly ever found myself judging anyone’s purchases. Sometimes they’d buy a really tacky perfume and spritz it twenty times on themselves before leaving but that wasn’t really a judgment on their purchase
I will say though, to any people who feel weird about it, we aren’t judging you for buying rubbers (condoms)! You don’t have to feel scared to walk up with the box, we’re just happy you’re being safe and ten times outta ten, I wasn’t even paying attention
5.
As a previous late-night cashier at Safeway, Wawa, and Papa John’s, I care very little about what you are buying, honestly. Doesn’t cross my mind in the slightest. How much longer I have to sit in that hell hole was usually my main thought. 3 more hours, fuck…1 more hour? I guess I can manage.
The fact that you’re buying a triple pepperoni double anchovy large pizza all for yourself at 3 am? I really don’t care actually, can u just stop coming at 3 am so I don’t have to be here that late
6.
I worked in a liquor store in 1991. This scraggly guy came in and got a 6-pack of Miller High Life cans. Now, this liquor store was in a nice part of town and most customers were genuine twats. This guy was polite, smiled, and was the first (all day) to treat me like a human. I had been hit hard all day with assholes.
I looked at him and smiled and told him, genuinely, to have a great day, that he’d been my nicest customer today.
He nodded and took his change. Then my manager comes running up. He pulled me to the window.
This guy got into a limo.
My manager: “You didn’t know who that was?”
My manager: “That was f**king Neil Young.”
Me: …….
1. That I didn’t recognize him.
2. That he was the one guy who was nice to me that day.
3. I totally judge him internally on his beer choice when he first stepped up.
Sorry, Neil. But also, thanks for being a good human to me on a crappy day.
7.
I worked in a book store for several years and I absolutely judged people who insisted on paying in exact change, especially when there was a line. I actually had an older lady count out 195 pennies for a book mark once only to come up a couple short and pay for it with a five.
8.
I worked at a CVS back when I was 19 during summer in College. The only customers I ever judged were those “extreme couponers” – people with 20 different membership cards buying a chain of shit in 60 different transactions and holding up the line for 30 minutes.
Other than that I don’t care. Only time I interrupted a customer was a guy who was trying to buy a tiny bottle of baby oil and condoms, and only because oil based lubricants degrade latex. Hopefully I saved him from child support.
9.
Former cashier, I honestly never even really noticed what you were buying. As soon as I scanned and bagged it, it was out of my mind.
The only thing that would stick with me was the whole rotisserie chickens we sold because they smelled great and after a long shift someone would inevitably be buying like four of the fucking things and all I could think of “they wouldn’t notice one missing, if I just like…unhinge my jaw and consume it whole…that’s possible right?”
Kii_at_work
10.
The fries with no salt people can be assholes because that’s a “hack.” Order fries with no salt and they have to make a new batch and not salt them, so you’re guaranteed hot, fresh fries. Editing to add: it’s only an asshole move if you order (demand?)salt free fries to get fresh ones, then liberally salt them yourself as soon as you’re served. It’s completely understandable to ask for them without salt if you limit your sodium intake, or just prefer them that way. Plus, most fast food places are pretty good about getting you fresh fries if you simply ask for them and are willing to wait.
