You’re on your way home from work, or just on your way home and you need a few grocery items. You don’t need to make a full order.
There are stores that cater to such shoppers locally like Farm Boy where you pay a premium, but usually get fast and amazing service.
Then there are the larger grocery stores.
It seems we are living in a world where courtesy and manners are rapidly leaving.
I stopped at No Frills on the way home today for a few quick items. It’s a nicer store that was remodeled from the old Zellers.
It features an express line of 1-8 items.
Now we’re all good neighbors. Who wants to nit pick and make a fuss about 9, 10, or even 15 items. It’s quicker usually to say nothing, but it’s frustrating, especially when the under age looking clerks say nothing to the customer.
It would be nice to hear them comment and point to the sign. They can smile and share that maybe next time they not do it again, but they don’t.
Why am I writing this? It’s now the third time it’s happened which frankly is why I shop there less than I used to.
Today was unusual in that the scoff law had more than 30 items. It was a full order. Others in the line clearly were not amused including two people that also work the cash. We had plenty of time to commiserate about it, and I asked a manager over to give them a chance to comment.
A “gentleman” who didn’t appear much older than the cashier not only was rude, but guffawed about our readers not reading what would become this piece.
With Metro closing and the economy being what it is the display by this manager to all of the customer in line was totally unprofessional.
An egg carton fell from the scofflaw’s items. One of the people in line actually did the clean up, but the cashier couldn’t give her any sanitizer to wipe her hands after cleaning the broken eggs. A customer cleaned the eggs! And why wouldn’t there be any sanitizer at a cash?
Loading ...I don’t think I’ll be rushing back any time soon. In this economy I hope at some level a business appreciates consumers spending money at their premises. The manager tried to state that the scoff law had more rights than the six or seven sitting in line waiting for the mess to end. That’s kinda cray cray.
If you are not going to force an express check out policy then take the sign down and let us express clients decide for ourselves where to shop.
What do you do when someone is a creep in front of you in line when you shop? Are you a creep that has no courtesy to others?
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This doesn’t just happen at No Frills. It happens at all the stores with supposed “express” lines. And not just grocery stores. If the offender refuses to adhere to the line limit and the clerks, probably on managements direction, ignoring the line limit abuse there isn’t much you can do.
The writer of this is complaining for no reason. Cashiers work hard and they do not get any credit. If someone comes through with more than 8 items who cares? Why are you so in a rush! All day long the cashier gets yelled at, maybe she or he is letting it slide because she or he has had a long day and is tired of being yelled at! Look at the other side of the picture, this is ridiculous!
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Here in Ottawa the biggest problem lies with the foreigners and many don’t speak or read English nor French and do nothing but fight with one another and with our Canadians in line. It is a real hell what my daughter went through and it made her go back to college. You have no idea until you have to deal with them. OMG Almighty I have seen and experienced it for myself.
To all of you cashiers I offer you my blessings. OMG what we don’t see here in Ottawa especially where my daughter works. Last week my husband and I were at Billings Bridge picking up some groceries and a man stood outside the store playing with himself – you get my drift. The garbage that we have today is unbelievable. We never saw that in past years – society is literally finished.
Express lanes, are exactly that. I dont need to explain why they are there..if they are not enforced with a friendly smile, and a sorry maam or sir…this lane is for under 8 or 10 items…even at 15..no biggee..You dont need to enforce over a few things..the rule is there ONLY for abusers. If the lane is empty…again, no biggee.
With few exceptions Cornwall merchants generally struggle with understanding the concept of “customer service”. I generally try to avoid “franchise” businesses preferring “owner operations” which respect my contribution to their bottom line. Otherwise I buy on line to avoid the aggravation and insult.
I would predict a return to simple friendly courteous service as more businesses fail due to a continued drop in disposable income. Rising interest rates will slow down unsustainable spending and competition will rely more on service than prices which can only go so low. IMHO.
“A return to simple friendly courteous service.” That’s a good one David Oldham. Do you have any funny ones you’d like to enlighten us with? In these days of amalgamation customer service, even at owner operations, is a joke. And just Cornwall merchants? Sorry, wrong again. Try shopping in other locations. Again this is not a Cornwall “exclusive.” Customer service is a joke.
{MODERATED} This comment was a troll.
The young people today know nothing about smiling and courteousness. The very best cashier that I knew lives on the ground floor in my building a lovely 69 year old Canadian and worked until a few months ago Judy and was a saint with the people. This lady is praised by everyone and she was so fed up she quit the job and said it wasn’t worth her while and her brother died at age 65.
Judy worked with my daughter and what a great lady and a great person to have around in any business. Her brother died at age 65 and said that life was way too short and wasn’t going to put up with all the hell that goes on as cashier. You have to witness the fights and everything that goes on here in Ottawa expecially where my daughter works. I have to tell you something funny next.
Mom used to shop at Hollisters Groceteria in past years of the 1950’s and 60’s and Mel Hollister was a great man to deal with. Everything was great in his store and mom ordered plenty of food and the best that you can eat. Sometimes she would shop at Brunsteins on Second St. East near the corner of Pitt back then as well and everything was great. When supermarkets came out it was a scream.
What goes on in the stores is the fault of management. There are no laws laid down that are tough enough for people to obey and I have witnessed this more times than anything at these supermarkets. Gone are the good days when children obeyed as well as adults. I am on a site where we are all talking about this. No leader is going to change anything unless we change ourselves.
Hugger1 I do not deal with “franchise” businesses as a rule. I buy where possible from independents who appreciate my business or I buy on line. In a digital world going forward traditional outlets will need to step up their game otherwise they pave the way to their own demise. Unless more people are willing to be defecated on than I estimate.
I do not deny that customer service is a shadow of its former self. I have no problem voicing my opinion to merchants who set the bar below acceptable standards. If more did the same the situation would improve. Ultimately the consumer is to blame for the current standards. IMO.
In my experience , it’s a 2 way street. First cashiers are making minimum wage, so that tells you something right off the bat about the business itself; because they would pay you less if they legally could. People are still not doing what they want to be doing, so right there they won’t be happy. They basically need to become actors to serve customers all day, it can be draining.
Mario you said it right. My daughter does cashier work part time and just now she is off until the middle of May. It is a horror story of a job. Just last week my daughter was doing co-op without breaks and only 1/2 hour for lunch and it was worse than her cashier job. My daughter is going to a better place which hopefully will be a respectful place to work in.
name that is what pushed my daughter back to school and she is the top of her class and the teacher said it right in front of her to the placement officer last week. My daughter’s average in college is 96% and I have her transcript here. After working as cashier and getting abuse for no reason she went back to school. The abuse that cashiers receive is unbelievable.
M. Miller when my daughter was doing cashier work she along with others were told not to take big orders (not more than 8 or sometimes 10) unless they were not busy so as to take someone’s order. It is the fault of management and not the clerk why this is happening. I miss the 50’s era way of shopping like the small stores in Cornwall that once was. Today is all production and nothing else.
Mario most would agree that a cashier is an entry level position. Minimum wages are typically paid for entry level jobs. Any one that deals with the general public will have their stories on ignorance and arrogance. At the end of the day though it is still considered an entry level position. Experience will simply make it easier to perform the duties and tune out the idiots.
Hugger on the point of “friendly courteous service” there are a number of great businesses in Cornwall that I continue to patronize. All to often however I need to travel outside of Cornwall to get the service that I am comfortable with. Online shopping further avoids business people that lack the necessary skill set that I desire. So be it. Personally I am more concerned with service than price.
Cashiers are not entry level positions but slavery and this is coming to an end from now to ten years. In less than ten years time everybody will have to check out their own groceries by using a computer and you will be checked for every item by people who will stand at the front of the store to make sure that you didn’t cheat. I saw all this at Target.
In ten years or less this will pose huge problems for people waiting in line to check out their groceries. In ten years I will be 75 and I hope that I will be underground planting daisies. I hate this dirty world as it stands now and I don’t want to be around anymore. I have had my fill of non Christians and all kinds of evil people. I trust in God and I trust in animals and birds and no human
Jamie I don’t know where to put this and it is aimed for Furtz and any other weird concoction of a “pastafarian” crap religion that I fell on accidentally:
Kiwi pastafarians the first https://ca.news.yahoo.com/kiwi-pastafarians-first-legally-tie-noodly-knot-042538282.html I thought that Furtz was just joking until I saw this witch in the picture. You all have to see it.
“Entry level”, “slavery”…in the retail business it’s the same things. ANd self serve checkouts already exist in Canada. I know Home Depot has them and I expect them to become more prevalent in the next few years. But full serve checkouts will never disappear.
I was asking myself how would self serve check outs be able to function when people have tons of groceries to check out. There would be brawls at the check outs that would put the store where my daughter works like something civilized. LOL LOL. My husband won’t step in where my daughter works it is that bad.
Self serve lines work the same as staffed checkouts. If the line is too long you try to find a shorter one.