ArtsAutosBooksBusinessEducationEntertainmentFamilyFashionFoodGamesGenderHealthHolidaysHomeHubPagesPersonal FinancePetsPoliticsReligionSportsTechnologyTravel

Grocery Store Check Out Etiquette - Supermarket Shopping

Updated on December 24, 2015
freecampingaussie profile image

I spent a year enjoying working as a checkout operator meeting some lovely people. I also ran a shop with my parents .

Supermarket Shopping

Once you are behind the wheels of a trolley inside your supermarket do you consider yourself a good shopper ? Are you considerate of others around you as you race up and down the aisles looking for the goodies on your shopping list or do you maybe wander slowly around unaware of the queue building up behind you of frustrated shoppers or are you an aggressive type when it comes to making sure you get your way no matter what happens while shopping + at the checkout wherever you are in the world ? .

Many people are considerate while shopping to other shoppers as well as the checkout operators as well as everywhere else they spend their time.

They have their money or card out ready to pay at the grocery store checkout, go to the appropriate aisle for the shopping they have done, empty their basket out and are friendly and polite not talking on their phone the whole time.

Some people seem to lose their manners as well as their sense of humour once they get into shopping mode so they need reminding to be considerate of others as well as the checkout operator.

Here are some of the top things to do while in a supermarket to ensure you would win a prize for the most dreaded shopper in town or the city you live in!

Top 10 worst shopper habbits - No 1

One of the things you can do to frustrate other shoppers and the check out operators is to act like the Aisle 12 items or less apply to everyone but you .

Saying " but I only have 13 - 14 items makes you look silly - Can't you count to 12 ? Last time we counted 13 was above 12 not below it

Saying " I have 20 cans of cat food but they are the same brand so that is only 1 item makes you look desperate and pushy to everyone.

We still have to spend time moving them through the till.

How do you personally feel when you only have 1- 2 items and are in a major hurry & you see someone emptying out a basket of 20 or items onto the 12 items or less checkout then see them run off for another handful of goods, ask for prepaid phone credit..........

You say the checkout operator is not busy so feel you have the right to empty your trolley out onto the 12 item or less Aisle - While you are being served elsewhere where they are waiting for you, they could have served up to 10 customers with 1- 12 items.

This means 1-12 items - NO MORE
This means 1-12 items - NO MORE

No 2- grocery store checkout

Are you really that starving and desperate while shopping that you cannot survive a short shopping trip before having to start eating the food or having a drink while wandering the aisles before you get to the checkout ? What are you teaching the children when they see you eating and drinking products that you haven't yet purchased at the till ?

I am often stunned by the amount of people that think this is acceptable behavior and encourage their children to do the same even hiding wrappers or cans along the shelves as they go around the supermarket.

If you know you or your child will need to have something to eat or drink during a shopping trip why not bring your own snacks like I have seen some mothers do .

What will you do if you get to the checkout & find you have left your card/wallet behind & cannot pay for the item you have eaten or drank ?

That happens more often than you would expect . Would you like to be held up at the till while the manager is called because you cannot pay for something you ate that you hadn't paid for ?



No 3-grocery store checkout -basket etiquette grocery store :

Are you really that lazy that you cannot empty your basket out onto the counter, or if you have loaded up a freezer bag in the shop why not empty it while waiting especially if you have joined the queue knowing that you should be in another aisle.

Most men & elderly people do empty their basket. A lot of checkout operators are short so it is harder having to reach into it & slows them up trying to empty your basket.

If you really want to keep the line flowing get your shopping ready out of the basket to be scanned & keep the line flowing.

Also do not abandon your basket in the middle of an aisle while you go grab an a forgotten item.

It makes it very difficult for those with a trolley to keep the lines flowing as they struggle to manoeuvre around your basket.

No 4

Have your cards/ or cash ready for use rather than have to dig them out of the bottom of your bag holding everyone up or worse still they are out in the car .

A lot of time is spent by staff returning food back to the shelves when people have left their wallets at home .

No 5

Make sure you have what you want to buy in your trolley or basket before you reach the checkout rather than dashing off all the time making everyone wait for you or pay for what you have & get back in line if it is busy .I have had people go back for 2-3 items holding up the queue and frustrating the others in line

Fortunately checkout operators can postpone your sale if you are taking too long and you wait at the end of the line when you are ready to continue with your purchases .

No 6

It is handy to use up your loose change so as to lighten your wallet or pocket but please count it out yourself and make sure you have the right amount then put it into their hand rather than make them pick up $$$$ worth of change off the bench and keep everyone waiting.

No 7

Please don't be on talking on your phone while going through the checkout and totally ignore the checkout operator , It is rude & makes it hard for them to do their job properly and efficiently .

No 8

If you decide that you can't buy a piece of meat or another cold item for any reason please put it back where it belongs so someone else can buy it without danger of it not being up to standard .

You might not care at the time yet you would be the first one to complain if it happened to you and you were sick as a dog having unpaid time off work or one of your children.

No 9

You might have a thing about plastic bags however if you are buying 4 or more - potatoes- oranges please think about the checkout operator who has to try get them to stay in place while weighing them for you.

Maybe you might consider putting them in a mushroom bag to hold them together.

Broccoli & other vegies make a mess on the checkout.

Meat is put into a bag as it often leaks juice out .

Chemicals are put separate in case they break.

Bread is kept separate so it doesn't get squashed !

No 10

Please keep in mind the checkout operator is trained to scan and pack fast .

If you want your reusable bags used please

Make sure your reusable bags are kept clean & not smelly .

Open the bags up for the checkout operator & put them at the end of the checkout for easy access.

Considerate shoppers

Do you consider yourself a considerate shopper ?

See results
working

This website uses cookies

As a user in the EEA, your approval is needed on a few things. To provide a better website experience, hubpages.com uses cookies (and other similar technologies) and may collect, process, and share personal data. Please choose which areas of our service you consent to our doing so.

For more information on managing or withdrawing consents and how we handle data, visit our Privacy Policy at: https://corp.maven.io/privacy-policy

Show Details
Necessary
HubPages Device IDThis is used to identify particular browsers or devices when the access the service, and is used for security reasons.
LoginThis is necessary to sign in to the HubPages Service.
Google RecaptchaThis is used to prevent bots and spam. (Privacy Policy)
AkismetThis is used to detect comment spam. (Privacy Policy)
HubPages Google AnalyticsThis is used to provide data on traffic to our website, all personally identifyable data is anonymized. (Privacy Policy)
HubPages Traffic PixelThis is used to collect data on traffic to articles and other pages on our site. Unless you are signed in to a HubPages account, all personally identifiable information is anonymized.
Amazon Web ServicesThis is a cloud services platform that we used to host our service. (Privacy Policy)
CloudflareThis is a cloud CDN service that we use to efficiently deliver files required for our service to operate such as javascript, cascading style sheets, images, and videos. (Privacy Policy)
Google Hosted LibrariesJavascript software libraries such as jQuery are loaded at endpoints on the googleapis.com or gstatic.com domains, for performance and efficiency reasons. (Privacy Policy)
Features
Google Custom SearchThis is feature allows you to search the site. (Privacy Policy)
Google MapsSome articles have Google Maps embedded in them. (Privacy Policy)
Google ChartsThis is used to display charts and graphs on articles and the author center. (Privacy Policy)
Google AdSense Host APIThis service allows you to sign up for or associate a Google AdSense account with HubPages, so that you can earn money from ads on your articles. No data is shared unless you engage with this feature. (Privacy Policy)
Google YouTubeSome articles have YouTube videos embedded in them. (Privacy Policy)
VimeoSome articles have Vimeo videos embedded in them. (Privacy Policy)
PaypalThis is used for a registered author who enrolls in the HubPages Earnings program and requests to be paid via PayPal. No data is shared with Paypal unless you engage with this feature. (Privacy Policy)
Facebook LoginYou can use this to streamline signing up for, or signing in to your Hubpages account. No data is shared with Facebook unless you engage with this feature. (Privacy Policy)
MavenThis supports the Maven widget and search functionality. (Privacy Policy)
Marketing
Google AdSenseThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Google DoubleClickGoogle provides ad serving technology and runs an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Index ExchangeThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
SovrnThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Facebook AdsThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Amazon Unified Ad MarketplaceThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
AppNexusThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
OpenxThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Rubicon ProjectThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
TripleLiftThis is an ad network. (Privacy Policy)
Say MediaWe partner with Say Media to deliver ad campaigns on our sites. (Privacy Policy)
Remarketing PixelsWe may use remarketing pixels from advertising networks such as Google AdWords, Bing Ads, and Facebook in order to advertise the HubPages Service to people that have visited our sites.
Conversion Tracking PixelsWe may use conversion tracking pixels from advertising networks such as Google AdWords, Bing Ads, and Facebook in order to identify when an advertisement has successfully resulted in the desired action, such as signing up for the HubPages Service or publishing an article on the HubPages Service.
Statistics
Author Google AnalyticsThis is used to provide traffic data and reports to the authors of articles on the HubPages Service. (Privacy Policy)
ComscoreComScore is a media measurement and analytics company providing marketing data and analytics to enterprises, media and advertising agencies, and publishers. Non-consent will result in ComScore only processing obfuscated personal data. (Privacy Policy)
Amazon Tracking PixelSome articles display amazon products as part of the Amazon Affiliate program, this pixel provides traffic statistics for those products (Privacy Policy)
ClickscoThis is a data management platform studying reader behavior (Privacy Policy)