Why must grocery clerks stand in the States?

Well, I could be: paying, putting away my card, receipt, change, wallet, back into my bag, or just enjoying a moment, while someone else bags my groceries, instead of the pressure of the person behind me, who rarely has a sense of personal space, who has just as much stuff as I, yet breathes loudly with impatience, as the clerk sits there, after tossing everything into one palm (change, receipt, card, etc.) waiting for me to bag up, shove it away, and move on... or yes, better yet, begins to ring up the next person when I'M NOT FINISHED and my items ARE STILL SITTING THERE, as if I'm intentionally holding up the line, and that will really help me speed things up. I was not trained in bagging, I don't care about 'organising' as long as my eggs aren't underneath the milk, etc.  I just want the sh** thrown in the bags as fast as possible and go home.
I feel like there's a race bell that goes off the moment my items begin to get rung up.... and GO!!!!!!!!!!!!.  "And she's off, trying to decide, juice or milk goes in first, she's decided on the milk, oh, there goes the cheese, what will be next, the people in line are all staring intently..."
My god, the pressure.
HATE IT.
I would be willing to pay more to have someone bag my groceries.

Elizabeth, I know EXACTLY what you mean! 

Damn right it's a race! And you're too damn slow!

I shop on Saturday mornings at Sainsbury, Edgware Road (hello stalkers) and there are no queues, so no harrassing customers. Good times for the independent bagger.

Hey, if we're talking about things we'd pay to have happen at supermarkets, I'd pay more if it meant there was no charity-chick or Big Issue seller standing outside. I'd pay more if it meant old ladies didn't talk to me, awestruck at the price/quality of fruit. I'd pay a fortune if it meant there weren't any of those free sample people. Hate those people.

Hey, "regular" grocery stores have NOTHING on places like Lidl & Aldi.  You want pressure?  THAT'S pressure.  Those grocery clerks ring your stuff up like their lives depend on it!

Oh well - just another *sign* that I'm where I belong, I guess.  I think I'd go postal if I have to let someone else bag my groceries at this point!  But then again, I am a serious control freak...

Another person here who doesn't mind bagging her groceries.  Yeah, I suck at it, I do feel a bit rushed.  I also do it one handed mostly, as I have a child in a sling (and a child in the trolley) so many people have stared as I blaze through bagging, paying, loading, etc with one arm.

Clerks should sit down, imo.  Standing for 8 hours as maddierose experienced is just wrong and should be against the law.

One clerk at Sainsbury's wouldn't scan any of my items unless I moved them down the conveyor.  I was the only person in line and loaded them too far down the conveyor for him.  Why not move the conveyor electronically as is his right? I don't know.  But that was a ridiculous request, imo.

I cannot count the number of times I'm asked by clerks if I need help with bagging and how many times another employee has come over to offer to help as well.  Or help me as I lift my toddler out of the trolley.  I've found people to be extremely kind.

Yes, they do offer but they always have this look in their eye that if you don't have toddlers attached to you, or are elderly, you'd better say no! 

I always decline the help but tell them not to go too fast or I'll be too behind. They think I'm insane but I don't care! if they get too arsey with me, I tell them to thank their lucky stars they DON'T work in the US!

That said, I usually have nice cashiers...

On the first trip to Tesco's with hubby, before he WAS hubby, I got scolded BIG TIME by him for my lack of speed, and organizational skills in packing the groceries. He almost didn't BECOME hubby due to his power freak attitude about packing the grocery bags in fact,,lol.

Since then, I have been taught to organize the items on the belt, in order of sack packing,,dry goods together, fruit together, frozen stuff together,, etc. Now, I hate having the cute 17 year olds in the states bag my groceries when I am visiting there, cos I know it's going to be a pain to unpack them, as they have not been bagged with the same skill and precision that my DH has hammered into me   I don't feel rushed anymore,, it's now a challenge to get the stuff bagged as fast as it gets scanned

The trick is to quickly have about 5 or 6 bags fluffed and ready for packing,, as things get thrown at you,, all you have to do is keep track of which bag is for frozen stuff,, for fruit, and if you carefully laid everything out on the conveyer belt in such an order,, it's pretty easy. Take avantage of the lulls in items coming at you to 'fluff' and ready more bags,, look out for moments when the items won't easily scan for this procedure,,,,,,,,,,,  Dear God, I can't believe I am proud of my bag packing skills ,, I need to go bury my head in my Cosmo mag now,,,,LOL

I could care less what order it's all packed in!  We have long counters so I just unpack onto the counter and sort from there. The only thing we organize on the belt or in the bags is frozen stuff if we have any (rarely), and cold drinks.

In the US though, our cashiers always did a good job of sorting things for us I must say!

I am another person who actually likes to pack my own bags. Not only does it give me something to do, I like to pack them. I know my husband feels guilty because he is just standing there while I do it...but I prefer it that way. Even in the states when the check out person would bag I would always tell them I would do it (if there was an option). 

The first time I went to a store and saw them sitting, I thought....great idea..why don't they have that in the states?

Julie

On the first trip to Tesco's with hubby, before he WAS hubby, I got scolded BIG TIME by him for my lack of speed, and organizational skills in packing the groceries. He almost didn't BECOME hubby due to his power freak attitude about packing the grocery bags in fact,,lol.

Since then, I have been taught to organize the items on the belt, in order of sack packing,,dry goods together, fruit together, frozen stuff together,, etc. Now, I hate having the cute 17 year olds in the states bag my groceries when I am visiting there, cos I know it's going to be a pain to unpack them, as they have not been bagged with the same skill and precision that my DH has hammered into me   I don't feel rushed anymore,, it's now a challenge to get the stuff bagged as fast as it gets scanned

The trick is to quickly have about 5 or 6 bags fluffed and ready for packing,, as things get thrown at you,, all you have to do is keep track of which bag is for frozen stuff,, for fruit, and if you carefully laid everything out on the conveyer belt in such an order,, it's pretty easy. Take avantage of the lulls in items coming at you to 'fluff' and ready more bags,, look out for moments when the items won't easily scan for this procedure,,,,,,,,,,,  Dear God, I can't believe I am proud of my bag packing skills ,, I need to go bury my head in my Cosmo mag now,,,,LOL

Just reading that makes me break into a cold sweat of panic.
Lulls?  Not familiar with those.
Being asked if I want help?  Not familiar with that either.

Cashiers sitting?  Fine.  S'pose they should.  Just get the look off the face that makes me think I'm holding them up; as if they're the ones with somewhere to go.

hrmph.

Anyone been to Kwik Save??  

That is a non baggers  nightmare!!

I do not mind bagging my groceries, except when I may need a little assistance since I sometimes go shopping with a toddler, who is not the most helpful baby.  I do not like the pressure that the other customers and cashiers sometimes give to be super quick.  When I worked as a cashier, I would have loved to have the option of a stool.  I think the cashiers  in the UK do not even realize what a nice little jobs they have.

Hey, if we're talking about things we'd pay to have happen at supermarkets, I'd pay more if it meant there was no charity-chick or Big Issue seller standing outside. I'd pay more if it meant old ladies didn't talk to me, awestruck at the price/quality of fruit. I'd pay a fortune if it meant there weren't any of those free sample people. Hate those people.

I'd be willing to at least triple my grocery bill if it meant I could shop in a nobody-under-the-age-of-10 environment. There is nothing I hate more in grocery stores than kids. Between screaming babies, toddlers with their sticky fingers and slobbery mouths all over everything and hyperactive, oblivious 8 year old with equally oblivious parents I come home from the weekly shop feeling as if I had just run a marathon or survived a war.  It's so annoying my hubby and I have started shopping between midnight and 2am. Soooooooo much nicer. But amazingly sometimes we still run into people dragging their kids along! (I'm being unfair; there are some very well behaved children in stores as well. Unfortunately these seem few and far between - but always a joy to behold. But for goodness sake if your child isn't one of these, don't bring him along to torture all the rest of us.)

I bag the same way Tebs does and my husband and I always do the shopping together, so with a two-man team bagging groceries is easy. For those that hate bagging, why not just order groceries online and have them delivered? Or ask for help with bagging, most stores will be happy to have someone help I am sure.  I do wonder how much of the pressure to be fast with bagging is real and how much of it we imagine for ourselves. I know I have never been in line thinking "god I use this person would hurry up and bag her crap already", most of us understand it takes time I am sure.  If I am in a hurry, I do try to avoid lanes with people I think may hold me up but for the most part I wait and never really give the person ahead of me a second thought while they are bagging their groceries.

Rosie

I don't mind doing my own stuffing of the bags...but the best solution for me if I didn't like it = grocery delivery!  And I do use that more often than not...partially cause it costs as much for me to go and do my own shopping as it does to get it delivered.

I bag the same way Tebs does and my husband and I always do the shopping together, so with a two-man team bagging groceries is easy. For those that hate bagging, why not just order groceries online and have them delivered?

Done that.  Frightening the selection of 'fresh' items appears.  Nothing like brown bananas and moldy fruit.  Plus, there are times when it's not possible to always order online.  Can't always wait for it, can't always afford the amount I feel is justified.  Sometimes I just need some stuff from the store now.

Or ask for help with bagging, most stores will be happy to have someone help I am sure.

That's cute.
Seriously, not in my area.  At all.  I have asked.  Perhaps once, with a very audible sigh did I get someone even slower than I would have done it on my own.

I do wonder how much of the pressure to be fast with bagging is real and how much of it we imagine for ourselves.

No, no, it's very real.  I'm a pretty open kind of person, aware of what's going on around me.  Although also very imaginitive, I promise you, I have observed public behaviour in this situation for quite some time.

I know I have never been in line thinking "god I use this person would hurry up and bag her crap already", most of us understand it takes time I am sure.  If I am in a hurry, I do try to avoid lanes with people I think may hold me up but for the most part I wait and never really give the person ahead of me a second thought while they are bagging their groceries.

I can confidently say, I am the same Rosie.  This is just part of daily life that gets particularly annoying to me.