I work as a managing cashier at a large store. I oversee a crew of about seven cashiers. I have been doing this job for close to seven years and I would say, starting the past three years or so, almost half of our customers carry on conversations on their phone not only when shopping, but also when a cashier is ringing them out.
I personally think this is very rude. But knowing my opinion might not be the majority, I asked my cashiers how the felt. Several commented how it was difficult to interact with the customer (tell them the total, count back change, ask if they needed an item gift wrapped) and because of that, lines got held up. All of them felt it was very rude when a customer was on their cell phone while being rung up.
With the permission of the owner, I put up signs, visible at every register that said "Our cashiers do not talk on the phone while helping you, please extend them the same courtesy." We hoped this would also encourage those people who had no problem with talking on their cell phone after they flagged down a salesperson and wanted help (while still on their phone).
A couple of weeks passed and this week the owner had to come down and cover some of the registers during lunch breaks. He saw that the signs were not helping and decided to add a caveat. "Cashiers will refuse service to any customer on their cell phone."
It's been about five days since this addition went up and today, I intercepted a commotion at one of the registers. A woman (on her cell phone) was throwing a fit that the cashier was not helping her and refusing to get off the phone. I took the woman aside and explained to her our policy and invited her over to my register (which is basically an emergency register) to be rung up so she wouldn't have to wait in line.
This woman proceeded to scream at me that it was a free country and she could talk on the phone all she wanted and that we could not refuse her service. Mind you, she was still on her cell phone.
So, this is the question I pose besides why someone might have this mentality. Is it wrong of us to ask for common respect? Is it not right of us to refuse service to a customer who refuses to respect us? And why is something so private as a phone call, now socially acceptable to take in public?
I personally think this is very rude. But knowing my opinion might not be the majority, I asked my cashiers how the felt. Several commented how it was difficult to interact with the customer (tell them the total, count back change, ask if they needed an item gift wrapped) and because of that, lines got held up. All of them felt it was very rude when a customer was on their cell phone while being rung up.
With the permission of the owner, I put up signs, visible at every register that said "Our cashiers do not talk on the phone while helping you, please extend them the same courtesy." We hoped this would also encourage those people who had no problem with talking on their cell phone after they flagged down a salesperson and wanted help (while still on their phone).
A couple of weeks passed and this week the owner had to come down and cover some of the registers during lunch breaks. He saw that the signs were not helping and decided to add a caveat. "Cashiers will refuse service to any customer on their cell phone."
It's been about five days since this addition went up and today, I intercepted a commotion at one of the registers. A woman (on her cell phone) was throwing a fit that the cashier was not helping her and refusing to get off the phone. I took the woman aside and explained to her our policy and invited her over to my register (which is basically an emergency register) to be rung up so she wouldn't have to wait in line.
This woman proceeded to scream at me that it was a free country and she could talk on the phone all she wanted and that we could not refuse her service. Mind you, she was still on her cell phone.
So, this is the question I pose besides why someone might have this mentality. Is it wrong of us to ask for common respect? Is it not right of us to refuse service to a customer who refuses to respect us? And why is something so private as a phone call, now socially acceptable to take in public?