Cashier's Tips, Tricks and Hints

Everyone shops. It's one of the few certainties of life. Eventually, you will run out of eggs. With the current economic state come unpleasant realities. Grocery stores are crowded and employees and fellow customers are short-tempered.

Now, more than ever, it is good to have a little inside information. Cashiers and clerks are bound to a code of expression: they need to be polite and tight-lipped. Unfortunately, the ones that behave as they should are also the ones that could offer the best advice.

Your cashier would love to tell you:

You don't have to buy two to get the buy-one-get-one-free price.

Store advertisements are often tricky. They use phrases like "three for the price of one" to make customers believe that they must purchase three. In nearly all cases, however, you can buy one at a third of the normal price.

This sometimes applies to other deals. You may see a sign that shows a gallon of milk and a large box of cereal, and promises a special price if they're purchased together. Read the fine print. You may be able to get the same reduction on smaller versions of the same items.

Bags cost money.

Have you noticed that your favorite cashier is placing more and more items into a single bag? He's probably being watched. Stores are constantly looking for ways to cut overhead and bags are an expense that is sometimes needlessly inflated.

Managers put pressure on cashiers to use fewer bags. (To be fair, they are pressured by higher-ups.) In some cases, they are given a reduced bonus if they are unable to save bags... or, worse, no bonus at all. The best way to avoid being inconvenienced by this policy is to purchase and use cloth bags.

I'll do whatever I can.

Your cashier is not your enemy. Although she may be working long hours and frustrated by personal problems, she genuinely wants you to have a good experience. If you'd like for her to bag your items in a certain way, or to alert you when your total reaches a certain amount, just ask.

When the clerk says he can't help you, he can't. Feel free to ask if his supervisor can do whatever you're asking. But be prepared to be told "no" again. He has no reason to lie to you, and would much rather appease you than face a less pleasant reality.

Nothing can be returned to the freezer.

When you hand an unwanted carton of milk, package of cheese or frozen entrée to the cashier, it's gone. You can assure her that it's only been out of the case for a few minutes, but it doesn't matter. All perishables must be destroyed. It's a health regulation that is strictly enforced.

Honestly, it's better for your store -- and, ultimately, for you as a customer -- to choose your groceries carefully. Although the store is reimbursed for the cost of wasted items, the time and effort put into claiming that money makes the store less efficient. When they say "time is money," they aren't kidding.

You need to fill out a customer comment card.

Sometimes you will encounter a wonderful cashier who goes out of his way to be helpful and engaging. On occasion, a cashier will be rude. No matter what your experience has been, take a moment to fill out a comment card.

These cards seem to be an inconvenience when you can simply stop a manager and make a verbal report. However, there is no record of that discussion. The cashier may never hear your opinion, and it certainly won't affect his performance review. The only way to truly make a difference is to provide written proof.

It doesn't matter what grocery store you choose or how often you shop. You will encounter a diverse group of clerks with different techniques and temperaments. But every one wishes she could tell you these things to make her job easier, and your shopping experience more pleasant.