I was an administrative assistant for the past 8 years and hated that I was in an isolated office and never had contact with others, so I thought this would be a fun and easy job. I assumed that customers I would experience, would be similar to what I present when I shop…polite and friendly. I guess that is a naive attitude on my part.

Still, I want to try this and see if I can deal. I’m not good with being treated rudely, but after reading all of this I am at least aware of what may be a daily occurance and it will help me control my face … I hope!

http://www.youtube.com/user/JFKshow?feature=mhsn

That said, you really don’t sound like someone who’s had any experience with disabled kids (you even admit this)—let alone children in general. You make a lot of generalizations and that is very sad. I often find people with such an attitude are either abusive or perpetually self-absorbed/immature. Perhaps you were projecting this, and this could have been why the confrontation with the mother of the autistic kid turned so ugly.

While I was busy wrangling my kid and getting out my wallet, I didn’t have a chance to ask the cashier how she was doing, but I was still business polite to her (saying please and thank you).

I raise my daughter to wait her turn, smile at and greet people, and say “please” and “thank you.” When she’s not tired or teething, she is a delight to be around (and even when she’s not feeling well she is usually fantastic). Sometimes kids have moments—especially the little ones. They aren’t robots, and most people I meet at stores are *very* understanding of this.

When I run into judgmental/rude cashiers I try to remember this can be true of adults, too. Then I remember all the kind store employees we run into (which is the majority).

Likewise, if you are a cashier, do NOT give your customers a dirty look if our kids are not perfect—especially toddlers.

Today my 19 month old was trying to grab candy. I don’t scream at my kid and I *do* talk to her (while keeping the grabbables out of reach). You would not believe the fowl look the cashier was giving me. Hello? My kid is getting her two year molars in and we haven’t had a chance to shop in two weeks because we have been sick. I do not need the person I’m giving my money to giving me the stinkeye because I choose not to scream at or beat my daughter. Groceries need to be bought, and not everyone has access to a babysitter.

As a cashier, I would actually argue in Allison’s favor. If the author does not care about her potential readership enough to respect and abide by generally accepted rules of grammar, why should she expect the readership to respect and abide by her advice (read: opinions) on manners? It is my belief that, perhaps, Allison was pointing out that arrogance, thoughtlessness, and politeness all go both ways and (clearly) cashiers are not immune to ignoring accepted social constructs. I really respect the authors frustrations, but the message would come across much stronger if presented with the same respect the author is expecting, nay, demanding of the customer.

And honestly, let’s not forget who is getting the paycheck here. We are. We are being paid to provide customer services. It is our job to be polite. Let me repeat that, it is our job to be polite. Sorry, but as much as it hurts, they are not being paid to be polite to you. In fact, they are handing over their hard earned money from their job where people are probably also rude to them to buy tampons and hot dog buns and motor oil from a disgruntled customer service representative that, unbeknownst to them, is blasting them and their autistic child on the internet. Wow. Seriously, wow, talk about excellent customer service! Think about the consequences of saying most of the things in this post to a real, live customer. We would lose our jobs.

By the way, don’t forget that consumers can buy anything on the internet now. Yes, groceries too. Even fresh produce. From the internet. Very small fee. Do you realize that grocery delivery has the potential to makes the simple service we provide obsolete? We should be grateful that we still have customers coming into the store, because when they start buying their groceries in their underwear, from their couch, we are out of a job, and a paycheck.

Just remember we are there to give to them and not the other way around. Their job description is to consume, not to provide us with warm feelings. Their good behavior is an added bonus – and one which I’m willing to bet a lot of cashiers overlook.

And for the record, I love my job and it loves me back.

As for the article, I agree 100% (I’m a cashier too). Thanks so much for posting this!