cathy wrote:
> I suppose this is a pretty minor pet peeve, but it still ticks me off.
>
> I shop at Vons in the Los Angeles area (owned and run by Safeway).
> They have two store policies that I find irritating and hypocritical.
> The first is, the checker always asks you "do you need help out to
> your car", no matter what the size of your order. I've had them ask me
> that when all I bought was a half gallon of milk, or a single bag of
> potato chips.


I feel the same way about the enforced mandatory happiness at the big
box home store where they have to greet everyone. I am quite sure they
aren't really all that excited to see me buy a paint brush.


>
> Apparently it's store policy that they =have= to ask that question, no
> matter what the size of the customer's order. Aside from the
> ludicrousness of the question, I feel it's an insult to me - do I look
> so decrepit that they genuinely think I =need= help? And it's an
> insult to the checker - why can't the store trust their employees to
> use common sense - ask the question if there's a =large= order, or the
> customer is elderly and might need the help. Let the employee assess
> the situation. Its not rocket science. I've complained several times
> and have been told "it's company policy".
>
> The second thing that Vons does that ticks me off is this: when you
> pay by debit or credit card, the checker is required to call you by
> name when they hand you the receipt. So you have to wait while they
> stare at the receipt, and try and figure out how to pronounce your
> name. I find this fake "personalization" worse than just a generic
> "ma'am" or "sir". They don't know me from Adam, they are forced to do
> this, and the whole thing is so phony it makes me crazy. Again, I find
> it insulting, and I'm sure there are other people who genuinely don't
> want the checker announcing their name to everyone within earshot.
> Just imagine the reaction if you heard "Thank you, Ms. Longoria" or
> "Thank you, Mr, Laurie".
>
> None of the other markets I shop at do this. Anyone else have this
> kind of experience? (I think it's a policy for all Safeway stores).
>
> Like I said, I know in the greater scheme of things it's pretty minor,
> but I just can't help being irritated nearly every time I shop there.
>
> And yes, I =could= stop shopping there, but they carry things the
> other markets don't, and they occasionally have great sales on meat
> and poultry. Plus, they're they only market near me that carries milk
> in half-gallon wax paper containers, instead of the plastic jugs
> everyone else seems to have gone to. I find that my milk spoils a
> whole lot sooner in the plastic jugs.
>
> Cathy