I really need to work on my grocery store Zen

[struggle4progress]

My weekly grocery run is almost over, and I'm checking out, chit-chatting with the bagger

How's it going?

I can't complain, she says

I tell her I can always complain

So can I but it doesn't do any good

I'm thinking, Maybe complain to more people more loudly, more often and with more backup?

But I just smile and roll the cart out to my car

I really need to work on my grocery store Zen

[PoindexterOglethorpe]

2. Complaining is rarely helpful.

Actually doing something about whatever it is, that's helpful.

[pecosbob]

3. I manage a small market

These days my routine includes a Louisville Slugger.

[matt819]

4. I try to be nice to the cashiers

I say thanks to the cashier and to the bagger. If they seem like they’re not full automatons I might try to make pointless conversation. Just to feel human. Sometimes they don’t respond. I say thanks anyway. It may mean nothing to them but I know I’ve done my bit.

Don’t get me wrong. I’m not a Pollyanna. If I had a vanity plate it would be LMTFA. Big that’s not a great guide for life, so I say thanks.

[Hermit-The-Prog]

5. How many casual questions do baggers and cashiers handle per day?

[rownesheck]

6. Keep in mind,

the job of being a retail worker is absolute shit. Imagine being told to greet EVERY customer that you come within 6 feet of, otherwise you're breaking policy. That could easily be 1000 "hellos" a day while you are frantically trying to get your work done so you can go home in time. I'm not saying be rude to customers or ignore them, but I don't think it's necessary to say hi to everyone.

Also, think of how many times we have to engage in small talk. That is very draining on our mental energy. We end up sounding like robots most of the time, but it's not our fault. Our brains develop canned responses, because it has to.

Sometimes I feel like people expect retail workers to be the saviors of the world or the psychologists to the community, but we are just a bunch of poor bastards stuck in a situation that we see no way out of.

Please be kind to retail workers, and stop expecting so much from us. We are a beaten down and broken lot.