That thing of beauty is a replica of the rings the St. Louis Cardinals were given for their 2006 championship. Cost: $9.99 in St. Louis area. My friend, Charlie, picked it up for me and is mailing it to me and I'm very excited. Not sure if it will fit on my finger but it would certainly look nice on my Cardinals lanyard. Thanks to Charlie! Picture of me and my World Series ensemble (hat, shirt, jersey patch, and ring) coming soon.Speaking of the Cardinals, they are only two games out of the division lead. A team that hasn't been at .500 since they were 6-6 in April is 2 games back of Chicago. They were 83-78 last season and won the championship, repeat run on the way? They're playing some great baseball right now and it has me very excited.
I am now a college freshman, can you believe it? I'm taking American History to 1877 and Composition I at Pulaski Tech as well as Calculus and Chemistry at home. I like my college classes more than my high school classes as of right now. History seems like it will be easy all year, not so with Comp. I but at least right now it's not too bad.
So with college and high school and work and church getting back in the swing of things, I've kept busy. But not too busy to think about some more tips and to reiterate one with an illustration for Wal-Mart customers...
Tips for Wal-Mart Customer Part II
As a follow-up to part 1 (which can be read here), I present part 2 beginning with an illustration of what happens when you use a check, courtesy of Visa and YouTube...
As a follow-up to part 1 (which can be read here), I present part 2 beginning with an illustration of what happens when you use a check, courtesy of Visa and YouTube...
1) This is an expansion of a tip from the first set of tips with a new request: don't use checks. First, as shown in the Visa commercial, you mess up the rhythm and slow everyone down. You may think it's not a big deal and that the commercial was just a ridiculous exaggeration but it's actually worse at Wal-Mart because we have to run your check electronically and get your signature. Why are checks still being used at big stores? For paying small businesses that don't accept cards and people who can't accept cards, checks make sense. But at Wal-Mart? I don't think so. Save some trees and use your debit/check/credit card.
2) This has happened twice now: Don't complain about my pens. You asked for a pen, I gave you what I had, be grateful. Don't complain that it writes too thin, would you rather me give you a Sharpie? And I paid for those pens out of my pocket so please try your best not to take them. If you must write a check, and above I ask that you not, then bring your own pen or don't complain about mine.
3) If you choose not to get an item, please don't just put it on the end of the belt where it confuses me and other people. And please don't put it in the with the candy or other items in my aisle. Just tell me that you don't want it and I'll set it aside where someone will pick it up. In Arlington, the Wal-Mart there was so busy that the cashiers didn't have time to clean their rows and the aisles looked ridiculous because people put what they didn't want, wherever they wanted to. So just hand the items to me and I'll set it aside nicely.
4) Don't steal fruit or drinks. Just because you can eat an apple, set it aside, and get away with it doesn't mean you should. Same with the cokes. It's not right.
5) Think of self-check lanes as an express lane and you'll be better off. Maybe an express lane up to 30 items. But when you're coming through with 80 items, self-check will only slow you down because there are only two bags instead of six and your cart is full so you have to set them on the ground. Also, you might lose your place and forget to scan your items or double-scan. Which leads me to number 6...
6) It is my job as a self-check operator to watch you and make sure you are paying for everything, if that makes you uncomfortable, I'm sorry, go to a regular lane. And if I check my screen and I think you haven't scanned something, I will ask if you have. And if you can't show me you have, I will call a supervisor and/or manager if you continue to think you have and refuse to scan it. So scan all your items and don't deal with the hassle. But if I do ask, don't get all defensive, I'm doing my job here.
7) Another self-check tip: Don't pay by check. Don't pay by check on any lane period. But especially on self-check lanes because I have to log-in, print you a slip, and take you to my podium, then wait for all your items to appear in the system, then take your check. That's even longer than the regular process. And if all the lanes are busy and I'm trying to make sure people don't steal, I certainly won't be happy that you're paying by check.
8) Look under your cart when you're unloading onto the belt and tell me if you have a 24 pack of water you don't want to get out because I'd be happy to hand-scan it because it means I don't have to lift it either. But don't neglect to tell me that you have items under your cart. That's stealing out of ignorance. If you make an honest mistake and neither you or I notice, bring it back in and pay for it. I won't look at you any less but I'll respect you more for your honesty.
9) Don't complain about my belt or platform (express lane) being dirty especially when we're busy. Would you prefer I shut down my lane and keep you waiting so I can clean it? If your concerned about clothes getting dirty, put them on top of other items or hand them to me. You can suggest that it's dirty to let me know but if we're busy, that's the least of my concerns. One guy the other day told me my express lane platform was dirty and that I needed some Windex. I agreed, said it was dirty and grabbed a paper towel to wipe up the condensation on the platform. He said, no you need some Windex. Of course, I don't have any Windex so he says that I'm not listening to him and goes to another express lane. A) He didn't have any clothes, all food items, all packaged in a box. B) They were in a basket! They weren't even going to touch the platform. You really think my platform is more dirty than those shelves the items are stocked on that aren't cleaned (as far as I know). I've cleaned some of the registers' aisles and it's a whole lot more nasty on those shelves than my belt or platform has ever been. So thanks for your suggestion, I'll get around to it when the traffic slows down.
So there are 8 more tips plus some clarification of one. Following the tips is greatly appreciated by cashiers at Wal-Marts and other retail outlets worldwide.
Now I'm off to eat some lunch. Comments?
-Kevin C. Burns
