DO NOT DO THIS!

There are a number of things that consumers should NEVER do, and somethings they should ALWAYS do. These things are basically what annoy cashiers beyond belief, and what will make things run smoother and faster for YOU, the consumer. Please take notes, and try to follow these simple rules the next time you are at the store. The sanity of your cashiers and fellow shoppers is at stake.

The Art of Check Writing

1. NEVER, ever write in your check ledger BEFORE you write your check. Trust me, you will have more than enough time AFTER you write your check and hand it to me.

2. ALWAYS write your check before the order is finished. At least start it, and then fill in the total after the cashier is done ringing up your order. It is annoying beyond belief when the customer just stands there until the cashier tells them the total, and then fishes around for their checkbook, and THEN starts to write a check.

3. ALWAYS tell the cashier if you are going to write it for over. Think about it. We do hundreds of checks for the exact amount over and over again, and then you get mad at us when we don't give you the change for your check that you decided to write for over the amount without letting us know.

4. ALWAYS rip your check off cleanly. I have a checkbook, and I know it is not a difficult thing. Some people almost need to carry a hacksaw to get their check out; they pull and rip at it for minutes, and then hand you a shredded lump of paper once they get it out. Well, guess what, people. THE MACHINES CAN'T READ THEM! They need to be at least halfway decent to go through the machine.

5. NEVER set your check right next to your checkbook when you are done writing it. We are NOT always staring at you, trying to contimplate your next move. We are working on other things, such as entering your check into the computer, greeting the next customer, bagging, etc. So, just inform us when you have completed your check, and please attempt to be nice about it. No, "Hey, Hellllllooo?" is NOT a good way to talk to a cashier when they are doing other things to help YOU.

The Art of Scanning Credit Cards

1. ALWAYS read the instructions. Most customers will mess around with it the whole order, and just end up having the cashier scan it. There will either be on-screen instructions, or a little picture of the card. Just turn your card so it looks like the picture, choose your card type, and slide it through. Simple.

2.NEVER wait until the end of the order to scan your card. That is the whole purpose of the machines. You run your card through and put it on the counter for the cashier to use if you messed up, and then sign your slip after the order is complete. No need to wait until the end of the order to run your card. Do it during the order!

3.CHOOSE the right card type! Don't ask if it's a debit or a credit card. It's your card, you should know. Just to clear up any confusion: If you have a "check" card, it is NOT a debit card! Run it through under "credit".

4.NEVER ask the cashier to check your signature. This is almost a whole topic itself. If a signature doesn't match exactly, which most don't anyway, the cashier will not tackle you to the ground and detain you. Checking signatures is pointless. Just put your card away after you have signed.

5.ALWAYS run your card through the machine the long way, NOT the short way. This may sound odd, but some customers have tried to do that. They put the short end of their card into the machine, and slide it back and forth vigorously. THIS WILL NOT WORK. The magnetic strip runs along the length of the card, not the width.

The Art of Cash Payment

1. Don't pay with pennies or other small change. This is annoying beyond belief. As a store, we're required to give 7quick, friendly service, and this makes it impossible. If you had the sense to take it to a bank, ANY bank, believe me, they'd be more than happy to instantly convert that to bills.

2. Don't pay for an order less than $5.00 with a $100 bill! This may not sound like a big deal, but if this happens near the beginning of the day, I quickly find myself needing more money from the front desk. Once again, instead of breaking it where it most pleases you, a bank would be happy to give you -- wow -- 5 20's, 10 10's, 20 5's, 50 2's, even 100 1's if you'd like. Then you could actually look like a normal person when you pay for your $.98 order.

3. Don't give me a few bills that are all bundled together!! Have your money prepared to hand me neatly. It's a huge hassle for everyone when I need to take each individual bill out of the pile, lay it out and count it up.

4. NEVER dig for that extra change unless you can produce it immediately. I have had people dig for up to 97 cents on an order that was $4.97 and they gave me a $10 bill. It's so much easier for me to give you $5.03 then for you to dig for all your change just so you can get that extra buck. In most cases, customers will say, "Wait, I think I have the change." Meanwhile, the line will continue to get backed up, and a full minute later, the customer will say, "Nope, I guess not."

5. Don't ask me for specific change from my drawer. It's all worth the same amount, and I'm not a banker. Pennies and quarters run out quickly and I find myself always having to run back and forth from the register to the service desk because the customer request $3.00 worth of quarters.