Blog Feed: Adventures of a Grocery Clerk

Here’s how to treat your casino dealers and server. It’s the same way as treating your neighborhood grocery clerk. Remember to always tip them promptly =) and your grocery clerks! Just kidding. Casinos are type of business that patrons expect to be served at every turn. With rare exceptions, there is very little self-service at [...] > read more

The Shawshank Redemption

Published on 2012-05-08 17:44:03

As a grocery checker, you just brace yourself when you see a customer who fits the profile of someone who would somehow annoy you and disregard you as a human being. But just because they fit the stereotype doesn’t mean they are who you thought they were. A lady in her mid 30s is loading [...] > read more

Ways to Annoy your Grocery Clerk #40 – Please Don’t Take My Pen

Published on 2012-05-01 00:12:02

The only personal possession we have are our pens. Customers take our pens with them by accident and we’re left scouring where to get another one. It’s that same feeling when you approach the checkstand with your groceries and realizing you didn’t bring any money. The company doesn’t supply us any pens, we buy them [...] > read more

What Movie Am I in While at Work

Published on 2012-04-23 00:10:17

I got a few emails about what movie I think I’m in while working at the grocery store. It depends on the situation; since one of my favorite TV shows is the Walking Dead, when there are really long lines, I like to imagine people as zombies trying to get me and as I’m checking [...] > read more

Don’t Take It Personal

Published on 2012-04-16 00:22:28

Never take anything personal when working in retail. Whether a customer cusses at you, mocks you, or stares you down; you have to remember that there’s only going to be a few of those people a day. Dwelling on things will ruin your entire day and it’s not fair to the next customer or your [...] > read more

Panhandling Infront of the Grocery Store

Published on 2012-04-09 21:56:00

Working the late shift, I’m always dealing with panhandlers. It’s like a game, I tell them to leave, they give me the “it’s a public place or I’m not hurting anyone,” speech, I threaten to call the cops, they leave and come back. An annoying repetitive cycle that occurs on a weekly basis. In this [...] > read more

Grocery Clerk ‘Bananaman’ Stops Thief

Published on 2012-01-19 00:00:32

In a stunt that would make Bananaman proud, a Tesco worker earned his superhero credentials by chasing and capturing an alleged thief while dressed as a giant banana. Checkout worker Luke Summerhayes, 21, was wearing the 6ft 7ins outfit as part of a charity fancy dress day, but when the security alarms went off as [...] > read more

To Pay or Not to Pay, That Is The Question:

Published on 2012-01-16 04:21:45

I didn’t know what to expect on the first day of the grocery bag ban. Well the only thing I expected was that everyone had gotten the memo, was I wrong… So much confusion, so much anger as if I’m asking the customers for donations. The bewildered look on the customers faces when they ask [...] > read more

Plastic Bag Ban Starts Now

Published on 2012-01-02 02:13:35

Happy New Years everyone!!! What a way to set of the New Year by banning plastic bags! I think its a great idea honestly. It will encourage shoppers to bring their own bags and best of all, help the environment! What do you think of the plastic bag ban? Starting Sunday, retailers in San Jose [...] > read more

Flower Hustler

Published on 2011-10-21 00:52:56

Four more customers to checkout and I’m ready for vacation! I’m on a roll today, nothing is better than having a good day of work before the start of vacation. I caught 3 shoplifters in one day! Two of them loaded up their shopping carts and tried to nonchalantly walk out the door. Hello! You [...] > read more

Cashiers: Remember to Ask For ID

Published on 2011-09-26 03:53:40

The other day, I went to go pump gas in my car and I realized I didn’t have my debit card with me. I didn’t think anything of it, maybe I left it at home. I searched all over the house looking for my debit card and came up empty. I went online to see [...] > read more

Getting Fat Working in the Grocery Store

Published on 2011-09-21 05:09:44

When I started working as a grocery checker, I was 135 pounds. Eleven years later I’m now 192 lbs! I flirt with 200 pounds on a monthly basis and even though I try to restrain myself from eating, it’s just too hard to do so when you’re working in the grocery store. Aisles: Almost every [...] > read more

Balloon Convenience by Tora the Florist

Published on 2011-09-14 02:59:46

I walked into my department this morning to find an order of 22 balloons that was going to be picked up in a few hours. I put on my safety goggles and filled each latex balloon with Hi-float and started blowing them up. With so many balloons, I usually try to make it easy on [...] > read more

Introduction – Tora the Florist

Published on 2011-09-06 03:02:34

Grocery stores have become a one stop shop for customers. You can get everything you want in one grocery store, groceries, small electronics, movies and even flowers. You want a nice flower arrangement to surprise your lady at home? Go by the floral department and ask the florist if they can put together something really [...] > read more

Shoplifters Caught with Meat Down Their Pants

Published on 2011-08-30 03:21:31

Donald Noone of Carlisle, Pennsylvania could meet Albert Einstein’s definition of insanity, after attempting his second supermarket rib heist using the same shoplifting technique that failed him miserably the first time around, but obviously expecting a different result. According to the Cumberland, PA Sentinel, the 65 year-old Noone “was back in police custody Sunday afternoon [...] > read more

Grocery Cart Asteroids

Published on 2011-08-29 00:24:45

I don’t think too many people in the grocery industry give much credit to the courtesy clerks. They are essential to the daily operations of the grocery store. Courtesy clerks do things that no one else wants to do, like cleaning the bathrooms, bottlerooms, mopping and sweeping the floors. They also do something that even [...] > read more

Some Things Just Don’t Mix

Published on 2011-07-06 03:12:33

I always give new grocery clerks the benefit of doubt. I assume they know how to deal with common issues and I often let them figure it out on their own but in this case, I should have done a little more hands on training… Several bottles of ol > read more

Video of an Amazing Bagger

Published on 2011-06-13 00:24:56

Check out the skills this guy has… I wonder if he can still pull it off with frozen meat, vegetables or canned foods? > read more

Back Me Up Boss!

Published on 2011-06-06 01:03:02

We expect our superiors to back us with confidence in any decision we wish to make while working on the job. As long as we’re following store procedure and not breaking any rules then our superiors should back us when customer asks for the boss > read more

Ask a Grocery Clerk

Published on 2011-06-02 23:43:31

Question: I was just curious…do you ever have any of these “extreme couponers” come through your line, and if so, does it annoy you or is it kind of fun? Answer: I don’t mind couponers. Even if they have bagfuls of coupons, they’re > read more

The Rapture

Published on 2011-05-23 00:15:25

Supposedly on May 21, 2011 at 5:59 p.m. as the exact time when those chosen by God would ascend to heaven while destruction wrecks havoc on earth to those who are left behind. I didn’t know anything about this as I thought the prediction was De > read more

Just Do It

Published on 2011-04-28 04:59:57

How hard is it to pick up trash? I hate it when I see my co-workers walk by trash on the ground when it only takes a second to pick it up and drop it in the trash can. Like they expect someone else to do it. I feel that’s a very inconsiderate t > read more

The Drunken Indian Giver

Published on 2011-04-15 13:10:16

Getting over charged or buying someone else groceries is never a pleasant thing. But to get a refund on the items you didn’t buy is. We can fix any price error on the spot or at the customer service booth. Sometimes when customers get charged f > read more

Ask a Grocery Clerk

Published on 2011-04-04 04:29:13

Question: I’m a supervisor at a big grocery chain and I was told by my superiors that we should not fraternize with our co-workers because we’re supervisors. I want to know what is your take on driving employees home after work? Answer: I > read more

Guest Blogger: CStauff the Checker

Published on 2011-03-30 04:02:09

This is a semi common situation that Checkers can be in, it’s one of my personal worst nightmares and something that has happened to me a few times, this incident is the worst of the similar ones that I’ve encountered. In Gary ChapmanR > read more

Never Step Off the Mat – Part III

Published on 2011-03-15 00:46:42

I like to give a shout out to Sarah Mirk from the The Portland Mercury for linking this blog. Thank you soooo much Sarah! In case you missed it: Part I Part II The comment Bianca made about not dating guys who are shorter than she was crushed my conf > read more

Never Step Off the Mat – Part II

Published on 2011-03-14 02:48:56

In the retail grocery business, there’s never a set working schedule. I work full time; 5 days with 2 days off at 40+ hours per week. I work swing shifts starting at 3 PM to midnight and split days off. I never get consecutive days off and if I > read more

Never Step Off the Mat – Part I

Published on 2011-03-11 02:18:49

I get many emails asking me how to pick up women at the grocery store. I guess because I work in a grocery store and I see all kinds of women everyday; I’m supposed to be some type of dating guru but the truth is in my 11 years working in a gro > read more

Parting Comment

Published on 2011-03-09 01:30:40

We hate it when customers intentionally ignore us when we greet them. It is our job to do so but isn’t it the right thing to do when someone greets and you greet them back? How about when someone gives you a parting comment like “have a g > read more

Grocery Tip: Ways to Avoid Long Lines

Published on 2011-03-07 01:05:53

Ever stood behind a long line of people with groceries filled to the top of their shopping cart with only 2 checkers working and you’re impatiently holding a few items hoping to get out of the grocery store? Did you know if you don’t have > read more

Checkstand Ebonics

Published on 2011-02-28 01:02:50

Throughout the day, we see all types of people in the checkstand. Making the customer feel comfortable is our #1 priority and the best way to do so is adjusting to each customers personality. Back in the 90′s, I watched a bunch of “hood&# > read more

Oh No You Didn’t!

Published on 2011-02-21 04:03:13

When things don’t go the way a customer wants them to, we get all kinds of obscene language yelled at us. I don’t really mind it much anymore, over the years I’ve became immune to the barrage of profanity from customers. But the thi > read more

Ask a Grocery Clerk

Published on 2011-02-16 19:58:36

Question: One time a checker gave me too much change I didn’t realize it till I got home. So i went back and let her know and gave her the correct amount so her drawer wouldn’t be short. Another customer in line looked at me in astonishment and > read more

Sex in the Stocking Room

Published on 2011-02-14 03:04:52

…she takes my hand and leads me towards the “employees only” backroom. Teasing me as she slowly kisses the nape of my neck which arouses me. I am unable to touch her because she is in control. I’ve never done anything like thi > read more

DNA Links Grocery Clerk to Semen in Yogurt Samples

Published on 2011-02-10 11:45:14

Laboratory tests have confirmed that semen found in a yogurt sample consumed by a New Mexico woman matches the DNA of a grocery store employee who was suspected in the tainting case, according to police. The results linking Anthony Garcia, 31, to the > read more

Ask A Grocery Clerk

Published on 2011-02-09 02:30:58

Question: There’s a crazy lady who is a bagger at our local grocery store. I try to avoid her, but the baggers have free roaming abilities to bag at every lane. She takes my grocery items and “flies” them into the bag, like a parent “flying > read more

Fake money and Fake Coupons

Published on 2011-02-07 01:36:04

At our store, we receive memos of potential scams that have been circulating our grocery chains. Usually its a check scam or gift card scam. All grocery cashiers are trained to look for any imperfections such as counterfeit $50 and $100 bills, fake w > read more

Twitter on Grocery Clerks

Published on 2011-02-04 02:00:46

People say the darnest things… - My cousin, an attorney, suggested I should take off my grocery clerk experience off my Linkedin profile b/c it’s not relevant. Thoughts? - Dear grocery store clerk, is it really necessary to bag every item > read more

Life and Times of Grocery Retail

Published on 2011-02-03 03:49:44

Let me begin. I have been a “proud” worker in the grocery retail business for the last eight years and have been fortunate enough to reach a management position that allows me to actually make a living. While I do enjoy my job overall, th > read more

Courtesy Clerk at 68…

Published on 2011-02-02 03:30:57

I like to introduce you guys to Paul the courtesy clerk from Houston… I’ve been doing this since the last week of 2008; so a bit over two years now. I’ve a strong suspicion that you noticed the “grocery clerk” part and p > read more

Social Network with Grocery Clerks

Published on 2011-01-31 00:32:41

With social network sites such as Facebook, Myspace and personal blogs we are able to communicate to a large network of people such as family members, friends and even co-workers. You can express your emotions with a tirade lace of profanity if your > read more

Just Your Luck

Published on 2011-01-26 00:00:38

It seems every time you’re in a hurry something ALWAYS manages to slow you down. How about standing in line to check out your groceries and the register goes down or behind an elderly lady with a handful of coupons or that obnoxious person who& > read more

Training Video – Fake ID

Published on 2010-11-29 00:00:25

I watched this video like 2,300,293 times and counting. I thought you guys can suffer at least 1 minute of my misery… > read more

Twitter On Grocery Clerks

Published on 2010-11-22 04:25:36

When I first started Mostlygrocery.com, I wanted to get a feel on what people talk about and I realize with Twitter people talk about anything and everything. I also tried tweeting myself from the checkstands but it was way too much to keep up so wit > read more

Lead Found in Reusable Grocery Bags

Published on 2010-11-15 00:32:15

Lead found in some reusable grocery bags is raising concerns that the toxin could pose environmental or health concerns to consumers. Sen. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., is asking for a federal investigation into the reusable bags following a series by The > read more

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