Use Your Words

During a recent visit to the local grocery story, I ran into a communication problem with the cashier. As a future Speech Pathologist, I have come to realize that how I communicate and speak is extremely important in my future success in my chosen profession. Sometimes, however, the receiver of my communication is just unable to really understand what I am saying, no matter how clearly I try to explain myself.
The grocery stores here offer self check-out. Not sure if that is the case across the country, but here in Salt Lake all the local stores I shop at have it as an option to the standard check-out. This has its pluses and minuses. If, like me, you only have a small basket of goods, it makes it pretty easy and fast. I actually timed myself once while getting a half gallon of milk. From the time I entered the store, went to the back of the store, grabbed my milk, hit the self check out and paid, I was in the store 46 seconds. Yes, it can be that fast.
The minus can be that with these self check-outs, there is only 1 cashier monitoring all the activity. When it gets really busy it can be chaotic with people that don't know what they are doing. I do feel for the cashier, what with all the nasty looks she gets when the screen of an individual check-out comes up "please wait for attendant," having to deal with coupons, or helping people figure out the produce screen. I am certain they don't pay her enough.

Part of my purchase this time was two reusable bags. They were 79cents each, and I needed to add some to my collection. Mind you, this was a purchase of the bags. I was also going to use the bags since I had purchased them. This makes sense, no? I scanned all my food items, got to the bags, scanned one, and got a "please wait for attendant" warning. I turned around and the attendant was no where to be found. I looked at the long line behind me of scowls and disappointed faces.
"Come on," I mumbled to myself. Finally, she came back to her station. I walked over to her. "There is a problem with my last scan," I said.
She carefully looked over my stuff (I had already put my goods in the first bag).
"Oh well, when you use your own bags, you need to put them on the scale first, before starting your purchases."
"Okay, but I am buying these bags, so their weight should should be included in the purchase." I replied.
"Oh....you just bought them. Well just make sure you put them on the scale before you start scanning items."

Ummmm.....isn't that considered stealing?

I went back to my check out and scanned the last bag, and placed it on the scale. Again, "please wait for attendant" flashed onto the screen. Okay, now I am getting pissed. I looked over to her, and she stated yet again, "just make sure to put the bags on the scale prior to scanning items."
Okay, we all get to make stupid mistakes in our lives, but this chick just isn't getting it. I responded with, "I don't think the store would like that very much." She looked at me with a confused look on her face. "Wouldn't that be stealing?" I asked. Suddenly a light bulb went off in her head. Ding Ding, we have a winner!
I packed up the remaining items in my now paid for bag and left the store. Afterwards, I was critical of myself that maybe I was impatient or didn't explain myself well enough. I mulled it over driving back home. Naw, this was not a miscommunication on my part, she just couldn't understand that I was actually buying these bags. Just then the light bulb went off in my head, "Crap! I could have gotten two reusable bags for FREE!" Apparently, no one would have been the wiser. Oh well, I probably would have felt guilty about it any way......for a while.