do you profile cashiers?

[idonovan]

So please do not take offence to this. I am not racist at all and I believe in equality for everyone. But I am in love with coupons and use them a lot out of necessity like a lot of us. The only trouble I have ever had with coupons and cashiers is when they spoke poor English. They either don’t understand the coupon or the policy or both or some other problem related to coupons. I don’t want to be rude to people but explaining to them what is correct can be frustrating. Not only for me and the cashier let along probably embarrassing for them, but it’s also frustrating for the people behind me having to wait forever.

I have many examples one is a 2 dollar off pizza coupon I had from the Cineplex magazine. She did not understand what the coupon was for, did not see the expiry date and looked at the back of it which happened to have the in the bottom corner the month of the magazine issue (February) and half a picture of a shoe (from the add on the reverse side) she tells me that the coupon expired it took a bit to explain why it’s not and to point out the actual expiry date let along that the coupon was for pizza as it clearly had a picture of the product on it. Other examples I have other examples but they are all similar to situations like this.

So I’m just saying that I profile I look for cashiers that look like they speak English and if I can walk by them opposite the line so I’m not bothering anyone and see if I can hear them talking. Don’t care about accents just look for a relatively good understanding of the language. I figure this way it’s less frustration for everyone. Also frequenting a store I worked at for a short time to get money for school helps as I know who knows the language. If I was buying one item that was cheap and I did not bother with a coupon for it sure I would go to person with the shortest line up.
Does anyone else have problems like this and profile as well and how do you guys feel about this?

[Starbaby55]

I always look to see who looks friendly and looks like they won't give me a hassle over EVERY single coupon. They usually start off friendly with statements like "oh good deal" and by the end they get annoyed and snotty and begin making up their own rules. I usually don't use tons of coupons on one trip, but occassionally i will use 15-20 different coupons on one trip. This seems to cause the issues?

[snuffaluffagus]

I don't profile only because, for the most part, I've quickly learned the schedules of my favorite cashiers at my favorite stores . I also take the time to meet and speak with managers if the opportunity arises.

My experience is completely opposite yours, however. I live in a very multicultural region (and loving it!) and I find that cashiers whose mother tongue is neither English nor French, are extremely patient, polite, and very eager to learn, especially if you take the few seconds to smile and say, "hello, how are you?" (which I do with all cashiers/service reps). They also don't hesitate to contact a HC or a manager immediately if they need a hand so that helps in eliminating wasted time.

[Elle Lady Sadie]

ok i confess -- i ALWAYS scout out the cashiers before i go through the line up. If i have a choice between some crabby looking cashier and a young guy - I always l go through the young guys line up. Not meaning to offend any young man out there. But it just has been my experience that the young guys are pretty easy going about coupons.

[kanda]

I do. I have several types that I look for but for the most part I know who in my stores to go to or avoid.

I like to use self checkout the most though because, though I am totally honest, they don't seem to scrutinize each coupon as much. Or maybe the attendant is just better trained on coupons?

[leda]

I profile at every store I go into. I look for cashiers I am familiar with and know I won't get a hassle first and foremost. Then I look for young men. If none are available, young women. Also sometimes people that I know are new (our WalMart just became a superstore, so it has lots of new employees) and yes, sometimes that becomes a hassle because they are unfamiliar with coupons and policies, but they aren't rude about it. I had a new cashier the other day, and she wrote the amount, before coupons down, so she could see how much I saved. She was unsure of a coupon I gave her, and I assured her it was ok (which it was) but told her I won't mine waiting while she spoke to a manager, and she said, no, that's ok, and took it. Oddly enough, I find the ones with titles such as supervisor, "specialist" etc, are the worse. They should know more than the average cashier, but they usually know less.

[immacouponer]

i have learned from experience! today was the worst experience at shoppers. i usually go for the teenagers... and mostly teenage boys. they are the easiest to work with

[idonovan]

i find young women the best thanks all for feedback

[glenglen]

I do try to profile,but what I found funny is my daughter and I were shopping and when we headed to the cashier she said mom lets find the right cashier,she uses a few coupons now and then but not alot I send her some, so it surprised me that she profiled I thought it was great LOL!

[Sassy Saver]

When I was living in a small town, I went to whoever. Since living in the city I have started to scout out cashiers because of some unpleseant experiences. I look for young males or females around my age because I think they are less likely to get rowdy with someone their age group...
Thats my thinking around it!

[AimeeJane]

So glad you posted this! Yup! The last couple times I went though I picked GUYS too! They don't want to stand there with your tampons doing a price check or being embarrassed.

Profiling is definitly a neccesity. A piece of advice: If you guys find an employee helpful or you like the deals at the store... find the comment box or email head office to tell them. Nothing like ensuring your coupon friendly cashier gets brownie points on the job. Who knowa, you might get a bonus of some kind!

[FallenPixels]

I do, but I find it is more based on age than race, older women are more likely to give you a hard time IME

[juniperjune]

I do not profile in the sense that you refer to. It has nothing to do with language and ethnicity. I live in a multicultural environment and we are more open minded here perhaps than other areas. I do avoid cashiers that I know are slow, do not understand coupons or are just plain hatters of the world! LOL

[matty's mom]

I do my "profiling" in line. As I am usually shopping with a toddler, so I look for the shortest line. Then I watch the cashier- is s/he tired? overworked? bored? frustrated? etc. That is usually how I address them when it is my turn. It is a technique that I learned in my counselling background that does me well couponing. Once I have acknowledged their state of mind, and tell them how I understand, I find that they are more open to me and my purchase. Everyone wants to be "seen" and understood. Not always the case when you are a cashier. I don't evenmind a slow cashier if I know that they are going to positive towards me (and my usually squirming toddler at that point!).

[idonovan]

why is it though that the cashier is always the hardest part of this? I just wish they had the coupon policy at every till to refer to at every store. It would make for better customer service. It will also be nice if cashiers and managers ext all knew coupon wording, ie what one per purchase means.