I just got back from the market and the clerk noticed all the diet coke I was buying and asked if I was on a diet!! I was like... "umm I just really like my caffeine". And then his next remark was "you sure are buying a lot of pizza though" (I had two frozen pizzas for our Oscar's party tonight).

I always feel like the checker's are judging what I am buying - but I always thought I was just paranoid. But this guy was commenting on everything I bought! Anyone else feel paranoid/self-conscious when at the market?

WTF? What's so random. Why can't people just mind their own? :/

Then again... I look at what the people around me are buying and make assumptions about them. ("He has a lot of frozen dinners. I bet he's single." "She bought a lot of veggies and I don't see any meat. Must be a vegetarian.") But I never actually voice what I'm thinking. I'd feel VERY self-conscious if I knew my cashier was judging me! Especially when I know I'm not buying healthy stuff!

Now, there's something to investigate... Why I'd feel self-conscious buying food in front of people if I thought they were actually paying attention...

Yep. I live downtown in a big city, and there really aren't any big grocery supercentres, just smaller shops where I can recognize all the staff (and thus figure they can recognize me, to some extent, too). Since I don't have a car, I go shopping a few times a week, and I always feel like they're thinking "Man, she buys food a LOT." even though I never buy much at once, and it's silly thinking because *most* people don't have cars and are in there a few times a week, I'm sure.

But whenever I'm not on plan, and go in there and buy junk, I feel like they notice (since I'm fat but usually buying health food) and think "Oh, she's slipped on her diet. Typical fatty."

It gets on my nerves when they make judgements on what i buy. I got really mad one time. My son was buying sushi and the cashier said, "oh gross, you eat raw fish? I only eat the California sushi." I dont know why it made me so mad but i just gave her a go to heck look and said, "well we eat the real sushi because we like it, not because its trendy like you do by eating a lame california roll."
Geeze the nerve of some people.

Was this a round guy with glasses that works at Target??? He does the SAME THING to me!!!
As he scans our 6 bags of salad... "boy, you guys sure eat a lot of salad. I myelf just can't handle all that rabbit food"...


You know, I'll go ahead and assume whatever I like about someone by what's in their basket, but I will never open my big mouth, ESPECIALLY if it's what puts food on my table.

Some people just don't think.

I think the cashiers are just bored to TEARS, and trying to make conversation, and not really thinking about how it might sound. My husband and I both like to cook and experiment with new foods, so we get alot of remarks from the clerks about the "strange" stuff we buy. I usually find it funny, especially when I not only have to tell the clerk what the item is, but how you prepare or eat it. My personal favorite was explaining "Ugli" fruit to a horrified clerk, who couldn't believe I was paying $2 for a rotten looking piece of fruit (not exactly a great customer-service response, but funny). The Ugli fruit looks sort of like an ugly (hence the name and her reaction) mutant green grapefruit, but is one of my favorite fruits, because it tastes like lemonade. My description must have won her over, because she smiled and said she was going to buy one to try on her next break.

Haha! I thought I was the only one! I don't keep dessert at my house and just buy a serving when I am really want it. Anyway, about a month ago I was having a BIG chocolate craving, so I went to the grocery store and bought a bar of really nice looking dark chocolate. The guy at the register was like, "Wow, is this chocolate good enough to be $3.00 for a bar?" I just kind of looked at him, as this had never happened to me before, so I finally said, "Uhhh I don't know, I've never tried this brand before." And then he said, "Well come back and let me know if it was worth it!" Now everytime I go to the store, I feel really awkward when he is working, and definitely always avoid his checkout line ...and the chocolate was worth every penny )

What?! I can't believe the cashier actually made comments to you about your shopping habits. I've occasionally had a casheir comment if I found something on sale really cheap and they didn't know it was on sale. But I am in shock that they actually commented about what you are buying. That is so rude. I almost always go thought he U-Scan self checkout because normally find that I can do it faster myself (a lot of stores now have several that are reserved for large orders). I guess that is just another reason not to go though regular lines.

I was telling my BF about this thread and he said he had just gone to the store to shop and was buying Lean Cuisines and the checker said to him "I've never seen a guy buying these". I wonder if the same checkers ask the ppl buying condoms if their gettin some tonight...lol??? Isn't that as rude (not to mention personal) as commenting on what your eating??

I do agree with kaplods that they are bored to tears (I use to be a cashier in high school) sometimes you just want to make conversation, you don't care what sparks it....anything is better than listening to the annoying beeping when passing the items across.

As for me I have never encountered a RUDE checker but if I did I am sure I would have something equally smart to say back.

The checkers at my grocery store make lots of conversation...asking what you're making that night, or what you're going to use a certain ingredient for, etc. They also ask me a lot about how I use specialty produce items (like arugula...its like they've never heard of it!). Its an upscale store with downscale prices (selection and produce like a whole foods, routinely beats albertsons and safeway in price comparisons, but its a fairly local chain) and they are really good at making conversation, especially with regular customers as I am. More than once they've said something to the effect of "wow, you have a really healthy cart - wish I had your willpower", but never anything bad when I have something less healthy.

Nearly every time I buy them, they comment on how "cute" my individual portion ice cream cups are. I always say the same thing - "its great for portion control!" But they also ask me for recipes (what are you doing with that pork tenderloin? I never know how to cook them!) and advice. And once I began obviously losing weight, they started asking me for tips on that too, particularly this one checker.

my husband is in the military so we go to the commissary.... there are no really young checkers and it is always really busy.... anyway I haven't ever felt "judged" by them. If a checker did say what that one said to you I probably would have gotten REALLY *****y and mean with him. I mean, WTH??

What's the name of the store? I live in Sac and am curious...always looking for good deals

Believe it or not, Nugget Markets. You have them there (one in west sac, one in the florin area). The prices are actually lower...my grocery store bill has gone down, but the QUALITY has gone up and the cost hasn't. Not to mention all the things you can get there that you can't get at a safeway. And oh my goodness, the produce! You walk in and want to buy everything...I've learned to eat so many more veggies thanks to Nugget. And the organic/whole selections can't be beat by any other grocer i've tried.

I spent 4 years living in Davis and thinking "what a nice store, i can't afford to shop there" but when I started actually doing my shopping there, I was pleasantly surprised with the prices on staple items (now, when you start buying the more specialty items, prices can go up dramatically).

WOW!! No cashiers ever speak to me! I think I might look mean or something. Or maybe all the cashiers are mean in the city I live in! JK I love all your guys stories. People always amaze me!

Aggie alum here, so am well acquainted with Nuggets - nice place to go to specialty foods - but with a then-college student's budget I didn't frequent there much.

And off-topic, oh god, guadalajara super burrito memories!

to be ON-topic again, cashiers - like anyone else - can be tactless in their comments. There could be more embarassing things going on (e.g. yellow over the intercom for a price check on the two pizzas).