Roughly once a month I go to the German shop to get all the all the stuff I didn’t list here. For a discount store that gets bad press betimes, I have always been overwhelmed by the service. Until this week that is.
A trolley with 6 trays of cat food for my neighbour, who, by the way, has a cat and isn’t on some economy drive; 2 large packs of loo roll with a cute kitten on the wrapper, not that I’ve ever wiped with a kitten although I wonder what …; anyway, 2 large bags of dog nuts for my best friend who is a dog; 2 slabs of German beer for me who I’m very fond of; 4 packs of kitchen roll; 3 bottles of washing up liquid; and so on - 2 of this, 4 of that, 5 of another.
A trolley groaning under the weight. And me groaning too. I get to the checkout and place one of each item on the belt. By her name tag I guessed the (scaldingly hot) girl is Polish. Cześć się masz? Cztery z tych pozycji; sześć z tych; dwa; pięć; trzy - pointing out each and the remainder in the trolley. All distributed so as to be easily visible, mind you.
Was she impressed at my crap, yet brave attempt, at Polish? No! All items must be placed on the belt. But why? I always just put out one of each? All items must be placed on the belt. But that’s pointless. And they’re heavy. All items must be placed on the belt.
I gave in and took everything out. All the while declaring resistance is useless! in my best Vogon.
The guy behind me obviously wasn’t on for hassle and had the belt piled high before I had paid. As I turned to leave I heard her tell him you will have to go to another checkout - I am closed and she walked off. He roared after her: You people are gone as bad as the Irish.
Maybe she was just having a bad day. Or maybe it was a case of when in Rome, drive like a lunatic, shout a lot, eat pizza for lunch etc.
If you would like to make a comment, please fill out the form below.
Addictions Advertising Back to school Banks Blogs Builders Characters Charity Commentary Crappenings Driving Economy Education Environment Estate Agents FAQ Farming Friends Fun Gaeilge Gardaí Guest blaggards Health HSE Immigration Internet Irish identity Jokes Kids Kildare Law Life Literacy Local Media Mothers Movies Neighbours Occasions Painting Pet Hates Pets Photgraphs Photos Plonkers Poetry Polish Politicians Politics Pubs Pub talk Racing Radio Relatives Religion Science Shopping Snippets Spam Sport Tech stuff Time Transportation Travel Travellers TV Uncategorized Weather Wildlife Women Work
If you had to work on a checkout at Lidl or any other store, would you enjoy it?
What would you do to relieve the boredom? Play tricks on the punters I bet. Well you would need something to tell at the teabreak!
That’ll learn you then Primal for trying to chat up ’scaldingly hot’ Polish chick whilst doing monthly shop!
One small thing - you talk of ‘German’ shop and ‘Polish’ check out girls - do you not have many Irish people in Ireland or what?
Grannymar - I reckon you’re right. But I’d be a bit more inventive - maybe I’d meow into packets of biscuits and explain that mice were found in some shipments lately and I was just checking.
White girl - There is no wrong time for chatting up. Well, maybe funerals. Or when you’ve been arrested. Or … well, you know what I mean.
Lidl and Aldi are German owned chain stores, hence the nickname.
I don’t know the exact figures, but not too long ago the workforce would have been 100% Irish. Now it’s about 90% or less. Shop staff and construction workers are often Polish. In the equine industry there are many Brazilians and Ukrainians. Nursing has a high proportion of Filipinos.
This may all change in time - today’s immigrants will become Irish (or as Irish as they wish to be) and their children will be born Irish so the workforce might be 100% Irish again some day.
‘There is no wrong time for chatting up. Well, maybe funerals’
I know someone who met his now wife at a funeral!
Now I am off for a walk, might try the graveyard.
Aaaaah so I am not alone! - This happened to me only last week in Lidyl when I bought the monthly supply of dogfood. (3 dogs!) Normally I put one of each type of tin and nuts on the belt and tell the assistant the number and we have a quick and happy transaction. Not good enough anymore. I told her the numbers and she shook her head and told me to empty it! I refused point blank (after the Tesco knife incident I am becoming quite assertive!)So she got off her seat and proceeded to do it herself checking that I didn’t have a Lidyl desktop computer hidden under each and every tin of doggie stew! I don’t blame her incidentally - Like Basil Fawlty I blame the Germans who run the joint!
Mind you I nearly cut my dogfood bill in half this morning when i ran over my Springer Spaniel’s foot with my car! Just back from vet who did the necessary administering antibiotics and something for the shock - I think I could do with a dose of the latter myself. 
When I finally learned to drive 10 years ago, Mr. M declared that he was no longer taking part in shopping, and he pretty much hasn’t. When I come home raving like a madwoman he thinks it’s funny.
Grannymar - Just watch out for open holes.
Stephen - It must be a new policy - and they are sticklers for policy. Folks must have been smuggling goods out that way. Or maybe bringing stuff in - cheaper than the bin collection fee.
Antibiotics and something for the shock - I thought you were talking about yourself.
Medbh - See? I’m right. How many times have I mentioned trolley rage on this blog? Road rage is a mild irritation in comparison.
Ordnung muss sein.
And policy is an excellent excuse for being nasty with a good conscience
Primal, that’s very much like shopping in Lithuania
Everyone is a potential suspect of stealing a tin of cat food or a loo roll. The other day I couldn’t find an ATM in Super Value and thought that I would have to put my apple turnover back on the shelf. But a shop assistant showed me an ATM outside and walked me over there. So I left the premisses with that apple turnover. “What about this? I haven’t paid for it,” I asked that shop assistant. “Oh you can come back,” said he. Which I did. A 100 percent unimaginable situation in Lithuania. Even if it is just an apple turnover.
Ordnung muß sein indeed. But a bit of trust would also help, especially in Ireland, where people are very honest.
BTW where did you learn those bits of Polish?
Aonghus - Isn’t it what the British call a job’s worth?
Lina - I really don’t think people are more honest in Ireland. When things are bad and money is short the shops assume theft will happen and everyone’s a suspect. The trust is greater when the customers are perceived to be wealthy enough not to have to steal. A few years ago, for example, it would have been unheard of for supermarkets here to have self-checkouts. Perhaps Lidl are tightening up security in anticipation of an economic downturn.
The few words of Polish? When I worked in Germany the staff I supervised were Polish and Turkish. I actually learned the numbers and greetings in those languages before German. That was a long time ago, but hearing Polish everyday in Ireland now brings it back.
Shopping is the same world round it appears. I do know, when I have to work relief on the check-outs, that I’d get fired if a customer had the belt loaded up and I walked away from them. But evidently, we Americans beat you over the head with ‘customer service’ whether you want it or not.
Sugar - The ‘walking away’ bit is unheard of. Totally. That’s why the guy freaked I reckon - not because of everything having to be on the belt. We could live with that.
Superquinn have some of the politest friendliest Irish staff I’ve ever come across. Mostly mammy age, and delightful. If the guy has stacked the belt she should have let him through. That’s just plain obnoxious.
had my first visit to lidl this weekend and was pretty impressed but didn’t get the same girl you got obviously
FMC - Superquinn service is 2nd to none. I just don’t like the one nearest me - it is just old and shabby, especially the roof. (Yeah, why was I looking at the roof? Just me, that’s all).
I was shocked at her jumping up and leaving like that. Maybe she was having a bad day. I checked her hair and it was fine, so maybe it was her stomach.
Flirty - What? Lidl and Avoca in the same week! That’s wild. What’s the plan for next week? L’Ecrivain and MacDonalds.
I can(ish) sing Incy Wincy Spider in Polish(ish).
*smug*
Sam - Well I can … actually, I can’t … not a damn note … in any language, unless you count Vogon which doesn’t really exist. Like plumbers don’t exist at weekends.
I got to try out some of their German beer at christmas - I was suitable impressed. The cashier in Tralee however was far from a beauty although she did allow me to leave some things in teh trolley….
Conorín - Germanish beer is always impressive. By the way: What the heck were you buying in such quantities when you were just home for Christmas? German beer?
yeah it was pretty much all boooze
I had my Bank card double charged twice on separate occasions in the same Dublin city centre Lidl shop because the staff swiped the card a couple of times, the manager admitted the staff had received no training in putting through card transactions-I only noticed it on my Bank Statement. On another occasion a cashier amused himself by bending my card double while waiting for the transaction to go through……… I use cash now.
Conorín - Good man! Keep it up.
Yellow - Now that’s an ouch and a half. Thankfully it never happened to me.
One time though the girl took my card and told me to enter my PIN. Then she swung around in her seat with her back to me. I thought she was being very rude (or had caught me admiring her rack - guilty, but insane, your Honour.). After it happened a second time I realised they had been told to avert their eyes when customers were entering their PINs. Kudos to Lidl for that one.