271–274 of 274 posts
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Did they? I remember shopping at Walmart around 2000, but I don't recall seeing baggers there.
What are baggers? People standing after the checkout that put stuff into bags for you? If so, that sounds quite unusual, unnecessary, and even annoying to me.
Seems a bit foreign to my German soul, too.
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Aldi Süd cashiers learned the prices. They actually choose prices that were easier to type and as few different prices as possible. Barcode scanners were installed in 2000 in anticipation of the Euro introduction. Aldi Nord cashiers learned three digit codes (around 800 ones). Scanners were only introduced in 2003 because they started to sell loose produce which is weighted at the checkout. Additionally, that allowed…
A grocery store with only 800 items seems absurd to me. That's 10% the variety of a USA grocery story.
Additionally, they used the same code for things like different types of yoghurt of the same size (they still have the same barcode, makes scanning faster).
Of course we have bigger stores in Germany, too. But they are not quite as profitable.
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This made me laugh, you'll get used to it and start to enjoy it eventually. It seems like things are more relaxed wherever you are in the us compared to wherever you were previously. When it comes to the "Do you need something," it's part of their job, if you're looking for something specific it's good to know that there are people available to help you. They're not asking you if you have a reason to be in the store,…
For a lot of us northern europeans, it just doesn't fit with our culture. We value honesty and straightforwardness above superficial friendliness. Often I find American customer relationships just provocative. So often they act like robots. You can tell that all their smiles and friendly words are all fake. That makes it all feel like I am being lied to and that employees are forced to act in an unnatural way no matt…
> If they don't feel that great that day, they don't need to smile and put on a show, as long as they don't give me shit.
I'd be fine with this personally.
> And also we like our privacy. When people follow you around the store and keep asking if you need help, or comment on something you are looking at, it just feels invasive and disrespectful.
If the person seems genuinely friendly, try taking them up on that offer, and see what happens. If you tell them what you're looking for they may give you recommendations, and you might end up finding something better.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
This made me laugh, you'll get used to it and start to enjoy it eventually. It seems like things are more relaxed wherever you are in the us compared to wherever you were previously. When it comes to the "Do you need something," it's part of their job, if you're looking for something specific it's good to know that there are people available to help you. They're not asking you if you have a reason to be in the store,…
Sure, it's their job but some people simply appreciate being left alone and unsolicited offers just come off as pushy. Your parent comment is right: it's culture shock. As a German I can't stand the idea of having to shop in American supermarkets. And it's likely no accident that WalMart failed to get a foot into the German market -- not just because of their blatant disregard for German labour laws (which are more w…