18 things your grocer will never tell you.....

The Reader's Digest has had a series of articles going on for some time where they got input from dozens of people in certain fields of work, and then publish them with titles such as  "30 things your waiter will never tell you", etc, so I decided to do my own since I currently work at a gocery store. Read for amusement, enlightenment, or just to ease your boredom......

1) Take the grocery cart back to the building. It could be your car that is damaged by one next time, and it is really rude and lazy to use it and not put it back where you got it. Do you put stuff away at home after use? Then why do it differently when using our carts.

2) If you change your mind on an item and are too lazy to put it back where it belongs, give it to the cashier and tell them you changed your mind. Too many perishables are tossed wherever people want, and  you end up paying for it anyway in raised prices.

3) Put the cell phone away when checking out. It is really rude to be on it while the cashier is trying to ring up your groceries, give you a total, and collect your money.

4) If you walk out and leave a bag behind, it is YOUR fault, not the cashier's.

5) If you have to walk between a worker and his work, be polite and say "excuse me." Yes, we are here to put out things for you to buy, but that doesn't mean you need to be rude. Be courteous - you are no better than us.

6) If the coffee is a dollar more than it was last week, don't complain to us. We aren't the ones who set the prices.

7) If you break something and make a mess, please tell us. Don't let it there to be tracked all over the store.

8) If the store has a carousel bagging area and you have a lot of groceries, help the cashier out by putting your bags in the cart instead of standing there watching them do it. It will speed things up and get you on your way faster.

9) Please use the little plastic dividers that are provided to separate your groceries from the person's in front of you. We are not mind readers and don't know where their groceries end and yours start.

10) If you run onto a friend and want to chat, try not to block the whole aisle while you play catch up.

11) $100 bills are a pain if you are only buying a few groceries. All too often, we don't have the correct change and you will have to wait while we get it. Bring smaller bills.

12) Be friendly and courteous. We are trying to make a living too, and are people like you, not your servant.

13) Leave your "green bags" at home They are a royal pain in the neck. They slow us down. And if you must use them...... clean them once in a while.

14) Grapes and some other fruits are sold by weight. Eating them as you shop IS stealing, as you will not be paying for what you ate.

15) Clean up! Don't come to the grocery store straight from changing your car or mud wrestling.

16) Shut your brat up. Don't let them scream all through the store. Or run throughout the store.

17) Don't leave garbage in your cart. Take it with you or throw it away.

18) Don't throw your cancer stick, aka cigarette on the store property. Someone will have to sweep it up. If must smoke, use the ash tray in your car. And by the way, just because you smoke, it does not give you a special right to litter, no matter if you do think that.