Rathen
He works the self-service tills at Tesco apparently.

I'll bet good money that hes a disappointment to his parents.

Edit: In hindsight, I reckon my parents hold a special bit of disappointment for my academic failures - 6 years of further and higher education and bugger all for it.
( SpikeyPickle wishes he was mabazaritchie, Wed 2 Jul 2008, 11:24, 22 replies)

Just ignore him if you don't like him.
More pressingly; How does one work the self-service tills?
( Thinker, Wed 2 Jul 2008, 11:27, closed)

^ You stand around for hours and hours
waiting for something to go wrong or for someone to need an ID check. And you shepherd all the brats who come in to play with them out as soon as they have their groceries.
( Maladicta, Wed 2 Jul 2008, 11:28, closed)

He's going to be a junior school teacher next year
apparently, but I'm not sure if he made that up or not.
( TY&GN, Wed 2 Jul 2008, 11:29, closed)

I don't understand this.
The whole idea of 'self-service tills' is that you don't need to work them - they're self-service.

What really annoys me is that the people who get paid to stand around all day watching over you seem to expect you to say "thanks" as you leave. Thanks for what exactly?

And on the rare occasions that they do need to help you, they seem to think it's your fault that it's all gone wrong. No, it's the fault of the muppet who designed the shit software that they run on.
(Half of Stephen Fry's right buttock pissed on your dog on, Wed 2 Jul 2008, 11:30, closed)

at the self-service tills
you dont have to wait long for sthing to go wrong - they're rubbish and they are possessed of mysteries in which only Tesco staff are proficient.
(bazmorningstar efil4nat3b, Wed 2 Jul 2008, 11:30, closed)

Fucking chewing gum
The weight thing doesn't detect it if you scan a packet of chewing gum and put it on the belt.
Every cocking time.
( Cawl, Wed 2 Jul 2008, 11:33, closed)

It's the smarmy voice they have that irritates me.
I have no idea how Mr Maladicta is still (mostly) sane from listening to them eight hours a day. Almost as bad as the o2 topup robot that sounds like Salad Fingers when it says "hello."
( Maladicta, Wed 2 Jul 2008, 11:40, closed)

Self-service tills
I try not to use them as they will eventually lead to job cuts for the till staff. They effectively mean that 1 cashier can cover 4 or more tills at once.

I also find it fun trying to chat up the pretty polish checkout staff.
(Greendog I like big boobies and I cannot lie, Wed 2 Jul 2008, 12:41, closed)

Greendog
So I'm not the only one that queues at the checkout with the prettiest girl then?
( Cawl, Wed 2 Jul 2008, 12:51, closed)

@Kaol
I do that too. I also time my visits to the deli counter to get served by the prettiest. The girl on the fish counter used to tempt me into buying stuff every single week, too... the minx.
( Enzyme is powered by sunlight, Wed 2 Jul 2008, 12:55, closed)

Yay!
Although I get creeped out if flirting-back occurs.
As I can't cope with that.
Then I just stop looking at them and frown.
( Cawl, Wed 2 Jul 2008, 12:57, closed)

@Enzyme
and with what fishy goods was she tempting you?
( crackhouseceilidhband Fuck off back to Mumsnet, Wed 2 Jul 2008, 13:05, closed)

@kaol
you clearly havent thought this through

i found that an £8 tiny jar of black summer truffles dont register either

so dont scan it just nudge it on with a big heavy thing

posh scrambled eggs it is then
( spimf ™ is whoever you want him to be, Wed 2 Jul 2008, 13:06, closed)

Kaol
Why can't they flirt back?
( thealternativefact, Wed 2 Jul 2008, 13:10, closed)

@CHCB
they had a special offer on clams. How could he resist?
(Bazongaloid, Wed 2 Jul 2008, 13:18, closed)

Because
If women flirt with me in the real world I get confused.
Or get The Fear.
It's a 50/50 kinda thing.
( Cawl, Wed 2 Jul 2008, 14:04, closed)

Oh Kaol...
that's very cute coming from our knife-wielding, bee-taming, whore-skinning, reptileophile.

*resolves to touch Kaol's knee and watch him run away*
( thealternativefact, Wed 2 Jul 2008, 14:20, closed)

Replace knee with "penis"
Nah, it's the whole mental, verbal flirting fuckery that gets me.
Just... *panics*
( Cawl, Wed 2 Jul 2008, 14:34, closed)

i LOVE
playing with the selfservice tills.

until i remember, too late, that i have tonnes of booze that needs to be verified and have to wait for ages for the disinterested spunkmonkey running the place (wonder if rathen works at the high street kensington branch???) to sort it out.

also at the weekend i was buying loads of shit for a poker party. did NOT see the huge bright yellow sign announcing "cash only at this till". i just saw the only till with no Q. how unpopular was i when i had a conveyor belt of booze and trans-fats and no way of paying for it.......
( rachelswipe with a fork, Wed 2 Jul 2008, 14:37, closed)

*visualises kaol's knee replaced by penis*
If you're going to have it there, please don't be the department store santa this year.
( thealternativefact, Wed 2 Jul 2008, 14:52, closed)

^^^
Pfffft!
(Bazongaloid, Wed 2 Jul 2008, 14:56, closed)

I don't think I fully understand how to work the tills
Last time I used one, I put an item on the scanner, it beeped, I put it on the conveyor belt. The little telly started bleating about an unexpected object on the belt and wouldn't work any more. The Spotty Youth who had been supervising had buggered off, and I couldn't find out how to cancel the whole thing, so I grabbed my stuff and went to a proper till.

Turns out that the staff get ever so cross when you do that. I actually got ushered back to the self-service till. Ushered. In Tesco. Oh, the shame. And as for standing there helplessly waving a bottle of gin and hoping someone will come to take the security tag off it...
(richardm, Wed 2 Jul 2008, 16:10, closed)