Thinks it's sort of sad when...

[Darcy Baldwin]

...you have to tell the (obviously supervisor-type) adult checkout person what almost every type of vegetable is in your cart so that she can check you out? I didn't buy apples and cantaloupe (MUSK MELON my son corrects me), but leeks, purple potatoes, spring mix (or mescaline - salad), parsley (which I can see since it was flat leaf and it's easy to mix it up with cilantro), limes and a starfruit. She had to ask about all but the limes.

[Leila]

Wow, that is sad. I know when I worked at a grocery store (as a checker), I had to take and pass with 100% a test on the produce in the store. I still know the sticker codes for kale, bananas and a few other items.

[nun69]

ok, well I have to say that I do not know what leeks are, but I know what everything else is

[Shawna Clingerman]

um.... i don't know any of those!

i do know cilatro.... and limes.... LOL

[emmasmommy]

I probably would have known the parsley and lime...but I would have failed on the others. BUT...I also don't work in a grocery store.

[Brooke W]

Leeks belong to the onion family, but they're larger and very mild. Think of a giant green onion. Mescaline is a leafy green used in salads and well, just look up starfruit, lol. They look a little like a kiwi with ridges. Purple potatoes are just that, purple .

[Emmy]

This happens to me ALL. THE. TIME.

[joelsgirl]

I bought cabbage one time thinking it was lettuce, and when my friend pointed it out to me, I asked if I needed to go back to the store and buy lettuce or if we could just use the cabbage for the salad.

Vegetables are tricky!

[Leah]

Originally Posted by Darcy Baldwin

...you have to tell the (obviously supervisor-type) adult checkout person what almost every type of vegetable is in your cart so that she can check you out? I didn't buy apples and cantaloupe (MUSK MELON my son corrects me), but leeks, purple potatoes, spring mix (or mescaline - salad), parsley (which I can see since it was flat leaf and it's easy to mix it up with cilantro), limes and a starfruit. She had to ask about all but the limes.

Well believe it or not, but I actually know what all of those things are. LOL
We have a gazillion purple potatoes growing in our garden!

They should really be tested on their product knowledge.

Nothing like waiting in line even longer, huh?!

[Darcy Baldwin]

I certainly hope I wasn't coming off snarky...it wasn't my intent. I guess because they're such staples at our house (well, the purple potatoes aren't - they just showed up in our grocery, but we knew they were a variety we always wanted to try), I just kind of assumed she'd at least know what the parsley and leeks were.

And the mesculine mix is a mix of greens, arugula, spinach, raddichio and other lettuces..and it's the only bulk item they carry in the lettuce area, and have for as long as we've shopped there. It's popular...and that's also what surprised me. I could understand it if she were new, but she wasn't.

Just surprised, that's all.

But the salad was wonderful

[juliemarie]

I still remember the time I was visiting relatives in Michigan, and went to a Kmart there. I was buying a pair of Lee Rider Khaki pants, and they wouldn't scan, the girl had a supervisor come over, the supervisor was talking to someone back in clothing and couldn't pronouce either Rider or Khaki correctly. She said Ritter and spelled Khaki.

[lovely1m]

Originally Posted by Leila

Wow, that is sad. I know when I worked at a grocery store (as a checker), I had to take and pass with 100% a test on the produce in the store. I still know the sticker codes for kale, bananas and a few other items.

I still know the banana code and I worked at a grocery store in high school! lol 4011

[MamaBee]

Don't most produce have code stickers on them? I guess the store that I shop at has those... but they will still ask. I love when they ask if it's apples or tomatoes... hello!!! My 2 year-old knows the difference...

But I do find it sad that some checkers can't make change... some stores go as far as having a mock up on the screen and telling them how many dollars, number of quarters, etc to give back...

[Kat Stokes]

Isn't grocery shopping so much fun???? I am really beginning to like those self-checkouts.....

[Stacey42]

My first thought was where are the stickers? I know that is why none of the checkers around here can ID anything stickerless, except loose potatos, zucchini, & carrots. They don't need to know what it is because they can just type in the little sticker code mindlessly. So if you happen to buy a pomegranate that the sticker fell off of you are doomed in the check out line to a long wait while they determine what it is, even while you tell them what it is, then they have to consult the next checker because they can't find the number or it isn't coming up (because pomegranates are sold by amount not weight). Sometimes a third person is included just to make sure it really is a pomegranate and it sold by amount. Then I have to explain to all 3 why I am buying it, how to eat it, what it tastes like and what to cook with it.

The boys used to peel all the stickers off the produce while I was shopping and stick them all over their faces.