Conversing With The Cashier

**Aggie_Ama** · 03-13-2009, 04:58 PM

You might be surprised as a top notch college student I was also a cashier/returns girl/blinds cutter/paint mixer at Lowe's. Man I loved working in that environment! If I could have a normal schedule I would do it again with my degree from one of the better schools in our state.

No, not management I would mix paint.

And I don't really know what pilates is but I just smile and nod.

Of course I would understand anything with "conditioning" to be exercise so yes, possible lifestyle clash but it might have just been the way you expressed it that caught her off guard.

**GLC1968** · 03-13-2009, 05:12 PM

I'm sorry, but someone dressed in sweats mentions "core conditioning and stretching" and you have to ask if it's exercise? I mean, she obviously assumed that Zen was exercising already when she asked if she was running, right?

I don't know. I sure wouldn't have put the girl down or assumed that she was stupid, but I would certainly have walked away thinking "what different worlds we live in".

(oh, and to be clear, I am in no way putting down a cashier for being a cashier. I spent the first 7 years of my post college life in retail and spent many a day on a register...that has NOTHING to do with my thoughts on this)

**Zen** · 03-13-2009, 05:19 PM

Originally Posted by GLC1968

t I would certainly have walked away thinking "what different worlds we live in".

THAT IS EXACTLY THE POINT I WAS TRYING TO MAKE AND SO HAPPY TO SEE YOU GET IT THAT I'M WRITING IN ALL CAPS

**7rider** · 03-13-2009, 05:22 PM

Different strokes.....

**sfa** · 03-13-2009, 05:27 PM

Well, it's hard to know what she meant by "exercise." She probably meant it as a synonym for "calisthenics" which IS what Pilates is like, but the word "calisthenics" is almost never used anymore, so I could see using the generic "exercise" to mean the more specific "calisthenics." It's very possible that in her brain she was seeing this type of exercise but didn't have the word for it, so instead came across as clueless.

Sarah

**shootingstar** · 03-14-2009, 07:32 AM

I dunno. There are some basic things that most you know about cars that I probably don't know because I don't drive (but I did drive a long time ago until my early 20's).

Just last year I understood the difference in terms of quality for stopping between All-weather tires and snow tires.

**Aggie_Ama** · 03-13-2009, 05:53 PM

Originally Posted by GLC1968

(oh, and to be clear, I am in no way putting down a cashier for being a cashier. I spent the first 7 years of my post college life in retail and spent many a day on a register...that has NOTHING to do with my thoughts on this)

Oh I knew you weren't and Zen wasn't necessarily. It always made me laugh at Lowe's when someone talked to me or another college kid stupid. One of my cashiers I supervised was the smartest girl I have ever met but she grew up on the farm and barrel raced, it would floor me how people assumed she was stupid. They would talk down to her and all I would do is snicker because I knew who the idjut was. I think she graduated Magna or Summa *** Laude.

Of course people regularly confused me with an exchange like this because it was out of context at Lowe's.

**MomOnBike** · 03-13-2009, 06:49 PM

Zen, the epee is a fencing weapon with a triangle-shaped blade (cross-section only). It's one of the three weapons in fencing, the others being sabre and foil.

The thing about epee is that all of the body is a target area, including the toe. The other two are more limited. There's quite a bit more, of course, but that should be enough to make other people's eyes cross.

There, now you know.

To drag myself back (somewhat) on topic: I've often had to tell grocery clerks what that strange thing that I'm buying is. "It's a kiwi/jicama/kale/etc. It's good." I chalk it up to living in different worlds and move on. I'm morally certain they have knowledge I don't, it's just that my ignorance is not on display at the moment (for which I am grateful. . .).

**Zen** · 03-13-2009, 07:06 PM

Originally Posted by MomOnBike

Zen, the epee is a fencing weapon with a triangle-shaped blade

There, now you know.

But I already knew...

Originally Posted by Zen

But then again, I don't fence but I know what an epee is.

I looked it up

**MomOnBike** · 03-13-2009, 07:09 PM

But, but, but you said you didn't know. (sobs uncontrollably)

Actually I was just showing off.

**Zen** · 03-13-2009, 07:13 PM

You can't help it. It's a side effect of bursting with pride

**OakLeaf** · 03-14-2009, 03:03 AM

Originally Posted by MomOnBike

To drag myself back (somewhat) on topic: I've often had to tell grocery clerks what that strange thing that I'm buying is. "It's a kiwi/jicama/kale/etc. It's good." I chalk it up to living in different worlds and move on.

Me too, but I think there's more going on there than culture, and I think that's what Zen was alluding to. I think it's an incuriosity about the world around them, which I find very sad. The person who doesn't know what an avocado is WORKS in the store where it's sold, and grocery stores aren't THAT big. They shop there, because they get an employee discount. Why wouldn't they explore what their store has to offer and try different things? I know when I worked ten hours a week in a natural food store, I knew at least a tiny bit about every single thing we sold there.

Now, Zen's clerk didn't work in a sporting goods store obviously, but how could someone hear "conditioning" and "stretching" and not hear "exercise?" It would be like your clerk hearing "leaf" and "root" and not hearing "vegetable."

**Aggie_Ama** · 03-14-2009, 08:26 AM

My FIL is a produce manager, he always brings me the weird produce. One year at Christmas our stockings had kumquats. He also introduced me to the exciting world of Pluots.

**HoosierGiant** · 03-14-2009, 08:39 AM

Originally Posted by MomOnBike

I've often had to tell grocery clerks what that strange thing that I'm buying is. "It's a kiwi/jicama/kale/etc. It's good." I chalk it up to living in different worlds and move on. I'm morally certain they have knowledge I don't, it's just that my ignorance is not on display at the moment (for which I am grateful. . .).

How true! How true!! Happens to us all the time.

My girls have heard me say it a thousand times: "Everyone's a genius about something, and everyone's incredibly stupid about something. Wisdom comes in being able to discern the difference."

Originally Posted by Aggie_Ama

My FIL is a produce manager, he always brings me the weird produce. One year at Christmas our stockings had kumquats. He also introduced me to the exciting world of Pluots.

Pluots?! We LOVE pluots!!! Love 'em, love 'em, love 'em.

**Aggie_Ama** · 03-14-2009, 08:59 AM

Originally Posted by HoosierGiant

Pluots?! We LOVE pluots!!! Love 'em, love 'em, love 'em.

The other one is he taught us to appreciate the effort needed to enjoy a pomegrenate. Took me a while to embrace fruit as gifts but I feel so lucky when he finds a little gem like pluots.

Oddly the new obsession in our house, Kiwi, was not introduced to us by him.

Okay funny threadjack....

Thursday I took to work 4 strawberries and a Kiwi as a snack. Well these strawberries were ridiculous, like on roids or something so once I finished those I had no desire for my precious little fuzzy kiwi. I SWEAR I left him sitting by my phone to enjoy Friday. But yesterday my Kiwi was MIA. I have a back desk, no one ever goes to an the girl in front of it said after I left no one went there and she was there late. We have a cleaning crew but they only empty trash, no dusting, no touching the desks. So where did it go? Did they desire the sweet wonderful kiwi fruit? Did I mistakingly throw it out? For 24 hours I have been obsessed with trying to remember. DH asked if I sent out a APB "MISSING KIWI!!".

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