Being a "regular" at a store..

HeadFace

HeadFace

Well-known member
Am I the only one who finds it awkward? I mean, when I go for walks (which I do very often) I sometimes stop by the gas station and get a drink, since it's usually in the route of my walks. But it get's kind of awkward.. Seeing the same employee's everytime... Having SA, I also cant help but thinking that they're all judging me. And it's just so damn awkward seeing them that often. I mean yeah, I guess you could just tell me not to go there. But it's just been kinda bugging me.
I highly doubt it, but is anyone else a regular and find it awkward?
 
zav943

zav943

Well-known member
I think I know what you're talking about.
I buy groceries very often because I buy them in small quantities at a time, so I'm a regular at several places actually.

It doesn't really make me anxious, but it irritates me to see the same cashier everytime...and I do somewhat worry about being judged (WOW THIS GUY EATS A LOT!) but for the most part, these guys just blend into the background for me.

Interacting with cashiers is hardly a matter of social aptitude really. When you do it so many times, it becomes second nature to you.


btw, good for you going on walks! I do it all the time as well...I actually go on long walks through the park and on my university campus nearby. It's usually very helpful in clearing your mind and diminishing any negative emotions
 
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dottie

dottie

Well-known member
it is awkward but not that bad. just smile and say hi when you check out. i don't mind being a regular so much unless there is someone specific who works at the store that i dread interacting with. i'm now avoiding one of my fav stores for this reason.
 
Social_Monstrosity

Social_Monstrosity

Well-known member
Ugh...yeah I LOATHE this. I crushed on this cute cashier girl at a music/DVD store and I think she thought I was stalking her since I came in so often but it wasn't because of her -_-
 
worrywort

worrywort

Well-known member
lol! oh yea I hate this too! There's a petrol station right by my house that I always go to to get the essentials - usually milk, and I usually get 2 bottles at a time. I'd been going in there for ages, recognising the same faces but never saying more than "good morning" and "thank you", until one day one of the cashiers said something like "2 bottles of milk again is it?", which is absolutely fine and he seems like a really nice, friendly guy.....the problem is now there's like a connection between us...lol!.....we're no longer strangers, I'm now [as you say] a "regular", and so now I feel all this pressure to think of better things to say than just "good morning" and "thank you", and I'm just blank! I have no clue what to say......and I have to admit, I have been avoiding that store a little more often now! which I really shouldn't do, so I'll have to make sure I keep going, and if I can't think of things to say, well that's fine, there's nothing wrong with that.
 
N0D

N0D

Banned
I drive two towns over to go to the liquor store cause kids I went to high school with work at the one in my town. The one two towns over just has an old indian guy who doesn't talk to me. I always appreciate employees who just do business and don't try to socialize with me, how I am is none of your business!
 
Kiwong

Kiwong

Well-known member
This is a big problem for me. I have stopped going to chemists, service stations, supermarkets, newsagents, camera shops, because people notice my anxiety and react negativley to it. It causes me a lot of distress.

I have had one service station attendent make fun of me. A pie shop employee make a rude comment about my state of mental health. I take my buisiness eslewhere from the places that judge me or make my life hard.

A auto check out was placed in the supermarket and I use it all the time now.
 
petrified eyes

petrified eyes

Well-known member
I stopped going to several stores because of this. It's a good thing the grocery store has self-serve checkouts, otherwise I'd starve!
 
R3K

R3K

Well-known member
Yeah i hate this thing also... i'm a clerk at a drug store, and every day before my shift i must have a fresh, tasty breakfast (not stale poptarts from home) before i go in to work. i pull into the parking lot and stand by my car looking at myself in the window reflection trying to decide which of the three restaraunts in the plaza i wanna go to. each one has cute chicks working there and i always feel like i need to alternate between these three places so i'm not tempted to crush on any chick too much and coming across as a stalker, just like SocialMonstrosity's situation.

and it's always wierd because i feel like i should be more social with the employees at these places because i see them so often, but then i'm afraid to for all the reasons everyone else in this thread have listed already ::(:
 
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A

Aldi

Member
Perhaps I'm the only one who feels different. But I like being a regular. I haven't had any negative experiences, so perhaps that's why. I go into stores, the clerks know what I want, give it to me and I leave even quicker because of it.

I also keep my headphones in so I never have to socialize with them. However, if they for some odd reason did try to start talking I would definitely never return.
 
Waybuloo

Waybuloo

Well-known member
Aldi said:
Perhaps I'm the only one who feels different. But I like being a regular. I haven't had any negative experiences, so perhaps that's why. I go into stores, the clerks know what I want, give it to me and I leave even quicker because of it.

I also keep my headphones in so I never have to socialize with them. However, if they for some odd reason did try to start talking I would definitely never return.
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Are you such a regular that you named yourself after the store? :D
 
N0D

N0D

Banned
Being a regular is good if I like the people who work there and if it's a busy place or not. Then I don't have to worry about stuff like is someone going to ask me questions or will I see someone that knows me and such.
 
N

nightcrawler

Well-known member
zav943 said:
I think I know what you're talking about.
I buy groceries very often because I buy them in small quantities at a time, so I'm a regular at several places actually.
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I do this too! Hate buying a lot in one go because a queue tends to build up behind you, so make a few trips to different stores.

Yes I do find it awkward when you become a regular as you feel more obligated to make small talk. It also doesn't help in that one of my local stores has several attractive cashiers ::eek::
 
vj288

vj288

not actually Fiona Apple
I'm a "regular" at my college cafeteria and I hate it when I see the same cashier. I always walk in and eat by myself and can only imagine how much of a loser they think I am.
 
R

Rembrandt Broam

Well-known member
Waybuloo said:
They would be if not for the constant glitches that require them to to staff log ons. Oh and ID checks.
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Tesco are terrible for that. I don't know who wrote the software for their checkouts, but it never seems to work correctly.

"Unexpected item in bagging area!"

What do you mean "unexpected item"? You mean that item that I just passed over the scanner, and which should therefore have been completely expected by any half decently written system?? :mad:
 
N

nuclear_guru

Member
i think i get the same thing, but only i'm on the other side of the counter. lots of strangers walking in and me thinking they are judging me because i work in a petrol station. lol
 
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