Talking on your phone at the supermarket checkout: the rudeness detector
Why talking on your phone at the supermarket checkout has become the gesture that signals disrespect and a certain urban classism.
English · Original discussion in Spanish · Published
Paying at the supermarket with your phone to your ear: the gesture that marks you out as an entitled jerk
A customer arrives at the supermarket checkout wearing wireless earbuds, speaking in a low voice and oblivious to their surroundings. The cashier asks: "Sorry, what was that?" The answer is a condescending smile and a "sorry, I was on the phone." The scene, repeated daily at every chain, has sparked a heated debate about the limits of good manners in the age of permanent connectivity.
The underlying complaint: zero respect for other people's work
The main criticism targets the attitude of those who put their call – almost always trivial – above the minimal interaction with the employee ringing them up. It is not an emergency, the argument goes: if it were, they would set their shopping aside. The feeling is one of "me, me, me" that turns the cashier into a piece of furniture. A waiter with experience admits to having overcharged these customers as an unofficial punishment.
The phenomenon is concentrated in cities and, it is pointed out, among specific profiles: "chavs and snobbish posers," "segarro yuppies," "people coming out of the gym in leggings." The scene, they say, would be unthinkable in a village, where people chat even at the checkout.
A rudeness detector, but also a class detector
The debate goes beyond the anecdote: the phone call at the checkout is read as a status marker. Whoever won't hang up for ten seconds is saying "my time is worth more than yours." The cashier, who earns no commission, stoically endures it while the customer dawdles. Some propose draconian solutions: not ringing up the purchase until they hang up, or overcharging them. But most agree the problem is not the phone, it's the lack of manners.
Meanwhile, at the Aldi on Méndez Álvaro, the scene repeats itself. As one observer puts it: "I just hope to get out of this crappy city as soon as possible."
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A customer arrives at the supermarket checkout wearing wireless earbuds, speaking in a low voice and oblivious to their surroundings. The cashier asks: "Sorry, what was that?" The answer is a condescending smile and a "sorry, I was on the phone." The scene, repeated daily at every chain, has sparked a heated debate about the limits of good manners in the age of permanent connectivity.
The underlying complaint: zero respect for other people's work
The main criticism targets the attitude of those who put their call – almost always trivial – above the minimal interaction with the employee ringing them up. It is not an emergency, the argument goes: if it were, they would set their shopping aside. The feeling is one of "me, me, me" that turns the cashier into a piece of furniture. A waiter with experience admits to having overcharged these customers as an unofficial punishment.
The phenomenon is concentrated in cities and, it is pointed out, among specific profiles: "chavs and snobbish posers," "segarro yuppies," "people coming out of the gym in leggings." The scene, they say, would be unthinkable in a village, where people chat even at the checkout.
A rudeness detector, but also a class detector
The debate goes beyond the anecdote: the phone call at the checkout is read as a status marker. Whoever won't hang up for ten seconds is saying "my time is worth more than yours." The cashier, who earns no commission, stoically endures it while the customer dawdles. Some propose draconian solutions: not ringing up the purchase until they hang up, or overcharging them. But most agree the problem is not the phone, it's the lack of manners.
Meanwhile, at the Aldi on Méndez Álvaro, the scene repeats itself. As one observer puts it: "I just hope to get out of this crappy city as soon as possible."
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Summary of a discussion on Burbuja.info - Foro de economía, actualidad y política., translated from Spanish and reviewed before publication. Read the full discussion (62 replies).
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