There are some basic patterns in any customer-facing job.
However, in some cases, customer service representatives run unofficial scripts at the wrong time, with potentially nasty consequences.
Fashion TikToker Emma Lemon (@butterdoggystyle) discovered this during a recent visit to boutique grocery store chain Trader Joe’s.
In the video, Nirvana’s “Nevermind” plays over a video of Lemon quietly eating some kind of snack (presumably from Trader Joe’s) in his car. The text on the screen reads, “The cashier at TJ’s really just says, ‘Oh, I haven’t tried it yet, but can I have a can of black beans?'”
Trader Joe’s employees known for being talkative, and there are even rumors that customers are required to comment on everything they buy. Mr. A immediately said: “Oh, I’ve never tried that. What do you think?” is effectively harassment from a chain store employee.
But the stock usually only talks about one of the chain’s many frozen foods or hard-to-find snacks, not canned black beans.
It’s entirely possible that the cashier in question never knew how delicious black beans were, but that seems unlikely. And Lemon’s video points out that sometimes people who talk to customers on a regular basis are just going through the motions. Trader Joe’s employees even admitted to lying to customers about their comments during purchases.
The Daily Dot has reached out to Trader Joe’s for further comment through its website.
@butterdoggystyle Yeah, but it’s beans.
Some of Lemon’s viewers took to the comments section to confirm the idea that the workers were following an unofficial script.
Grace Howell (@gracehowell36) wrote, “Listen, you get tired near the end of your shift. Scripts sometimes come at inappropriate times.”
Another viewer said: “At one point the cashier said, ‘Oh, that’s a jerk!'” Hmm! They were scanning my stuff and it was dog jerky chews…”
One viewer added: “The sourdough bread made me think, ‘Hmm, why don’t we try this before it gets unrealistic?'”
Another viewer asked for a non-patterned line, writing: “One more silent line from Trader Joe’s or self-checkout please.”
Some viewers wrote in to describe their experiences with the cashier that went off script.
One viewer said, “I was once told by a TJ employee that she didn’t like a product I was about to buy.”
Another person wrote, “I was buying seltzer at TJ’s yesterday and the cashier said, ‘This goes great with tequila.'” Girl Sensei definitely improved the script. ”
He says it’s no surprise that Trader Joe’s employees go off script. EatThis.comemployees are encouraged to talk to customers and are free to discuss anything they like, “as long as it emphasizes Trader Joe’s values and the customer is not dissatisfied.”
The Daily Dot reached out to Lemon for further comment via direct message on TikTok.
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*First published: February 16, 2024 at 3:00 PM CST
Beau Paul
Beau Paul is a freelance writer from Austin, Texas. Bo also wrote stories and dialogue for the gaming industry for several years before becoming an entertainment journalist.