What's the most interesting traditional or formal politeness behaviour or table manners in your culture? Or for any service personnel, in your restaurant?
I love all the ritualized behaviour, secret meanings and unexpected taboos - standing up when someone of higher status stands, elaborate rules for serving and eating, tapping the table to thank the server, never refuse a toast from a superior, stuff like that.
Whether it's about meals or anything else, I'd love to hear about any uncommon politeness standard or similar social behaviour that goes on in your location, culture or restaurant!
This is just a small thing and I don't know if it's exclusively Swedish (or even done in the entierty of Sweden) but anyways.
In the grocery store all customers generally turn all products so that the barcode is facing forward, aka the way that's the most convenient for the cashier. Partially done to pay respect I guess but also makes the whole thing go faster.
Our cashiers are pretty fast for having to turn the product.
But If I have seen it correctly, our cashing systems in Germany can scan the EAN from two sides through a mirror.
Also you can't compare to a cashier scanning vs packing anyway so making them even more fast would be hell. Also older folks would be thrice as overwhelmed as usual during regular lunch hours.... :|
in Vienna they usually have some sort of table near the checkouts so you can just grab everything, put yourself there to free up the space for other people, and slowly organize your stuff into some bag/backpack
Not common here in the US, but Iโve worked in retail, so I do it. I know how annoying / slow it can be.
Americans often donโt also bag their own to groceries, which also slows the line down. Checkout lines become much shorter if you ready things for scanning and help with bagging.
also leave the 1/3rd of the conveyor closest to you empty and the cashier won't have to lean and reach and can whip em even faster.
put loose stuff that needs to be weighed at the end, gives you a chance to catch up on bagging (cuz they will be going fast) and start paying. If you want to beat the checker it helps to have your club card physically so you can just scan it and not have to type your phone # in and tap to pay.
At higher levels of this game you can interleave the packages such that each bag gets a few big flat heavy things in the bottom and then fills in with lighter items.
I have never beaten the checker once it's passed about half a cart but it's fun to try!
Because I'm neurotic, I always place items on the belt grouped in the order that I plan to bag them: first comes cold items, then pantry items, then hygiene & cleaning products, and lastly produce.