I ask this because tonight a lady in front of me goes up there with a buggy full of all the deals for the week. The cashier is ringing her up and then she's going through her huge book of coupons looking for them. Then questions every item when she sees it on the screen, then she's using the wrong ecb's with her card, so runs back to the car to get the right ones, then her card that she's paying with is denied so the poor cashier is on the phone to the bank.
Needless to say I moved over to get checked out by the manager. I felt so sorry for the cashier, she's such a sweetheart, I was getting upset for her!

When I go up front I have my card, coupons etc. all ready in an envelope so the cashier isn't standing there waiting on me.

Do you have everything ready when you go up front to pay?

Yes I do. I have a pocket on the front of my Q bag. As I pick up the item I dig out my Q and put it in the pocket. When I approach the cashier I have my card in my hand and I'm ready to go. If for some reason I need to look for something I pull over to the side and wave other customers on.

I'm VERY organized when I get up to the register --- I "hide" in the aisles and use a little calculator to make sure I've got enough to make whatever x/xx amount I'm trying to work out --- then I take out the appropriate coupons and appropriate ECB's, as in the correct ECB's for the card I'm using, and kind of tuck them into my fingers and check and double check that I've pulled all the right coupons, so I don't need to go back and say "oops, I forgot to give you this". I almost never ever forget a coupon or give the wrong ECB's or coupons.

I think it is only courteous to try to be prepared and make life easier for the nice (mostly) cashiers. I think that being kind and polite to people makes them want to be kind and polite to you (well, not always, but that's my motto anyway)!..... I'm REALLY big on manners and "please" and "thank you" and I think that being prepared is an extension of that because it makes someone else's job a little easier!

I try to have it ready or at least know where it is that I can find it quickly (ECB's go in a certain spot, store coupons in another spot... and so on. I have had the situation before where I knew I had a coupon and was digging through my purse trying so hard to find it. It is very stressful and I don't like to feel like I am wasting the cashier's or my time. It';s understandable if it's a small thing like a hard to find coupon or forgetting something in the car but if it happens all at once it can be annoying.

always completely prepared with needed Qs and ECBs. I like to know my expected OOP before I get to the counter, so that way I can tell right off if there is something off someplace.

I can't imagine trying to gather Qs and ECBs while standing at the counter!

always completely prepared with needed Qs and ECBs. I like to know my expected OOP before I get to the counter, so that way I can tell right off if there is something off someplace.

I can't imagine trying to gather Qs and ECBs while standing at the counter!

I am really funny about not being ready as well. Prior to going to the store, I get my coupons ready AT HOME and then put them in an envelope along with my shopping list. I almost never have to dig for anything unless it is something that is on clearance or was for some unexpected price that I found once I got to the store. I also prepare my coupons and items prior to going to the line. I, like CookieMom50, hide in the aisle and get it all together before I even let the cashier see me because oftentimes if they "see" you, they will just stand around like they are scared to move around because they don't know when you are going to be ready to check out.

Coupons are enough work, I certainly wouldn't want to make it even harder for the cashier.

I stop about halfway to the front of the store when I know I'm done, park the cart, threaten to kill the kids if they move (by that time I've already told them to behave 50 times!) and organize everything I will need before I even get in line. If I don't do it that way I forget things and am a disorganized mess! I also like to have everything ready so I can watch if things are ringing up correctly, or if the cashier's entering the BOGO FREE q's correctly. So many times I've been distracted when they've been ringing me out, only to find that they made a mistake and have to come back in and wait in line again.
Sounds kinda crazy, but it's worth being prepared, then no cashiers, or poor couponers, get tortured like in this case!

Well usually I am.....................however............Friday I filled up my shopping cart with all the deals I had planned out. Got to the counter to pay and low and behold I remembered that I forgot to clip the 2 coupons I was going to use for the ALL detergent. I had 4 bottles of ALL and only 2 coupons. I asked the cashier to take 2 of them off and he acted like I had asked him to move planet earth over just a little. I quickly paid and got out of there and then realized I should have just kept them. I lost about $3 on ECB's because of it. There was no one behind me in line but the cashier acted so mad about it, I just wanted to hurry and leave. My total was .21 cents though, so that part was ok I guess.

I'm usually rather prepared. But I was in a hurry tonight and ended up paying about $15 oop. Even in a hurry, it would have been about $5 oop if I had held back just 1 q and used 10$ more in ECBs.

Good news is I got a lot of stuff for that $15 and still have the 10$ ECBs left.
4/12 big roll packs Charmin, 2/9 # bags kingsford charcoal, 2 near quarts Edy's ice cream, 2 Maxwell House coffee, 4 Fusion shaving cream/ gel and 1 20 oz G2. Even tho my oop was high, I think I got my moneys worth!

But it DOES pay to be prepared tho. And have a plan b in case they have product out of stock.

I stop by the aisle and go through my coupons that I pulled for the trip. I do this in a main aisle so they dont think I am shop lifting. My purse is monstrously large, I dont want it to be suspicious. Usually, I just remove the coupons I was unable to use because the store was sold out. If other people come to check out with only a couple of items, I let them go ahead of me. My transactions usually take longer. I will put stuff aside and let the cashier know if they will have to put in the price for a coupon or if it is a bogo, etc.

I organize what I plan to get at home and write a list. I put those into an envelope and then when I get to the store and finish shopping I also pull aside and organize before I get up to the counter. It is so rude to get up there unorganized and make the cashier and customers behind you wait for you to get your head out of your butt

Yes, I'm always prepared and will stop in some out of the way place to make sure I'm prepared if need be.

I worked as a cashier at a grocery store when I was a teen. I had a lady come through the express line on a Saturday. After I rang everything up, she proceeded to take out an envelope STUFFED with coupons and very slowly went through every coupon one by one to see if she could use any. I think she used like 2. I was dumbfounded and other customers were so upset. I didn't know what to do. How inconsiderate can someone be anyway?

100% PREPARED
and
GOOD
2
GO!

we are always fully prepared and ready with our q's and our sale ad's are circled with things we are getting as well as we have a printed list. they should not have to wait on us to get organized if you are going to q's then at least have the courtesy to be prepared....

I also hide in the aisles and use my calculator to figure out what I have or don't have and what I need and don't need. When I'm ready to check out, I hide out toward the front of the store and pull out my all my card, my coupons, and open my binder to my ecbs. I go on and match my q's to my products and put them in order.

I have everything paper clipped, with my ecb that go with that card. Also, have a list of what monthly stuff I still need to get. Plus the coupons that go with the items I am getting. I am very organized! I seem to go through the paper clips though a lot! I find them everywhere, which is funny. Everytime I find them, I just laugh at myself.

Me too, but it usually takes about 10 lists before I figure everything out for the best deals! Then, with the best list wrapped around q's and ECBs to be used, I head to the store. I'd feel like such a pain in the neck if I wasn't prepared.