Checkout Girl: A Life Behind the Register

By Anna Sam

My name is Anna. I'm 31 years old with a degree in literature and a life story that is both completely ordinary and a little bit unusual
Former cashier Anna Sam offers an insider's peek at what really goes on behind the register. In the wise and witty voice of the college-educated, underpaid retail worker, Sam comments on everything from ill-cut uniforms, to drunken customers, to Express Lane tricks. Filled with hilarious and hair-raising observations, Checkout Girl is a great gift for anyone who has ever been, or had an encounter with, a supermarket cashier.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Sterling
• Release date: Apr 5, 2011
• ISBN: 9781402782503

Reviews for Checkout Girl

[maggie1961-1 · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

When I first saw this book on net galley, I really wanted to read it. I have worked retail, mostly in a grocery store atmosphere for 30 years and I thought this book would have some funny stories about the life of retail and customers. Not so much. I could relate to some of it, I have some similar stories; I have seen pretty much everything you could imagine and things you couldn't begin to imagine and I could relate to the descriptions of some of the customers. What I couldn't relate to was the horrific writing style. Don't get me wrong, I love sarcasm but this was over the top and way, way too much. Many of the attempts at humour just started to get really old; it may have worked in a 3 page magazine article but in a book even this size, I was over it long before the book was finished. I didn't like the arrogant tone and not so funny humour attempts and found it to be very condescending towards people who are "checkout girls" making them seem like half brained idiots. While most of my career has been in a supervisor or manager capacity, I took offense to this and found it interesting that the market most likely to be interested in reading this book were the ones who were targeted as having a worthless job. I would give it a 1 1/2. I received this book free from net galley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

[svh_mad · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Loved it - got it sent free from the publishers and I have to admit I wasn't expecting much. A great read that doesn't require much thinking. If you're sick of chick lit but still want a giggle, this is the book. I read it in 5 hours (probably would've been 3 if I'd read it straight through).And if you think that working at the checkout is a piece of cake...think again.

[fist_1 · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

It's interesting to read about the supermarket experience from the cashier's point of view, for once. Don't expect any pity for harried clients with children who are trying to fit in the shopping chore in their busy Saturdays; all the pity is for the cashiers and the cashiers only (and when clients wipe their boogers on their shopping for the cashier to scan, who can blame them?). This book is based on a blog by the same author. Some blogs lose a lot of their quality when they are turned into books. The lack of a narrative makes for a halting reading experience, and the repetitions that provide a common thread in the blog posts become obtrusive when lined up in a book, especially if it's a slim volume like this one. This non-taxing read will only take you a few hours to get through, so it's ideal for an afternoon at the beach.

[kazimiera_1 · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

a great little book that i really enjoyed it brought back some memories of when i worked as a checkout girl a must read for anyone who has ever slaved over a till