How long should it take to bag a book?....


So I'm at my local chain bookstore this morning. My daughter is with me and she's getting ansy, so when I end up at the checkout counter with my one book, I'd like to get going reasonably fast.

First mistake: having that expectation.

The cashier, a guy dressed like a slob in his early 20s, he took going on a minute just to bag my one, 8"x10" book. I mean, it was surreal watching him struggle to get it in. Not one minute to ring me up, nope, that was already done. Rung up, paid, change already given back. Going on a minute just to bag my book.

I think he technique was flawed. Instead of flipping the bag open first using both hand and then putting the book in, he was trying to use the 'edge' of my 300 page tome to 'slice' open the plastic bag's mouth.

In any case, what kind of piece of Samsonite do you have to be to be so challenged just opening a plastic bag?

After almost a minute (no exaggeration) of watching him struggle, I finally said, 'I'll take care of it', reached over, and took the whole thing from him.

I guess those are the kind of things they don't teach you in school, no?