Rant: Put Your Cellphone Down!

Put Your Cellphone Down!

Cellphone use is ubiquitous, and far too many people have great difficulty lifting their heads from the screens of their phones no matter what they're doing. They walk down the street, looking at their phones rather than looking out for others who are walking in their path. When these individuals visit a store, from a wine shop to a book shop, they sometimes continue using their phone even when they go to the register to make their purchase.   

That needs to stop!

First, it's just rude as the cashier often needs to engage you in conversation when you make your purchase. It's difficult to do so if you're talking to someone on the phone, or texting, or surfing the Internet. Second, it's dehumanizing to the cashier, as your attention is on your phone and you aren't treating the cashier as a human being, but rather as if they were an automaton. This is not the self-service check out line. Third, mistakes can easily be made as you aren't paying sufficient attention and may not properly understand whatever questions the cashier asks you.

If you have to make a call, then handle the call before you go to the cashier. Once you get in front of the cashier, put your phone away or down. Give your full attention to the cashier. Treat them as a human being. Engage in some actual face-to-face social interaction. Your life is far greater than the tiny screen of your cell phone.

At the wine shop where I work, this has happened to me on multiple occasions and it's usually clear that  their cellphone conversations aren't emergencies. They could easily put down their cellphone but they made an active choice not to do so, to be impolite. It is certainly more difficult to handle their transaction as asking them relevant questions isn't easy. I know plenty of other people who have worked as a cashier and have complained about this issue.

At restaurants, servers also encounter this same problem. The server may approach a table to take their order, but someone is on their cellphone and still tries to place their order. The server may need to ask this person questions, such as whether they have allergies, and it becomes difficult as that person is on their cellphone. It's just rude and unnecessary. 

Have some consideration and put your cellphone down!