Grocery store giant Loblaw launched a pilot program recently allowing cashiers to sit on the job at some of its stores check out counters.
In a statement to Retail Insider, the Loblaw Public Relations department said: “Earlier this year, we piloted a four-month program in 10 of our stores across the country that provided cashiers with the option to sit. The pilot ended at the beginning of August, and we are evaluating colleague and customer feedback to determine the next steps.”
Sylvain Charlebois, Senior Director, Agri-Food Analytics Lab at Dalhousie University, said he was recently speaking with Per Bank, CEO and President of Loblaw Companies Ltd., last week.
“He was the one that told me about this pilot,” said Charlebois. “Nobody was aware of it. He basically saw my column on the issue a few months ago (in a publication). I’m not sure if my column triggered the whole process but they actually ran a pilot in the summer which I thought was interesting. I verified that with Loblaw but they never actually made an announcement about it.
“My column basically invited grocers to think about this issue because employees are getting older. Working conditions is often mentioned as an issue now. Recruitment is an issue in the industry and perhaps at some point it’s time to think differently.
“And a lot of people have actually traveled and they do see that in some countries around the world it is common practice to offer the option to cashiers to either sit down or stand up. In Europe for example, in most cases most European cashiers actually do sit down and they have the infrastructure to support that kind of work. I think it’s actually important. Of course in light with what’s been happening with self checkouts there are mixed reactions to self checkouts and if people do value the humanity of exiting the store perhaps it’s time to think differently about the job itself and how we actually see the role and how they can be more comfortable.
“Say for example if someone wants to have a chat. The slow lanes like we’re seeing in Denmark for example. When we actually surveyed Canadians on the issue, Canadians are pretty split. Some people do think it’s about time, we need to do the same as other European countries. But there are many Canadians who do feel strongly about the fact that if they do see cashiers sitting down, they may feel that person is either less professional or perhaps lazy. So that’s why I think Loblaw decided to run a pilot for now to see how people would react.”
Charlebois said it’s a cultural issue.
“A lot of people never even thought about standing cashiers versus sitting cashiers. As far as I’m concerned I think it’s a really good debate to have,” he said.
“I think the best way to go about it is to do exactly what Loblaw did. Run a pilot and see how people react and perhaps even give an option to employees to do so.”
I believe in downtime when a cashier is not busy, then yes. Especially for the older generation who want to work. A lot of employees are now suffering from hip, leg and feet problems. So in between customers when it is not busy and their cash area is cleaned and tidy they should be able to sit. Banks allow it and seems to be no issues. So why not Grocery Stores.
My feet got wrecked by too much standing. A coworker saw me walking after hours, he thought I had MS, which didn’t seem right even because I didn’t walk that poorly on the job. I hid the pain, never had MS and now I feel the pain in half an hour, I needed to sit when I needed to sit, but that wasn’t an option.
I hear you loud and clear. I don’t see why they are focusing on purely perception metrics and not NEED. UGH!!!
What a ridiculous headline and story… “Loblaws considers humane treatment of staff”. There it’s been fixed.
Right. Humane and safe.
The only people who would think someone sitting down on the job is lazy, is someone who has never had to work a full time job on their feet all day. Prove me wrong. If it can be done while sitting or standing, the option should be on the worker.
Right. Said so well.
All adult Canadians should be made to stand on a concrete floor for 8 hours. Instant support for sit down program- and not just for the elderly! I remember my first day waiting tables at age 18. But I remember my second day better. I could hardly walk. People simply don’t realise what a number concrete floors do on a body.
Right. And those mats which are often put for workers, they may help somewhat for a while, they are also a tripping hazard, I kicked them under the workbench to avoid tripping in mechanic shops.
Customer feedback should not be included. People who have never worked in a grocery store as a cashier, standing on their feet, are not qualified to comment. If sitting down looks unprofessional to them, that’s their problem. The general public doesn’t have any idea of how much a grocery store cashier lifts in a day.
Right, many high paying jobs have seats added or built in, that includes offices right in these same stores, in transportation, in policing, there’s a place to sit. Customers need not reply.
I need a double knee replacement and have for years. I am a cashier. If I had had the option to sit it would have extended my work life. I am on disability now. When asked by my insurance company what my work would do to get me back to work they said they would have to see how much they were willing to do. Sure sounds like they don’t give a ….
Yes yes Doug i totally agree with you in this matter customer feedback is not necessary.
I think about cash staff standing, them likely thinking about their sore feet. When I see any staff member sitting, it means there’s the right furniture afforded them and they can stand when they need or desire.
I think about cash staff standing, them likely thinking about their sore feet. When I see any staff member sitting, it means there’s the right furniture afforded them and they can stand when they need or desire. Let people stabilize themselves on the stronger portion of their bodies.
As a person who has worked in retail most of my working life having the option to sit down would be a great thing. Static standing for long periods of time is extremely hard on the back, legs and feet.
Just go and visit Germany. Everyone grocery and drugstore cashier is doing their job sitting down for year. It a totally normal appearance.
I have worked for 40+ years standing on my feet for over 8 hours a day. I have had plebitis (blood clots) due to this type of torture, but did it to pay my bills. Companies made you wear stupid uniforms with stupid ball caps but didn’t provide compression stockings to aide in the health of the workers legs. Thus now I have to walk with a cane, have a disfigured leg and have pain. Yeah to early retirement and not being to enjoy a relaxing day. LET THEM SIT AND STRETCH.
They should definitely be allowed to sit. Even dentists sit now. It should be a choice or let cashiers combine the two. Most people sit all day.
I don’t know why dentists stood. They have patient chairs adjusted nearer to the ground now, so they can concentrate on teeth, not feet. The only thing I don’t like, is the chairs don’t have the head support they used to, so there’s the wiggle the patient needs to combat the whole time by stiffening up the neck so the work gets done easily, not hard to do and likely no result in injuries, but it’s something which needs addressing.
I hope people get onto better designs for everyone involved, sitting is healthy for work. Standing desks proved no good, people left their cubicles to do work in meeting rooms. Desks which adjust to sitting and standing with chairs, that I think is the healthiest, because standing a while is good and one gets a nice stretch hinted by standing, which is why some people take to standing during coffee breaks or during stops on long bus trips.
I hope people realise
I am a full time cashier and I stand all day or if monitoring the Self checkouts than I am walking all day. Sitting at the registers would harder on my body, reaching for things on the belt, trying to lift a case of water or kitty litter would kill my back sitting down. You’re constantly twisting, bending and over stretching it’s hard on your back. I won’t even bother telling you the foot pain we deal with being on concrete floors.
I would not use a chair at the register but to sit for a moment throughout my shift while not busy would at least give a bit of relief
But if all cashier check out stations were ergonomically designed to allow the cashiers to sit while doing most of those tasks you speak of, it would be a lot easier for you. Guess you may still have to stand or lift for some items, but the rest of your job may be much easier on your body. Especially if you are older and have been doing this job for many many years.
I work in a grocery store as a cashier and I sit to do my job not because I’m lazy it’s due to the fact I’m a wheelchair user. So go and head and call me lazy I have more customers will to wait for me to cashed them out . Because I’m professional at my job and one of the fastest cashier’s on the store and skilled with many many years of experience just not as a cashier. .
About damn time. The idiocy of expecting people to stand all day has to end. You don’t pay them enough to live little lone deal with the medical fallout if the ridiculous standing till.
I believe that is a great idea to let Cashiers to sit down when possible standing in one spot for a long period of time can be hard on your back and the mats they have really dont help
I’m so glad the vibe check for this comment section is great! Sitting is absolutely fine for cashiers and whenever I’m in Europe I wonder why we don’t do that here.
I agreed with Doug standing on feet all 8 hrs not easy end off shift legs will be stiff n feets sore and lift thousands of items and bag all day long cause shoulder pain so sitting during shift should be allow for all age employees…..
I had to leave my job at the no frills store. Because after two surgery’s on my leg and arthritis. I was refused a stool so I had to quit my job.
I worked at a place, just a one-day contract, long walk from / to the bus with a peer also doing the contract. The area I worked, a couple of tall chairs were shared, I stood maybe half a day throughout, sat more before end of shift. My peer, a bigger person stood all day, no one used or offered chairs where he worked. He was so weak, had we been robbed, he’d have become the victim while I fight for him or run away for help depending on the attacker(s). I did run to stop the bus for us, he’d have missed it and been there over an hour had I not been with him.
Sit or stumble. I prefer sitting, it’s that simple.
And I read in some above comments about injuries, me too over many years. Where it works better to stand for functionality that’s a task better shared rather than imposed on someone all day. Where someone walks often, standing at locations can be okay, but still a chair or other sturdy object will facilitate where it can be useful.
I’ve seen in one workplace, thousand pound machines stand on 6 puck-sized “feet” working day and night, we – our two feet aren’t built like these, for an 8 hour portion of the day, we needed to sit beside them to operate them but there wasn’t a chair in sight. Let’s see the office staff, like we did, stand in their offices all day.
Gee this is going to be so nice for those poor cashiers and other employees who have to stand all day .
I work for a independent grocer and I have back issues and sciatica so I find it hard to stand for 4 1/2 hrs when I am on cash. We should be giving the option to stand or sit right now we are told that we have to stand and we can’t even lean when not bust. Loblaws should talk to the cashiers and see what would be better for us.
I use a chair as a secondary cashier due to a low back workplace energy. Customers have commented that they think every cashier should have the option of using the chair.
I have as lot of arthritis and can’t stand on my legs anymore for 8 hours. I would love to work but at 63 I would need to be able to sit when there are no customers in line. This should be implemented everywhere and more Seniors could keep working
Right. Same with people using wheelchairs, someone above commented on his job from his wheelchair, more people can be working and work longer if we all just cooperate and be fair.
As someone who has worked retail for 18 years (Loblaws), I can say that giving the option of sitting would go a long way. I have a lot of foot, leg, hip and back issues due to it. In my position, I am not even allowed to be behind the cash counter, so I don’t even get to stand on those mats unless I am checking someone out. Even when I was pregnant with twins, I wasn’t allowed to sit when a customer was around. My regular customers would tell me to sit down, but some others would say “oh, sitting on the job again.”
I have just brought in a doctors note No frills I waiting to see surgeon I was refused a stool was told to fix it and stay home if I can’t stand all day to do my job