Tazeen Ahmad (1971–2019)

A book about working as a checkout girl at Sainsbury's supermarket - wouldn't that be boring? Why yes, yes it is. It seemed as though this book was written to make the reading experience echo the tedium of working on the tills.

It's written as a series of diary entries, and every day is very similar: no comfy chairs to sit on, rude customers, the occasional joke, more rude customers, and never-ending complaints about the cost of food and the state of the British economy. It reminded me of my time working for a national retailer.

The book lacked an overall storyline, and seemed to have no investigative journalistic purpose other than exposing how boring it is to work in a supermarket, and how rude people can be when they're stressed from shopping.

There are some brighter moments - mainly from customers buying pregnancy testing kits, customers who budget carefully and don't fall for special offers (so they don't end up swearing when they see the final bill), and trolley boy - the quirky staff member who is full of random facts. I also enjoyed the author's angry letters she composed in her head to Gordon Brown/Rude Customers/Sainsbury's managment.

The one redeeming feature was that I was reminded how much I don't want to go back to working in retail.

Overall, not recommended. This would have made a good feature article in a magazine. It should never have been made into an book.… (meer)

ISBN: 9780007327720
Publisher: Friday Project
Pages: 262

How much do you know about what really goes on at your local supermarket?

The Checkout Girl by Tazeen Ahmad is about her experiences as a Checkout Girl or COG in Sainsburys supermarket at the start of the recession. Tazeen writes about the lovers' tiffs, family feuds, flirty customers, and endless customer rants & complaints she saw daily.

I enjoyed Tazeen Ahmad's book The Checkout Girl. It was well written, funny and lighthearted. I enjoyed reading about her experiences with awkard, cheeky and friendly customers alike, as well as how she dealt with her colleagues.

Available at Amazon.co.uk.… (meer)