Checkout: A Life on the Tills [Paperback]

Anna Sam (Author), Morag Young (Translator)

Product Details

• Paperback: 192 pages
• Publisher: Gallic Books (July 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 190604029X
• ISBN-13: 978-1906040291
• Product Dimensions: 6.8 x 4.3 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Bestsellers Rank: #665,077 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Often hilarious and definitely thought provoking, July 23, 2009

By	Todd Bartholomew (Atlanta, GA USA) - See all my reviews (VINE VOICE)    (TOP 100 REVIEWER)

This review is from: Checkout: A Life on the Tills (Paperback)

"Checkout" could easily be likened to the movie "Clerks" as it delves into the highs and lows of working in the service industry, in this particular case working as a cashier in a grocery store. First-time novelist and former cashier Anna Sam recounts the highs and lows of working as a cashier in a manner that is often hilarious as it satirizes her customers. In most cases her customers invite the sarcasm willingly with their rude boorish behavior and many represent easy targets for her wrath. It's easy to side with Sam as many of us would detest having her job, and the way she depicts her work environment makes it even less palatable. But Sam isn't asking readers to pity her or her co-workers and instead came to find a quiet dignity in doing the work she did. As she recounts the many customers encountered while working as a cashier she not only satirizes those who warranted her scorn but comes to empathize with many of her customers. She never comes to truly know them beyond her thumbnail portraits and they reveal themselves to her in unanticipated ways that help to shape and change her perception of them. If anything "Checkout" also is a tribute to those many customers who caused Sam to re-evaluate how she views not only her customers but herself and society as a whole.

Translated from the original French title "Les tribulations d'une caissière, the book loses nothing in the translation and if anything proves the universality of emotions felt by service workers. They work in the most demanding and least rewarding positions, can seldom complain, and are typically ignored or invisible. "Les tribulations d'une caissière" proved to be a surprise best-seller in France and it's easy to see why as it is well written, funny, topical, and more importantly relatable. "Checkout" is likely to change the way you view the multitude of service workers you encounter each day, and perhaps to make you think about the way you interact with them.

3.0 out of 5 stars Gives a great perspective on working in retail as a cashier, April 17, 2010

By	Lex (Seattle, WA United States) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Checkout: A Life on the Tills (Paperback)

Book is compelling and I finished it quickly.
Author lives in France so some of her observations aren't as relevant to me in the US. But overall, it's a great reminder that the cashier is a person and to use good manners when shopping.
Some of her observations about how people cheat the grocery line are entertaining but unfortunately, it's a mostly sad tale of a frustrating job. I was very happy for the author that she made enough money on her book when it was published in France to quit her job.

0 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars funny stuff, October 12, 2009

By	Steven K. Sasaki "Stephen Sasaki" - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

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This review is from: Checkout: A Life on the Tills (Paperback)

I never thought that simply ringing up customers items at a grocery store could be so enlightening. She proves that a happy life is nothing more than an attitude.
Great book