Archived Guest makes me hold their baby????!?!

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SalesFloorSylph

Got any extra peghooks?
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So I was backing up and this woman comes into my lane holding a baby and a cart with $500 worth of crap, including the child seat area. She reaches into her purse for her card and asks me to hold the baby while she does it since obviously the child seat is all blocked up.
I'm...stunned....to say the least. I didn't know what to do and I'm sure having her put the baby on the conveyer belt would have been problematic so I just let her hand the baby to me for a few seconds. I am NOT good with small children yo be honest so this was very strange and awkward.
I didn't get talked to about this or any thing even though the GSTL was on a lane right next to me but it was a weird as fuck experience and I'm not sure I did the right thing....
 
Yeah I mean it may have been innocent enough but in today's society I wouldn't hold a strangers baby and not have some anxiety they would blame me for it if the kid jumped out or accuse me of doing something wrong. Call me paranoid but I just don't trust most of our guest.

What age was the little one? I guess that matters.
 
I occasionally have parents who bring up their cart to the register, with kid in seat, and leave without a word. Usually just to grab a candy bar or soda bottle, but it always makes me uncomfortable. You've made me watch your kid, something I didn't agree to or have any say to, and even for 15 seconds, that makes me responsible for his/her safety. Because you just KNOW if that kid somehow got hurt or something, the guest wouldn't take responsibility, it would somehow be on me.

As such, if a guest ever told me to hold her kid, let alone verbally asked me watch said kid, I'd probably tell them I was uncomfortable and refuse to do so. I'm a cashier, not a babysitter.

All that said, I don't think you broke any rules. For me it's just lack of comfort and personal ethical code. As long as the parent asked and passed the child off to you, and you didn't bop the kid on the nose or anything, I think it's no harm done.

But absolutely off putting as fuck, for sure.
 
Yeah I mean it may have been innocent enough but in today's society I wouldn't hold a strangers baby and not have some anxiety they would blame me for it if the kid jumped out or accuse me of doing something wrong. Call me paranoid but I just don't trust most of our guest.

What age was the little one? I guess that matters.
Like 6 to 10 months maybe? I agree with you though. Like if the baby rolls out and falls that would be my fault which is why I wasn't cool with it. But if I had her sit it on the belt...well there are germs and if the baby gets sick that's also on Taret as well
 
I guess I look like someone's grandma so people have no qualms about handing a kid to me.
The instance that gave me pause, however, was finding a baby sitting alone in a cart parked next to the women's restroom.
No one nearby, so I stood next to her & entertained her until her mom came out of the restroom with a toddler in tow.
I told her she was lucky no one scooped up such a cute little girl.
 
I occasionally have parents who bring up their cart to the register, with kid in seat, and leave without a word. Usually just to grab a candy bar or soda bottle, but it always makes me uncomfortable. You've made me watch your kid, something I didn't agree to or have any say to, and even for 15 seconds, that makes me responsible for his/her safety. Because you just KNOW if that kid somehow got hurt or something, the guest wouldn't take responsibility, it would somehow be on me.
That's why it worries me when I see little kids running far away from their parents while they shop. Sometimes I'll ask adults in the area if the kid is there's just to make sure it's not a reverse code yellow happening. It's even worse if the parent is on their phone and not paying attention.
One time during flu shot season this kid was standing alone in the candle aisle crying his eyes out and I got really worried but it turned out his mom knew he was there and he just didn't wanna get the flu shot.
 
and asks me to hold the baby

I just pick my nose and look at her.
cheers2.gif
 
"I'm sorry, but I've been handling filthy money all day and my bottle of hand sanitizer is completely empty."

I could barely hold my godson, let alone a complete stranger's baby.
 
God this genuinely makes me nervous. I hope I never get put in this position. There's been a few times where I could tell they wanted to, probably because they're used to handing off their baby to some other family member. I don't even feel comfortable touching people's phones.
 
God this genuinely makes me nervous. I hope I never get put in this position. There's been a few times where I could tell they wanted to, probably because they're used to handing off their baby to some other family member. I don't even feel comfortable touching people's phones.
Oh believe me I was nervous. Didn't help that it was a rather large and heavy baby so I was just like "shit shit shit shit what if I drop her then I'm gonna get sued and fired and Target is gonna get sued shiiit"
 
On Black Thursday/Friday i had a guest ask me to watch their kids while they shopped. Myself and another TM were in charge of the toy dept when this happened. The kids were like 6&8. Ummm mo i am not watching your kids. I would never have asked someone i did not know do that for my kids.
 
Our bathrooms are near the service desk. Moms always leave their shopping carts with their babies, little kids by the service desk and expect the GS TM to watch their kids while they go to the bathroom. We have a family bathroom, big enough to hold the shopping cart. Or simply remove your child out of the shopping cart and take your child with you. The GS TM doesn't have time to watch your child and make sure you child doesn't fall out of the cart or tips over with the cart. People are idiots!
 
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