Deli Counter Staff Hate When You Do These 10 Things While Ordering

There's a lot to love about the deli counter. You can easily customize your order to your tastes and needs, and free samples are often offered, as well. Plus, let's be honest: Food from the deli just seems to always taste better. Yet the deli department brings its share of frustration, too, with some customers finding you have to wait a long time for an order to be fulfilled. Of course, that's just on the customer side, as deli counter staff don't always having an easy time of it, either.

Often, deli staff have to deal with rude customers, long queues, ignorant people, and repetitive questions. Below, we've listed some of the behaviors that deli counter staff hate to deal with when customers are ordering. If you avoid doing any of these things next time you're at the counter, you might find that your order is smooth, quick, and painless.

People who work in the service industry often have to deal with the brunt of people's bad moods. Of course, there are a number of reasons why customers might be grumpy, but it's often because of stress. For instance, it could be because a person is feeling anxious about how busy they are and they're eager to get on with their day, or maybe they're worried about the rising cost of living. Sometimes, that stress gets channeled outward towards a poor unsuspecting worker — like the person in charge of the deli counter.

But newsflash: Similar to a pet peeve of restaurant servers, deli counter staff really hate it when you take your unrelated frustrations out on them. And who can blame them? It's unpleasant having customers bark orders at you, yell at you, or lose their patience while ordering cold cuts. With that in mind, try to avoid being rude towards deli counter workers for things unrelated to them.

Working the deli counter – whether it's for an independent business or for one of the top-rated counters at a grocery store, involves several tasks. But one of the most important is slicing and weighing the food for customers. While this sounds simple, it can actually be quite tricky to get the requested weight bang on. Sometimes, a worker will slice off a little too much. This may not be a big deal to everyone, but it's something to make a fuss about for others — and reader, deli counters hate it when you make a fuss about minor weight differences.

In fact, some deli workers are on tenterhooks when they accidentally go over a weight limit, waiting to see if the customer will get upset or not. If they do, this presents a problem because it's not necessarily easy to remove a few grams of ham from a larger cut. To avoid any issues, some deli workers won't even give customers the opportunity to complain about any extra slices. Instead, they just bag up the order without saying a word.

Most of us spend hours each day on our phones. In fact, research suggests that the average American spends more than five hours on their phone every single day. But if you're making an order at the deli counter, consider putting it away for a few minutes, or risk making your server pretty upset.

On Facebook, several deli counter workers said that being on your phone while placing an order is rude and annoying. One person said they wished they could refuse service to anyone who is attempting to order on their phone, while another noted that they won't even approach a customer until they have put their phone away.

There are a few reasons why it's important to put your phone away while you're making an order, whether it's at the deli counter or at a restaurant. Carla Maria Manly, PhD, clinical psychologist and author of the book "Joy from Fear," told Mashed in 2021 that it can make the server feel like you're treating them as a robot, rather than a human being. She added this can also lead to inaccurate orders, which isn't going to make anyone's life any easier. Instead, for everyone's sake, you should put the phone down, smile, make eye contact, and say please and thank you.

Making sure the counter is clean and presentable is part of the job description for most deli counter staff. So for some, it can be pretty frustrating when customers put their hands on the glass in front of the counter. After all, this usually means the workers will have to wipe it clean again.

Furthermore, some workers have even seen children lick display cases, which is arguably worse than a few mucky fingers. While some put their hands on the glass because they're trying to gesture to what they want, others do it because they're trying to signal someone's attention. But tapping or knocking on the glass of the counter can be incredibly frustrating for many workers.

In short: If you want to keep deli counter staff happy, try to keep your hands (and tongue) to yourself. Remember it's simply not worth it, and consider just asking directly for what you're ordering.

Another time when many deli workers would prefer that you spoke instead of using your hands? When you're ordering. A number of deli counter workers have said that simply pointing at the food you're hoping to order, without further explanation, can be confusing for the workers behind the counter.

For one thing, workers aren't looking at the deli case from the same point of view as customers. Consequently, being verbally clear about your order is important, as it can reduce the chance of mistakes, which are frustrating for both deli workers and customers. Now, we understand that clearly explaining an order can be anxiety-inducing to some, like ordering food in a restaurant.

If you're someone who gets nervous when placing an order at the deli counter, experts say it's important to prepare what you're going to say beforehand, as it may help reduce feelings of uncertainty. Alternatively, others who've experienced this type of anxiety say that writing down the order can help, too, so consider some prior preparation if needed.

When it comes to making an order at the deli counter, make sure to get into the specifics as much as possible. As we've noted, if you're too vague, it can lead to mistakes in your order (and frustrated deli counter staff).

For example, if there are several types of ham on display, try not to just ask for "ham" without any further explanation. Specifying you want the cheapest version isn't necessarily helpful either, as prices often change (and sometimes they're written in a spot where the customer can see them, but the worker can't, as they're behind the glass). It's also useful to specify what thickness you want (this usually depends on the type of meat you're ordering and how you intend to use it). Be sure to pay attention to the deli labels, as well, so you can specify whether you want organic, natural, or uncured options.

Additionally, it can be helpful if you're specific when requesting any changes to your order. For example, customers may request modifications at times  to a sandwich they've ordered by just mentioning "my sandwich" — forgetting the worker doesn't know them, their tastes, or which sandwich is theirs. To sum up, getting specific with your requests goes a long way towards helping the process run smoothly on all ends.

Most of the food on the deli counter is fresh (unless it's the pre-sliced, pre-packaged kind, which is sometimes offered in a cooler case next to the counter). If you ask, some deli counter workers will be happy to reassure you that the food item you're ordering has been freshly prepared that day. Others, though, find it quite annoying — and they might not make a secret of how annoyed they're feeling.

For some deli counter workers, this question is actually a huge pet peeve. In fact, some people find the question so irritating that they might even be tempted to respond to the query with a sarcastic reply. With that in mind, you can certainly ask if the food is fresh at the deli, but there's a chance that you might not get the response you're hoping for (especially if you happen to be one of several people to ask that same question that day).

Think back to the last time you were ignored in any situation. We'll hazard a guess that you felt pretty frustrated about the whole thing. Unsurprisingly, then, that's exactly how deli workers tend to feel when they call out a number, but the person isn't paying attention to them.

Again, this came up as a key area of frustration for deli workers on social media. Some said it was particularly annoying when customers ignore them because they're on their phones (getting in their five hours of screen time, of course). Consequently, some staff even found a secret weapon for when people ignore their number being called: A cowbell. If you want to keep the peace and avoid being shouted at — or worse, having a cowbell rung at you — it's probably best to keep one ear open for your number. Don't say you weren't warned.

Like any food service or grocery store environment, deli counters can get very busy (for example, Publix's deli counter is usually a hive of activity). So if you want to have time to peruse and make your order without the need to rush, it's probably best to avoid the peak times.

According to deli counter staff on Reddit, some of the busiest times at the counter include holidays (especially the days before Easter, Thanksgiving, and Christmas), Sundays, and Super Bowl weekend. If you do arrive at the deli counter and it's busy, consider doing the deli workers a favor, and being quick with your order.

Many deli counter staff find it frustrating when customers take too long to order when they have a big queue of people to get through. In particular, staff tend to hate it when very young kids are allowed to order for themselves if there are a lot of customers behind them. While allowing children to order is an important learning experience, maybe avoid doing so on Super Bowl weekend.

Food prices have been high across the U.S. in the 2020s, and many customers are frustrated that their money isn't stretching as far as it used to. But many deli workers feel it's annoying when this anger is directed at them. After all, for the most part, they aren't actually in charge of how much your food costs.

Now, this issue isn't unique to deli workers. Service workers in general seem to get the brunt of people's annoyance at rising prices. Still, any frustration over prices can often be avoided if customers paid closer attention at time.

Some deli counter workers have described customers who've gotten frustrated about the final cost of food ... even when the price is clearly stated in front of them. The lesson? Keep a close eye on prices before you order. If it's too expensive, consider asking a member of staff if they can find you something more in line with your budget.