> Wojtek Sokolowski wrote:
>
>> Why do cashiers in US supermarkets and department stores have to stand
>> while
>> doing their jobs?
>
>
> When I was a toll collector on the NJ Turnpike in the summer of 1973 we
> were supposed to stand. There were stools in the booths, and everyone
> ignored the instruction, but we were warned that if a supervisor ever
> drove by, we'd be disciplined. Standing, in this case, was supposed to
> signify attentiveness and servility.
This stupdity about standing probably has something to do with American work culture. I remember being asked to stand at various jobs at the amusement park when they could have been accomplished while sitting. Perhaps the pointy-haired bosses believe that sitting = slacking.
Chuck