Europe leaned the other way decades ago, often nudged by labor laws and unions that treated a chair as a basic dignity rather than a privilege. Several European countries actually require that seating be available for workers who don’t need to stand to do their job.
In the US, a handful of states have “suitable seating” rules on the books — California is the notable one — and a wave of lawsuits has forced some big chains to provide stools. But enforcement is patchy, and the cultural expectation of the always-standing cashier has proven remarkably stubborn.
So the next time you’re checking out and you notice the cashier shifting their weight from foot to foot, know that in most of the world, they’d be allowed to sit — and they’d be doing their job just as well. The standing isn’t for you, and it isn’t for speed. It’s for the look of the thing.
Did you know sitting was actually against the rules at most American stores? Tell me in the comments — and share this so the next person you know looks at a checkout line a little differently.
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