[Sailor Steve]

I agree. It's the very height of rudeness to talk on the phone at a store, especially when you ignore the clerk who is trying to help you. It's hard enough spending the day on your feet scanning items and ringing them up for total strangers, only to have one or more of them treat you like a machine. I like talking to the checkout people at the store.

Of course it doesn't hurt that I hate phones and only ever use mine when I absolutely have to.