Years back when I did a "checkout chick" stint, I'd make a conscious point of talking with customers, but I don't think it slowed me down. I found that if I didn't at least say "Hello, how are you?" when they walked up, I wouldn't say anything to them except "That's $19.95 thank you.". This wasn't because it was company policy either. No-one else seemed to do likewise.
It seems it was appreciated though. I'd sometimes have people lining up at my register when other registers had no-one waiting (and they'd refuse to move across when someone told them "Checkout 3 is empty..) and after I finished the job to have our firstborn, I got a few baby pressies and plenty of friendly catchups from ex-customers. There's some sweet people out there. 🙂
