Dear Customers,

I’m sure that there are lots of retail workers out there that could write a whole book about their job and everything that comes with it, but I’ve decided to choose just a few things to share that are important to me. Tons of things happen behind the scenes that you don’t know about, so it’s important to treat us with respect and understanding.

1. Please, clean up after yourself.

Since cleaning up is in our job description, we have no choice but to do it. There are lots of things that customers do that makes this the worst part of our job. Please, don’t leave a mountain of clothing on the floor of a fitting room stall and smile at us as you walk out. Don't pull apart every pile of shirts and/or jeans to find your size. If you can’t or don’t want to buy your items for some reason, please don’t leave your cart full of stuff somewhere for us to find later. Our stores do come equipped with are trashcans, so we can always point you in the direction of one. With that being said, please stop leaving your chewed gum, coffee cups, and soda/water bottles in random places. And please, I beg of you, be decent enough to flush the toilet after you use it.

2. We can't always solve your coupon problems.

If you have that big of a problem with it, call someone who can do something about it. I’ve explained to you many times that you can’t use your coupon because it’s expired or because it doesn’t apply to the merchandise you’re buying. I can’t accept the coupon that you “forgot at home” or give you a discount just because you shop here a lot and have some warped sense of entitlement. But sure, you can absolutely talk to a manager so they can tell you everything I just said.

3. Think before you speak.

Contrary to popular belief, there is such a thing as a stupid question. My advice to you is that you take the time to think about the question you’re going to ask or the comment you’re going to make. For example:

“It didn’t scan? It must be free!” Still such a funny joke even after I’ve heard it a million times.

“Do you work here?” No, I’m just wearing this lanyard with a random nametag on it because it matches my outfit.

“Ugh. I’d hate to have to do your job!” Okay, thanks.

“If I didn’t know that there were no coupons, I wouldn’t have gotten all of this stuff.” I'm sorry we didn't tell you sooner?

“This has no price tag on it but I wanna know how much it is.” Yes, let me just sort through my photographic memory of the store’s inventory and find the price of this item for you.

4. We don’t have control over everything.

There’s no sense in getting angry about something we can’t change. I’m sorry you had a hard time finding a parking spot. I can’t change the price of something you’re purchasing. I can't take the sales tax off. I know you’re angry about the amount of time it took me to find the item you wanted, but I had to journey into the never-ending stockroom to find it. I’m sorry we can’t take your coupon because you were on vacation when it was valid. And I’m so, so sorry that you don’t want to shop here again because of the unpleasant experience you think I caused.

So, all I ask of you is that you keep these things in mind the next time you go shopping. Just be nice while you're here and talk about us all you want after you exit the store.

Sincerely,

A Retail Worker