I hear you. You want that shirt in a size medium. You saw that the shirt was 10 percent off. You did not wash the shirt you are trying to return. You lost your receipt. You want to know the price on every single item. You definitely bought this shirt in the last 90 days so it’s obviously returnable. You think our drinks are overpriced. You missed the sale that was two days ago. You want the item that is sold out. You want to speak to a manager. I hear you and I will work with you if you work with me.

I have been a part-time employee since I was 15-years-old, and I am not the only one. There are many part-time employees throughout the entire country and I am sure that we can all agree on one thing. We are human too.

I do not mind working with customers, in fact 9 out of 10 customers put a smile on my face. However, there is always that one customer. The one that makes you hope they never come back. The one that disrespects and attacks you. They scar you for life and all you want is for your time with them to end. So here is a little rant towards that one customer …

Do you think I like what I do? Do you think I want to be at work past dinner to serve you? Do you think I like not seeing my mom all day sometimes? Do you think I enjoy hearing your complaints? No. I do not like that I have to give up my time to spend it with people like you. You belittle me and try to make me feel so small. Does verbally abusing someone bring joy to your life? Is the key to happiness truly making everyone else’s life miserable?

I work at a place where there are rules and standards. I cannot override the price of something to $5. I cannot return your 2-year-old pair of jeans that we do not sell anymore. I can’t make sure that every sign is in the right place. I cannot help that I must I.D. you when you use your credit card (have you ever heard of fraud?).

But want to know what I can do? I can work with you. I can help resolve whatever issue you are having. But I will only work with you if you will work with me. If you come up to me and scream at me, I will not help you. I will call a manager and have them deal with you. Maybe if you came up to me politely and let me explain to you how I can fix something then maybe everything would go a lot better for you and your experience in our store. You need to realize that I do not volunteer to work countless hours every week. I am here working and dealing with you so that I can afford my car and whatever other necessities I need in life. I have homework, laundry, a dirty room, pets that need attention, friends that I wish I could see and a family that rarely sees me. Trust me, I would rather be folding laundry than dealing with you.

Next time you have a security tag left on your clothes, you have been charged incorrectly or you thought that an item was on sale, do me and every other part-time employee a favor and calm down. I can’t speak for everyone but I am pretty sure that people would be more willing to help you if you didn’t tell them that they were nothing but an employee. Mistakes happen and if you have never made a single mistake in your life then please share how in the world you accomplished that.

However, I want to thank you. Thank you for teaching me how to deal with conflict. Thank you for showing me that my life could be way worse. Thank you for showing me how to respect others. Thank you for allowing me to appreciate part time employees. And last but not least, thank you for bringing some entertainment to my life cause I surely do get a good laugh out of dealing with people like you.