If you have ever worked in retail, you know the crappy life we all live. Everyone who works in retail, for more than two weeks of orientation and training, has pet peeve behaviors from customers, managers, and coworkers. For some, it's the stupid jokes you hear every day, while for others it's how inconsiderate some customers can be. Here is a list of some of the things that retail workers hate:
"I printed it fresh this morning!" "Hopefully the ink is dry!" or anything else related to the authenticity of big bills.
PLEASE, you are not the first person to say this to us, and it was only funny the first time (if it was even funny then). If you continue to say this to any retail worker that you hand a $50 or $100, we are going to start taking you at your word and calling the authorities. I've been here for five hours, I'm ready to go home, and this smile exists because it has to so I keep my job. You're not funny. Take your things and go, please. I'd like to keep my IPMs up. (That's Items Per Minute for those of you that have never had the "privilege" of working retail.)
"Oh, it won't scan? It must be free!" "Free after the third try!" or anything else about the inability to scan an item.
Again, you're not the first to say this, and you won't be the last. But that doesn't make it any less annoying. Yes I know the item isn't scanning. Believe it or not, I have been trained to use this equipment and identify when an item is not actually scanning properly. This is what price checks and manual UPC entry is for. Which is what I'm about to try. I'm already annoyed that this item is giving me trouble, I don't need you to add to that frustration. What you are suggesting is referred to as shrink in the industry and I could lose my job over it. So no, your can of green beans is not free just because the barcode is giving me trouble. (In case you can't tell, this is one of the biggest peeves for me.)
"Well, the price tag said..." "Well, the ad said..." or anything else trying to fight the price on an object.
We don't know the price of EVERY item in the store. In certain settings, the price changes every week! We can't keep up with that. So we trust our registers to have the prices correct and to reduce items to their sale price at some point in the transaction. If you notice that something rings up incorrectly, asking or commenting politely is more than understood and okay. We can get it checked out and see what the problem was if there was one. But if you just read the sign incorrectly or made a mistake, OWN UP TO IT! You do not get to fight me on it tooth and nail because you were wrong and you don't want to admit it. If you continue to be a jackass, you will be referred to customer service (because I can't handle your attitude anymore and I have a line developing now, thanks to you).
"I won't get charged twice, right?" "Why isn't my card working?" or anything else related to payment...
...when you didn't listen to us in the first place. If you slid your card too early, or there was something that wiped the machine's memory of it (i.e., entering your reward card number), then you will have to slide your card again. Usually, sliding it at the beginning of the transaction will work...if you have less than ten items. However, if you have a cart so full that it takes you ten minutes just to empty everything onto the belt or counter, sliding as soon as you're done is going to freak out the register. Just wait patiently until there are only a few things left and all other tasks on the pin pad have been completed. And if you are paying at a store that has a chip reader and your card doesn't have a chip, the answer is yes, you can still slide your card. If you are shopping at a place that doesn't have the chip reader technology yet and your card does have a chip, please do not get offended or defensive when we ask you to slide. And don't ask us if we have the chip if we expressly ask you to slide. And don't tell us that we should get the chip readers if we tell you we don't have them yet. 1) That is not our decision, take it up with management, 2) we know the chip benefits, but again there is nothing we can do about it, and 3) you're annoying.
"Hold on, I have the change!" when we have already totaled the transaction.
Please don't make us do unnecessary math. Some of us are good at it, others aren't, but none of us get paid well enough to have to constantly re-evaluate what we are supposed to be handing you because you were too slow to get it right the first time. If you think you have the change, ask us to wait BEFORE we enter your payment into our system. Don't suddenly think of the change as we are pulling out the last few coins to give back to you because you don't like change. It's rude, it's annoying, and we don't like it. And if you decide that you do have EXACT change and you say, "Hold on, I have EXACT change!" after the transaction has been completed, and then you don't hand us EXACT change, then please kindly go play in traffic.
Putting something on hold...
...and not coming to pick it up! Not as much of a problem in a grocery store or its equivalents, but especially in stores like Target, Big 5, etc. where they do put things on hold for customers, this is a big annoyance. ESPECIALLY if you don't come back to pick it up in the time you have to come back, they put it back where it belongs, and then you come back looking for it and get offended that it is no longer there. This is far past not okay. This is downright rude, and you have no right to be offended that they did their job when you did not come back in the timely manner you were supposed to. Also, stop being such an entitled little poophead. The world does not revolve around you, and while our jobs often do, you don't have to treat us like crap.
"Can you check the back?" "Can you find some extra?" when we've already told you we don't carry back stock?
How else can we tell you that we don't have back stock? How many ways can we say things to you before you understand them? Sure, if you're at a grocery store, chances are there is back stock of most of the products. Asking if we have any extra is not an inconvenience and is totally acceptable. Especially if you are understanding when our stock people get back to us and tell us there is not any in the back. You are a wonderful person. On the other hand, if you ask and we tell you there is not a back stock, or that we do not have any back stock of that specific product, please do not get indignant and fight with us about it. This is yet another one of those things that we have no control over and it is rude for you to come at us because of a stock issue.
"You close at 9 right? Thank god!" *At 8:52*
Seriously? You think you can find, try on, taste, decide, etc. on whatever you need in less than 10 minutes? Yes, you managed to sneak your way into the store right as we were getting ready to lock up, clean up, and be on the way home. Good for you. Now, do you know EXACTLY what you want and where it is? Because if you don't please go home, because we'd like to. It will more than likely still be here tomorrow if you come back more than 20 minutes before we close. Again, there are obviously exceptions. You actually do know exactly what you need and where to find it? Cool! You actually do need that thing tonight and it can't wait? Understood. If we can help you find anything, let us know. We would like for you to get out fast just as much as you would like to get where you need to be. But really, 5 minutes before we are closing is NOT the time to browse what we have for 45 minutes while we are trying to close the store.
Bringing your kids with you, then forgetting you're a parent.
If you bring your kids in the store, we understand. You just picked them up from school and now you are hitting the grocery store on the way home. You are doing the back to school shopping with them and they need to be there, but you have to stop in the collectible store to pick something up. You have a family party happening at the winery and of course you had to bring the kids. That's all well and good. Bring the kids. But please, don't forget that you are a parent once you've welcomed the small things into our store. Your kid is pulling stuff off of the shelves and making a mess? Reprimand him. Your kid is screaming and making a huge scene? Take care of it. But please, for the sake of all of the other humans in the store with you, do not just pretend it isn't happening. We all hate you for it. And if we try to correct the behavior because you obviously cannot be bothered to take care of your child yourself, DO NOT get offended by it. Yeah, I asked your kid to stop throwing snickers at me and the other customers at the register. Sorry I had to do your job for you, now leave me alone about it. The sales associate warned your kid not to hang on the shelf because it will fall on him and it will hurt? Don't get indignant because she was trying to protect your kid from injury and herself and the company from a lawsuit. One of the stock boys tells your kid she shouldn't touch the display lights because they will burn her? Don't get in his face when she burns her finger on the bulb. He told her not to do it. You do not have the right to get in our faces and get angry that we are doing your job, since you obviously couldn't be bothered to pay attention to the monster that you brought into the store.
We realize that "the customer is always right," and we know that MOST of you don't suck as people. And to those of you who are decent people and treat the retailers you see when you go out like they are also decent people, THANK YOU! You are a breath of fresh air when we have been stuck with the above idiots all day.
