I do not believe in the few years that I have worked in the retail business that I have yet to find a single person that has said, “Retail is the greatest thing I have ever done in my life”

I have personally worked in a movie theater, a children’s clothing store, a school uniform store and a ‘knick knack’ store for lack of better words.

I think everyone can agree with me that there are plenty of ‘crazies’ out in the world, but rarely do you ever see it…unless you work retail. Every single ‘crazy’ crawls out of their hole to flaunt that crazy for the world to see.

This is for all you retail workers out there.

Gathering a general consensus among friends, here are the worst possible things that happen while working retail that makes it the absolute worst.

1. Customers that disregard the time that you open and close --- you know that fantastic feeling that you get when it’s five minutes away from closing time and someone walks through your door and you just want to scream “GET OUT” and push them right back out the door? Then they proceed to stay another 20 minutes after you have closed just looking around? You people literally make us want to cry (I, personally, have cried over that).
2. When a customer hands you 25 different coupons and you have to fight your way through the stack, picking out the ones that will not be valid then having to explain to the upset customer why they are not valid.
3. “Well it doesn’t have a price, it must be free, right?” NO NO NO it’s not free!
4. When your boss forces you to try and up-sell. You, of course, try your best and you probably don’t get anywhere with the customer that came in there for one specific item. Let’s face it: up-selling is terrible
5. But what’s worse? Trying to get the customer to sign up for a rewards/points card. “I don’t need another card in this wallet,” or, “I already get too much stuff from y’all as is”. Please, please just sign up so I can stop getting an earful.
6. When a customer finds an item that has a slight scratch or dent and demands that a large discount be given or if it is the display item. No — the item is full price. Please just accept that not everything is going to be perfect and move on.
7. Working during the holidays — if you work retail, you know that the period between Black Friday and New Years are the worst times. If you don’t work retail and choose to do ALL of your shopping in that time period—we hate you. It’s the holidays—we want to be home with our families too! It’s extremely heartbreaking having to fight with customers who put off their shopping until the last minute, then complain that your store doesn’t have the item they need.
8. STANDING. ALL. DAY
9. When an item accidentally gets put on a sale rack, where it doesn’t belong, and you go to ring up the customer and the item comes out full price --- Congratulations, you started World War III.
10. When customers try to return something without proof of purchase and demand a refund.
11. When customers try to return something that has clearly been used. In my case — a lady tried to return a half burned out candle because she didn’t like the smell.
12. When you hear the sound of an item hitting the floor and breaking, and your gut instantly ties itself in a knot.
13. When parents don’t control their children and they pick up everything in the store and carry it around.
14. When the customer comes up to the register while talking on their phone and you have to ask them questions.
15. When the customer uses three credit cards, cash and the blood of their enemies to buy a $5 shirt.
16. Working a double shift, or the butt crack of dawn shift, or the late-night shift that you don’t get extra pay for.
17. When you need to leave, go to the restroom or eat and no one is there to back you up while the store is packed full of people .
18. Listening to the same music playlist over and over and OVER again.
19. Your hideous uniform.
20. Cleaning the bathrooms (in the movie theater — it’s the worst).
21. Having to get an item from the back room, on the top shelf…in the very back.
22. When all of your friends are going out on the weekend and having fun and you’re stuck at your job.
23. When your manager does not approve your time off.
24. When people leave a pile of clothes in the dressing room.
25. When people pay in change, not bills — change.
26. “The customer is always right.” – WRONG! SO WRONG!

The list could go on and on for another few pages, but these have been the ones that both my friends, mother and myself have all experienced. I have so many stories that I tell and that others have told me that I am seriously contemplating writing a book about how terrible it is to work the madness that is retail.