Everyone knows retail work is literally hell. Most cashiers, loaders, stockers, and so on often have to deal with ridiculous requests, questions, and comments. Please be nice to your local workers. P.S., we are humans too!
1. Prices
We do not decide or have any say in what our company charges for a certain product. We also have to charge based off of what the company that makes the product says as well. Just because you think the item should be a certain price does not mean we can magically change it for you. If we could, our store would go bankrupt.
2. Restrictions on coupons
Please read the fine print and expiration dates. No, you cannot use a coupon from three years ago. You also cannot use it with a sale item (which it clearly states on the front). If you have any questions, please just look at the coupon for once. You are going to feel pretty stupid for not reading, which I hope you can do at this point in your life.
3. Restrictions on returns
Why would you try to return something from the 90s? (Yes, this actually happened, and they still had the receipt.) It is also expected to be in good condition, and we can totally tell that you used something for a day then brought it back when you did not need it. It is easy to tell that an item has been used or if you broke it, compared to it being an error with the product.
4. Technical issues
Sometimes the card machines and computers crash mid-transaction. TRUST ME, we did not do this on purpose. Why would we want to keep you there longer, let the line grow, and take ten minutes to restart everything? These are computers that store a number of items. They also deal with hundreds, if not thousands, of transactions a day.
5. Your card declining
Maybe you spent too much, and your bank shut down your card? Maybe it is insufficient funds? Maybe your chip is not working? Whatever it is, it's YOUR card!
6. The line
We can't help how many people come in the store and line up at the same time. There are rushes where a whole group of people come at the same time, then line up at the same time. How am I in control of it? I don't know, just ask the number of people who curse at cashiers over the lines.
7. Running out of a product
We as retail workers do not control how often we get stock, and sometimes our store manager doesn't control it either. Most of the time, it is a separate office that orders supplies for us. WE DO NOT HAVE CONTROL.
8. Past promotions
Just because we had a sale three years ago, doesn't mean it will happen again. Or even last month--promotions have dates for a reason. Please read the flyers and catalogs; most of the time the dates are clearly posted.
9. Promotions
We do not decide what goes into the promotions, so if there is nothing "good" that month, don't yell at us. I do not get paid enough to be designing a catalog.
10. Defective items
I'm sorry that something didn't work, it happens. However, we as employees aren't purposely going around breaking things for sinister reasons. It may be a design error or the product was broken in shipping. Plus, like I said, we know when you intentionally broke something.
11. What is on sale
Sorry, the other brand of bug spray is on sale and not the one YOU want. If you grab the wrong product, it is not my fault that YOU grabbed it!
12. Store hours
Now I work in a shopping center, so this may be different for those who work in a mall. We have had people bang on the doors or try to pry our doors open an hour before we open. The open signs are posted on the door... that you are trying to pry open.
