Working in retail is one of the most tedious jobs there is. Not only do us retail employees have to fold the same shirt constantly or stock the same shelf one million times, we have to deal with the most irritating customers. Of course, there always is that beautiful customer that brightens your day, but in reality a large portion of the clientele base is out right annoying. It seems as if all the customers ask the same questions over and over and over again. Here are the top ten annoying questions they ask:
1. "There's no tag on, so does that mean it's free?"
No. No it does not. There are five other pieces of jewelry exactly the same that all have tags on it, so why in the world would you assume it’s free? Joking or not, this is by far the most annoying question there is.
2. "Is there an extra discount on sale items?"
The shirt is already 50 percent off! How stingy can people be?
3. "What time do you close?"
Well, it is 8:59 PM, so we close in one minute. However, you go ahead and take all the time in the world you need, even though I clearly just said we close in one minute!
4. "Can you do better on that?"
This is a clothing store, not an auction. We do not bargain.
5. "Can I return this? I've only worn it once."
I do not understand this question at all. Stores sell new clothing, once you wear it, it becomes worn. By the sweat stains under the arms, I can tell you’ve only “worn it once.”
6. "Can I get cash back if I pay with credit card?"
This is just self-explanatory. Of course, you may not. Customers seem to think that we have magical powers that can make money appear, sad to break it you, but we don’t.
7. "Do you work here?"
Well, I simply like to wear a name tag and come here to put away jewelry for fun.
Yes I work here. I saw you look at my name tag, so I know you know that too.8. "Can you check to see if there's any more in the back?"
Here’s a quick tip for everyone: if it’s not on the floor, then we don’t have it. There is an extremely microscopic chance that we do, but if we did it would be out.
So of course I'll go check, and by check I mean go sit on my phone and pretend that I actually am for ten minutes.9. "Is there any holiday sales?"
Around the holiday times, or busy season, people ask this every day. If there was no advertised sale, and no sale signs, or flyers obviously there is no sale!
It hasn't even passed Halloween yet, relax. All you're doing is reminding me of the horror the next two months will be.10. "Can I speak to your manager?"
This is the most dreaded question. Not only is this the most belittling question there is, but most likely my manager will tell you the exact same thing I told you ten times already. Our managers tell us what to say in certain situations, so talking to my manager is just a waste of my time and yours.
