Attention shoppers: Retail workers' pet peeves

I have been on both sides, and can understand both points of view. However, I do have to comment on the whole 'don't keep me here past my shift" thing. I work in an office, where I am suppossed to be done at 5pm. However, if a call comes in at 4:58, I am expected to take it, no matter how long it goes. Yes, it's annoying. Yes, I might complain about it. But it's part of my job. Once a customer gets in your line, it's your responbility to take care of them, whether you do it yourself or find a substitute is fine with me, but if I wait 5 minutes in line just to be told I have to move to a new line and start over, I will be annoyed. Put up a sign saying your line is taking no new customers. Find someone to take over your till. I realize you have a life, but I have a life too, and being bounced from line to line because people are going on breaks or getting off shift holds up my schedule. Retail is far from being the only profession where people sometimes have to stay past their shift, you sure wouldn't want your ER nurse to leave you gushing blood because she's done for the day. I do believe the exception to this is a store's closing time, a customer should not run into a store 5 minutes before closing time unless they know they will only take 2 minutes. This being said, I saw one sales person SCREAM at an entire store that she would call the police on them if they didn't leave the store right now as it was closing (there had just been an announcement that the store was closing in 10 minutes).

I understand people in retail deal with a lot of abuse, but I get just as much in my industry. It's unfair, it really is, but sometimes all you can do is look in the mirror at the end of the day and know that you did your job to the best of your ability. But far too often these days I meet retails employees who just don't care. They won't give me the time of day, they won't help me find things, they answer questions with 'I don't know', and leave it at that. If you don't know the answer to my question, you should at least try and help me find someone who does.

Probably my biggest pet peeve with retail workers is when they keep me waiting so they can have a personal conversation with a friend or co-worker. Those conversations should be taking place when there is a lull in the store, not when there are people trying to buy things from your store and get you the sales numbers that are so important.

At the end of the day, I can tell who takes their job seriously and who doesn't, and I treat them accordingly. Part of the job is customer service, it is included in every job description in the retail industry. It is not a choice. It is a requirement, and if you are unable to fulfill this part of your job, then you are unfit to hold that position.

But by all means, if you get one of those horribly obnoxious customers that I know exist all too well, by all means, do whatever you can get away with to make them mad! (My favourite was killing them with kindness, and trapping them in their own lies)

Oh, one last thing, I used to be a debt collector, the one profession that probably receives more abuse than retail, so I'm all too familiar with this stuff.

Cheers!

When people expect a cashier to stay open that extra 2 minutes for them they forget that someone else might come into line after them and expect the cashier to serve them too, and then the next customer and so on.... It just doesn't work in their (the cashier's) favor to stay open for that next customer.

Also, when they're supposed to have their breaks if they leave late and then come back late to make up for the time they lost serving that extra customer the boss or manager will be pissed; thinking the cashier is taking more than their 15 minutes for coffee or 1/2 hour for lunch!

I love reading all this. I have been working in customer service for over 10 years, as a Rep and Management, and I truely, TRUELY love it. I always think it's amusing to hear all these complaints about "what the customer did" to mess up your day, and how rude they are.. blah blah blah. Bottom line: these people pay your wage, even the jerks. I deal with hundreds of customers on a day to day basis, and maybe one a month will "grind my gears". I am polite and genuinely appreciative of my job and understanding who really pays my bills. I think it's all about how you as a rep deal with these customers. Maybe if you're getting a lot of rude customers, you should first address how you deal with them first. These people aren't coming in to be your friend and are paying for your service, they don't owe you anything. Common courtesy is of course something that's always appreciated, but really, this isn't a perfect world. I as a consumer get more upset when I am treated rudely by an assosciate, than I am at work, if I have a "less than pleasant" customer. With the right menatality and skills, little annoyances will eventuallly disappear.

You know what? It is a tough life. They don't call it minimum wage because it's so low, they call it that because unfortunatley they aren't allowed to pay you any less, or they would. Retailers want money, they don't want to spend it. You can work fourty plus hours a week and still need a part time on the side to make sure your electricity isn't cut off!

When customers come into a store and act like because they are spending ten dollars, they own the place, I just want to ban them for life.
No, I will not leave my cash to go look for some item you forgot.
If I put a CLOSED sign at the end of my cash, its because I'm closing. Don't get pissy with me because I don't want to make an exception "just for you"
Your running late, so I get to miss my bus and hang around the stop for another half hour??

HEY GORDON POWERS, YOU SERIOUSLY THINK THIS STUFF IS ALL OKAY AND WE ARE CRAZY FOR WANTING TO COMPLAIN ABOUT IT???

Why don't you lose the nice salaried job with things like paid vacations and bonuses and raises more than a nickle at a time AND put up with all this crap like we do. Go work a day at a grocery store or a tim hortons. Ever seen a grown man throw a temper tantrum like a two year old because we don't have his donut? I have.

As someone who has worked a variety of jobs during my younger days, I can attest to what customers can be like! I have worked in restaurants, bars, fast food and coffee houses and thankfully now have a nice cushy office job.

My kudos go out to people who can work in these places, and that whenever you stop by there, they are always smiling and friendly. I worked at WalMart for a year when I was 18 and let me tell you, you could not pay me enough to go back there as a cashier! I worked at Tim Horton's as a second job when I was a single mom with two little boys. Alot of people assume that if you work in the retail industry, you are 'stupid' or 'can't get a real job', and they treat you with zero respect. Some of the people that I worked with in these industries were the hardest working people that I have ever met and they took alot of pride in thier jobs!

The Walmart near my house is constantly full of employees who go above and beyond for their customers. The greeter at the front door never fails to say both 'hello' and 'goodbye' to my husband and I, as well as play with our 17-month old son, or give him a sticker and she calls him 'her little friend'. The cashiers that we see are always pleasant and smiling, and the staff are really good. I know that if I go into Walmart, I am probably going to have to wait in line and that there will not be all that many registers open, but that is not the cashier's fault.

I think that if you treat all of these retail workers with the respect and dignity they deserve, then you will have a much better experience when you shop at these stores. I am from a city of about 50,000 people, so you do get a name for yourself when you frequent the same establishements. Treat these people with respect and you will get the same back.

To all of you who work retail and do a great job - Thank you! We appreciate it!!

Acta t ually the thing that really cranks me is how many people stand there while the cashier rings everything through and then decides to open the purse and start to look for the wallet. Hmm did it not occour that just maybe this part was going to come .What is wrong with at least having your debit or credit card ready instead of looking like the paying part was a surprise

people who are talking on their cell phones .Drives me crazy .You can't give them the customerservice they are expecting and you feel like you are invisible.

To the customers who hate "upselling" (offering you extra things you didn't really want):
My store doesn't do it, and we're shooting ourselves in the foot. Someone comes in here for a $799 laptop, and I sell them a $799 laptop. I ask them if the want anything else, and they say "no".
At any big box, you go in for a $799 laptop, and you walk out having paid $1500 because they sold you a carry bag, extended warranty, antivirus, mouse, surge protector, restore disks, blank DVDs, printer paper, printer ink, mouse pad, speakers, network cable, service plan, and a myriad of other little overpriced extras.
As long as people keep getting talked into these extras by big box stores, there will be big box stores doing it, and little guys paying the price for not doing it.

And while we're on the "big box" subject, why do customers buy a big ticket item at a big box (TV, laptop, etc) get it home, and then call *my* business for some free over-the-phone advice as to how to hook it up, or get it working?

I worked in an exclusive fashion boutique...one morning a gentleman in his 30 walked in the store and asked me to show him a nice sweater as he was planning to buy one for his MOM as a birthday present,after undoing around 15 sweaters on the shelves he walked out promising me that he'll call and decides which one he wants but instead he apologized for making me work for nothing.
ALL he wanted was to check my out and asked me if i'll like to go for a drink with him after work.
I declined politely as my excuse was that i have a boyfriend,he still wouldn't take a no for an answer and asked me if my boyfriend will compete with his foot masage,I said to him no one competes with him and left me alone :)

I have been in retail for 25 years. The variety of people and situations are the reasons that I love my work and am excited to go to work every day. We have a wonderful clientele and have fun, joking and talking with our customers. I learn new things every day from various activities, but mostly from information I get from my customer's conversations. Yes, there are difficult customers. That is a given. It's all about communication and expectations. Theirs and yours. My communication for difficult people is completely about how far I will go to please them. Their business is only important to a specific point..... there has to be a profit. That is what pays the bills. I have only once had to lead a customer to the door and let them know that they are not welcome back. I've never been physically threatened or verbally abused. I give my customers respect first and they give me respect in return. Jane Shopper, in my shop.... a chain showing closed would have been put up behind you and your sale would have been processed...... no moving customers around because someone is at end of shift. That's a management problem that shouldn't be taken up with staff.... or inflicted on staff. If that happens, please take it up with the people responsible, not the ones that have to follow. Ok?

It is all part of the job so I just deal with it. There are many small things but you gotta love the
customer who talks down to you like you are nothing. They fill out a credit application and you
find you make more than they do but they just think since you are in retail you are a loser. lol

One frustration is when you are dealing with a customer and they take a cell phone call which is
by all accounts pointless but continue the call for 15 minutes in the middle of you helping them
and stroll off. Of course 15 minutes later you may be dealing with another customer and the
original customer has finished the call and some then are now ready and expect you to drop
the new customer and help them asap. Anybody using a cell phone visiting any kind of
establishment should use more courtsy. All part of retail though.... everyone is leading busy
lives though and considering such most customers are great!

I lived in London England for about 2 years,,,and here in America you guys don't know what it is to be rude,,go to England and spend some time in any store and you'll see what 'm saying,,the British have the right as a consumer to return ANY item they buy in the store up to 3 years and they don't have to give you a reason,,that's their right as a consumer,,and I'm not saying all of them but they can be very nasty,,I've seen this with my own eyes and heard them talking to sales reps and cashiers,,,so believe me here in Canada and USA still very good,,yes I know that there are a lot of ignorant idiots out there,,but there is always a way to be diplomatic and get people off your back without getting upset,,,so smile and enjoy your life.

Things Customers shouldnt DO!!!!
-please stop telling your kids to come "play" at my kiosk of fragile things. Yes kids do like the things we sell, comic and video game related, but it is breakable, and I do pay for the things they break.
-dont let your children hang off of the racks, or play in them.We put alot of time into organizing and re-organizing things so that you can find them easier. When they get pulled under racks and all over the floor they get dirty and damaged and unsellable.
- please stop asking for discounts. The one on display is not cheaper. there is nothing wrong with it no defects so it has no reason to be cheaper.
- dont try to exchange things without receipts or after the exchange policies end date. We have these policies to protect us against theives making returns of things they have stolen, and to keep your year old sweater from coming back and being left in the back room for 10 years because we dont have that one anymore.
-dont put your food down on our tables. or your drinks. they spill and destroy things. you wouldnt like it if the tables were turned!
-please dont send your tweens to the mall alone!!! although they may tell you their friend gave them the jeans theyre wearing your precious little angel stole them from us. and then our shrinkage is off. and then we get that deducted from our totals for the month. and that makes us not hit budget. and then i cant afford to buy my kids jeans.
-please stop telling us that we should have more than two people working because we are so busy. obviously if that was an option we would prefer to have extra help. but we get x amount of dollars to spend on wages in a month, and x = really small amount of money!! So unfortunatly I will be here 12 hours today because im on salary and ms. part time is just here til 7!
-please when i say hi did you need a hand with anything? dont pretend that you didnt hear me. just say no thank you, im fine. manners are something that we should not have to explain to full grown adults.
have a nice night

I posted a message a few days ago and I just wanted to check in. There are very interesting opinions and here is a list of my responses (mainly to store workers):

- "Demo" models have accumulated dust, have been handled by other customers and may have been dinged. If there is something wrong with the model, store workers shouldn't be surprised that the customers ask for a discount. If you can't do it, please tell them that you don't have the power to do so.

- If you work on commission and the customer asks for a ridiculous discount, simply DON'T ACCEPT IT. It's part of the interaction. I'm not quite sure why people are offended by it. If you feel like you won't make enough of a living, tell the customer that you're not willing to do it and that maybe one of your colleagues may. If no one gives the required discount, then the customer will realize that he/she is being overzealous.

- Upselling may work, but it's annoying. It's similar to when people call you at home to sell you long-distance or like when some Nigerian prince wants to give you 20million dollars but you have to send him a cheque first. It MAY work, but it's annoying. I guess it's my way of suggesting a way to make a better shopping experience.

- If you're a cashier and you have to go home, I believe you should serve everyone that is already in your line WHILE BLOCKING OFF people who are trying to get it. This has been done before with success... you shouldn't just walk away. Similarly, cops shouldn't walk away in the middle of a police operation even when their shift is over (yes, he/she may have to catch a bus or pick-up the kids at the daycare, but it's not right).

- I have no problems with store workers criticizing customers who are not polite, either with their tone of voice or with their lack of manners. Customers can be idiots and they think they have all the rights in the world. Of course, the same can be said about store employees (mostly in higher end) who walk away from the customer (me) when he walks in because he's wearing jeans and t-shirt.

At the end of the day, I will say that most of the time, store workers have been great. However, I do take the time to make these posts because I think I'm proposing ways that could make the shopping experience better (which, in turn, makes customers come back and increases sales). Perhaps, some of these points should be sent to retail managers rather than sales associates. I honestly apologize if I've offended anyone.

I have worked in retail for 2 years now. (Farm Fresh)

I am very observant, and i can handle all the questions, almost anything the customer does. I smile and take FULL intrest in them, and make sure that they feel that they are being paid attention to, so you could say i do not fall into the (lazy worker) slot.

But, dear god, these people that feel like is only revolving around them make me lose hope in everything human. I am a good kid, i come in happy and strive to be happy, no drugs, no smoking, no drinking, does everyting told of him, but this job has made me into a stone statue with my family.

I come in, and offer every bit of happyness inside of me to the customer, and they give jack back, sucking more and more from my soul until there is nothing left. So i get home happyless. The slightest bit of coutesy from a person goes a long way.

Nothing makes me more happy, than when a customer (9 times out of 10 its a woman) ends up smiling after im done with them, or they come in smiling, or they make the effort to be happy.

Altho it is our job, pet peeves are pet peeves for a reason. Im sure you have pet peeves with your children, but being a parent is your job so you put up with it. We arent saying we SHOULDNT have to deal with you, we understand we are getting paid to put up with your arrogance, but we are expressing our pet peeves to vent, so dont shoot us down.

Also, my manager CONSTANTLY hassles me to bug customers with 15 billion questions, but i never ask one unless i can tell it would benifit them, and the only reason i havent been fired because of it, is because i am the one cashier many customers enjoy engaging with. THERE ARE GOOD RETAIL SALESMEN.

Being in this job, has made me come to believe that hope for the human kind is a worthless activity. If only people took the time to observe and understand they arent entitled to godship service, and expect the customer behind them, and the retailer in front of them to accept it. Grow up.