The retail customer unappreciation thread.

[kelleydenham]

God, I have so many stories from when I worked at Gamestop.

Hillybillys coming in to buy the new Cablea's Hunting games, Stinky people trading in SO MANY goddamn PS2 games, Meth heads, homeless, etc.

One time a hobo came in right before closing. Naturally we wanted to remove him as quickly as possible. Dude yells drunkenly, "You guys take trades on computa gamezzz?!" We tell him no because they're clearly stolen and we just can't trade in PC games. Dude then yells at us and leaves. Also, I was startled because he smelled really nice for a homeless man, but then I realized he had just chugged a bunch of Listerine (hence the drunkenness).

[xewo]

"Hey, how're you doing?"

"Just looking, thanks."

"Just asking how you're doing, thanks."

[user name]

aren't you guys supposed to be geniuses

Isn't it genii? not geniuses? just saying...

[Jokez]

i work at a grocery store

on the last day of a sale when something that sells quickly is on sale:

"excuse me, is there anymore of x?"

"whatever is left on the display is all we have left"

"there's none there"

"i guess we're sold out"

"are you kidding me, this store is terrible, how do you not have it"

and

"excuse me do you work here?"

i stare at them wearing a uniform and stocking shelves as they ask this.

Edited July 27, 2012 by Jokez

[Mauisnake]

A little background before I start being a bitch:

I currently work at a sunglass store part time, for both the extra income as well as a time killer. I work as sales coordinator for a compressor company as a full time job.

It is my choice to work retail and it allows me to be helpful but only to the extent that is beneficial to myself. Unfortunately this can at times cause poor customer service, especially if you are being a "loose butthole" as some would describe.

We currently have deal where it is buy one get 50% off another pair of equal or lesser value. Generally when a customer enters the store, I greet them and am often given the good old "we're just looking." Number one, I care not if you are here to look, what I asked is "How are you today?" or something akin. Often times my answer to this is "well you're looking eh? whatcha looking for?" This is meant to be a snide comment, that rarely is recognized for the snideness.

Often times it proceeds to, "Oh hey, just so you know it is buy one get one 50% off," which often the response by these degenerate dildo's is, thinking they are the Louis CK of the mall, "Well can I get 50% off the first pair? Har har har har har," Yes you think you are hilarious, yes I have heard that line 50x today, no you are not funny, yes you should have been swallowed.

dude, you're just a huge dick holy crap.

[philosophiliac]

why would you take a second job on top of full time hours as a time killer? understand it from the money perspective but surely maximise your free time and have super dope times?

also yeah, seems like you're one of those shitty sales assistants that kill customers' buzz, so maybe consider a different "time killer"

[freshkills]

somewhat related:

shoplifters, if you're going to shoplift, don't talk to your friends about what you're shoplifting and how ratchit you are, and then act all innocent/start crying when you get caught.

[PRC.]

To anyone who works retail:

Do you "talk back" to customers?

[OkayOkay]

Fuck yes, and it feels awesome.

But I owned the spot.

If you're an employee fuck no, I don't pay you to lose sales. You gotta take that abuse.

[Desi]

At times I make comments about why are they going after the same Camo Cargo pants with the butter timbs look.

[wolfpussy]

I feel for the people in this thread, I can feel the anguish and misery in the air whenever walking into most retail outlets.

[PRC.]

Just handled a broad today. Lol @ her sister apologizing. "Sorry about that"

I don't understand how you're coming up to my register mad, tho. Regardless of how shitty your day is

Have a nice day! :^)

Edited March 4, 2013 by PRC.

[Northwest]

Its sad how few people understand the personal and ethical ramifications of "you get what you pay for." The price you pay for an item of clothing reflects manufacturing costs (significantly higher if workers are not exploited but rather choose that line of work), quality of materials used, the cost of paying sales associates, the cost of owning a store, heating a store, and equipping a store.

When I purchase clothing, I always examine where it was made and what it is made out of. I think I am significantly happier with my clothing for that. I have a great pair of jeans from the twin cone mills and heavyweight chinos from Blackbird (in house label and W+H) that I can see lasting me at least three years. I have two pairs of Outlier pants that are holding up great and whose construction represents the fabrics of the future. I own a great deal of socks from Marciolani, which remains an Italian family business.

Yet despite my personal experience with these products, despite the companies who make a conscious choice to produce longer lasting goods ethically, how many customers have I watched turn away from similar products or talk about where they buy visually similar products for less and seem victorious because, for them, price reigns supreme. I have to wonder if it is that difficult to exist with less variety, less exploitation, and greater quality.

[conqueror]

To anyone who works retail:

Do you "talk back" to customers?

i only do it if my manager isn't around and they are being really cunty.

[wurm]

To anyone who works retail:

Do you "talk back" to customers?

i think this is appropriate in many circumstances. i mean, some people need to learn to not treat others like shit or act as though they're better than them. still, sometimes people are just pissed off and it's easy to take it out on someone in customer service even though they probably have no control over the matter. in that case, talking back can just fuel the flame. that person will probably feel bad later on if you don't talk back, but justified if you do egg him on.

i like seeing other customers stepping in and defending employees that are getting verbally abused. i wish it happened more often.

[Jokez]

more grocery store tales:

i go out to get all the shopping carts in the and around the parking lot (btw, fuck people who just leave their shopping cart where they parked and drive off) and have a line of probably 10-12 of them waiting for oncoming cars to pass through so i could put them by the front of the store

a red ford focus drives up behind me and my line of shopping carts waiting for me to move so it could turn into a parking space

as i wait for cars that are ahead of me to pass through, red ford focus starts honking at me maybe 3-4 times, each honk being longer than the last

people are staring at me, one car decides to stop and let me pass through, i park the shopping carts by the front of the store

i go back to grab some more shopping carts, the red ford focus is parked and out comes a middle-aged asian couple

as i walk past them, dude is pissed and says to me in a heavy chinese accent,

"hey, hey, didn't you see us through the reflection of the store window"

i tell him,

"yeah, i saw you when i looked behind me" which he should've saw

he says the same thing again, probably didn't hear me, and keeps pointing at the window furiously, saying the same thing over and over

i tell him again,

"i saw you, i had to wait for cars to pass through"

thought i didn't have to mention the fact that i'd probably crash all the shopping carts i had into an oncoming car since it's common sense, but dude didn't give a shit and just says,

"oh, you a smart guy"

and walks away into the grocery store to shop.

also there's this one middle-aged asian lady that has been a bitch to me more than once:

it's early in the morning, and the store pretty much just opened and nothing has shown up to work, me and and a coworker are having a conversation, and she just comes up to us and says,

"hey, i've walked around for 20 minutes and i've seen both of you do nothing

don't you have anything to do, i work for upper management of x grocery store" (the higher level chain of stores that owns the chain of the ones i work at)

another time

i'm working juice onto a display and one cashier is pushing a stack of shopping baskets

this cashier is kinda ditzy and the stack of baskets just falls

baskets aren't everywhere, not even a lot to begin with, a bunch of them are still bunched together, not a big mess at all, no big deal, this cashier can easily handle it herself. she's even laughing to herself.

i continue to work on this display and as the cashier is picking up baskets, asian lady just happens to pass by saying very loudly,

"why don't you help her?!, god"

customers are around, and i look like a total scumbag

Edited March 6, 2013 by Jokez

[mrip]

those were shitty stories

[artmajor]

I like how he explicitly mentioned the customers being asians like that has anything to do with it lmao btw im the guy that leaves shopping carts whereever i park.

I also work in retail, nothing really bugs me since im always indifferemt to peoples attitudes but there are things that make me chuckle. I.e. customers complaining about something being out of stock " when it was in the ad/on display". Like they dont understand the concept of things selling out temporarily. They expect us to edit a regional ad to match our specific inventory, and take down all display models so that they arnt mislead into thinking they can buy it. Lol gets me everytime

[artmajor]

Also forgot to mention the customer hat comes into my dept. thinking they know more than the salesman, im in electronics and theres always that 50 yearold guy that thinks he knows everything thing there is to know about tvs or whatever and the erroneous shit that they end up saying is amazing. And then i think to myself, his friends prolly ask him for purchasing advice since he is so confident when talking his bs lol. Im not gonna act like i know everything and some customers have actually taught me a few new things, but thats definitely the exception to the rule

[otlyaa]

i work retail currently.

stuff that bothers me is when a customer is looking through something obviously for a size, and are messing it up and you say, "what size are you looking for? i can get it for you" and they say no thanks i'm good and proceed to pull apart a neat stack. especially when the table is already folded down/they see you folding stuff.

also basically everything about fitting rooms.

i get its my job to re hang/fold stuff, and i dont mind but it's annoying when a customer has brought a ton of stuff into a room, and as they are leaving out, they spot you and say ,"oh, should i just leave them there?" and their room is full of stuff inside out and on the floor. u have no intentions of doing anything about it why ask?

[ranonranonarat]

after working retail, i now fold all items that i try but not buy, making sure that the sides are all flushed before returning them to the working staff.

[OkayOkay]

That is seriously so appreciated, forreal.

[blm14]

I like to blow my nose inside tshirts and then stuff them inside coat pockets at uniqlo

[philosophiliac]

after working retail, i now fold all items that i try but not buy, making sure that the sides are all flushed before returning them to the working staff.

I never worked fashunz retail and I do that anyway. I know they're getting paid to do it and all, but hell, why not take 2 minutes to make their jobs easier?

even if they're surly assholes, maybe they're just having a bad day.

i dunno, guess i'm just too nice a person

[captainkim]

after working retail, i now fold all items that i try but not buy, making sure that the sides are all flushed before returning them to the working staff.

see it's tricky because unless you notice how the store folds you might just be wasting someone's time. I've seen people try and refold clothes they've tried on, but it didn't match the standards that our store had. I just told them it was alright because it would take the same amount of time to just refold it anyways.

I've worked retail way too damn long, but it hasn't been too terrible. I don't care if customers ask dumb questions or don't know certain things. I mean I ask dumb questions in a lot of stores too. I fucking hate though when people have an attitude. Most people need to understand that if you work in retail, you don't get paid to serve customers. Workers are there to assist you, but don't get high and mighty, have an attitude, or expect someone to do something that they probably shouldn't do or can't do. The shit can hurt your pride sometimes, real talk. It's not worth the pennies and nickles they pay either.

[lexerone]

"Hey, how're you doing?"

"Just looking, thanks."

"Just asking how you're doing, thanks."

Always.

Depending on your demographic. The need for hispanic families to bring all their kids/abuelitas/cousins into the store just so one person can purchase the cheapest thing in the store or nothing at all.

The need for every a lot of Asian shoppers to ask or think they deserve a discount on everything.

I understand it may just be a cultural difference, but c'mon shits annoying when it happens repeatedly.

[dovo]

i fucking hate when customers touch me man.

[ChaseDizzy]

no hotties?

[lexerone]

i fucking hate when customers touch me man.

or when they invade your personal space.

or even worse when they smell.

[whitney]

I feel for the people in this thread, I can feel the anguish and misery in the air whenever walking into most retail outlets.

sad thing is that they probably didn't start off like that

there are some crazy customers out there and some that are straight up rude

i really don't give two shits but I tend to let things roll off me once I have a chance to bitch/rant about it. this one lady came in and it was me and this other chick whose very bubbly and nice; all she did was say hi and that lady held a hand in her face. she does that everytime she comes in. just doesn't want to be greeted, took me by surprise the first time and I didn't have a chance to warn her but her face fell flat and she just didn't want to greet anymore

I learned a few things working retail, always start with a smile and hi, expect the just looking, let it roll off u then look at their shirt, pants, shoes, whatever that looks even remotely cute/decent and go nice xyz, or cute xyz. makes them smile and feel at ease plus also an ass for just jumping into conclusion that you're gonna pounce on them as soon as they walk in

cos other stores have conditioned them to think that way

as for stories I have a zillion.

one of my favorites is when I was on the floor and it was just my manager and I, she's Vietnamese I'm hk and this lady comes in..I can't tell you her ethnicity because I'm horrible at telling but she wasn't white and I say this because she goes straight up to the cash wrap and wants to return three bags

ok, no problem, we look at the receipt and it's partial..there is no original only the exchange one with the method of payment; cash; a few bucks, and the merchandise total was near 1k. so we asked her before we even open the boxes to inspect the bags, for the original otherwise any return done will be with store credit

well she blew up on that and was like, no, I paid with my card and I didn't even want to purchase, I only wanted to return, but the sales associate made me buy these bags. (really?)

we still need the original

we went out of our way after she made a big stink, to call the store a few blocks away who originally sold her it and may still have the physical copy (cos store has copy and customer gets one) to lookup the details and surprise surprise she had used partial merchandise credit and rest on a credit card

so we got the details and the receipt info to punch in, and open the boxes to find one of them is used pretty bad, like cigarettes and dirt bad,

my manager told her we can't take back the used bag and at that point she started swearing us out; so loud that our next store neighbor came in and checked in on us

reason it's one of my faves..

she screamed this is because I'm a minority huh? i bet if I was white I wouldn't have this fucking problem!

my manager and I just looked at each other with wtf??

security ended escorting her out

Edited June 10, 2014 by whitney