There have been a lot of things that bother me about you. I am not talking about this matter blindly. Oh no. I have years of helping you from behind the counter. Nearly a decade. That is what makes me feel like the perfect person to scold you. Okay, maybe scold is too harsh of a word. However, you do need to hear this.
I see you being rude. I want you to remember, most likely the person you are being rude to had no control over your issue. That is not always the case, but for the most part. Some examples:
- The cashier did not create, or order product for, the ad. Most of the time, no one at the store level did actually.
- The cashier did not press a magical button to make your item ring up incorrectly.
- It isn't the service desk person's fault that your product didn't work out for you, you lost your receipt, or your family member didn't give you a gift receipt.
- Their opinion was not asked, while the return policy was being created, again no one at store level was asked. They are just made to enforce it.
- You are not the exception to the rule when it comes to the return policy. Expect to follow it, without yelling.
I can't tell you how many times I was yelled at, in that nearly ten years, for things I had absolutely no control over. I am convinced some people go shopping just because they are having a bad day and need someone to yell at, to blow off steam. Go yell at a wall or hit a pillow. Don't take your bad day out on someone who isn't getting paid enough to deal with it.
I'll let you in on a little secret. After nine years in a company, I knew some ways to get around the policies for customers. That is, if I wanted to get around the policy. If someone approached me angry and yelling, for nothing I did, I would not use those strategies. However, I would bend over backwards to help the few genuinely nice customers I came across. I'm not exaggerating when I say few. It got worse every single year. I knew at the end, I couldn't handle one more year in retail... without getting fired for being rude back.
I want you to remember that person who is helping you, isn't against you. They aren't on some secret "stick it to the customer" team. However, you are not always right. No matter what the news or internet tells you. Sometimes, the customer is just wrong. Take it graciously. Apologize. Accept blame. It will go a long way.
This isn't a one way street. When I was wrong as the retail worker, I also apologized and accepted blame. I would try to help the customer fix the problem in any way I could. At the end of the day, I am human, as is every retail worker, so there are bound to be mistakes at some point.
I would like to share some tips for a nicer shopping experience for everyone involved, worker and customer:
- Read the signs. Really. Read them, don't just skim them. This will save a lot of time, when you realize at the shelf you were picking up the wrong item, rather than fighting at the register.
- Watch your kids. I know. Your kids are adorable. They behave 90% of the time. However, that 10% of the time they need to be reigned in. I know you may be having a stressful day and need to "check out", allowing them to run around the store is not the answer. By the way, the retail worker is not your babysitter. Please don't tell your child they can stay in some certain area, or follow the worker around. Yes. I did have this happen, more than once. I had work to do.
- Decide who pays before you get to the register. You may think it is cute and funny to "fight" over who is paying. I really don't want to decipher who to take the money from, and it is awkward. It is awkward to have two different people trying to give you money. I will smile, because it is my job, but on the inside I'm screaming, "someone just pay already!"
- You may think I need to do my daily stretches. You may have just zoned out and started reading a magazine. Please, pay attention and put your items within arms reach. Unless, you are at a store with a conveyor belt, it isn't pleasant to have to stretch as far as I can reach to get your item. Especially, since I am little over five feet tall. My reach isn't that long.
- The check out counter is not your cart. Don't bring things up one item at a time. If you realize you forget something, take all your items and go back into the store. I understand that you are going to run "really quickly" or "it is right over there", but check out lines are delicate things. Unless the store is completely abandoned, they can back up very quickly. Then, you guessed it, I have to deal with multiple crabby customers, because you couldn't accept you really weren't finished shopping.
- The same thing goes with checking out when your spouse isn't finished shopping yet. If you want to do two separate transactions, great. Don't tell me "my husband/wife is grabbing one more thing". Again, it leads to me dealing with a lot of crabby people because of you.
Retail customer, let's work together this holiday season to make the stores more cheerful. I have already heard multiple stories about crabby and rude customers. Remember, shopping doesn't have to be a bad experience for anyone. Take a second and think about a situation before you start yelling at that minimum wage, or not much above it, worker. I'm not saying the store/worker is always innocent. I'm not biased or naive in that way either. I just think we can all work together to have a more pleasant experience daily.
Thank you for listening,
Retail Worker of the Past
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