christmas shopping, be kind to your salesperson.

**jinx** · 12-07-2006, 09:41 AM

I work for a major retailer, let me preface this by saying that I enjoy my job, and 99% of the customers who come in to the store are great. They are happy people, but there are a few who will just suck the life from you. and here are a few things that I thought I would share, from someone on the frontlines this holiday season. These are actual customer questions, and comments that I have heard since the xmas season started. What is in paraenthesis is my comments back

It is discrimination, that you dont carry larger womens sizes, I will report you to the attorney generals office, I am sure the local news will want to hear about this. (we never heard anything)

They let you say merry christmas.

The reason you dont have anymore...is because the employees hold all the good stuff form themselves. (we are not allowed employee holds of any kind)

The sales people are here to serve us, so if we make a mess they have to clean it up. Without us they wouldnt have jobs. (true, but we are not maids)

a women cut the checkout line and said I dont believe that with all the money that I have spent in here, I have to wait in line.

Do you know who I am? (from a person who is a regular customer, who then proceeded to get loud, when we couldnt find the sweater in the color she wanted. After a search of our out of state stores, we found it. later the same day we called her, she said she changed her mind.)

You must know if more are coming in, and your not telling me. (we really dont know when merchandise will be arriving. Management really doesnt tell us)

If you poke a small hole, in the sweater with a pin and point it out, they will have to give a percentage out. (most stores do not sell damaged merch. they will send it back to the vender, for credit)

From a customer who wanted to return an obviously used piece of clothing
If you give the salesperson a hard enough time, she will get a manager, then give the manager a hard time, the more you yell and get mad the more you get.

I write more later

**MarshHen** · 12-07-2006, 10:55 AM

Oh dear me, I worked retail for many years and I have been hit with pocket books, spit on, and told I was stupid. I could tell some tales. Good thing I have a sense of humor!!

**brenda67** · 12-07-2006, 10:56 AM

I try to always be polite anyway..But if you give me an additude you'll get one right back..I've been stepped on more times then I can count by a cashier or manager that wasn't nice to me I would never say a word... Thats not me anymore..If I think I'm right then I will get my point across..I don't feel anyone has the right to be dissrespected..but there is a fine line between the two..

**lottaLove** · 12-07-2006, 11:24 AM

When I was working at a grocery store, a lady once threw a screaming fit in the store because she had bought milk that was sour, poured it in her cereal, baked a cake, and numerous other things, and wanted the box of cereal, her flour, her sugar, a carton of eggs....she had a list! The manager told her flat out no, she can have a replacement milk but it ends there, and she started to scream and swear, she had to be escorted out of the store.

I have had people throw change at me in the express line if they didn't want to wait to buy their bread or milk, I have had people swear at me if I wouldn't sell them cigarettes when they couldn't produce I.D.

I agree. This Christmas, be kind to your salesperson, no matter how stressed out the season might make you.

**pkellyc** · 12-07-2006, 11:26 AM

Both of my DD's work in stores and both have horror stories to tell. Just this past week one DD had a customer repeatedly checking prices on the self scanner after she was asked not to. DD had to call the manager and have her escorted out of the store. This was a 50 year old woman. What is the matter with people.

**Telephus44** · 12-07-2006, 12:46 PM

I've never worked retail, but am a customer service rep. I can tell you from experience that you are way more likely to get what you want if you are nice than if you start yelling. If you can get the person (cashier, sales clerk, whatever) on your side then you are much better off.

**pecunierrant** · 12-07-2006, 03:32 PM

I always try to be polite and smile when checking out. Appropriate thank you's & have a good day shared as well.

I have also had some neglectful and rude clerks or service people. For the most part they arent that way, but they can sure ruin a persons day too. A calous comment or inappropriate humor, talking to others instead of ringing us up, etc.

I am sure to appreciate the kindly ones

**McD** · 12-07-2006, 04:27 PM

Holy Moly! I work in a bank and we get the rudest people.

Here recently we had to change our online banking system due to changes in Federal Law.

I have had people seriously think that I personally changed it so that I could ruin their life.

I had a lady start cussing at me through the drive-through one day. I told her that she was not going to speak to me like that and I turned the speaker off and walked away and left her screaming at the window. Hehe.

**Emjo** · 12-07-2006, 04:40 PM

Retail is really bad here right now...jobs are a dime a dozen and just about everywhere is severely understaffed. I was in the grocery store on a Thursday night and every checkout line was at least 3 carts (there were about 8 lines open). Some guy the next line over was just ripping a strip off of a manager for having to wait and for not having more lanes open. The manager just kept politely apologizing for the wait and explaining that they just don't have any more staff but the guy just didn't get it (or didn't care).

I did my stint in retail and am always nice to the cashier...I know how tough their job is. I was in WM on Saturday; at least 12 lanes open, all at least 6 carts deep. I told the poor exhausted looking teenager at the checkout that they were all doing a great job moving everyone through quickly...her face just brightened up instantly.

I doubt they get many compliments these days.

**FrugalWitch** · 12-07-2006, 06:25 PM

Oh I agree! I didn't use to believe in Hell in my very young and tender days, then I got my first seasonal job at age 14 (went to courthouse and had my Dad sign a permit) working at Spencer Gifts in the mall. I can honestly say I have hated Christmas ever since.

The absolute worst years were the eight I spent as a manager at Added Dimensions (until they went out of business) and assistant manager at Catherine's (after AD closed) I'm fat. But I don't take my fat out on the world ya know? Now I did have some really sweet customers, but they were few and far between, mostly I was dealing with some bitter hateful heifers day-in-day-out.

So please, speak kindly to retail workers, they're human too. This time of year especially those on salary are often working 65-72 hour weeks with no end in sight until January inventory. (plus dealing with very high sales quotas)

Thanks for bringing up the subject. I am eternally grateful that I no longer work retail. (and I'd druther eat hot dirt than go back to retail)

FrugalWitch

**monkeywrangler71** · 12-07-2006, 07:20 PM

Originally Posted by MrsMcDowell

Holy Moly! I work in a bank and we get the rudest people.

I used to work in a bank, and the level of abuse you receive as a bank teller is so absolutely, incredibly, horrible that it actually made me think back fondly on my retail days. Soulcrushing work, that was.

So when you're all stopping for money on the way to the mall, don't forget to be nice to the bank teller as well.

**McD** · 12-07-2006, 07:25 PM

^

I can handle the rude customers because I've dealt with rude people before. What kills me is the people who don't even acknowledge that I speak to them and look at me as if I am dirt beneath their feet.

**Cricket1** · 12-07-2006, 10:19 PM

Oh yeah--and when we make the closing announcement (I, too, work retail) get out of the &!@#@%*() store!!!! We want to go home. This is not a suggestion, but we are really closing the store. Every night there is a customer still in the store at 9:20--we close at 9. BTW, if you are in a store this time of year, expect to wait in a line--this shouldn't shock people!!

Love this topic!

**yankeegal** · 12-08-2006, 01:28 PM

I have worked retail, and as a bank teller as well. I am amazed at some people's level of rudeness. When I shop, I always try to remember that this is someone's mother, daughter, husband, son, whatever and treat them as I would want mine treated.

**wanderlusting** · 12-08-2006, 02:00 PM

Service jobs can be hard. That's why one big reason I chose my job is I don't have customers

But I did do my share w/ restraunt and call center jobs. Here is one story that sticks out in my mind:

Call center: A guy called up and wanted to know if his distribution check had been deposited yet. I checked his account and couldn't find it anywhere. I asked if I could put him on hold and went and asked my manager. He couldn't find it either. I reported this back to the customer who then spent the next 5 minutes cursing at me and saying I didn't know my job and I was horrible at it. I was about to cry and kept searching his account. Then he said," I can't believe <rival brokerage firm> lost my deposit>" I then told him we are <the brokerage firm I worked for>. He then said I better not yell at him and he hung up.