for those who work in retail
 

Have you ever been in a store and had a complete stranger ask you where to find something? I worked in retail for a very long time, and that always happened to me. I live an hour away from the last store I worked in (more than 2 years ago, no less), and it happened again yesterday. I used to think it was because I frequented the store I worked in, and people recognized me -- small town.

I was walking down one of the main aisles of this store on my way to the registers to pay for my stuff, and this lady stopped me to ask if the store had anything Blues Clues. Maybe I was just the first person she saw that she thought would have an idea what she was talking about, but sometimes I wonder if I have an "I worked retail" tattoo on my forehead. This even happens when I go to the grocery.

Yeah man and I have fun with it. Like, if someone asks where something is located, I will tell them the opposite direction of it's actual location.

OH HELL YEAH CAN I RELATE!

I think there's something about jewelry stores (because they're generally located on a corner) that people come in asking for directions to other stores in the mall.

I get so sick of being a walking "MALL DIRECTORY"! I think it's ESPECIALLY RUDE when I'm working with a customer on a diamond and people impatiently wait and just barge in "DO YOU KNOW WHERE SUCH AND SUCH PLACE IS?"! COME ON! I'm working here! Do people randomly interrupt your job routine to ask where the BATHROOM IS?!?!? URG!

I used to love Christmas - until I worked retail!!

I've had a part-time job at a department store (evenings, weekends) to save up money for grad school. This year was obnoxious! A few highlights:

1) We had a customer slap an associate because she did not like the way the associate was folding her clothes. Customer was amazed when she was escorted out by security

2) I had an older lady (75+) curse me out because she was a "preferred customer" and didn't think she should have to wait in line (on Christmas Eve, no less) for a box.

3) Free gift wrap - we do 4-5 free gift wrap nights during the Christmas season, and people think it's the most amazing thing. People will spend 45 minutes to get a pair of socks wrapped.

4) Being expected to know when a rival store and/or a cross-townmall closes, and then being told how stupid I am for not knowing. Customers also want directions from their house to the mall and expect me to know exactly where they live and what traffic conditions are like. I actually told one of them, "Look, lady, if I had that kind of power over time and space do you really think I'd be working here?!"

Once we build our house and I finish grad school, I plan on writing a book about retail. I'm just not sure if it would be published as fiction - because, unless you've spent time in retailville, you won't believe these things happen!

LOL! I don't remember if this was my first Christmas in retail, but I do remember one of those evil customers who believed clerks should be able to read his mind. I was working the front register of a pharmacy, and this man asked where the Christmas cards were. The store has a promo aisle as well as a greeting card aisle. I don't know about you, but when I buy Christmas cards, I don't usually get one individual card. So, I directed him to the "Christmas aisle." He marched back, didn't see any individual greeting cards, and returned to cuss me up one side and down the other.

My repsonse, although definitely not what I WANTED to say, was something like 'Well, I'm sorry. I didn't realize you wanted only ONE card. Those would be in aisle 7."

He went on in his little rant, and I looked up at the office where my boss was HIDING from this man.

The best, though, is any CHristmas season spent working in a toy dept. or store. I did a couple of years in toys at Christmas, and I honestly cannot figure out how those people who work at Kaybee or something like that do it. Cranky parents who wait till the very last minute and then get all worked up ... "why DON'T you have this toy?! I HAVE to find it!!!" Umm... could it be because this is CHRISTMAS EVE, and everyone else on EARTH has been in here buying out all toy stock for the past 8 weeks?

I feel for you guys who work in retail. I did for awhile,but I did over night stock so I didn't have too much contact with people.

I'm a customer service rep so I really feel your pain. People seem to thing that just because they can't see you, they can talk to you any old way.

Whoever said they are planing on writing a book about the joys of retail, I'd like to write the customer service section

This was my first Christmas working in retail. Everybody I work with told me how horrible it would be so that I could be prepared. I promise you, it was not bad at all. I actually enjoyed it more than the non-holiday shopping days.

One thing that I dislike is when customers come up to me asking me where they can find this totally random, and quite odd item, and expect me to know where it is. When we were hired, we weren't told that we needed to know where everything is. Having worked there for 6 months already, I know where a good amount of items are, but please don't expect me to know where you can find "hard to find" items. I dislike those customers who get really sassy just because I don't know. :mad:

The salary at my retail job is mostly commission based so I have to be nicer than I would like to be to some of the morons who are out there. There are times when I come into the store in the evening and I will be stopped by customers asking for help.I still have my coat on and my dinner or a soda in my hand so it was clear that I have just walked in the door. I do however,have a General Manager at my store that is very refreshing.She does not hold back and will tell the customer they are wrong and to leave the store if need be.She doesn't believe that the customer is always right.She knows that the customer is totally dispensible.
Cynically,she knows that very few people will deny themselves something that they really want and if coming to you means convienence,they will.

I can really relate to this... about 5 out of my 7 years in retail were spent in malls. For around a year and a half I worked at a kiosk selling Sprint PCS phones.

It was convenient that the mall directory was within view so for stores I just pointed them there. Bathrooms were close also so it wasn't like I had to give lengthy directions. I did on occasion send them to the other side of the building though:D

Most of the time it wasn't interupting really... Kiosk work is VERY slow. It was boring enough that I read some stuff I don't think I would have normally picked up.. War & Peace, Atlas Shrugged for example:D

Kiosk work though isn't bad at all. I'd recommend it.

This didn't actually happen at my store at the time, but the Joanns in Sacramento had a minivan crash through one of their walls on Christmas Eve last year. Supposedly the guy floored it in the wrong direction. A bunch of fabric and whatnot was destroyed etc and the store was closed for the rest of the afternoon. Firetrucks, police cars and whatnot showed up on the scene. All of the employees were standing outside waiting for clearance to grab their things and go home. This lady has the nerve to ask the manager if they were open. The conversation went like this:
Manager: no i am sorry we aren't open now, there has been a small accident.
Woman: Well can i go in and buy something really fast?
Manager: no, we aren't open at the moment.
Woman: Why Can't I go inside? I had this all planned out. My husband is in Bev and More buying something and I was going to pick up something here and I had everything worked out until you ruined it.
Manager: You can try back after Christmas, right now we have a situation on our hands.
Woman: (points to another associate) well can she ring me up?

I have also had customers ask me why our store doesn't have something in stock that is in our ad/mailer. I explain that since this is a nationwide mailer, they can have that item across the country, just not here, but they still need to advertise it. I have had customers threaten other employees with lawsuits on false advertising and whatnot.

thank GOD I am doing stock most of the season.

I used to work in customer service (layaways, refunds, exchanges, etc.) for a department store... I'll never forget the time that a woman -- apparently with some mental problems -- used one of our fitting rooms for a restroom, and then used about $200 worth of womens' clothing as toilet paper.

Exiting the fitting area, she insisted on speaking to a manager. When he came out to talk to her (at this point all of us were oblivious as to what had happened or why she wanted him), she started cursing at him, screaming that she had been "forced" to use the restroom in our fitting room because our real bathrooms were impossible to locate.

Um, they were about 6 feet down the hall from the dressing rooms with a huge "Ladies' Room" sign pointing the way.

I have had my experience working in retail for two department stores in the Kids' Dept. and it was NOT fun. After working there this past summer, I swore to never ever work in retail again. Granted, you see cute kids occasionally, but other times, some kids take the clothes off the hangers and throw them on the floor leaving me more work. I have had my share of random questions from customers, but the best one I ever got was from this mother who was with her young daughter:

(Pointing to her daughter): "Do you know what size my daughter would be?"

Ummm... well, let's see. Why don't you look at the tag on the back of her shirt?! Of course, I didn't say that, but the things that people expect you to know...

If they asked me to clean that up, i'd have quit on the spot.

I've worked retail for the past 3 years, mostly doing shipment work at nights, and then working more during the holidays. This is the first year i didn't work christmas eve, but that's because i was visiting the fam in south dakota.

I'll never forget my first christmas when some dude asked me the warranty on our boxer shorts, and then proceeded to drop his drawers in the middle of the store to show me that the elastic band was ripping out. that was great.

I also love how customers will ask me about our return policy, and then after i tell them that without a receipt they can only get a mail credit, they demand to speak to my manager, like i'm lying to them or something. Like i benefit somehow by them not being able to return their clothes.

I also love how people will sit there an watch you recover an entire table of shirts, and when you get to the far end, they pick up a shirt, unfold it, and then just toss it back on the table :mad: infuriates me to no end.

I think that everyone should have to work in food service or retail for at least 2 or 3 months of their lives. I've never had such an appreciation for clothing stores as i do know.

Kitso
KS 361 damn flip flops we got in last night.....on the 3rd of January

Being in Retail all of my life!!

Ass Wholes who want directions, being their Banker, Pawn Broker, loan person!
I get people who get upset when I do not give them credit!

I plainly tell them I pay for it when I buy it so will you!

Do you charge tax on this price? Da, do you pay tax at grocery store, gas station, K-Mart?

It is cheaper down the street! Love that one, guy said he got it $3.00 cheaper down the street, hell I sold to them!

Dead Beat Ass Wholes!

Thougth I saw all of the crazies as a cop, wrong, more today than ever!!!!

Don't forget the food industry!
 

I, thankfully, just left the food industry! I was a waitress/bartender at a restaurant for almost three years. I think my favorite phrase of the job had to be "YOU didn't tell me that sandwich had mayonaise on it." Okay, so when you ordered your sandwich, you read the menu, told me what you wanted, I ask if you want everything on it, and you say yes. So, customer gets EVERYTHING on it b/c they wanted everything, but I was supposed to know that they didn't want mayo on it! If I had mind reading powers, I would have a much better job than waiting on YOUR A$$ (what I would have loved to tell them)! People are not as smart as we give them credit for!

Another one of my favorite food service experiences: I am behind the bar making drinks, etc. You order food while you are drinking. I put your order in, and KITCHEN- not me, starts to make it. Don't bother to ask me if the food is ready yet. Again, I am the person that takes your order. Unless it's an alcoholic beverage, I have no freakin clue if it's ready yet! You will get your food when the food runner places it infront of your stupid face!:eek:

Whoever started this thread....GREAT JOB! I feel so much better knowing that people everywhere are idiots and not just in my area! Have a great weekend everyone.:D

HAHAHA
 

Oh, my Aggie friend - "I'd have quit on the spot" was really quite funny (if you think about it!)
While it's not retail, every time I go into the public library or a bookstore, people come up and ask me where certain books are, or to make a suggestion of a book to read. I swear, I must be wearing a sandwich board around my neck with "LIBRARIAN" on it. But yes, I do try to help them. At the local Barnes and Noble, I'm probably the only "customer service" they will every get. Don't even get me started on THAT rant!!

Ok, for 3 years I worked at Wal-Mart and new just about every department in my local store (small town, so not a super center). Imagine my first year there, for a month before Christmas (or more it was so long ago) running lay-away every night. That means putting away all the lay-aways that the people during the day "didn't get to." Half the time it was all of the lay-aways. Then me and the other 3 teenagers who ran it at night (that is right, no adult supervision most of the time, but for some reason that is the ONLY year it ran smoothly) had to get the humungous layaways out for the *itching customers. Many said derogatory things about how young we were. We smiled at them and secretly counted all the labor laws that were being broken. Then one week before Christmas I was shoved into the service desk, and that was the main place I worked for the rest of my time there. This Christmas I worked at Pizza Hut full time in a college town with only 1/3 of our staff available to work, it kinda sucked and people didn't understand why we were short staffed. AND I worked part time as a manager at Jo-Annes. Oh did I mention that I had only been a manager for like a month? This Christmas sucked and I am definitly not doing that again.

I feel your pain with the Walmart ordeal! I never worked layaway, but I was shoved into service desk once with 5 whole minutes of training. Why? Because the CSM just HAD to attend the employee meeting one Friday afternoon. I guess she was just itching to do the cheer or something. :rolleyes:

I hired for HBA because I "had sooo much experience" thanks to too many years working at Rite Aid. Hello. How, exactly does cashier at a pharmacy equal experience in cosmetics? Of course, that made my dept. toys, pets, HBA, housewares, hardware, sporting goods, lawn and garden... ah, the logic of it all.

And, for the record, this thread was started courtesy of my local Wallyworld.

Um yeah retail F'ing SUCKS.......
 

I worked for over 3 years at this upscale toy store in Chicago. Any of you from Chicago know that the North Shore is one of the worst places for retail in the country (customers are snooty, have wayyyy too much $$$, and seem to have traded in their money for manners).
Any way, I had three major complaints.

1) We offered free gift wrap. I consider myself an expert gift wrapper, yet twice I had paper ripped off the package while I was wrapping it b/c 'It looked bad' and once a lady slammed a kids' garden rake on my hand b/c I was taking too long. I started bleeding and she was like, I don't have time for you to get a band-aid, Edward is late for his b-day party." I bled all over her package and she actually walked out of the store like that!!!!

2) Most customers were actually really nice on X-mas, it was like the only day of the year that anyone had any manners. But retail isn't immune to the problems of society, like Alcoholism. On Christmas Eve two years ago this guy came in ten minutes after we closed and he reeked of alcohol. He was like, go ahead son, pick out whatever you want.....well 15 minutes later the kid had picked out like a 5 dollar book and his dad started screaming at him that it was too expensive and Santa wasn't coming that year, etc..... probably the saddest thing I've ever seen. My manager and I gave the kid a couple things and paid for it ourselves... i still get upset when I think about it!

3) Just 2 little pet peeves from retail work- I must live among the most intelligent group of humans in the country. Every single customer is always like, My grandson is 1, but he's very smart for his age.....then they get pissed when you show them age appropriate toys!! Finally, If there is a giant purple sign that says closed, I'm vaccumming, and most of the lights are off, why do you people shake and rattle the doors like there's something wrong w/ me?????!!!!!

Sorry this is so long but I've got tons o stories... maybe I'll treat you guys to another one later :rolleyes:

I don't mean to talk jewelry talk, but most people who work retail can relate this to anything really (especially if you work sales).

So I just LOVE it when a customer comes in and is comparing price of jewelry and then protests the price because s/he saw it cheaper somewhere else. HELLO! Not all things are alike! I may sell a certain size and quality stone for more because it's BETTER QUALITY than the pee-pee yellow diamonds the competition is selling. Besides, if you want cheap then why didn't you buy it there? I just LOVE asking customers that question! Obviously SOMETHING was stopping you from buying there...YOU figure it out and then let me know how you want to pay for this piece!

Or I love after Christmas gift certificates! I wasted an HOUR of my time on a woman who told me she had a $100 gift certificate to the mall and wanted to buy something in my jewelry store. To be frank, you DON'T get much for a hundred bucks...but I can show her a few items. After showing her necklaces, earrings, colored gemstones, rings....etc I finally tried closing her on a piece and she said, well I don't like it, it's too big. Then she proceeds to tell me she doesn't even have the GIFT CERTIFICATE ON HER! FOR PETE'S SAKE! WHY ARE YOU WASTING MY TIME!?!?!?! Then, she comes back the next day and my coworker sells her the ring that she told me was "too big"! :rolleyes: :eek: I'll NEVER understand people!:mad:

Luckily, I haven't worked in retail for over a year. I worked at a high-end department store last Christmas. Many of the customers had forgotten to bring their manners along with them when they went shopping that day. They'd scream at associates when they found out an item wasn't in stock or they'd yell at the managers about the return policy (it's corporate policy so there's not a whole lot we can do about it).
This is what I hate the most:
Customer: "Do you happen to have that new BCBG dress?"
Me: "No ma'am. We're actually completed sold out of it."
Customer: "Does Nordstrom's still have any left?"

Uhhhhhhhhhh! I want to say something sarcastic like, "I dunno. Want don't you go check for yourself?" or "Hold on...my ESP signals are coming through....".

Sales associates in large department stores won't know the inventory in another section of their store nonetheless the inventory of another department store.

My co-workers and I would always joke that people should be required by law to work at least 6 months in either retail, food services, or hospitality. Hopefully, people would be a little bit nicer when they go into these establishments because they'd have somewhat of an understanding of what the job is like.

Oh, this happened a few years back at my store (before my time). The incident was brought up when a customer pleasured himself in the fitting room a couple of weeks ago. Yep, he was looking at muscle magazines and People magazine. Blah!

ahhhh holiday clearance.... the cornerstone of retail......

i work in a small gift shop/gallery/unique home decor store and we have a really great atmosphere (and we have a loyal customer base so i get women doing double takes all the time when i see them around town and i'm running errands cause they're trying to place where they know me from haha...) so i've lucked out when it comes to retail BUT...

i love the people that come in a week after christmas and get pissed when there isn't something left in christmas decorations that they saw the day after thanksgiving.... "are you sure you don't still have backstock.... man.... i wish you still had that.... i can't believe you dont' have any left..... i really wanted one... are you SURE you don't have ANY left???? can you look around for me please i'm sure there's some left somewhere"
we don't have any - get over it!

the people that see the signs reading all CHRISTMAS items 40% off... and then proceed to pick up every single christmas item in the store : "is this on sale? is this on sale? is this? how about this?" IF IT'S RED AND GREEN WITH SANTA ON IT, I'M FAIRLY CERTAIN THAT QUALIFIES AS BEING A CHRISTMAS ITEM!
:)

or...
"how much is 40% off this? and this??? and how about this???? now how about with tax.... how much would it be then? and this? how much for this at 40% off with tax?"
i've actually had to follow a customer around the entire store, calculator in hand, telling her prices of just about every single ornament and christmas item in the store.....

i've actually had a customer try to argue that our furniture with red upholstry should be discounted as a christmas item :rolleyes: gotta love it....