for those who work in retail

[tinydancer]

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!!

[SKRae]

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.

[deltaphi94]

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.

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.

[AXJules]

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

[Hootie]

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"! I'll NEVER understand people!

[ZTAngel]

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.

[SATX*APhi]

Originally posted by dzrose93
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.

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!

[sweetie adpi]

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 gotta love it....