I Work(ed) in Retail, and Now I Understand...

[Chicago88]

Before anyone is allowed set foot in a store or restaurant and even begin to believe its acceptable to act like an ass to someone working in a retail/restaurant environment they should work in a retail store and restaurant for 6 months to see what its like.

[pearlbubbles]

Originally Posted by Chicago88

Before anyone is allowed set foot in a store or restaurant and even begin to believe its acceptable to act like an ass to someone working in a retail/restaurant environment they should work in a retail store and restaurant for 6 months to see what its like.

I have always thought this. I think just about everyone would benefit for having some sort of service job for at least six months of their lives. In my experience, people who have worked in a restaurant or had a retail job are nicer to retail and restaurant employees even if they were just one of the other.

Originally Posted by IrishLake

LMAO! See, now I know quite a few.... um, thicker strippers. Not sure if their tips are the same as someone who's "fit" or not. I went and visited my brother yesterday, and he had a stack of 1's on his dresser. I said "Oh are you going to the strip club later, or did you get another side job you won't admit to? Let me know when you dance and I'll send all my friends to watch, you know they tip well." I'm a fun sister like that.

(The 1's were really tips from a valet job he did the night before.)

Haha! Sounds like a fun brother/sister relationship.

After the fact, I really did want to ask her how her tips fared in comparison to her other co-workers; I never saw her again after that day, though I'm sure she came in at some other point. It was just one of those situations where I was caught so off-guard at the time that I honestly had no idea what to say.

[cheerfulgreek]

Well, I've never worked retail or anything like that but, I'm never rude to someone who is working retail. I mean, I wouldn't want anyone to be rude to me if I did work retail.

[pearlbubbles]

Originally Posted by cheerfulgreek

Well, I've never worked retail or anything like that but, I'm never rude to someone who is working retail. I mean, I wouldn't want anyone to be rude to me if I did work retail.

I wish more people were like this. I think that sometimes people don't often think that common courtesy extends to minimum wage workers while they're in service mode.

On the note of lack of courtesy, a customer yelled at me today and called me a horrible employee because her coupon wouldn't discount an electric when the coupon clearly said "EXCLUDES ELECTRICS/ELECTRONICS" in big letters. She said I should "be ashamed" of my "poor performance and stupidity." So apparently the measure of an employee's intelligence is based on customers ignoring or not reading noted exclusions.

Our computers were also down so we couldn't check our system for anything... I did get to work an extra hour because our lines were horrendous, though. I'm trying to decide if I'm happy or upset about that. I got paid more, but I had to deal with the inappropriate insult to my intelligence that wouldn't have happened if I was off on time. Rather me than someone else, I guess.

[cheerfulgreek]

Originally Posted by pearlbubbles

I wish more people were like this. I think that sometimes people don't often think that common courtesy extends to minimum wage workers while they're in service mode.

On the note of lack of courtesy, a customer yelled at me today and called me a horrible employee because her coupon wouldn't discount an electric when the coupon clearly said "EXCLUDES ELECTRICS/ELECTRONICS" in big letters. She said I should "be ashamed" of my "poor performance and stupidity." So apparently the measure of an employee's intelligence is based on customers ignoring or not reading noted exclusions.

Our computers were also down so we couldn't check our system for anything... I did get to work an extra hour because our lines were horrendous, though. I'm trying to decide if I'm happy or upset about that. I got paid more, but I had to deal with the inappropriate insult to my intelligence that wouldn't have happened if I was off on time. Rather me than someone else, I guess.

Yep. It's just that a lot of people think because someone works a retail job that they can mistreat them. How would that customer like it if someone talked to them like that? I wouldn't like it if someone treated me that way so, I'm not going to treat others that way.

I also believe in Karma, so that customer who was rude to you will get it back. Don't let anyone make you feel that way, because you're not. Funny thing is you're probably more educated and intelligent than most of the morons who think they can insult your intelligence. Just say okay and ignore them. Getting into any discussions with assholes and rude people isn't worth it.

[pearlbubbles]

Originally Posted by cheerfulgreek

Yep. It's just that a lot of people think because someone works a retail job that they can mistreat them. How would that customer like it if someone talked to them like that? I wouldn't like it if someone treated me that way so, I'm not going to treat others that way.

I also believe in Karma, so that customer who was rude to you will get it back. Don't let anyone make you feel that way, because you're not. Funny thing is you're probably more educated and intelligent than most of the morons who think they can insult your intelligence. Just say okay and ignore them. Getting into any discussions with assholes and rude people isn't worth it.

That's how I always figure it to. I hate people being rude to me, so why be rude to them? They're just doing their job. Although I had an experience with rude employees at a chain store today when I wasn't rude to them at all. It's just not my day in the retail world, apparently, haha...

I apologized, but otherwise there's not much I can do. She huffed out without buying anything, so I just kind of dropped it and went to help the other thirty people in line. It's frustrating, but I pretty much just roll with the punches.

[cheerfulgreek]

Originally Posted by pearlbubbles

That's how I always figure it to. I hate people being rude to me, so why be rude to them? They're just doing their job. Although I had an experience with rude employees at a chain store today when I wasn't rude to them at all. It's just not my day in the retail world, apparently, haha...

I apologized, but otherwise there's not much I can do. She huffed out without buying anything, so I just kind of dropped it and went to help the other thirty people in line. It's frustrating, but I pretty much just roll with the punches.

You have a really positive attitude, and that will really take you far in life. There's always something positive in almost everything negative. You deal with hundreds of people at work, I'm sure, each of them with different personalities, and I'd say after doing it for some time, you'll be able to relate to pretty much anyone. As aggieAXO said, I see people like that all the time. There are clients who will argue with me based on erroneous information they picked up from the internet, and there are some who will expect me to pull a miracle from the sky with the costs. Meaning, they'll ask how much everything is going to cost and then when I tell them, they'll say they don't want to pay for all of the tests that need to be done in order to find out what's wrong with the patient. Then they'll say, "So why can't you tell me what's wrong with her/him?!" I can only make an observation or a guess without tests that they freak out about when they see the cost. "Well, you're just a student, I want to see the Dr." Funny thing is the Dr. tells them the same exact thing. It's annoying, but it helps me to know how and what to say to certain clients.

Sorry so long, but keep the positive attitude you have, you'll go far with it. And thanks for sharing.

[Ch2tf]

-I know Bitches are nasty: I've found a used (read bloody) tampon on the floor of a dressing room.

-Mother's think they rule the world: Sorry if it offends some of you, but that is YOUR offspring, it is not my responsibility to watch, patrol, comfort, or soothe your child because you're trying to be cute. And shut that snot rag up, if you're child is screaming at the top of their lungs, you need to get off the phone, leave the dressing room/store and calm them down. Neither I, or the rest of the customers, want to hear that shit.

-You give what you get. I don't give a rats about the company policy, you pop off at the mouth with me, you'll get ignored at best, at worst you'll get it back and then some.

-My life does not revolve around this damn store. If this is my second job and I need Saturday off because of a family engagement, then so be it. As a manager YOU chose to do retail full time, not moi.

[aggieAXO]

Originally Posted by Santa Claus

I get that you look down on people who work retail, but since you've never worked retail, why would you post over here? I'm not trying to be a dick, but why?

As I said in my earlier post-I have never worked retail but a lot of what I do is similar and same will go for cheerfulgreek if she enters private practice. People are just as nasty and rude. Didn't know this was an exclusive thread BTW I am not trying to be a b&^ch.

[cheerfulgreek]

Originally Posted by aggieAXO

As I said in my earlier post-I have never worked retail but a lot of what I do is similar and same will go for cheerfulgreek if she enters private practice. People are just as nasty and rude. Didn't know this was an exclusive thread BTW I am not trying to be a b&^ch.

lol
I love you!

[racergirl08]

I've worked in both retail and food service and honestly, my retail experience hasn't been that bad. I was hired in as holiday help for Winter 2009 and ended up staying on in a limited capacity through the year up to the present. My coworkers and managers are pretty much all really fantastic (except one manager who just doesn't like me...I don't know why. I think shes always kinda bitchy to everyone, but just kicks it up a notch for me. Even so, I like her wayyyyyyy better than some of my coworkers at my food service job.). I always ask a ton of questions and they are always patient with me. I don't even have any customer horror stories that come to mind. It may have to do with the location I'm at; we are in a smaller, 'upper class' (not really) mall so maybe we just have the right type of people who shop with us. I guess I've just been fortunate with my retail experiences...Although its been more than made up for on the food service side.