Options
Retail workers - what do customers do that annoys you? (Merged)
Somner
Posts: 9,412
Forum Member
✭
Reading the Tesco thread, I thought I'd start a thread coming from the viewpoint of those who have to work in retail, particularly supermarkets..
I'll start with two things.. I work in a supermarket, not one of the big 4, and the shop isn't actually that big, about twice the size of a highschool gym, anyway..
The first thing - Our shop has a few checkouts and also a kiosk. Late at night when the shop is quiet, there is no need to have somebody permanently on a checkout, as pretty much all customers can be handled at the kiosk, bar a few trolleys that may come in. One night recently, 20 minutes before closing time I am on the kiosk and a guy holding a basket with 3 items walks over to the checkouts, turns around, and looks at me with a scowl on his face and says, no demands in a pissed off voice "SO WHERE AM I MEANT TO PAY THEN?" as if he needed a whole checkout to buy 3 items? To be honest, I put this down to the customer being well, thick.
The second, happened earlier today. When on a checkout we are not actually meant to leave the checkout for any reason other than an emergency. We can however leave the checkout if we put it into 'Secure' mode, but if you're in the middle of a transaction this is not possible. At out shop, the only place that you can get cigarettes is on the kiosk, but for some odd reason, customers still ask for them when they pay at the checkout. Most of the time we're more than happy to pop over to the kiosk and get the cigarettes for them, as the shop isn't too busy, yet today, the shop is going crazy and I get huffed and puffed at for telling a customer that they need to go to the kiosk to get their cigarettes! What also annoys me is those who pay at the checkout and want cigarettes, and feel that they have some sort of devine right to push in to the queue at the kiosk to ask for a packet of cigarettes?
Are these people ignorant or just thick? Thankfully, the majority of customers are very pleasant and thus so are we back to them, it's just the morons that stand out unfortunately.
I'll start with two things.. I work in a supermarket, not one of the big 4, and the shop isn't actually that big, about twice the size of a highschool gym, anyway..
The first thing - Our shop has a few checkouts and also a kiosk. Late at night when the shop is quiet, there is no need to have somebody permanently on a checkout, as pretty much all customers can be handled at the kiosk, bar a few trolleys that may come in. One night recently, 20 minutes before closing time I am on the kiosk and a guy holding a basket with 3 items walks over to the checkouts, turns around, and looks at me with a scowl on his face and says, no demands in a pissed off voice "SO WHERE AM I MEANT TO PAY THEN?" as if he needed a whole checkout to buy 3 items? To be honest, I put this down to the customer being well, thick.
The second, happened earlier today. When on a checkout we are not actually meant to leave the checkout for any reason other than an emergency. We can however leave the checkout if we put it into 'Secure' mode, but if you're in the middle of a transaction this is not possible. At out shop, the only place that you can get cigarettes is on the kiosk, but for some odd reason, customers still ask for them when they pay at the checkout. Most of the time we're more than happy to pop over to the kiosk and get the cigarettes for them, as the shop isn't too busy, yet today, the shop is going crazy and I get huffed and puffed at for telling a customer that they need to go to the kiosk to get their cigarettes! What also annoys me is those who pay at the checkout and want cigarettes, and feel that they have some sort of devine right to push in to the queue at the kiosk to ask for a packet of cigarettes?
Are these people ignorant or just thick? Thankfully, the majority of customers are very pleasant and thus so are we back to them, it's just the morons that stand out unfortunately.
0
This discussion has been closed.
Comments
i work for m&s simply food and like you i have had my fair share of dimwits,assholes and disgusting schoolkids, last month for instance we had a customer who demanded that we deliver her food to her home, now being a small food store without delivery there was no way that was possible, but she kept on with the i spend lots of money here every week ,i want my home delivery, i had to bribe a member of staff use her car to deliver her goods:mad: and still she complained cause she was five minutes before the time she wanted, christ the girl was doing her a favor by doing that,
another thing is when customers constantly bang on about the xmas cheer and spirit,FFS why can't these cretins not realise that working in retail at this time of the year is hellish and being constantly told to smile,be cheerfull just fcuks off the retail assistant completely, yes we know its xmas but we unlike you the tosspot who sits on their ass doing a 9-5 get little or no time to enjoy the festive season,
then there was the time a customer broke my hand by smashing a bottle on it just because we would not sell her a bottle of vodka before 12 on a sunday, 95% of customers are fine and great to serve but the other 5 % are just complete utter ignorant,useless oxygen theiving b'stards who should just die
I work in mobile phone retail - and boy do you get idiots there!
(or maybe Somerfield depending on where it's located!!!)
Also people that don't know the name/anything about what they're looking for but expect you to know. And then shout when you don't. I hate the public now.
"how much is this going down to?"
"Are you reducing this?"
"You couldn't make that a little cheaper"
"Ew. It's going out of date" (Eh yeah, thats why I'm reducing it)
I'll tell you what else they don't like! When their PIN does it work, be it that they have got it wrong, or that it's a bank problem (we have never had a card authorisation problem that was the fault of the shop, since the start of Chip n Pin) and then they ask to sign for it, only to be told that we can't do that anymore, which we can't! If we swipe cards now, they are no longer accepted, bar a few non-chip n pin left overs. Now it's understandable that they would be a little annoyed, particularly if it's because of their bank that they can't authorise by PIN, but to have a go at the cashier because the company and the banks don't allow swipe transactions anymore? Erm..
My good God, how dare anyone treat anyone like this, smashing a bottle on your hand is absolutely disgusting, I hope the drunken bitch got done for it, although I somehow doubt it, she'll have blamed it on having a drink problem and got an extra fiver a day on her dole. :mad:
she got six months and she was a toffy nosed bint from morningside, all fur coat and no knickers cause she was a working girl that day:D
they just expect you to be able to do everything for them!
one woman expected her books to be giftwrapped, even though we don't offer this service, so i suggested she buy a gift bag.. anyways as she was leaving she said "i just expect to be waited on whenever i can be!".
also... with working in a clothes shop, i have been told about some horrible things that have been found in the changing rooms.. including a used tampon wedged between a chair and a mirror!
a used nappy left on the floor..
then more recently, some one had left a poo on the floor! and there were brown stains found on trousers!!!!
Colleage: Closed, sorry
Customer: I want to speak to the manager
Colleague: You dont seem to understand, we are no longer trading-
Customer: I dont care get him down here
*one of us releuctuntly drags the manager over who was busy helping some contracters disasemble some racking*
Customer: I want to return these tiles
Manager: Im sorry but thats not possible, you will need to visit our other branch
Customer: Here is my reciept
Manager: I cant do anything with that.
Customer: All I want is a bloody refund
Manager: Well as you can see we have no tills. The safe has also been emptied and all stock sold.
Customer: So what am I supposed to do now!?
Manager: Like I said, you can try taking them to the other store.
Customer: What if their closed too!?
Manager: They arent closed. Its only this branch closed.
Customer: Ring them
Manager: Excuse me?
Customer: Ring them for me
Manager: I wouldnt send you to a store thats no longer trading.
Customer: All im asking is for you to ring them. Im not driving all the way there to find they are closed.
Manager: The phones have all been removed (slight lie just to get rid of her). If you have a reciept then they should be ok with it...
*customer hands manager the reciept, incedently its only about 4miles each way to another 2 stores*
Manager: Ok so you bought them 18 months ago?
Customer: So?
Manager: Our returns policy is 28 days, for one thing these tiles are probably discontinued now.
*customer starts to raise voice and goes off one on about her rights when one of the contracters intervenes*
Builder: Go on love your embarasing yourself now.
Customer: EXCUSE ME!?
Builder: This isnt a public area, you shouldnt even be in here.
Customer: I dont see what it has to do with YOU!
It was at this point the security guard (who was actually helping clear up) told her to politely leave and she stormed off, presumably to the other store where they would have almost certainly been told her to bugger off too. Happy days.
One of our duty managers came in today to do her shopping, about 2 minutes after she left, our duty manager who was working got a call from her, telling him that somebody was dumping rubbish outside of the shop front. We immediately went outside the shop and the conversation went something like this:
Duty Manager: Is this your bag of rubbish?
Man: Yeh.
Duty Manager: You can't just dump it infront of the shop, it's not very nice looking either is it?
Man: So? It's only one bloody bag.
Duty Manager: But you have no right to put it dump it here.
The man then walked off in a huff and said "I don't like your attitude mate"! What on earth? What makes him think he had a right to dump his rubbish outside the shop? It's private property, even if members of the pub are allowed on it! It was as if he thought he had some sort of right to do it. It wouldn't have been so bad if it wasn't right outside of the entrance/exit!
"Only x cashiers Judeth"
"Tut tut"
"Yes its ridiculous Douglas"
"Next please!"
Meanwhile they all stand in the other que in a world of their own staring at the other operator.
"Another till open here, if you want to come over!"
*cough* "NEXT PLEASE!!!"...
:rolleyes::yawn::sleep:
I also get peed off when people come throu a 'this till is closed barrier' and expect you to serve them. Im sure customers dont realise that we have to have a break.
Does anyone else have scary customers? There is one bloke and his son, and the pair of them are scary/weird and the dad keeps saying to me 'ill be back later for a chat love':eek:
And its US that get the grief. Its not our fault the management won't give us more staff to cover the tills. You can tell them we need more people til you're blue in the face, but nothing works. Infact when there are queues, we get grief of MANAGEMENT cos all the tills aren't on.
Oh yes. We have quite a few pervy customers. I try and hide when I see a certain one in store.
I pointed out that battery was brought next door to us, our competitor, as shown on his receipt!
Last month we had a promotion which was buy any 5 bottles of Reef/Bacardi Breezer/Smirnoff Ice for £5.
Now, the bottles were kept on their normal shelf, also on this shelf was WKD. Now I understand that this can get a little confusing for those poor brain cell lacking fools, but the offer label clearly states REEF/BACARDI/SMIRNOFF and there is absolutely NO mention of WKD. So why did pretty much 1/5 people think that it included WKD?!
We also have chickens which have a red sticker on saying "Special Offer, Half Price, £1.28 per KG" now please note that 'per KG' is in the same size lettering as £1.28. Some customers still think that they're getting a chicken for £1.28 and moan when it costs say.. £1.50? WHY!?
they are usualy are about 23-25 so they need Id, tobuy alchol
On everytime they come, they get upset, that we wont sell them the alchol, even though they know they might be id.
Oh we've had that as well. Granted out 'per KG' was in slightly smaller lettering than the 'half price' bit, but still, most people kick off when it comes up as more than they think it should be.
I have another card complaint too. When people don't know how to use them and continue thrusting them in and out of the smartcard reader when you say "Can you please wait a second" then they moan its your fault. A french lassie came in and her card was being declined in the reader thing and she started shouting it was MY fault and it was "impossible" and I was doing it wrong. Stupid bint wasn't pressing enter although I told her to at least twice.
Oh and people who ask "WHAT WAY DO I PUT MY CARD IN" and they never know what you're talking about when you tell them, so you try to show them and they go off their nut that you are touching their card and snatch it away from you. I have a lot of card rage :mad: