You Might Be an Unintended Jerk

Minibit

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I've been working retail for about 8 years now, and call me an optimist but I think most people don't realise how rude/inconsiderate they are sometimes being! So I have compiled a list of common things to avoid so that you do not make yourself look like a dickhead, and I all-but guarantee that the clerks you interact with will be much more inclined to be nice to you for it!



  1. Say Hi
    Most businesses have a policy to greet customers, so odds are your clerk initiated contact with a "Hi, how's your day" "hey how's it going?" or even just "Hi.". When you skip saying Hi back, or ignore the inquiry to your well-being, and just skip to "I want this this and this", it's extremely rude, and makes the clerk feel snubbed. So just say Hi first. If you want to be extra awesome, ask how they're doing today, too.
  2. Eye contact
    It's basic. But when you spend the entire interaction with your service worker staring at your phone, your shopping list, or the items in question, and never once look at your clerk's face, it makes the clerk feel snubbed and ignored. Especially if you don't even look at them when they're talking.
  3. Remember it's not their fault.
    I understand many people are in a hurry, you probably have a bajillion things to do today and you got in a fight with your friend and you're stressed out from work and burnt dinner and can't afford take-out. This would put me in a lousy mood too, but don't take it out on an unsuspecting clerk; it isn't their fault, and odds are they've dealt with crap today too, but they're not venting it on you, so return the favour.
  4. Was I supposed to laugh?
    I'm sure they're well-intentioned, but saying things like "It must be free!" if something doesn't have a tag or won't scan, or asking if someone is "working hard or hardly working?" or even worse, conveying pity for someone because they're working, is not only something every clerk has heard a hundred times already, but it can some cases be downright aggravating.




So there you go. Minibit's four-step guide to stop being an unintentional jackass at the store. I hope this sheds some light on why some people may be getting a supposedly undeserved stinkeye from their cashiers.

 
I'm sure they're well-intentioned, but saying things like "It must be free!" if something doesn't have a tag or won't scan

So, I never ever heard of this until I started working retail myself. And everyone who says this thinks they're so clever. Makes me want to throw things.
 
As someone that's been in customer service longer then some members have been alive I have to....

.... Rethink what I'm doing!

*koff* I mean completely agree with this list.
 
I worked a year in retail. All I have to say is, "The customer is always right." is the worst thing to have ever been invented.
 
I'm always nice when I go to buy things. Even when this one chick was being a total bitch and didn't want to MAKE SURE THE JACKET I WANTED WAS ON SALE and almost charged me 90 dollars instead of the 20 dollars it was that the sales person on the FLOOR said was on sale and gave me ATTITUDE which made me want to reach over and grab her TURKEY neck.../cough cough

I actually have made peoples day, one guy was like "SEE!? This is what I need! I didn't even say anything and already I have a customer smiling! Why can't we have more people like this?" >_> I'm a nice customer...now give me free things. /cough
 
I'm always nice when I go to buy things. Even when this one chick was being a total bitch and didn't want to MAKE SURE THE JACKET I WANTED WAS ON SALE and almost charged me 90 dollars instead of the 20 dollars it was that the sales person on the FLOOR said was on sale and gave me ATTITUDE which made me want to reach over and grab her TURKEY neck.../cough cough

Could have been one of those days where the walkies are broken so there's no way to contact that person on the floor, the chick is not allowed to leave her post to FIND that sales person on the floor to ask and that is a HUGE price difference to just give someone without validation from another store employee, and you're the sixth person in an hour whose items didn't just ring up without some big issue that she doesn't know how to deal with...

Not that I have had lots of days like this lately. Oh no.
 
It was more like, "Hey there's a big sign over there that says these coats are for 20 bucks and I checked with the sales person on the floor and she confirmed." *points to sign* "...No." "...B-but..." *rings up* "...It's on sale." "No, it's not on sale and the price didn't ring it up on sale." "...Then I don't want the coa--" *death glare* "...t" *silent stare* Her whole demeanor was unapproachable and non friendly from the minute I stepped up. It's retail, I understand it I did it before. It's tiring, challenging and the work doesn't pay as much as it should but I never gave my customers attitude just because I'm having a bad day. It's not their fault and if you want people to come back, you have to do what you can. I've been in stores way busier before and any sales person I've dealt with will make that call, even if they are doing multiple things at once to make sure I get some kind of answer.

Mind you, this is H&M and they were having a huuuuuuuge sale. Like 75% off midwinter sale and I was on my way to a wedding so I didn't actually have time to argue or request a manager's presence. She was more interested in leaving than taking the time to check and had I known she was going to be rude about it, I would have just went to a different person.

Sometimes it's not just the customer being a total douche, sometimes sales people are jerks too just because. It goes both ways. <_<;;

And the customer's always right motto is laughable. About 90% of the time.
 
Yup dont miss working retail. To top it off i got grumpy people all the time since they were sick. silly retail pharmacy aaand whomever thought that a 'drive thru' pharmacy was NECESSARY needs to be shot in the face D<
 
aaand whomever thought that a 'drive thru' pharmacy was NECESSARY needs to be shot in the face D<

I have never used one, but I would have thought if people put in for their prescription refills ahead of time this would be convenient. What am I missing.
 
I'm not allowed to work in retail because I lack basic social skills. 8D
 
well we use the drive thru for drop off and pick up...and generally they don't always all ahead of time. Also they expect us to 'have their prescription ready as soon as they drop it off' as if we're a fast food place -___- sorry but it takes us a little time to get it put together..especially when they drop off 3 scripts or have 15 refills (yeah done that)