Retail workers; what do customers do that annoys you?

starbelgrade · 06-07-2010 03:51AM

Kintarō Hattori wrote: »

I would respectfully disagree with you there. It really does depend on where you go.

True - they're actually friendly on the continent.

MmmmmCheese · 06-07-2010 04:01AM

People who complain about items being too expensive. It's not within my power change the prices of goods, why exactly are you complaining to me?! There's nothing I can do!

irish1967 wrote: »

The beermat rippers.

Sorry.

Flojo · 06-07-2010 04:03AM

I fricken love cheese too!! Sorry just had to say that...

Flojo · 06-07-2010 04:10AM

We're having a food discussion in the "I wish I got ghey emails thread" you should join!

starbelgrade · 06-07-2010 04:13AM

Flojo wrote: »

We're having a food discussion in the "I wish I got ghey emails thread" you should join!

They're retail workers - they'd be afraid to post there in case someone asks them a really difficult question, like "how much is that sandwich?" and "do you serve food here?".

It's hard for them to deal with such queries as they have only limited knowledge of their jobs & very little patience with the people who are paying their wages & keeping them in a job.

Interzone · 06-07-2010 04:19AM

best thread ever

I worked in an electronics store in a shopping centre for a few years. Most customers were grand but there were a few who would drive you mad:

The ones who assumed, that because they wern't very familiar with, say, laptops, that your sole purpose in life was to screw them over. It's an attitude like that which makes me want to screw you over.

Husbands who were trying to pass time while their wives shopped so they'd ask you really obscure question about the zoom rate of a camera not due on the shelves for 4 months and then smirk when you had to look it up.

Overall, I would say that retail made me a more cynical person

Flojo · 06-07-2010 04:23AM

starbelgrade wrote: »

They're retail workers - they'd be afraid to post there in case someone asks them a really difficult question, like "how much is that sandwich?" and "do you serve food here?".

It's hard for them to deal with such queries as they have only limited knowledge of their jobs & very little patience with the people who are paying their wages & keeping them in a job.

I used to work in retail......I'm currently trying to find another job, in retail (or maybe something outdoorsie!) </3

But yeah working in retail made me hate people... for that starbelgrade, you owe me a sandwich.. get your ass back into the food thread...aka "I wish I got ghey mails"

CaliforniaDream · 06-07-2010 05:19AM

irish1967 wrote: »

People trying to buy 1 coke with a visa card.

Ok, this I honestly don't get. What difference does it make how much they're charging on a credit/debit card? Does the transaction go quicker because they've spent €200 instead of €5?
Not trying to be smart or troll but I really don't understand why people hate this.

I use my cards for most things as it's much safer than carrying cash. I've had money stolen on me before and I can't get it back. If someone steals my card I can cancel it and get back any unauthorised transactions.

If the company you work for accepts cards then who cares how much it's for.

fonecrusher1 · 06-07-2010 05:20AM

sandwiches.

Flojo · 06-07-2010 05:20AM

fonecrusher1 wrote: »

sandwiches.

I fricken lol'd!

irish1967 · 06-07-2010 07:18AM

The credit card for a coke thing.

Why come into a pub with no cash for just a coke? And they never ask in advance. I serve the coke (€2.30) hit the cash button tell them the price and then they say " I have no cash is credit card ok?"

The bar is packed. 3 deep. And I have to take card.... into machine.... it's checked ..... then to customer for pin.... Then wait... And wait .... Lucky enough it's usually the customers who are waiting for are thinking... who's the fecker

irish1967 · 06-07-2010 07:19AM

The credit card for a coke thing.

Why come into a pub with no cash for just a coke? And they never ask in advance. I serve the coke (€2.30) hit the cash button tell them the price and then they say " I have no cash is credit card ok?"

The bar is packed. 3 deep. And I have to take card.... into machine.... it's checked ..... then to customer for pin.... Then wait... And wait .... Lucky enough it's usually the customers who are waiting for are thinking... who's the fecker with the credit card.

Oh and another one. People who ask for a fecking Irish Coffee when the bar is jammed !!

irish1967 · 06-07-2010 07:20AM

Grrrrrr. Hate posting on an iPhone. Sorry for the double post.

Kintarō Hattori · 06-07-2010 08:44AM

starbelgrade wrote: »

True - they're actually friendly on the continent.

I'm sorry that you feel that way but if you have such contempt for Irish retail workers did you ever stop to consider that some of the issues you've been having might lie with you?

derfderf · 06-07-2010 08:46AM

Beer mat rippers you say?

/backs away from thread slowly without breaking eye contact.

Fulton Crown · 06-07-2010 09:01AM

EdgarAllenPoo wrote: »

The thing that boils my ****e where I work is people dumping baskets at the end of a til and then going off shopping again for 5 minutes. It's the equivalent of trying to reserve a sunbed by putting a towel on it so nobody can go ahead of them.
Then when they do finally come back they have a puss on because you had the unmitigated temerity to serve someone else while they were away.

I try to help you on that one ...if some bint does that and I'm next in the Q or even if I'm not ..I kick the basket out of the way and get checked out.

Any "puss" that might result is returned with interest

Fulton Crown · 06-07-2010 09:15AM

CaliforniaDream wrote: »

Ok, this I honestly don't get. What difference does it make how much they're charging on a credit/debit card? Does the transaction go quicker because they've spent €200 instead of €5?
Not trying to be smart or troll but I really don't understand why people hate this.

I use my cards for most things as it's much safer than carrying cash. I've had money stolen on me before and I can't get it back. If someone steals my card I can cancel it and get back any unauthorised transactions.

If the company you work for accepts cards then who cares how much it's for.

irish1967 wrote: »

The credit card for a coke thing.

Why come into a pub with no cash for just a coke? And they never ask in advance. I serve the coke (€2.30) hit the cash button tell them the price and then they say " I have no cash is credit card ok?"

The bar is packed. 3 deep. And I have to take card.... into machine.... it's checked ..... then to customer for pin.... Then wait... And wait .... Lucky enough it's usually the customers who are waiting for are thinking... who's the fecker

Excellent logical response - how come that other gimp couldn't figire it ?

..................................

EdgarAllenPoo · 06-07-2010 09:34AM

One time I had someone come to my til to buy a toothbrush with a €200 note, he got in a strop when he was told that we weren't allowed to accept such large denominations to quote "I think it's bloody ridiculous that I should have to use my laser card to buy a toothbrush"...yeah but you've no problem trying to clean out my til because you want change.....The credit card for a coke thing never bothers me because the machines in work have been set to accept tiny amounts-like paying for a toothbrush.

One other thing that steams my noodle is the people who regardless whether you've just finished serving someone think it's award winning comedy to say something like "here I'd hate to see you idle" or "jaysus you look bored, think I'll give you some work".

Kintarō Hattori · 06-07-2010 09:36AM

CaliforniaDream wrote: »

Ok, this I honestly don't get. What difference does it make how much they're charging on a credit/debit card? Does the transaction go quicker because they've spent €200 instead of €5?
Not trying to be smart or troll but I really don't understand why people hate this.

I use my cards for most things as it's much safer than carrying cash. I've had money stolen on me before and I can't get it back. If someone steals my card I can cancel it and get back any unauthorised transactions.

If the company you work for accepts cards then who cares how much it's for.

Because there are minimum amounts imposed for card transactions. Everytime you use your card to pay for something the issuer of the card gets a percentage of the sale. In the case of Visa/Mastercard I think it's something like 3% and with Laser 1%. Companies impose a limit as in a lot of cases taking a sale for €3 or a similar small amount with a card simply isn't economical.

pablomakaveli · 06-07-2010 09:51AM

EdgarAllenPoo wrote: »

One other thing that steams my noodle is the people who regardless whether you've just finished serving someone think it's award winning comedy to say something like "here I'd hate to see you idle" or "jaysus you look bored, think I'll give you some work".

That really annoys me. It's always some smart -arse who thinks their hilarious but i've already heard the same line from loads of other smart-arse customers.

Wompa1 · 06-07-2010 10:01AM

I had a guy tell me somewhere else sold it cheaper and he'd go there to buy it and come back and rub the receipt in my face

I had a customer who's neighbour returned something that was broken by carelessness that the manager ended up returning when she got in her face. Then her neighbour came in saying he wanted to return his due to the same "defect" ...nothing wrong with his at all. Then he said give me the newer model there will ya!?

A guy I worked with was serving a lady and I was standing to the side. It was early so it was pretty quiet. I was making up signs. She started getting aggravated for no reason at all. He was trying to help her and then she came over to me and called me the most useless f**ker in the place and how dare I not help her. So I came over and said what do you want? A racing game? Here buy this one....she walked off in a huff. F**kin bitch.

Worked in a petrol station. People always go a few cents over 2 or 3 maybe. A guy went 80 cents over and got in a real huff because I asked him for it!

Had a guy that would come in for free papers every night when we were doing our returns. Which was fine but at the end of the night you have loads to do to try and get out on time and its very difficult to do them with this guy standing right in the way.

Getting crap from some guy for selling drink to a guy that was well over 18 because he ended up going down the road and giving it to under age people. I couldn't even see them and I'm getting crap for it. And then when you do call people out on it and refuse the drink you get so much abuse. I was hated in my secondary school.

Retail made my life hell! Luckily I'm not in it anymore

eightyfish · 06-07-2010 10:02AM

CaliforniaDream wrote: »

Ok, this I honestly don't get. What difference does it make how much they're charging on a credit/debit card.

The logic behind this has already been pointed out, but I remember one particularly annoying customer. Student night, rammed bar, girl insists on paying for her €2 pint each time by laser card, each time taking five minutes to process and each time refusing cash back. She did this about 10 times. Bint.

Scarinae · 06-07-2010 10:13AM

I work in a shop in a train station, and the amount of people who spend ages looking at stuff and dithering, and then once they get to the till they get really narky and say "Hurry up, my train is in two minutes!!" as if it's my fault that they have no sense of timekeeping

Even worse is when they stand there glaring and tapping their foot while I put everything through the till, and when I say "That's x amount please"... That's when they start rummaging through their bag for their purse :mad:

Also, the people who take their card out of the card machine too early... It means the transaction is declined, and I have to tell them to put their card back in again so I can put it through properly. "The card machine told me to take it out!" they usually bleat. No it fúcking didn't, you just weren't paying attention/trying to speed things up, and now it's going to take twice as long

People on Christmas Eve are possibly the rudest customers I've ever come across. It's not my problem that you left all your shopping until the last minute!

geeky · 06-07-2010 10:16AM

feelingstressed wrote: »

I'm not going to unleash my contempt at the way many people treat retail workers, customers can be pigs

My contempt goes to middle managers with no balls who will do anything for an easy life. They disregard the rules that you could be sacked for.

Example
You patiently explain to a customer why you can't give a refund, you highlight store policy and damn it, you even point to the signs on the walls showing store policy.
You take abuse for the company but in the sure knowledge you are doing your job correctly.

Assistant manager comes over and a refund.
WTF?? :mad:
The manager avoids a confrontation, the customer learns if they scream for a manager they get anything they want.
And the only sucker who works for close to minimum wage is left looking like a fool as they got bypassed

Again, cannot thank this enough. I worked in retail for a good five years and experienced this so much from brain-dead managers looking for an easy life it made my head hurt. As a result, I've only ever once asked to speak to a manager.

Vudgie · 06-07-2010 10:39AM

Novella wrote: »

Oh, and "Any chance of a discount?". This is not a fucking market. No, you cannot have a discount.

I am not sure what type of shop you work in but I have received discounts after I have asked for them. This was mainly for things like suits but the guy in the shop actually told me he had authority to reduce the price by a max of 10%. This was a chain too so its not like I was asking the owner.

I don't ask for discounts regualrly but clearly you have no chance if you don't ask.

CaliforniaDream · 06-07-2010 10:41AM

Kintarō Hattori wrote: »

Because there are minimum amounts imposed for card transactions. Everytime you use your card to pay for something the issuer of the card gets a percentage of the sale. In the case of Visa/Mastercard I think it's something like 3% and with Laser 1%. Companies impose a limit as in a lot of cases taking a sale for €3 or a similar small amount with a card simply isn't economical.

Yeah but this is from a companies point of view. That's fair enough if they have a minimum amount to stop it costing them money.

But from a staff members point of view, where they're just too lazy to do it makes no sense.

A customer orders one drink in a busy bar and pays for it on a card and people have to wait for the transaction to go through and start moaning about it. The same customer order 10 drinks in a busy bar and people have to wait for the transaction to go trough but it's ok because they're paying for 10 drinks.
What's the fcuking difference in the length of time? Stop whinging about it if the company allows the amount.

With regard cash-back though, if you know you're buying more and you're offered cash back then take it.

ananas · 06-07-2010 11:01AM

Trying to get a discount, on something that costs €2.

IF YOU DON'T HAVE MONEY THEN YOU CANNOT BUY- as the meerkat says, simples.

javaboy · 06-07-2010 11:09AM

Fulton Crown wrote: »

Excellent logical response - how come that other gimp couldn't figire it ?

..................................

Banned for abuse.

QuiteInterestin · 06-07-2010 11:25AM

Customers taking or swapping around the 'free' supplements out of newspapers and then getting defensive when you call them on it. They're only free if you buy the paper anything else is stealing!! Also used to work in a shop right beside a back machine, any Saturday night it was out of order you'd have every second customer in buying chewing gum with a laser card and wanting €50 cash back.

QuiteInterestin · 06-07-2010 11:37AM

Fishie wrote: »

People on Christmas Eve are possibly the rudest customers I've ever come across. It's not my problem that you left all your shopping until the last minute!

True in some cases, One Christmas eve I decided to spread some cheer by wishing all of my customers a Merry Christmas. The first (and last) customer I said it to replied with "You don't give a **** what kind of a Christmas I have" so much for Christmas spirit!

Retail workers; what do customers do that annoys you?

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