The holiday season is here, and retail workers are overworked, underpaid, and just want to go home. Retail workers face struggles every day with customers, especially during the holiday season, and should be appreciated. Unless you’ve worked retail, you wouldn’t understand the crazy stories about customers and what those employees go through every day. Here are 5 things / phrases retail workers hate but face daily.
*Trigger Warning for those in retail*
Things Retail Workers Hate #5 – ‘It must be free’
Employee scans item, *Item doesn’t scan
Customer: “Oh, it must be free if it doesn’t scan. Haha.”
Every retail worker has definitely heard this phrase multiple times throughout their retail career. The first time it’s funny. After that, it’s just annoying. There’s a line behind you and we are trying to get you out as quickly as possible, so the item not scanning is a nuisance. If you are a customer and this happens to you, please do not say that phrase. Please and thank you.
Things Retail Workers Hate #4 – ‘Oh wait, I have change’
Employee tells customer total, Customer hands employee cash, Employee puts the total in, *The cash drawer is open*,
Customer: “Oh wait, I have the 17 cents”
Do not do this please. The cash register already told us the total and we don’t want our drawer messed up. If you want to get the change, please tell the clerk you have change as you are handing them the bill, and before they put the total in. It makes everyone’s life easier. They may have to use a calculator to make sure the proper change is given, which holds up the line, and results in angry customers.
Things Retail Workers Hate #3 – ‘Do you think my money is fake?’
Customer hands employee a large bill ($20, $50, $100, etc), employee marks it with the counterfeit marker
Customer: “Oh, I just printed it this morning” or “Do you ever get fake bills?” or “Do you think my money is fake?”
Employees take the wrap for fake bills so we have to check them and make sure they are legal tender. Your jokes aren’t funny. Also, if you hand me a $50 or $100 bill for your $3 purchase or if the store just opened, just know that karma is coming to you.
#2 – ‘Do you work here?’
Employee has uniform, apron, name tag, is standing behind the counter, or stocking shelves.
Customer: “Do you work here?”
Employee thinking: no, I’m just standing here behind this counter for my health.
Please, observe the person before you ask. 9 times out of 10, they do work there. They will gladly answer your question, if they can. If they don’t work there, just apologize and find an employee. Although one time, I wore a red shirt to Target, and someone asked if I worked there. My mistake.
#1 – ‘Can you check the back’
Item is out of stock,
Customer: “Do you have any more of this item?”
Employee: No, we are out.
Customer: “Can you check the back?”
You know very well, because you work there, that there are none in the back. Most of the time there isn’t, with the exception of certain stores, so you go in the back, check Instagram, stand there for a bit, come back out and tell the employee the same thing you told them before. But now, they accept the answer.
This is only some of the struggles retail workers face daily, the list goes on and on. If you are shopping this holiday season, please be nice. They’re just trying to pay their bills. If you are an employee, we are praying for you and you will get through this.