Working in Retail - What Are Your Best and Worst Stories about Dealing with Customers?

watty on 28/12/2014 - 21:01

I have been working for a large retailer for a while and even though it has only been a short period, I have seen so many things that really opened my eyes. I personally love working where I am as management and the workers are very nice and down to earth. Even though I am going to university to hopefully one day become an educator, I honestly wouldn't mind working where I am now for the rest of my life.

But…

Some customers are hell to deal with (but there are others that make you feel good about yourself). One of my negative experiences was a customer trying to be physically aggressive just because his partner said she didn't like the pricing on a specific pillow. The price was $20 and she said she believed it was only $8 because of the quality. Another one was an Indian lady demanding me to walk her around the store finding 'One direction' things for her daughter, I tried to help and showed her a few things just to be treated like a peasant bringing goods to her - she literally did the princess hand thing (shooing me) to show me she didn't like it instead of telling me with words and was extremely rude in general (I don't expect a thank you or anything but at least don't treat me like a slave).

My positive experience was an older gentleman that had a disability and could not talk. Despite that he was wearing fluorescent work clothes and wrote on the notepad if I could quickly help him find a street directory as he had to get back to work. I walked him to the books section but when I looked back he was gone. A few minutes later I found him walking towards me with a pair of boots (he pointed to his old ones I guess he was trying to say he wanted to buy a new pair). I gave him the directory and he wrote on his notepad "thanks mate, you're a champ!". He gave me the thumbs up and walked off probably at the speed I could reach when running. From that I felt like I should appreciate work more in general and that I should stop complaining about being tired and so on (my roll is filling). Even though this customer could not physically talk, he appreciated me trying to find him and giving him the directory and that made me feel more valued as someone that helps, not someone that serves like a slave. A thank you goes a long way and I'm sure we are taught to be polite at some stage in our lives.

What are your experiences with customers working in retail? Please share if you have any! :)

Education & Work

Comments

  • Ughhh on 28/12/2014 - 21:25
    +5

    Some good reads on Whirlpool here. Hilarious and shocking stories, I think some of the offenders mentioned are from ozbargain tbh.

    • Daabido on 29/12/2014 - 01:43
      +1

      Well, they can't all be princesses, but they can act like them.

  • [Deactivated] on 29/12/2014 - 02:53

    does hospo count as retail? i could tell you a fews stories… drunk people never fail to amaze me

  • grabngo on 29/12/2014 - 07:33
    +2

    No need to make this a race issue guys.
    a customer is a customer.
    I work in retail and deal with fruitcakes all the time.
    It is like becoming a parent.
    U need all the patience in the world.
    if u don't have it,then this job is not for u.
    Go become a gardener .
    That way u wont have to deal with as many people.
    They will never know how it feels if u turn the tables on them.
    That's all

    • watty on 29/12/2014 - 09:41
      +1

      I didn't even notice I wrote Indian lady out like that, my bad. I was just simply describing the situation as accurate as possible and that slipped my mind. Also, it has happened to me twice by 2 ladies, the other one wanted a foot massager we didn't stock. Her reason was "I SAW IT ON TV AND YOU HAVE IT DON'T LIE".

      • danb on 29/12/2014 - 12:23
        +2

        Honestly i wouldnt even worry. You said it how it is, people need to stop being so precious. You should be able to say if they are indian, asian, white, black, fat, skinny, gay, straight, whatever the case may be, and unless you are completely ripping into them, people need to relax and just let people say how it is.

        I didnt even think twice about you saying an indian lady, but i guess someone has to always pick at it and play the race card.

        • watty on 29/12/2014 - 23:54

          Yeah when I usually describe things I tend not to pick up on things people might think I'm implying. Probably something I should work on to improve myself in general but I agree with you :)

    • adamren on 29/12/2014 - 14:21

      Tending a garden doesn't require patience? Tell that to my potatoes, why aren't they growing quicker?!!

  • scrimshaw on 29/12/2014 - 08:25
    +2

    Here are the best Retail stories of the year from Reddit.

    http://www.reddit.com/r/TalesFromRetail/top/

  • Flying Ace on 29/12/2014 - 08:35
    +6

    I've been working in retail for just over 10 years now - it really makes you appreciate everyone else who works in the same field, and it also makes you realise how rude, stupid, self entitled and ignorant many people are.

  • mooney on 29/12/2014 - 09:44
    +9

    Back when I worked in the uk a customer tried to return a pair of shoes, in perfect condition, after 8 years! When I explained I couldn't accept such a delayed return he explained it was because he'd only just gotten round to it as he'd only just been released from prison.

    He then proceeded to threatened to kill me, my family, and to burn the store down if I didn't accept the refund.

    I accepted the reasoning and gave him a full refund.

    • adamren on 29/12/2014 - 14:23
      +1

      I like this one. Haven't heard something like this before.

      Wonder what he went to prison for. Stealing those shoes perhaps?

      • scrimshaw on 29/12/2014 - 18:24

        You don't go to jail for 8 years just shoplifting a shoe. Probably something worse.

        I'd also have called the cops if you received verbal threats like that, threatening to kill somebody is considered a criminal offence.
        http://www.police.wa.gov.au/ABOUTUS/Statistics/CrimeOffenceD…

        • sellingoutsoon on 19/02/2016 - 12:19
          +1

          Maybe not, but 200 years ago you'f get a free holiday in Australia for stealing some bread. And you get the bread. Bargain.

    • PVA on 29/12/2014 - 18:35

      is that why you are in Oz now?

      • mooney on 29/12/2014 - 22:50

        @scrimshaw- I'm pretty sure adamren was making a joke! Besides the guy had a receipt!!! Just an 8 year old one.

        Once I had given him the refund there seemed little point to involving the police. He was happy, the police would've done nothing, and I would have no doubt seen him again in the street in my crappy home town.

        @PVA- nope, am here for the sun!

  • PVA on 29/12/2014 - 18:33
    +1

    My wife worked at Myer. She told me that a cust bought in an item with a Kmart price sticker on it and wanted a refund. Kicked and screamed until manager gave them a refund.

    Another was a mum came in with their 6 yo daughter - "is this the F'n thing you wan?t" Yes mum the lttle girl said, It's the f'n thing I want isnt it f'n great mum." 6 years old - wow.

    One more, when serving a female customer, the customer lent over and farted loudly and then just kept talking like nothing happened. Wife said the smell was so bad she told the customer that she needed to leave. Nice :)

    • watty on 29/12/2014 - 23:52

      Reminds me of the time a customer was complaining another department store that was a 5 minute walk away had a lower price on a chocolate. She clearly stated that the chocolate was on clearance over there and wanted us to price match it even though my manager said we would make a loss (plus we weren't having that range on clearance anyway). In the end we politely declined but she didn't take it well.

  • adamren on 29/12/2014 - 23:58

    Reading PVA's stories I can only imagine hospitality would be worse. Hotels, airlines, cruise ships in ascending order.

  • pparth on 30/12/2014 - 06:27
    +1

    http://notalwaysright.com

    Lots of AU specific stories on there as well.

  • Geekomatic on 24/02/2016 - 18:14

    Basically ANY time you are working, do everything right, are courteous & polite, yet get an aggressive low-life screaming & threatening you for it…and….

    Management takes their side, humiliates you, & then derides you for doing your job exactly as you have been trained.

    That, is retail.

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