Used to work in retail before getting a lucky break into office life, the crap you have to put up with because of the adage, “The customer is always right”.
No the customer is often wrong and stupid, but you have to make them feel right.
I’ve seen some stats on the rise in violence and crime and it’s not good reading, cost of living going up (another subject), punishment non existent. Seriel offenders get a mediocre response from police, because when they are convicted the courts only slap their wrist.
One example was a guy that was prolific in the area, everyone new him and was notified when he turned up. I had a “working” relationship with him on an understanding so he’d never steal from us when I was on shift. Only reason he did time, they found a razer blade on him and it got deemed an offensive weapon.
I did a short stint at next. It was always older women who were nasty
Spent 10yrs in retail. Customers are rude, entitled and unreasonable. Doubly so for woman over 50, they’re just plain nasty for the sake of it. Covid seems to have just emboldened them
Female, over 50. Waitrose, Range Rover, detached period house … Get ready for a serious verbal altercation.
And you will have to suck it up
..
I did 10 years in retail, in that time I had customers throw products at me (I got quite good at dodging flying boxes), wish me dead, throw punches at me, swear and scream and threaten me. I would say 95% of the time they were angry over a situation they themselves had caused.
The police have all the time to smash up homeless people’s tents but not enough time and power to smash through actual criminals terrorising the public. It’s a fucking disgrace.
Some people will go into shops just looking for any excuse to be horrible to the staff—it’s like sadism.
Everyone, and I mean absolutely everyone able to, should work 3 months in public-facing jobs as a teenager. Make it part of the curriculum.
A lot of people could also do with a yearly one week top up throughout their life.
Did seven years time in Wetherspoons and I’ve honestly debated writing a book about the appalling behaviour I witnessed
Abusive customers just need to be banned, straight up. Abuse the staff? Congratulations, you’re no longer allowed to shop there.
I used to work in a fairly well known second hand technology chain, and the amount of abuse I experienced was insane.
The one that sticks out the most is when a customer got upset when I wouldn’t refund him. He told me that he knew where I lived and to be careful on the way home, because he was going to stab me. As he was leaving he shouted to look up his name becuase he was in the news. Turns out he wasn’t wrong, he had just been released from prison about 2 months before for stabbing a shop worker.
I have a couple.of hundred students under my belt that I make sure are happy, accommodated, watered and safe, in a properly legally maintained strict up to code building.
IT’s not just the old person who likes to hurl abuse it’s the young people too. Including their parents who expect you to be their all encompassing social worker and magician to every single problem no matter ‘how many times you get told”, I am a solicitor by a parent…
Yeah the matrix is leaking.. actually it’s not all of them but it’s getting worse. There is a HUGE entitled group of young people heading to middle age in 30 years..
The assernine things I have to deal with everyday.
Madam I fix buildings, not your child, that’s your job.
Was in Tesco a few weeks back, asking for help from an employee when some guy storm over and starts bitching and yelling at the poor guy. Full on raging. The employee was clearly at breaking point, turned around, told the guy to go fuck hmself, apologised to me and stormed off and out the store
Working in a family run shop I had the privilege of being able to tell customers to fuck off as soon as they got a little rude. The only reason they try it with is because they think/know you won’t smack them for running their mouth.
McDonald’s customers were always rude, especially the Uber drivers
We go to work because we need money; that’s literally it.
16 comments
Used to work in retail before getting a lucky break into office life, the crap you have to put up with because of the adage, “The customer is always right”.
No the customer is often wrong and stupid, but you have to make them feel right.
I’ve seen some stats on the rise in violence and crime and it’s not good reading, cost of living going up (another subject), punishment non existent. Seriel offenders get a mediocre response from police, because when they are convicted the courts only slap their wrist.
One example was a guy that was prolific in the area, everyone new him and was notified when he turned up. I had a “working” relationship with him on an understanding so he’d never steal from us when I was on shift. Only reason he did time, they found a razer blade on him and it got deemed an offensive weapon.
I did a short stint at next. It was always older women who were nasty
Spent 10yrs in retail. Customers are rude, entitled and unreasonable. Doubly so for woman over 50, they’re just plain nasty for the sake of it. Covid seems to have just emboldened them
Female, over 50. Waitrose, Range Rover, detached period house … Get ready for a serious verbal altercation.
And you will have to suck it up
..
I did 10 years in retail, in that time I had customers throw products at me (I got quite good at dodging flying boxes), wish me dead, throw punches at me, swear and scream and threaten me. I would say 95% of the time they were angry over a situation they themselves had caused.
The police have all the time to smash up homeless people’s tents but not enough time and power to smash through actual criminals terrorising the public. It’s a fucking disgrace.
Some people will go into shops just looking for any excuse to be horrible to the staff—it’s like sadism.
Everyone, and I mean absolutely everyone able to, should work 3 months in public-facing jobs as a teenager. Make it part of the curriculum.
A lot of people could also do with a yearly one week top up throughout their life.
Did seven years time in Wetherspoons and I’ve honestly debated writing a book about the appalling behaviour I witnessed
Abusive customers just need to be banned, straight up. Abuse the staff? Congratulations, you’re no longer allowed to shop there.
I used to work in a fairly well known second hand technology chain, and the amount of abuse I experienced was insane.
The one that sticks out the most is when a customer got upset when I wouldn’t refund him. He told me that he knew where I lived and to be careful on the way home, because he was going to stab me. As he was leaving he shouted to look up his name becuase he was in the news. Turns out he wasn’t wrong, he had just been released from prison about 2 months before for stabbing a shop worker.
I have a couple.of hundred students under my belt that I make sure are happy, accommodated, watered and safe, in a properly legally maintained strict up to code building.
IT’s not just the old person who likes to hurl abuse it’s the young people too. Including their parents who expect you to be their all encompassing social worker and magician to every single problem no matter ‘how many times you get told”, I am a solicitor by a parent…
Yeah the matrix is leaking.. actually it’s not all of them but it’s getting worse. There is a HUGE entitled group of young people heading to middle age in 30 years..
The assernine things I have to deal with everyday.
Madam I fix buildings, not your child, that’s your job.
Was in Tesco a few weeks back, asking for help from an employee when some guy storm over and starts bitching and yelling at the poor guy. Full on raging. The employee was clearly at breaking point, turned around, told the guy to go fuck hmself, apologised to me and stormed off and out the store
Working in a family run shop I had the privilege of being able to tell customers to fuck off as soon as they got a little rude. The only reason they try it with is because they think/know you won’t smack them for running their mouth.
McDonald’s customers were always rude, especially the Uber drivers
We go to work because we need money; that’s literally it.