A
female
age
36-40,
anonymous
writes:I know that this is not a relationship question, but just thought I'd ask. If you have experience working in retail, this question is for you. I am a college student with about one more semester to go. My degree is going to be in Elementary Education with a concentration in Mathematics. I was a cashier for Wal-Mart last year for a short time. I worked the night shift and I quit to go back to school. Now I find that I can work my hours around school, since this semester I will only have one class and an internship. During the night shift, the only problems that I had were with my supervisor, and some dumb woman who thought she was above me just because she had worked there for three weeks when we were both cashiers. Most of the customers were sane. Most of the customers are usually sane in the morning I realized as well.Now I work during the day usually. I have encountered so many rude, inconsiderate people, and I am thinking of doing what I have noticed my peers doing, and flipping my name tag so that they don't know who I am. Plus we switch registers a lot sometimes anyways. My question to you all is two-fold. Most of the customers that are rude try to make me feel dumb. What can I say back to them without getting fired? Also, how do I prevent myself from getting so upset by the things that they say? I think they get off on getting me upset. It's kind of ironic, because I am sure that when I do start teaching, I will be teaching some of these ghetto people's kids and dealing with the same attitudes they gave me when I was a cashier when I invite them for parent teacher conferences. If they are anal about a few pennies, surely they will be anal about whether Johnny gets two extra points on a math test. I've been told that I don't have to suffer alone, that I can go get a CSM, but my thing is some of these incidents happen so quickly with the customer getting their bags and leaving all the while still talking shit. And don't tell me "Oh there's nothing you can do, but smile." If I believed that, I wouldn't have asked for advice on here.To give you an example of what I am going through, some woman came through my line the other day with one item. It kept coming up unknown, so I keyed it in. Still unknown. I asked her where she got it, she told me "on a shelf." Wtf??? Then I asked her again and she said you know in such and such place, as if I should know the whole store by heart (hello I just started working there again.) Then she was like I am not walking all the freaking way back there again." And I calmly told her, "No I asked so I could go back there for you." She didn't even want to wait for that. I asked her the price, and I keyed it in. Then she said thank you, and before she left, the stupid woman thought that she'd teach me a lesson in manners, and she said, "You know you could've said thank you too." And I either said yeah or okay to get her to leave and she said "Yeah you could've." They expect us to give courtesy, but it's okay if they are asses. They expect us to be fast, but it's okay if they are slow. Hypocrites!!! By the way, been working there almost a month now. And I'm not quitting. I need the money for a car. Thanks for reading.
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reader, anonymous, writes (8 July 2009): This is verified as being by the original poster of the questionExactly. I hate when people think that I am stupid as well. This man came up to me today, and he's come up to me before, trying to rip me off. I pretended that I needed help, and he wasn't able to rip me off.
This woman came up wanting twenty free dollars from the register, for nothing, just because she wrote a check, and I had to have a CSM explain to her that if she wants twenty bucks, I need to write her check as over twenty dollars for her to get the money back. I'm tired of customers who try to make my drawer come up short. My job is very important to me.
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female
reader, SirenaBlusera  +, writes (4 July 2009):
 I can't believe that a customer threw hot coffee at the employees. That's assault!!
There was a customer who hit one of my co-workers with her pocketbook. And another who told the girl that "I can stick my fingers up your ass." I'm not making this up!
That's the kind of abuse I'm talking about. If you get people like that, then I would tell them that, "I will serve you when you can act like an adult." No one should have to put up with that.
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reader, SirenaBlusera +, writes (4 July 2009):
I think what the other poster was saying was not to worry about "getting back at," these hateful people. I don't think that anyone actually wished cancer on someone... but seriously...
I don't think anyone WOULD wish cancer on someone else... I can't think any people I'd wish cancer on (except Hitler, but joyfully, he's dead and burning in hell, serves his ass right)
Most customers aren't cruel or evil, they're just thoughtless. Some people are hateful, but those people are miserable inside. Just feel sorry for those customers... and be grateful you won't be in retail much longer! You have an exciting career ahead! Good luck!! :-)
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reader, SirenaBlusera +, writes (4 July 2009):
Oh, and I used to hate those people that would take every garment in the department off the racks... take it ALL in the dressing room... and leave it on the floor for us to pick up.
Man oh man, I WISH I coulda told people where to stick those damn bathing suits.
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reader, SirenaBlusera +, writes (4 July 2009):
people who tell you to 'hurry up' and make a pathetic pained and irritating face when you're already working as hard as you can to get them out because, according to them, they've chosen to leave their baby/dog or a combination of the two in the car during the heat of summer (and they've been shopping in the store for like 30 minutes already!)...i've had that happen more than i can count.
Oh yeah, I worked in the shoe department at Belk's and I used to get people who would wait until the day before Easter to buy their friggin' Easter shoes, and then show up at the shoe counter with an attitude. What the??!?
What I used to hate are people who would assume I was an idiot. I'm not sure why they thought so... they didn't know me from Adam! They would have me hold stuff, and when I was writing down their name, they would spell it out for me: S-M-I-T-H...
They weren't trying to be assholes, but I used to hate it when people would assume I was really stupid... But, I'm not... and the important people know!
HAHAHAHA, that smoothie story made me laugh! You have me beat. Maybe that lady was somehow related to that crazy lady I met at Belks.
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reader, SirenaBlusera +, writes (4 July 2009):
No, no, no... I'm not going to call out names... I don't think anyone ever wished cancer on the customers... it was mentioned, however... I am sorry for the confusion.
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reader, anonymous, writes (1 July 2009): This is verified as being by the original poster of the questionI read over my posts and I don't think I ever mentioned wishing cancer on the customers. Were you referring to me? Because I made no such comment.
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reader, SirenaBlusera +, writes (25 June 2009):
Hey, just for for fun, I wonder who can top my story of worst customer ever?
That psychotic lady who whaled on me with a verbal 2x4 bc I told her kids I didn't want them hurting themselves?
There was an even worse lady that I saw only once who said I was "tacky." I have a triple ear piercing in my left ear and double in my right ear. This lady went around saying people with multiple ear piercings looked "tacky."
That was before I had my navel piercing, or I would have showed it to her, lol.
Hmmm there were some nice people, too. But I have my share of horror stories. Who can beat mine?
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reader, SirenaBlusera +, writes (24 June 2009):
No problem!
I just don't think that insulting a customer back is the way, though. If someone is being obscenely rude or abusive to you (like that stupid lady did to me when I told her kids not to play on the escalator), then... just walk away. Just be polite, that doesn't mean you have to kiss someone's butt though. I know I can feel your pain.
However, "getting into it" with people isn't worth it! Whenever you want to lash out at someone in frustration (we all have, let's admit it)... then just remind yourself, "I'm getting the hell out of retail" and remember that some people really SUCK.
People say "you this" or "you that" to everyone in customer service. I had my share of that.
Everyone deserves respect, and the nasty customers are wrong to treat you disrespectfully but I don't think cancer is a fitting punishment. A lot of them are old and sick and take it out on EVERYONE, and they are wrong to do so, but like I said, people suck sometimes.
There are a few people I really hate, but I wouldn't wish cancer on the customers... and this is coming from someone who worked in retail and used to wake up nauseous every day.
Maybe promise yourself a little reward or treat at the end of the day for putting up with crap? Sometimes I would buy myself a book (I nearly bankrupted myself at the bookstore and I own a small library now, lol)... it really helped.
Congratulations on your degree, btw. I hated retail too. I didn't mind the customers (except for those psychos, like that lady) but I hated having all my time monopolized, I hated wasting my education and talents and I hated the way management treated us like slaves. Just repeat after me: "I'm getting the hell out soon!" Magic little words. :) You have a good future... just be grateful for what you have to look forward to. Maybe to those customers you're just another cog in the wheel... but who cares what they think? They're not that important! :)
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reader, anonymous, writes (23 June 2009): This is verified as being by the original poster of the questionI don't take things personally, except for when people say "you this and you that" because the word you means me, which to me, is personal.
Herm, Idk if you are one of the other people on here with a screenick who said stuff to me anonymously trying to be funny, or if you are serious and not one of those people. I don't think I will get depression because some things are insulted towards me, and I don't think that I take EVERYTHING too personally. Generalization words are strong words. Use them wisely. If you are for real (as in you are who you say you are), good luck on your path to recovery.
Sirena, thanks for the awesome advice. I like the fact that with your advice, you told me not to "take it," but to stand my ground. Sometimes I have felt like saying to a customer, "That's no way to talk to someone who is trying to help you," or something reasonable such as that.
I was looking for advice that was understanding, which I got from some people, and I was also looking for advice that gave me the correct thing to say when someone was being a pain. Because obviously I'm not going to call a customer names (to their face lol) or just start hurling insults or sarcasm at them. That would make me look just as crazy as they look at the time. I know that they want quality service, I just don't like the fact that some of them come in with the attitude of "I can treat anyone here however I want and get away with it," you know, kinda like a kid in a candy store getting all excited. I want the people who I help out to know that even if they know nothing else about me, that I will not stand for that type of behavior. That they cannot come up to this cashier and get away with acting that way. I think that I deserve respect.
Thank gawd that tonight when an irrate customer came in, I was just getting off and I told them about someone else who could help them.
Just one more semester (hopefully) and I'm done!
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reader, anonymous, writes (23 June 2009): I feel bad for you.I also feel you are taking things too personally.I am undergoing depression right now.For me it started out like this.I took everything too personally.I have low self esteem issues.Please seek counseling to learn to ignore what people say.When we are too sensitive everything turns out wrong
-Herm
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reader, SirenaBlusera +, writes (23 June 2009):
I worked in retail for a long time, so I can understand your feelings. There's a difference, however, between being polite to someone and putting up with abuse from them.
Are these people really that important that you have to say something back to them? Just be polite and remember not to take anything personally. Unfortunately, the world is full of assholes. You're not being polite because you think the customer should abuse you... you're being polite because that's what the store is paying you to do! They're paying you to serve the customers.
I'm not saying that you're wrong to have these feelings, but keep in mind that you're working and saving money so that you can have a better life. You have one more year of university to go, and then you'll be in a career where you will be a valued individual, and not just a register-ringing automaton.
When I worked in retail, I hated it so much that I would wake up nauseous every day. Some customers are nice, some people are shitheads, but the way that I coped was to remember that retail was NOT going to be my life's work, and I focused on the things I would do in the future (coincidentally, I became a teacher-- a SPANISH teacher!!). I reminded myself that "I'm grateful because I'm going to get out of this hell hole."
Retail IS a real drag, and I would rather butcher pigs than go back to it. The thing that I hated most about it, even more than putting up with snotty people, was the fact that the work was unfulfilling and meaningless and that I couldn't have any life outside of work. The store where I worked treated the employees like slaves, and I felt so burdened by my job that life was a real bitch.
On the other side of the coin, as a customer, I've gotten very shabby treatment that I don't deserve, and it makes me very angry because these people don't know me or have any idea what kind of day I had. I'll never shop at Belk's again (where I used to work) because the girl at the makeup counter was extremely rude to me. I went to buy some Esteé Lauder, and was greeted with "how dare you come to shop at my counter." I was already having a bad day, and I didn't need that treatment, especially after all I said was, "I'd like to buy some foundation, please." You are frustrated that people see you as a robot and not a human being, and that is very reasonable... but you have to remember the customer's feelings as well.
If someone insults YOU or calls you a name or swears at you, tell them that that's no way to talk to someone who's trying to help you. You don't have to put up with harrassment.
One time, when I worked at Belk's, a woman went BALLISTIC on me for telling her children that it was dangerous to play on the escalator. What happened was this: I saw two little boys running up and down the escalator, and I said very sweetly, "It's not a good idea to play on the escalator. You guys could get seriously hurt... where is your mom?" This woman snapped, "I'm right over here," and launched into a tirade about how I needed to know my place and mind my own business, how I was rude and disrespectful, insulted me, called me names... because I told her children that playing on the escalator was dangerous. Do you know what I did? I walked away. I wasn't going to stand there and be cussed out because I was doing what I was supposed to be doing. she didn't want service, she wanted to abuse someone and I didn't feel obliged to put up with it. I didn't say anything to her, I just left.
What I'm trying to say is that maybe you're suffering from burnout. Maybe you could talk to your boss about a little time off for a vacation. It sounds like you could use a little break.
I'm not going to lie to you, retail sucks... but they are paying you to be nice, and people deserve good service.
Uniquescreenname is right, in retail people see you as "cog in the consumption machine." That's one reason why retail is not for me, or for most people. Just remember that the people who count see you as a valued individual. The snotty customers (not all are snotty, like I said) are not important.
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reader, anonymous, writes (22 June 2009): This is verified as being by the original poster of the questionAnd as for assuming, older sis, you assumed that I made the customer take her butt back and find the item, when I didn't. I asked her the price, she remembered it, and I typed it in. It's like you skimmed my question without fully reading it.
I didn't make her go back and find another item, and I wasn't planning on doing so.
"WOW she went back got another item and thanked you." UMMM No, she didn't. She got mad at me, because she assumed that I was going to make her do that, when I wasn't.
Have a nice day. :-)
I'm done with this question. I am polite to the customers, but when they are rude with me, when I tried to help them out, yes I am going to stand up for myself.
And if I was in the wrong about something I will apologize, but if not, I won't. I can be true to myself and still have my job. And I've noticed that they don't bother me as much anymore.
"And as long as you do your job right you shouldn't be afraid to wear your name tag." I did it right last night and some black woman almost fussed me out I had to show her the receipt and show her what her price had been since she misunderstood me. Then she calmed down! She thought I had given her the wrong chance.
Why don't the two of you get behind a register and see what it's like?
I'm done with this question.
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reader, anonymous, writes (22 June 2009): This is verified as being by the original poster of the questionI just wish you both could see what it's like behind that register, when you say, hey how are you, and do the best you can and even that is not good enough for the customer.
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reader, anonymous, writes (22 June 2009): This is verified as being by the original poster of the questionWell this woman came in last night. And she looked very tired. I do try to be nice to the customers, believe it or not. I say hey how are you, and sometimes did you find everything you needed? They do train us to do that at Wal-Mart. Well, her card wouldnt work. So she went to go get some money at the ATM. I didn't know if it was at the one in our store our not, so I checked, and another customer was looking as well. When she came back, she was pissed that people were looking at her, and she said, "I didn't know that I had an audience." Then she got pissy with me, and I tried my "Yeah yeah" but then I couldn't help but argue with her and stand up for myself. I said, "I waited for you, because otherwise I would've had to void the transaction and get a CSM." And void all of her stuff as well. (I figured if I did this, she would've been pissed that she had to wait at the back of the line had I voided all her stuff, so I just waited for her.) Then she said, "Nevermind just ring up my stuff." I kept talking though, cos I was mad. Then she asked for my name. I gave it to her, she looked for management, they took too long, then she went to find another cashier. She said "You need to work on your customer service (the customer said this) and I said, but I did this for you, I waited for you. And she was like yeah but I didnt want all of those people looking at me." When she left another customer agreed that I had done it for her, so what was she so upset about? She reminded me of a kid or someone who cares about what other people think too much and I felt sorry for her. I had wanted to say some nice things to her when she came back from the ATM, like I understand that you are tired, but before I could she went straight down my throat with why are people looking at me? I didn't make that one customer look to see where she was at, that one customer chose to do that. I am not responsible for other people's behavior, only my own. The CSM's went looking for her and couldn't find her. I didn't lose my job. I don't come into work testy. I come into work scared, that someone is going to get an attitude with me no matter what I do. A woman came in some weeks ago, and paid for her stuff, but then asked for her money back when it was already in the register! Then she called me retarded because I asked her why. I don't just obey people to obey them. That's stupid. She could've taken her money back and ran off with the groceries for free. Turns out she wanted her one dollar back, and her son his twenty two bucks back, then she paid with her twenty three bucks and went off mumbling about how stupid I was and how I needed to go back to training. I walked off crying. While she was insulting me, her son kept saying "Mom, mom" as if this was nothing new to him. It seemed like a deliberate trick, because here she gave me one dollar, he gave me twenty two, I entered it as twenty three, and thought that she wanted to give me something different, when all this time she could've said, no I want my money back to I can pay for it all myself. Instead she told me that I was retarded and that I needed to go back to training. The CSM's told me that I did the right thing, that what's in my register is more important, and that the customer can take her ass over to the customer service department if the transaction has already been completed. One of the CSMs told me that he wants to see me "fight back." Whatever that means. I think he meant verbally, not physically. Whenever I am in the wrong I do apologize. But when I am not in the wrong, I do not apologize.
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reader, eyeswideopen +, writes (22 June 2009):
 I think BOTH of your posts were kind of testy. Some people are just not suited to dealing with the general public. Especially those who take personal offense easily. Your "yeah, yeah" phrase is rather impolite don't you think? If you do your job as well as you can, then you should not be afraid to wear your name tag.
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reader, anonymous, writes (21 June 2009): This is verified as being by the original poster of the questionSorry if my last post was kind of testy. I probably assumed some things in it, and here I was accusing some of you of assuming things.
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reader, anonymous, writes (21 June 2009): This is verified as being by the original poster of the questionWell a lot of you assumed that I was trying to get something from the customer. Uniquescreename, I am not trying to get the customer to apologize to me. I am not trying to manipulate their emotions to make them feel bad or be nicer to me. That's just stupid. I am trying to get rid of my attachment to their responses, so that I don't care about what they think of me, because like you said they don't even know me. I am trying to get something, a sort of strength, from within me, not something from the customer. Askoldersister, I did not insinuate that I wanted the customer to find the item. I just asked them where it was. If they assumed this meant that I wanted them to go back there, that was their own fault for assuming. All I did was ask them a question.
I'm not finding another job. It's hard to get another job in this economy. But I have found a way to deal with this in my own way. Today when someone got an attitude with me, I just said "Yeah yeah" as if I didn't care. I could feel the rage boiling within me, but I just said, yeah yeah." Then they said nothing. They just made a face. lol I wasn't wearing my name tag, and I noticed that some other cashiers haven't been wearing theirs either. Probably for the same reasons that I don't want to wear mine. I don't think not wearing my tag is going to be a full proof method, but it has been working lately, and I am going to keep practicing my phrase of "Yeah yeah," when this crap happens. And I'm not trying to "empower" elementary kids to be rude. I want to empower them not to care about what strangers think about them! I hate how our world is so focused on what others think. I have self-esteem issues and I am trying to learn to love myself, and respect myself, instead of beating up on myself with what others have said to me or think of me.
As far as "how can you teach if blah blah blah" (what someone said on here) I have worked with kids and have even taught them before and worked fine with them. It's ignorant adults that I have no patience with. Maybe I need to work on that, but yeah.(Seeing as how I'm not perfect and make my own mistakes and assumptions.) And I do agree that a place like Wal-Mart doesn't in fact have the best clientele.
Thanks for all of the different perspectives, though.
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reader, anonymous, writes (17 June 2009): If someone has a problem you can say politely 'Would you like me to get my manager?'. I know they assume you know everything about the store, but I recently just started at a new place and when they ask where something is I say 'sorry i've not long started here so i'm not sure', but you can still point them in the direction of where you think it may be. If they're rude afterward then you can just apologise again or smile. Trust me it will annoy them when they don't get a reaction from you ;). It is part of the job so unfortnately you DO have to put up with it, unless they start getting verbally abusive, if they do that then you ask them politely to leave, or again call your manager.
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reader, eyeswideopen +, writes (17 June 2009):
I've worked as a cashier before and I know all about rude customers. However I also have been on the other side of the counter and met very rude cashiers. It's very frustrating to get finally done with your shopping and an item has been entered into the system and has no price tag on it. You sound like you have an attitude problem and you should always say thank you to the customer, if it were not for them you wouldn't get that paycheck for that new car.
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