People
Why is it that people tend to think that the person behind the register is there to just be a verbal punching bag? What makes them think it’s okay to just say whatever they want? No matter how hurtful or rude? Did I miss the memo declaring us not real people?
- I was working alone one morning, and an older man came in the store. I said hello and continued working my freight. He wanders back and forth a few times before finally coming up to and saying, “Do you work here?” As though the red shirt, nametag, and obvious work I was doing didn’t clue him in. “Well where’s the duct tape?” I show him, and then meet him up at the register.
I scan the duct tape and say, “That’ll be $3.25.”
“Where’d the .25 come from? The shelf said $3?”
“Tax.”
“Well, you can shove that up your ass.” Storms out.
Excuse me? Have you been living under a rock your whole life? How do you not know about tax when you’re a grown man?
2. A customer brings a large storage tote up to the register and asks how much it is. I flip it over to reveal the price sticker on the bottom.
“$10.”
“But the shelf says $6.”
So, we walk over to the shelf in question and I point out the sign that says $6 is in front of a different item.
“No, the whole shelf is $6!”
“So, I should mark this $3 item up to $6?”
“Well. No. But why isn’t there a sign for this one?”
“It must have fallen off.”
“THAT DOESN’T HAPPEN!”
“Okay. Do you want it or not?’
“I WANT IT FOR $6!”
“Stop yelling.”
“I’M NOT – yelling.”
Sigh.
3. “Where’s your restroom?”
I show a lady carrying a baby to the door. She comes back out a second later.
“You don’t have a changing table?”
“No, I’m sorry.”
The lady starts pushing stuff off the shelf to lay her baby down.
“Uh, I’m sorry, but I can’t let you do that.”
“Then what else am I supposed to do? She has a shitty diaper!”
“Um…your car?”
“I walked up here!”
Takes a moment to think about how hot it is outside and how the lady walked up here with a small baby….
“Um…”
“Why don’t you have a changing table? Why would you pick a building without a changing table?”
“I didn’t pick this building…”
“You’re a piece of shit. I curse your children!”
“Okay, you can leave now.”
What???
*Bonus Round*
“I’ve been standing up here for five minutes.”
“I’m sorry, I was in the restroom.” *Points to sign on counter that says “In restroom, be right back.”
“That’s unacceptable.”
I could go on, but I’m sure I’ve gotten the point across. We aren’t robots just because we work in retail. We do have feelings and it’s not okay for people to just say whatever they want.