Annoying Customers/ Retail workers rants...

[blueberrymuffin]

I thought I would start a thread like this, as I saw one on a different forum and I always find it interesting reading peoples stories. It's also good to vent sometimes...

I work in a corner shop which sells newspapers, snacks etc and we also sell cigarettes and alcohol. I am often working alone. Quite recently, I had a customer who honestly looked about 15 come in and ask to buy some cigarettes. I asked him for his ID and he didn't have any, so I politely told him that I couldn't serve him. He got quite annoyed and told me that he'd been in before, the manager knows him etc etc etc. That was all well and good but I'd never seen him before in my life!

I ended up having to call the manager to verify that he was in fact over 18, and then I had to apologise to the customer for the inconvenience.. I just don't understand why he wouldn't bring ID with him, especially when it turns out he had only recently turned 18! When I did apologise he didn't even say 'no problem' or anything like that.. He just looked thoroughly pee'd off.

Anyway, just thought I would share one of my stories! Do you guys have any?

[BellaJane]

When I was working at a fast food restaurant in high school I had someone throw an entire bag of food at me because we were charging $$ for extra sauces. And when I was waiting tables in college one of my customers stiffed me on a tip and then called our corporate office to complain about my "terrible personality" because I wouldn't serve her obviously underage daughter a cocktail.

[hollaatmegurl]

I worked at a sporting goods/farming sort of store for about a year when I was 16. Most of the time I was a cashier, but sometimes I got thrown back into different departments, like housewares or sporting goods or farming etc etc. When I was up on register, some of the people were just so damn rude. Like I'm sorry, it's not my fault that your card is being declined, or that I need to have the pricing department get me a UPC on an item that had a sticker fall off or something. I can't make them move any faster, it's not my fault you're waiting here.

Or you'd get the people who would come in RIGHT when our doors opened and buy a candy bar with a $100 bill. Our tills were stocked up with $200 in 1s, 5s, 10s, and then the quarters, dimes, nickles, pennies. We didn't open with any 20s in our till, so a person buying a 50-cent piece of candy with a $100 bill...like do you not have anything smaller? You're going to clean out my register before the day even starts.

And there was one time when I was back in the sporting goods department, and I was the only person back there (everyone back in that department had a habit of disappearing). I didn't know anything, like what to do with ammunition or anything. So some old guy comes up and asks if we have a certain kind of bullets, and I'm like idfk dude they just threw me back here. I tried to find someone but of course no one was back there, so I told him if he wanted to wait until someone could help him that I'd try to get someone over. And he starts yelling at me "No, I want YOU to show me where they are, I want YOU to deal them to me, do your damn job" and I was just fed up so I walked away and went on break, oops.

[Suspiria]

And he starts yelling at me "No, I want YOU to show me where they are, I want YOU to deal them to me, do your damn job" and I was just fed up so I walked away and went on break, oops.

Hahaha more power to you. It's always some old piece of shit that does that too. Usually between ages 50-70, acts super self-entitled, mean, and impatient. It's like people legit internally transform into monsters once they set foot into some type of consumerist environment (no surprise I guess though). I once worked at Toys R Us and these parents would buy 200+ worth of junk for their kid(s). If any problems occurred (say, with the disastrous, relentless couponing) they'd all flip into bitches - as if the 2 for 1 money-drawing gyp was REALLY that tragic of a loss to begin with. Or say, maybe your toddler doesn't need 85 different toys when in reality they'll most likely slobber on it and ignore it for the rest of their life. That's also why I was so against couponing and the "rewards" card when all it does is provoke the customer into spending more and more money on things they don't need. No, getting $5 off ISN'T "a lot" in the "grand scheme of things" - Wanna know what is though? Not buying $200+ worth of stuff from a toy store. Or a department store. Or whatever overconsuming you feel is "necessary" to buy. Instead of feeling the need to buy every conceivable object on the planet for your kid, how about teaching them that in life it's almost completely meaningless and superficial, and that you don't actually "need" to buy certain things just because you can and everyone else acts like you should.

[Dahlia]

When I was working a this smoothie place It would be so annoying when a customer would just stand there and hold up a line. There also was this one lady who would come in all the time just to start shit we would make the Smoothies just the way she asked and then would get all mad at us for no reason. We try to reason with her and offer to make it again but she just kept getting an attitude and this wasn't once this was multiple times she would do this.

[pie]

I work part time at a specialty Asian store. The store has a policy against accepting $100s and you would need to spend a certain amount in order for it to be accepted. I get a fair amount of people yelling at me for not taking their $100s (we have signs for it everywhere) for their $5 purchase.

These people seem to think I sit in corporate meetings and make up all these rules. I get paid $8/hr, asshole. You really think I would know why they don't take $100 bills?

[Gaga]

It would always baffle me when I worked in fast food and someone would give me a hundred dollar bill for their less than ten dollar order. Not only did you have to wait longer to get money back, but half the time people never got the correct amount of change back, not from me, but other cashiers lol... I've worked in retail/fast food/restaurant type jobs for the past few years because I'm in college and they work better with my schedule...but once you work in any of those fields I feel like you get a new found respect for other workers.

[kaysagossiper]

So glad I don't work retail anymore, I work at a hospital now, I mean yes, we get the mean/grumpy people but hey, either they, or a loved one is in the hospital, I think they're a little more entitled to be short/mean/grumpy than some ass hole who is yelling because we don't have their size.

I worked 3 years at Osh Kosh
and not quite 1 year at Ross Dress for Less

Most of my horror stories are from ross.

[Regina Phalange]

Haha I once got a corporate complaint because we ran out of a food item. They told corporate I was racist.

[hollaatmegurl]

Hahaha more power to you. It's always some old piece of shit that does that too. Usually between ages 50-70, acts super self-entitled, mean, and impatient. It's like people legit internally transform into monsters once they set foot into some type of consumerist environment (no surprise I guess though).

Exactly, and I told him multiple times that I had no idea what I was doing back there. There's some process they went through to deal ammunition and fuck if anyone taught me how to do that.

Speaking of the older people, there was a woman coming through my lane getting some kind of candy or nuts or something. We sold bags of a million different kinds of candy and nuts and junk under the store name and they went on sale a lot, but only for certain kinds (like pecans, walnuts, sour gummy worms, etc). She had a coupon, and it was a 2 for $4.00 deal (the bags were normally around 3 bucks). Well, she didn't read the coupon, which said at the bottom that it was only good for a few different varieties, and she grabbed completely different ones. Easy mistake, but when I was explaining that to her she was just bitching and bitching and BITCHING and smacking her gum and clacking her too long fake nails on my counter telling me she was going to file a complaint against me for being difficult. It's not my fault the shit you wanted isn't covered by the coupon??

[TaylorKnows]

Worked as an administrative assistant last summer at a counseling office. We would get emails from a company that would set people up with counseling centers if they asked. We got an e-mail saying to call this guy and ask if he was still interested. Well aparently it was his mom and he was young. She also claims she asked not to be called. No record of this on the email or we wouldn't have called. She gave me quite the attitude and informed me that I should've known. I'm not a mind reader lady!

I also used to volunteer at a library. We had movie night and the deal was, pay $2 and you get to watch a movie and you get 2 slices of pizza. You got two tickets for your pizza. It was my job to give the pizza out and collect tickets. When I asked one women to see her tickets, she got all pissy saying I didn't ask the person in front of her for her ticket. One, I saw the woman's tickets in her hand and two, she gave it to me without me asking. I was polite but she said I only asked because she was black. Um, no. Then she complained to my supervisor who told her I was right. So many parents were rude to me there. They acted like I was a bad person for enforcing rules. I can't bend the rules for you!

[stefunny]

I worked at Zara for 2 years, and we had a rule in the fitting rooms, only ONE person per fitting room and no more than SIX items per room. Man people just flipped at least once a day over this rule.
We had a woman in her 40's and her daughter in her 20's try to go to the same room. I explained to her they couldn't and of course she complained but I told her it was a corporate rule. Then another woman and her young daughter, maybe 7 yrs old, came to try stuff on. Of course I let the little girl go in with her mom, and the other customer freaked and asked why she was able to go in with her mom. Seriously lady?! Because your daughter is a GROWN woman and she was a LITTLE GIRL! UGH I'm so glad I got out of there.

[Chlorophyll]

I've got so many of these stories I barely know where to start!

What's awesome is when someone drunk gets mad that you won't sell them more alcohol. It's like "Dude, just leave before we call the cops."

[blueberrymuffin]

I've been really enjoying the stories so far! Keep 'em coming guys

I literally just had an annoying customer experience! A man just came in with his son (who was probably 8 years old), and asked if his son could have a glass of water because he's really thirsty.. I thought that was a bit rude considering we sell all sorts of soft drinks but I said yes, and went out the back to get him one. When I came back out his son was opening the fridge doors and slamming them shut (we have lots of wine in the fridges).. We also have a chair in the shop that people refer to as the 'captains chair' (I have no idea why) and the child then proceeded to push the chair around, step on it and open up all of the freezers and open and close them, slamming them shut every time.

I was pretty much watching that kid like a hawk the whole time in case he knocked something over! I just found it so annoying that the dad didn't say anything at all, nor did he even seem bothered by his behaviour. I honestly think they only came in so they could get some water, as the dad had a thorough look around the whole store and then bought the cheapest thing we sell (chewing gum). I suppose he at least bought something.

[Blueberry]

Oh boy do I have some stories from when I worked in fast food. Don't even know where to begin, lol!

[nicheee]

I work at Staples, I have so many horror stories especially when back to school season starts. Omg idk where to start lol

[Lydia Deetz]

This picture pretty much sums it up.

[TaylorKnows]

If you work in retail, you have those stories.

I love my job, but hate certain customers. We have a 14 day return policy and someone yesterday tried to return something they bought over a year ago and kept arguing with my manager over it when I called her over. Another person tried to return calendars she bought after the 14 days because she said the return policy didn't state calendars. o_O it doesn't state bookmarks either. The return policy means anything and everything. And of course you have to be nice about it...smiling and acting like they're right. You're wrong!!!

Thank you Slagg for the idea!

[Slagg]

If you work in retail, you have those stories.

I love my job, but hate certain customers. We have a 14 day return policy and someone yesterday tried to return something they bought over a year ago and kept arguing with my manager over it when I called her over. Another person tried to return calendars she bought after the 14 days because she said the return policy didn't state calendars. o_O it doesn't state bookmarks either. The return policy means anything and everything. And of course you have to be nice about it...smiling and acting like they're right. You're wrong!!!

Thank you Slagg for the idea!

{all of the thumbs ups} Thank for finding this thread! I have a feeling it'll be really active towards the weekend...

[As1014]

I was working at lane Bryant fixing the panty table and I had a customer following behind me around this round table just picking up the panties I had just fixed and got in order and just throwing them back down. She ending up not buying anything. I was so mad but of course I can't say anything and that really sucked for me cause I don't like keeping my feelings to myself. Also there was one time a man was angry cause his wife's dress was so expensive and was complaining and cussing to me as if I make up the prices. Lucky for me those are the only customer problems I had that I can remember. Btw that was my first job ever and my first day was on Black Friday...I was not ready for that lol I have so much respect for retail workers now that I know how much they go through for little pay.