If there's one thing working in retail has taught me, it's that people can be much bigger jerks than I ever imagined. But maybe you understood that from our list of the worst client stories alone. I'd say it illustrates the absurd side of the industry pretty well!
But not every interaction by the counter is unbearable. Every once in a while, when you least expect it, someone comes up and restores your faith in humanity. Even though you swore to your friends that you've become a misanthrope. And there's one Twitter thread that proves it beautifully.
Created by Jenny from Washington, DC, it has people sharing feel-good memories about the times they went the extra mile for a customer just because they didn't treat them like garbage. Continue scrolling and check them out!
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You could argue that mutual understanding between employees and customers is now more important than ever. According to a new survey from Zipline, pandemic stresses continue to take a toll on American retail workers, with 48% of them saying they've considered quitting their job in the past year, and 64% saying they're seeing more aggression from customers.
The survey of 512 full-time, in-store retail associates, fielded in November and December 2021, also discovered that the share of retail workers eyeing the exit door has grown: in Zipline's previous workers' survey, conducted last spring, around 41% of respondents said they had thought about leaving their job.
Back in the day when I worked retail, if someone was really nice and I wanted to give them a discount like that, I’d do the old “are you SURE?” thing accompanied by a very knowing eyebrows raised look, trying to send them the message that the correct answer is “why yes, yes I am”, so I could give them a better deal. But if my manager wasn’t around and there was no line behind them, I’d say something like the OP did and give them the discount.
Among those who told Zipline this time around that they had thought about quitting, more than half said they were considering leaving the industry altogether.
Greater confidence in their job prospects is probably a big reason for some of those plans: 4.5% of retail workers quit their job in December—up from 3.1% who quit in December 2020, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics' latest monthly Job Openings and Labor Turnover Summary (JOLTS) report.
Imagine being a jerk and calling the police on someone who already is down on their luck.
And it shows. Retailers had more than 1 million job openings at the end of 2021 but hired just 861,000 workers in December, and that demand for labor has pushed up wages, with leading companies such as Walmart, Amazon, and SpartanNash saying in their latest earnings calls that rising labor costs have pressured margins.
So it's a good time for everyone in the market looking for a job change. But for retailers themselves, results of Zipline's survey point to potential risks that might warrant revisiting their workforce retention efforts.
🎶Sir, I want to buy these knives for my mama, please It's Christmas Eve and these knives are just right for her🎶
Something that will not happen if you think that it's your royal right to be rude to servers because "Customer Is King".
Zipline's latest findings also reveal that:
- 40% of full-time retail associates reported worsening mental health in the past year;
- 48% said they had experienced or witnessed a verbally abusive customer;
- 48% said they feel they have management's full support if and when a customer becomes verbally abusive;
- Of the 32% of full-time retail workers who say they have an additional source of income, 43% say they have a nonretail job, and 11% said they have another job in retail—creating demands on time that may keep some interested employees from taking advantage of continuing-education or career-development opportunities that their primary retail employer offers.
This makes me sad- you know they were risking their job to help... this should be the norm, not throwing away perfectly good food...
"If there is one main takeaway from our survey it is this: mental health is declining as burnout increases at a rate we've never seen," Zipline said in a blog post. "It's a problem that, left unchecked, shows no signs of abating ... More disturbing still, more than half of all retail associates surveyed said that their mental health was either not a concern to their manager or that their manager was harmful to their mental well-being."
No wonder so many of the respondents are serious about quitting their job. They feel abandoned.
Something that should be known and may be helpful to others. alot of places like walmart and such will give you some syringe's for free(without needles of course) if you just ask them politely.
Teachers having to buy school supplies out of their own pocket. In other news: College teams pay $500 million in dead money to coaches to not coach anymore.
To fix the grim situation on the floor of retail stores across the United States, Zipline said managers should:
1. Be proactive about creating mental health infrastructure: sixty percent of the associates surveyed reported that their employer either didn’t have a mental health program in place or they weren’t aware if such a program existed;
2. Offer paid mental health days (at least): More than half of retail associates said the service they want most from their employer was paid mental health days with counseling and therapy coming in second place (18%) and paid gym memberships right behind (17%);
I'm not nice to people because it pays to be nice, but it *is* a lovely perk.
3. Increase pay: increasing an employee’s pay can lessen or eliminate the pressure to take on a second job. This not only increases employees’ dedication to their company, it also gives them more time to relax and take care of themselves, which translates into improved mental well-being;
4. Demonstrate support for employees: the survey found that 64% of retail employees had noticed an uptick in verbally aggressive or confrontational customers during the pandemic, but fewer than half of the respondents felt they had their manager’s support during these interactions;
Oh my god, I would marry this woman. I knit professionally and as a hobby so my yarn costs are through the roof! Those handmade sweaters, socks, scarves not only take a LOT of time to make by hand but often also cost way more than an equivalent item at the store because of the costs of quality yarn. Cheap acrylic stuff is usually anywhere from $2-7 per ball and the good stuff can cost anywhere from $9 to $300, depending on the fiber and size.
I went to dunkin once really craving some munchkins, ordered a dozen and the lady says "it's almost closing time can I give you 50 for the price of a dozen". That was a great day.
I hope when she presented the total, she totally did the Vanna White hand gesture!
5. Acknowledge contributions: fewer than half of the survey respondents felt that their managers frequently acknowledged their hard work. Managers should make a point to show appreciation for their employees’ contributions to the team to build morale and boost job satisfaction.
Of course, there's no quick fix. But if these strategies were implemented, chances are, the employees wouldn't have to rely on customers to enjoy their work!
Jo Choto: Because the post is poorly put, I would presume. The sweater HAD belonged to an employee's great grandparents (who presumably are dead).
Note: this post originally had 49 images. It’s been shortened to the top 30 images based on user votes.
I have a nice one. When I was working on my own in Denmark, I had to stay in Copenhagen city centre over the weekend. I had my dinner at one of the restaurants on the outside of Tivoli. It was getting quite late and they were a little slow at bringing my bill. I mentioned to the waitress that I had been thinking of going to Friday Rock, but that it was getting late and I was probably just going to go back to my hotel. She persuaded me to go and got me in for free by taking me through the kitchen. Ended up seeing a new artist for the first time and one of my Danish colleagues in the office managed to get me an copy of her English album (she was singing in Danish at the concert). Now a definite fan. :D
We've occasionally got a homeless person in our grocery stores walking around, and they usually are choosing what they can afford or not, and typically try check out with 1-2 items. One day I just say to one of the guys, put in whatever you need. I took him to the cashier and rang him up and then rang up my stuff. It didn't come to much, about $40, but he really appreciated it. You can make a difference to someone.
I was in a Dollar Tree once & this lady was there with her 2 small kids. They were behind me in the checkout line. She was buying 3 plastic boxes & I just happened to notice she was counting change to see if she had enough & her kids, being normal kids were asking for candy. She kept telling them as quietly as she could that she didn't have enough. After I checked out I had the cashier ring up her stuff & I paid for it, turned to her with a smile & quietly handed her the receipt, saying "now you do" She was shocked & the cashier was thanking me like crazy & I told her "everyone needs help at some point. Also no parent should be in the position of having to tell their small child (who doesn't understand & doesn't need to at that age) they don't have enough to get candy.". As I walked away I heard the mom asking the kids what they wanted. I'm 6ft 5in 315lbs guy & I teared up. That's just who I am though, I've bought people's groceries as a thank you for using their loyalty discount card.
I have a nice one. When I was working on my own in Denmark, I had to stay in Copenhagen city centre over the weekend. I had my dinner at one of the restaurants on the outside of Tivoli. It was getting quite late and they were a little slow at bringing my bill. I mentioned to the waitress that I had been thinking of going to Friday Rock, but that it was getting late and I was probably just going to go back to my hotel. She persuaded me to go and got me in for free by taking me through the kitchen. Ended up seeing a new artist for the first time and one of my Danish colleagues in the office managed to get me an copy of her English album (she was singing in Danish at the concert). Now a definite fan. :D
We've occasionally got a homeless person in our grocery stores walking around, and they usually are choosing what they can afford or not, and typically try check out with 1-2 items. One day I just say to one of the guys, put in whatever you need. I took him to the cashier and rang him up and then rang up my stuff. It didn't come to much, about $40, but he really appreciated it. You can make a difference to someone.
I was in a Dollar Tree once & this lady was there with her 2 small kids. They were behind me in the checkout line. She was buying 3 plastic boxes & I just happened to notice she was counting change to see if she had enough & her kids, being normal kids were asking for candy. She kept telling them as quietly as she could that she didn't have enough. After I checked out I had the cashier ring up her stuff & I paid for it, turned to her with a smile & quietly handed her the receipt, saying "now you do" She was shocked & the cashier was thanking me like crazy & I told her "everyone needs help at some point. Also no parent should be in the position of having to tell their small child (who doesn't understand & doesn't need to at that age) they don't have enough to get candy.". As I walked away I heard the mom asking the kids what they wanted. I'm 6ft 5in 315lbs guy & I teared up. That's just who I am though, I've bought people's groceries as a thank you for using their loyalty discount card.
