Anyone who has worked in retail knows that there are good customers, there are bad ones, and then there are people who have just come out of hell and are on a mission to make everyone's life miserable.
Recently, Twitter user Pigeon Fancier posted a question: "What's the most ridiculous demand a customer has made of you?" and the answers have been flooding in nonstop! From returning a fully consumed rotisserie turkey because it was too dry to demanding a book with real dinosaur photos, here are some of the wildest replies.
Image credits: isabelzawtun
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One study found that people treat retail workers worse when they're looking for bargains than if they were less price-conscious. The University of British Columbia (UBC) Sauder School of Business study, which was published in the Journal of Consumer Psychology in 2017, looked at several factors to determine how customers treated employees. One variable researchers looked at was the words customers used when speaking to customer service workers.
her brain cells clearly weren't permanent, must've gone for a walk
They found that customers at the cheap airline Ryanair used fewer humanizing trait words than those who were flying Lufthansa. Researchers believe that plays a big part in how customers treat people who are working there to help them.
Even if you worked there, putting a finger on your face and threatening to get you fired is beyond disgusting. Who do these people think they are??
I hope the police were called on him. In front of his kids. A lot of the time religion is stupid.
"When shoppers focus only on paying the lowest price, they become less attuned to understanding the human needs of others, or even recognizing them," Johannes Boegershausen, a UBC Sauder Ph.D. student who co-authored the study, said in a press release.
Researchers also analyzed customers' feelings towards the employees by showing them pictures of a flight attendant in the Ryanair (bargain) uniform, the Lufthansa (luxury) uniform, and a neutral uniform. Customers viewed the Lufthansa and neutral flight attendants as equally human, but they saw the Ryanair flight attendant in a poorer light.
What do you mean? You can obviously change the weight of the bags easily. Using essential oils! Laws were made to be broken.
"We simply varied the brand, and found that people ascribed lower capabilities for experiencing emotions and feelings to the Ryanair flight attendant," Boegershausen explained, adding that this subtle dehumanization can take many forms and is not necessarily intentional.
a bit like arguing with the creator of Dairy Milk because it doesn't taste the same as a supermarket knockoff
Another experiment had participants communicating in a live chat with a rude customer service representative. They were then offered the chance to punish the employee through a complaint. The researchers found participants were 18 percent more likely to give a rating that would lead to disciplinary actions against the employee when shoppers were adopting a price-conscious mentality than when they were not.
The researchers say the findings could help owners and management of discount stores, as the problem could affect their employee retention—previous research has shown that employees who experience rude and inconsiderate customer behaviors report higher levels of emotional exhaustion, job dissatisfaction, and burnout.
For lords sake, This is why I'm not a retail worker. People are STUPID.
Presumably so she can take it home and slice it....
Load More Replies...
Sure and while you're at it can you put this sliced ham in there too and bake it back into a pig
Tell him that requires witchcraft and the nearby pet shelter has caught wise about your need for white cats to sacrifice and so the Loaficus ReUnitus spells are out of stock until further notice until you can get a certified source of sacrifice cats...
How do you not respond with, "Are you f*****g high?!" to that kind of request.
Might work on that cheap sticky chemical bread in supermarkets --- just like sliced plasticine can be moulded back.
What? W h a t? I get bread rises.. It doesn't expand! Do they want extra crispy bread now? Ash coloured? Whole new meaning to Ash brown.
Take it to the back and bring out a new uncut loaf , think about the look on peoples faces when she tells them how you put it back together.
I'm laughing at the fact that these people walk amongst us. Procreating....
LOVE IT!!!! Don't forget to push the peanut butter and jam button.
If it was a christian bakery, they should throw in some fish with that bread
No there should not be a door here. Windows are used to bring in light. Specsavers appointment long overdue.
An elderly relative once asked me to photoshop a group of people out of an old photo "so I can see the building behind them"
I probably would have told him that if he managed to suck it out and spit it into a bucket, I would be happy to give him a refund. 🤔🤭😵
Do many places have smoking and non smoking areas anymore? I know in SA that it is illegal to smoke anywhere indoors (except home). It is also illegal to smoke a certain distance near a park, bus stop, school grounds etc. Pubs, Restaurants, Sports clubs have a small seperate section outdoors designated for smokers but no food is allowed and it is literally like a closed in box with no roof, some plants, maybe a couple of chairs/stools and maybe a table or two with ashtrays (if your lucky), sometimes it is standing only with ashtrays.
And yet they ate.. It all? They must like dry things then. Like their personality and scamming tactics, for example.
Was sitting in on a 911 call to see if I wanted to work as a dispatcher. Woman calls and asks for a police officer. Says her and her boyfriend got in a fight and he took the car and left. Then she questioned the woman.."Was it your car?" No. "Did he take anything of yours..purse or possessions?" No. "did he hit you or harm you?" No. "Well then what do you want me to do ma'am?" Make him come back!
I now don’t feel so bad that I get the vowels in the wrong order (Clemitas).
Had a guy come into the repair shop and demanded we repair a generator that "just stopped working." The mechanic opened up the fuel lines to find sand pouring out. Turned out the guy had taken the generator to a dirt bike rally in the desert and buried it to "Keep it safe." When we told him his new generator, which he only used once, required a repair not covered under the warranty, he screamed at us, marched himself to our local store, and convinced a salesman that he should be given a replacement for free because the previous one was "defective."
“I’m sorry...I must have forgotten to tell you that I’m colorblind. My bad!”
Pretty sure that it wasn't about solving homelessness but rather about removing them from the stores property so that customers like them won't be "bothered" by homeless people (especially their existence).
My mother-in-law once had parents that told her she needed to change her class schedule because their son needed to take Geometry, but the only times it was offered interfered with his band practice. Uh...Imma say "No"
I would have given her directions to the other two stores. "Buh-bye now...drive safe!"
What's worse about this is the people that get upset because they just show up at a restaurant with a party of 14 and expect to be seated immediately. Call ahead of time and let them know you're coming so they can make arrangements and reserve tables for you. It's called being courteous.
I had that happen because I mistakenly wore a royal blue t-shirt at Walmart. Boy..those Karen's get a little testy when you say you're not an employee....
" Sure. " and proceed to hold it upside down. Don't drop it though..
So many people dumped human ashes at the haunted mansion at Disney that it became illegal.
I used to work at a movie theater that was one of five in a local chain and one of the five was having the last screening of something I’d really wanted to see but hadn’t been able to get to before then. I arrived about 15 minutes late and when I asked if it had started yet—had no idea how many previews they were showing—they said “No, no...we waited just for you,” which is something I often wanted to say when people showed up late at our theater.” So I sighed and said something like “Yeah, yeah...very funny” and then they said “No, really, there’s no one else here and we knew you were coming.”
She meant the FBI, CIA and Homeland Security, because you're obviously are trying to bring division and civil unrest to the country. On the other hand, it might be the start of a career within the GOP...
Reminds me of the time I worked in an independent TV/video/satellite/audio retailers and this sweet old lady would pop in and ask us to look at her VCR because the videos were not playing. A few questions later and it turns out that she didn't realize the autoplay feature only works on videos with the tab removed such as on a bought movie and she was expecting the same from a home recording video with the tab intact. She looked embarrassed and said "I am a silly bugger arn't I!" We got called out to her house a lot for this problem. Turns out she was in the early stages of dementia and we called her son about it but she kept popping in to let us know the video player was still working. Boss always made her a cup of tea and we chatted with her for about an hour. She was awesome!
Oh dear...crazy cat lady! (I’m a cat lover, but I’m definitely not a CCL)
Oh, I have one that's similar. I work in company law in a small European country. Guy contacts me via e-mail, claims he's from India and is currently in Turkey. Cool. He then proceeds to pester me RELENTLESSLY (I'm talking 6 e-mail chains, twice a day, for three days straight), telling me to go to the local tax office, get him a local tax number (it's needed to found a company here), then PRINT OUT the copy of his passport he sent me, pretend it's the real thing, and either sign everything in HIS name (so fool the lawyer into thinking that I, a white woman in my 20's, am actually an Indian man about 10 years my senior and forge his signature on legal documents) OR give my own name and personal documents as HIS REPRESENTATIVE, while he stays half a fuckign continent over. Needless to say, that's not a service I provide, much less for the ~$100 we charge normally. He was baffled.
Well, fish that smells fishy is often not as fresh as it should be, so she might (repeat, might) be justified.
Was sitting at a restaurant waiting for my order when I noticed an old man at the bar giving the waitress a kiss on the cheek and squeezing her butt. I questioned my waitress about it. She said "Oh..he comes in every week and does that. He tips his waitress $60 for letting him do it." I'm like "WTF?"
If you sell bath bombs, then obviously you sell other pyrotechnics... right?
Why would you spill our retailers secret? What’s the first rule of retail?
I don't know if people think saying things like that work, but it definitely does not and just makes them more upset with you. Don't do it
A lesson I have learned a long time ago: First ask for details. You'll find that the emergency isn't an emergency, the newly bought pc is in fact 15 years old and the expensive car is actually a $200 rustbucket with a seized engine and no tires.
Read the Bible! Spoiler alert. He dies! In the sequel, he came back to life 3 days later. 😉
This is where you can take liberties. "Oh, yeah, the Shell Gas station there? Oh, yeah. They had a horrible infestation of dragons. Almost impossible to catch once they found the energy drinks. They had to shut the pumps down because the dragons were just throwing flame w***y-nilly as they toasted themselves some roller sausages and the odd passerby. Made up? Tell that to me Uncle Willers. My uncle Willers went in and they got him. My aunt Edna saw them slather him in nacho cheese. Not that its much loss, Willers ne'er was too smart, I reckon. Edna's glad to be rid of him, to be honest."
Next time tell them that plastic flowers aren't as ecofriendly but they last for decades.
You ever wonder if they hear themselves when they speak? Like..does it process that it made no sense whatsoever?
That's when you get you and 49 of your closest friends and family to do the transactions. Have you learned nothing from watching the big families at the grocery stores.....
Isn't this a consequence of idiot policies of some companies that will take in any product because "the customer is king and always right"?
So many questions like 1. Why would you need an address for a return? 2. What are you going to do with that information? 3 . How would it help you if I told you that my address is 1600 Pennsylvania Ave NW, Washington, D.C. 20500 in processing the return?
i work at an art store too and tbh i know of multiple customers who have that few braincells
Throw them out. If you aren't ordering , you aren't going to keep a table occupied.
Why not change the policy so people get two free, customers who want any more can buy them for a small additional charge.
And this is why women need clothes with regular pockets..like the men get.
Charmander is really common either way. Not worth the hype, I think it's overrated.
Back when I was working at a restaurant for a bit, I had a customer call up and ask if I could print and mail them directions, from their house, to the restaurant. Turns out they lived on a different continent, and also wanted me to arrange their flights and hire a car for them. They also asked, in all seriousness, if I could compile some sort of itinerary for their 2-week stay, and to include recommendations for other restaurants on the list. I suggested a travel agent might be a better fit for their requirements, and they said I had a lot to learn about "going above and beyond" in my customer service 😶 This was about 15 years ago
Wow. I have so many questions. Where were you working? A fancy restaurant? From where was the person coming? Were they going to pay for the international postage?
Load More Replies...
I worked in a Tourist Information centre, in a small village. I had once a lady asking me some information about a traffic circle which had statues of pilgrims on it, and I didn't know what she was talking about. She also asked me questions about the village, but what she was describing didn't exist in here... She lost her temper and started yelling at me, saying I didn't know the area I was working in, etc. I made a Google search on this specific traffic circle (fyi, in France we have tens of thousands traffic circles...), found it, and showed her the photo. Turned out she fell asleep while her husband was driving, and she didn't realize they drove more than 100km... I saw she felt stupid, and she left without any apology...
Can people PLEASE stop being so abusive and mean to retail workers? It's not ok. They're people too.
I was working at a hotel during a busy Easter weekend. A guest arrived thinking she had reserved 2 rooms. She had only reserved one room and I would have offered another but we were fully booked. Her response was to demand that I sell her someone else's room.
As a student I used to work as a cashier in the superstore. That day I was working on the fast service till for clients buying 10 items and less. I had costumer who got really mad because man before him was buying 13 items -it was 9 items and multipack of beer. First he argue and shouted, then become very aggressive, swore at me and when I tried to stand up for myself and told him I am not paid to tolerate such a behaviour he completely kicked off, lean over the till and tried to punch me. Security guy who came to help was kid from my college, as little and as scared as me. Finally someone seen it on the CCTV and my manager run down to me with couple of police officers who were in the store just because some homeless guy locked himself in the store toilets and refused to leave. Other costumes in the line did and said nothing to help me, call someone or stop him. When freaking guy was escorted to the police van they were all very sorry for me.
I worked at a copy center and a customer brought in black and white photos and wanted color copies of them, I didn't think much of it because our color copier was a higher quality print than the black and white copier and actually came out close to photo quality. When I handed her the copies she was confused why they weren't in color like she asked... Had to explain that the "color" copier didn't work that way
I worked in a shoe shop, customer comes in with a pair of trainers wanting a refund because they gave him blisters... they had blood all around the heel.
While I was ringing up customers at Trader Joe's, a woman came in and asked if we sell Coke, to which I answered that we did not. She then rudely demanded to know if they sold Coke next door at Barnes and Noble and stormed out when I said I had no idea what they sold in their cafe.
I worked as a manager of a big box retailer in a small NZ town. A man came in and asked for an AIRCRAFT part. My offsider politely declined, saying we didn't carry it. He insisted we check the (non existent) warehouse, and i said no need, we know we dont have it, and he totally lost the plot. I let him rant then escorted him out. He sent me a letter from his lawyers saying i had to arrange to keep the part in stock. Weird.
I worked as a cook at a fish & chips joint. Fish, shrimp and chips went from the fryer to pans under heat lamps. One day a customer ordered shrimp. As my coworker assembled his order he said, "No, I want HOT shrimp." I explained those shrimp had come out of the fryer seconds before he placed his order. He accused me of lying. I told him I would make some more but it would take a couple of minutes. He agreed to wait. When the shrimp was done I plopped it straight into his basket without shaking any oil off of it. He smiled as if he had won a major victory. Then he burned his mouth on his HOT shrimp.
I worked at a snack bar on the Quebec border. We had a very flamboyant and well dressed biker gang pull in one day. This type of biker gang seems to only exist in Quebec from what I've seen. One gentlemen proceeded to order our fresh haddock seafood platter (pricey for a snack bar) and I asked if he wanted tarter or cocktail sauce with it to which he replied tartar. Then he ordered a coffee with cream and sugar. He pays over 20$ American for this (2010~) and sits down at a table. A while later I bring his food and he FREAKS OUT that he didn't order fish.... I still don't understand why he wanted tarter sauce with his coffee after all of that or why he didn't question paying over 20$ for the cup of coffee which was apparently all he wanted. I got yelled at by Quebecians constantly. One couple would come every single week and complain every single week and tried to get free food (every single week).
I used to spend my days processing prescriptions and dealing with mostly nice, reasonable patients, until Blister Pack Bitch darkened my pharmacy door. She had a prescription for 500 ferrous sulfate tablets (iron tablets) - which by law, in the US, have to be sealed and dispensed in a blister pack because of the risk of children accidentally getting their little mitts on unsecured tablets and overdosing. The first time she demanded that these tablets be removed prior to dispensing, we explained to her that federal law forbade this and why. She kicked up such a fuss that we gave in but told her this was it. A month later, she pulled the same b.s. and once again, we broke the law. The third month, she played the "I'm dying card" -seriously- and my pharmacist finally gave up. Every month after that, I had to peel the paper backing on each card and pop each tiny tablet through the foil. The popping part was easy, but that initial paper peeling part never went smoothly.
I can't believe y'all capitulated. It was the law. She must have really been something.
Load More Replies... And people question why employees that work in customer service should be paid $15.00/hr. You've just had over a hundred examples as to why. They just don't get paid enough to put up with this crap everyday!
I had customers call me incompetent, lazy and stupid for the craft store I worked at not carrying something they wanted. Also had older customers that were apparently so problematic my managers would apologize to me over the radio for sending them my way that wanted me to come to Christmas dinner to meet their grandsons by the end of a transaction because even the grumpiest of our older customers loved me. My most ridiculous request was a woman we had to call 911 on for threatening violence after we wouldn't return clearly stolen items. My managers insisted I went home early because she left before officers arrived and definitely blamed me for calling my managers (policy when the system flags a return) instead of giving her cash and she was threatening my life.
I worked at a declining Hallmark store from 2011-2013. We had a customer call about once a month wanting to buy cards but did not want to peruse the shelves herself. Instead she would have us READ the cards over the phone to her and have us put aside the ones she liked so could could pick them up later. At first it pissed us all off, but eventually we just went along with it cuz we were all dead inside. That place sucked.
I was a volunteer corner marshall, not even a paid worker, for a stage of the Tour De France that went through the south of England in 1994. An eccentric crank on a tandem stopped in front of me and started ranting at me about the press cars that were speeding down the closed road circuit in front of the race, as if I could somehow stop them. (He and his old lady were wearing homespun wool socks that were falling down into their shoes - real old hippy types.) "Sure dude, I'm a volunteer from another country who has never met the race organizers, but I'll get right on that." 🙄
I work as an customer service operator for a bank. I hear customers say '' that wasn't mentioned in the contract!'' on daily basis. I always take the time to find the exact contract and read the ''not mentioned'' part out loud for them. Their defense is usually '' Well I didn't read the contract, so how could I know'' so, yeah..
Back when I was working at a restaurant for a bit, I had a customer call up and ask if I could print and mail them directions, from their house, to the restaurant. Turns out they lived on a different continent, and also wanted me to arrange their flights and hire a car for them. They also asked, in all seriousness, if I could compile some sort of itinerary for their 2-week stay, and to include recommendations for other restaurants on the list. I suggested a travel agent might be a better fit for their requirements, and they said I had a lot to learn about "going above and beyond" in my customer service 😶 This was about 15 years ago
Wow. I have so many questions. Where were you working? A fancy restaurant? From where was the person coming? Were they going to pay for the international postage?
Load More Replies... I worked in a Tourist Information centre, in a small village. I had once a lady asking me some information about a traffic circle which had statues of pilgrims on it, and I didn't know what she was talking about. She also asked me questions about the village, but what she was describing didn't exist in here... She lost her temper and started yelling at me, saying I didn't know the area I was working in, etc. I made a Google search on this specific traffic circle (fyi, in France we have tens of thousands traffic circles...), found it, and showed her the photo. Turned out she fell asleep while her husband was driving, and she didn't realize they drove more than 100km... I saw she felt stupid, and she left without any apology...
Can people PLEASE stop being so abusive and mean to retail workers? It's not ok. They're people too.
I was working at a hotel during a busy Easter weekend. A guest arrived thinking she had reserved 2 rooms. She had only reserved one room and I would have offered another but we were fully booked. Her response was to demand that I sell her someone else's room.
As a student I used to work as a cashier in the superstore. That day I was working on the fast service till for clients buying 10 items and less. I had costumer who got really mad because man before him was buying 13 items -it was 9 items and multipack of beer. First he argue and shouted, then become very aggressive, swore at me and when I tried to stand up for myself and told him I am not paid to tolerate such a behaviour he completely kicked off, lean over the till and tried to punch me. Security guy who came to help was kid from my college, as little and as scared as me. Finally someone seen it on the CCTV and my manager run down to me with couple of police officers who were in the store just because some homeless guy locked himself in the store toilets and refused to leave. Other costumes in the line did and said nothing to help me, call someone or stop him. When freaking guy was escorted to the police van they were all very sorry for me.
I worked at a copy center and a customer brought in black and white photos and wanted color copies of them, I didn't think much of it because our color copier was a higher quality print than the black and white copier and actually came out close to photo quality. When I handed her the copies she was confused why they weren't in color like she asked... Had to explain that the "color" copier didn't work that way
I worked in a shoe shop, customer comes in with a pair of trainers wanting a refund because they gave him blisters... they had blood all around the heel.
While I was ringing up customers at Trader Joe's, a woman came in and asked if we sell Coke, to which I answered that we did not. She then rudely demanded to know if they sold Coke next door at Barnes and Noble and stormed out when I said I had no idea what they sold in their cafe.
I worked as a manager of a big box retailer in a small NZ town. A man came in and asked for an AIRCRAFT part. My offsider politely declined, saying we didn't carry it. He insisted we check the (non existent) warehouse, and i said no need, we know we dont have it, and he totally lost the plot. I let him rant then escorted him out. He sent me a letter from his lawyers saying i had to arrange to keep the part in stock. Weird.
I worked as a cook at a fish & chips joint. Fish, shrimp and chips went from the fryer to pans under heat lamps. One day a customer ordered shrimp. As my coworker assembled his order he said, "No, I want HOT shrimp." I explained those shrimp had come out of the fryer seconds before he placed his order. He accused me of lying. I told him I would make some more but it would take a couple of minutes. He agreed to wait. When the shrimp was done I plopped it straight into his basket without shaking any oil off of it. He smiled as if he had won a major victory. Then he burned his mouth on his HOT shrimp.
I worked at a snack bar on the Quebec border. We had a very flamboyant and well dressed biker gang pull in one day. This type of biker gang seems to only exist in Quebec from what I've seen. One gentlemen proceeded to order our fresh haddock seafood platter (pricey for a snack bar) and I asked if he wanted tarter or cocktail sauce with it to which he replied tartar. Then he ordered a coffee with cream and sugar. He pays over 20$ American for this (2010~) and sits down at a table. A while later I bring his food and he FREAKS OUT that he didn't order fish.... I still don't understand why he wanted tarter sauce with his coffee after all of that or why he didn't question paying over 20$ for the cup of coffee which was apparently all he wanted. I got yelled at by Quebecians constantly. One couple would come every single week and complain every single week and tried to get free food (every single week).
I used to spend my days processing prescriptions and dealing with mostly nice, reasonable patients, until Blister Pack Bitch darkened my pharmacy door. She had a prescription for 500 ferrous sulfate tablets (iron tablets) - which by law, in the US, have to be sealed and dispensed in a blister pack because of the risk of children accidentally getting their little mitts on unsecured tablets and overdosing. The first time she demanded that these tablets be removed prior to dispensing, we explained to her that federal law forbade this and why. She kicked up such a fuss that we gave in but told her this was it. A month later, she pulled the same b.s. and once again, we broke the law. The third month, she played the "I'm dying card" -seriously- and my pharmacist finally gave up. Every month after that, I had to peel the paper backing on each card and pop each tiny tablet through the foil. The popping part was easy, but that initial paper peeling part never went smoothly.
I can't believe y'all capitulated. It was the law. She must have really been something.
Load More Replies... And people question why employees that work in customer service should be paid $15.00/hr. You've just had over a hundred examples as to why. They just don't get paid enough to put up with this crap everyday!
I had customers call me incompetent, lazy and stupid for the craft store I worked at not carrying something they wanted. Also had older customers that were apparently so problematic my managers would apologize to me over the radio for sending them my way that wanted me to come to Christmas dinner to meet their grandsons by the end of a transaction because even the grumpiest of our older customers loved me. My most ridiculous request was a woman we had to call 911 on for threatening violence after we wouldn't return clearly stolen items. My managers insisted I went home early because she left before officers arrived and definitely blamed me for calling my managers (policy when the system flags a return) instead of giving her cash and she was threatening my life.
I worked at a declining Hallmark store from 2011-2013. We had a customer call about once a month wanting to buy cards but did not want to peruse the shelves herself. Instead she would have us READ the cards over the phone to her and have us put aside the ones she liked so could could pick them up later. At first it pissed us all off, but eventually we just went along with it cuz we were all dead inside. That place sucked.
I was a volunteer corner marshall, not even a paid worker, for a stage of the Tour De France that went through the south of England in 1994. An eccentric crank on a tandem stopped in front of me and started ranting at me about the press cars that were speeding down the closed road circuit in front of the race, as if I could somehow stop them. (He and his old lady were wearing homespun wool socks that were falling down into their shoes - real old hippy types.) "Sure dude, I'm a volunteer from another country who has never met the race organizers, but I'll get right on that." 🙄
I work as an customer service operator for a bank. I hear customers say '' that wasn't mentioned in the contract!'' on daily basis. I always take the time to find the exact contract and read the ''not mentioned'' part out loud for them. Their defense is usually '' Well I didn't read the contract, so how could I know'' so, yeah..
