40 Pics From “Retail Hell,” A Place Where Retail Workers Come Together And Support Each Other

I used to be a store manager of a shop in a mall in Connecticut. Any time we had warnings of blizzard conditions, I would close my shop down and pay the fine later. There was absolutely no reason for my employees to risk their lives to sell high priced goods!

I was supposed to get special training for a promotion the same day a huge storm hit. I got in a car accident, refused medical attention, and showed up to work 2 hours late with a big bruise on my forehead and a bunch of blood on my shirt from a bloody nose and they took away my promotion for not being serious enough about the job to be on time. Because if I was serious about it I would have left extra early to make it on time.

Worked for Dillard's in Florida when I was in my early 20s. My boss expected us to come in when a Category 4 hurricane was going to start blowing into the state. Needless to say I got written up for calling in EVEN THOUGH the mall ended up closing after an hour of being open because of the weather. Retail is crazy.

When you start paying triple time starting when I close my door.

So... a couple years ago. We had a massive cold snap in my state. -30 before windchill(fahrenheit for those concerned, still cold, but not as bad as if it were celcius i think). half the state shut down. I work retail, my company's basic response was: "Sucks to be you." And to make matters worse, so many freaking idiots came out to shop that day. risking life and limb for a damn video game/toy! I mean, I can understand if it was food or medicine. But that? wait until tomorrow! the cold snap was breaking that next morning!

They have a lot of really great social programs in the Netherlands. They also have a program where they pair up school kids with elderly people and they do different activities together and learn from each other. We really need more of a multi-generational approach to communities.

This is actually a great idea. I used to work in retail and the amount of people, especially the elderly would try and keep chatting even when you are serving another customer. They would chat to you like you were a friend and not a stranger.

The supermarket I worked at in the UK was near a few retirement complex. We were always encouraged to spend time talking to our elderly customers if we felt they wanted some conversation.

I would use those even if I'm not old, not even lonely, but just to chat with those waiting

Not sure why this is listed in retail hell. It could be a fun job for the employee, and certainly serves a very good purpose! We could use this here in the US for many, many reasons!

I don't wait until it's my turn, I will speak up for the worker, NO ONE deserves to be treated poorly when all they're trying to do is their job.

I usually just say " Wow so that's what a charm school dropout looks like".

In customer service, for every 10 interactions, almost 2 is an a**e, not sure about the stats nowadays

whats a ct and a fk

I was in a situation where I NEEDED to get a computer accessory because I worked from home, and the girl who helped me in the store was literally on her first day there. She was probably 16. Her DAD showed up and chided her for not knowing what to do, which only made the poor girl nervous. I made it a point to tell her that she was doing great and that I really appreciated her help. IDK what gets into some customers (and parents).

I once had so annoying a customer who finally asked to see the manager, I said I'd go see if they were free to come out. I was the manager, went to the back, grabbed a drink, sat down for a few minutes, then walked back out and asked how I could help. The reward was priceless, mouth open, no words.

Security had taken this dirty little old man aside and talked to him after he grabbed my ass. Dirty Little Old Man asks to speak to the manager, and the manager was called. "Your employee threatened me!" Manager:Did you say that? Security: I would never say that. I could lose my job if I said that. Manager: Then why does this customer claim you did? Security: Maybe he was upset at being told he had to leave the store before I called the police. Groping sales associates isn't acceptable no matter how old you are. Oh, make sure we save the video from [time] for law enforcement. Manager: Sir, why are you still in my store?

Once I had a customer who was trying to get a refund for an item that was exempt from the return policy and I said no they asked for a manager as they do and when I was telling the manager about it they were like your right let’s go talk to them. We got their and before they said a word he was giving them a refund. I was pissed off the rest of the day and I asked him what the hell was he doing

International student told me he wouldn't to a woman, and wanted to speak to my boss. I ask Renae to come speak to him. Before she even makes it out of her office he states that he wants to speak to the provost. I call that office and ask to speak to Carolyn.He is seething, and wants to speak to the registrar. OK. Call that office, Joann....he screams and walks out. My all time favorite work story! I forgot to mention that because he refused to follow rules for Int'l students, I had so many holds on him, he couldn't pee without my permission!

Still much better than undermining your staff

My very first job at 15 was at subway sandwiches. Our power went out so I put a sign on the door saying we were temporarily closed. By the time the third customer rapped on the door I asked my boss what the heck was happening. He told me we could write “go f*ck yourself” on the door and they’d still try to get in. He was my fav.

Used to do janitorial work. We would strip and relax floors on a regular schedule (no surprises in the timing) We would put up signs... Wet Wax No Entry. Came back from lunch to see high-heel tracks going straight through the wax, followed by a slip-and- skid mark with a bum-print. Person responsible for the tracks comes to yell at us, we point out the signs. Lady is an English teacher at the facility.

The only word people see is: FREE