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The two things I vividly recall from working in retail are the customers and the managers. But not because they were good. No no, because they taught me how to smile while my mind was repeating "Fu** you."

Of course, there was the cleaning of the floor, the stocking of the shelves, and the ringing of the register but these responsibilities were the easy part. The human factor was where the misery was usually at. And if it wasn't for my colleagues, I don't know if I would have lasted for as long as I did.

So I was very glad to come across r/RetailHell. The subreddit acts like an online support center where workers from the industry come together to both vent and celebrate their painful and proud moments on the job. Sometimes, just the fact that someone is listening is enough.

#2

Dutch Supermarket Chain Opens Slower 'Chat Checkouts' In An Effort To Combat Loneliness Among The Elderly

Dutch Supermarket Chain Opens Slower 'Chat Checkouts' In An Effort To Combat Loneliness Among The Elderly

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We managed to get in touch with the mods of r/RetailHell and they were kind enough to have a little chat with us about it.

"This subreddit is very easy to mod," one of them told Bored Panda. "The community is really supportive and very little policing needs to be done, that's probably because the majority of members work retail, and anything insulting or rude to employees will be downvoted to oblivion, so it's largely self-governing."

"That said, we pretty much just ban people for breaking the rules," another mod added. "None of that negotiating a timeframe and then having to ban them again in a month. If you're [a jerk], we just ban you."

#5

Too Accurate

Too Accurate

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Steffen Rehm
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

"Hey! What costs this???" *Proceeds to stay in front of that little paper, all alone over the product. Name, price and everything* "Is that the price for this???" Happens surprisingly often.

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"The community itself is really positive, funny, and insightful about working in retail," the first mod continued. "Lots of people letting their internal monologues out where in work they have to keep a smile on even behind a mask."

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"The most popular themes are humorous — we have a good sense of humor here. In retail, you have to or you just wouldn't survive." 

However, it's not just sunshine and days off. As the second mod explained, if you dig a little deeper, you realize it's a bunch of tired people trying to get a break from life.

#8

On The Front Door Of A Local Liquor Store

On The Front Door Of A Local Liquor Store

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Steffen Rehm
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I wish we had security, so i have not to deal with these not so smart as they think people.

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A large part of this emotional exhaustion comes from indifferent bosses. Zeynep Ton, a Professor of the Practice at the MIT Sloan School of Management, whose research focuses on how organizations can design and manage their operations in a way that satisfies employees, customers, and investors simultaneously, thinks the main reason why retailers underinvest in labor is that it's often their largest controllable expense.

"[Labor] can account for more than 10% of revenues—a considerable level in an industry with low profit margins," Ton explained in Harvard Business Review. "In addition, many retailers see labor as a cost driver rather than a sales driver and therefore focus on minimizing its costs. Accordingly, they often evaluate store managers on whether they meet monthly (or weekly) targets for payroll as a percentage of sales. These managers don't have much control over sales (they almost never make decisions on merchandise mix, layout, price, or promotions), but they do have a fair amount of control over payroll. So when sales decrease, they immediately reduce staffing levels. The pressure to reduce payroll expenses is so high that store managers at several large chains, including Walmart, have been widely reported to have forced employees to work off-the-clock, paying them for fewer hours than they put in."

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#9

"You Are Not At A Level Of Skill That Deserves This Wage"

"You Are Not At A Level Of Skill That Deserves This Wage"

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WilvanderHeijden
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

The people who call them unskilled jobs aren't even capable of working them.

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#11

I Love How Customer Actually Think We Care

I Love How Customer Actually Think We Care

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However, according to a new analysis of more than 1.4 million Glassdoor reviews, a toxic culture is 10.4 times more likely to contribute to an employee leaving than compensation. That culture includes failing to prioritize diversity, equity, and inclusion; unethical behavior; and workers feeling disrespected, the report said.

"Compensation is at best a moderate predictor of attrition," Donald Sull, a co-founder of analytics firm CultureX, which performed the analysis, told Bloomberg.

The research focused on reviews posted between April and September 2021 for large for-profit companies that employ roughly 25% of private-sector workers.

The numbers revealed that apparel retailers are losing the highest number of workers. Retail employees had an average attrition rate of 19% during that six-month period, and retail employees quit at a rate three times higher than airline workers, medical device makers, and health insurance employees.

#12

It Said "Call Center" Previously, I Believe It Also Applies

It Said "Call Center" Previously, I Believe It Also Applies

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#13

Not Oc But Worth A Share

Not Oc But Worth A Share

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KJ
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I wonder if you could make a career of being hired by shop workers to tell the annoying customers to go f themselves while just appearing to be an ordinary shopper.

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The first moderator of r/RetailHell believes this toxicity is so abundant because "current culture allows it."

"Retail and other front line workers have not benefited yet from the change in cultural behavior that we have seen over the last 20 years, and part of that cultural problem comes from retail itself. It allows customers a lot of room to abuse employees because, at the end of the day, the customer spends money," the mod said. "These are my views only ... but I'm 21 years in retail."

The second mod said they don't think that customers are mindfully misbehaving. "It's not that they want to be [jerks] to the workers, it's that they literally can't see outside their bubble and recognize that it's another human being stocking those shelves. I really think they often don't take the time to mention that. You'll see that in stories from here. A customer is being a complete a***ole, but the worker shows emotion like crying, and suddenly they realize what they've done. I've seen workers talk about de-escalation methods that speak to this very issue. When you get them to realize that you're a human, rather than simply a conduit to donuts, their attitude often changes."

"This isn't always the case, and some people just suck," the mod highlighted. "I'm willing to bet most of those people suck outside of a retail setting, too. Sometimes retail is simply society's first line of defense against [jerks]."

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#15

Every Night At Closing Time

Every Night At Closing Time

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#16

Sad That This Even Exists

Sad That This Even Exists

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Kira Okah
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

It's a sign, the text is going to be explicitly ignored and/or contradicted jut for being on a sign =.=

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#17

Upvote If You Would Not Fix This

Upvote If You Would Not Fix This

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Sarah
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Can anyone help me? I don't know what the word should be because BP has censored it so well.

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#19

We've Had These Kind Of Karens Right

We've Had These Kind Of Karens Right

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Willem Groenewald
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Ha, Sunday after church service was always the worst. Was* because I waitered 20 years ago.

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#20

When Those Certain Customers Are Walking Towards The Door...

When Those Certain Customers Are Walking Towards The Door...

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Foxxy (The Original)
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

We had a few customers that everyone dreaded serving and cringed if we saw their faces in the shop. We even had a dibs system where the last person to say dibs had to serve the customer.

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hhh cubed
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I worked somewhere that the only warning sign that the well known annoying customer had entered was that all the sales associates would suddenly scatter and hide.

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WilvanderHeijden
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Yes. When I was working in IT I had some people who were so annoying that I just yelled: "Not now! Not here! Not you!" when ever I saw them.

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Brian Bennett
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

You see certain people coming at you and you just want to rip their faces off because you know what's gonna happen!

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Tom Bolton
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

No, that's the point of ethnomethodology: they must commit a faux-pas of done kind, then we unleash the stored up pettiness and spite on them.

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Jessica Gunn
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Yep, one restaurant I worked in opened at 10:00am, and anyone that would be waiting outside the door for us to unlock it, was immediately pre-judged, and was guaranteed to be annoying

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Ozymandias73
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Yes 1000x yes. Or those "regulars" that come in that are ALWAYS annoying and you and the rest of the staff have nicknames for them to warn the others they are in the building

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SoCalJellybean
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Would see people’s fat heads through the glass doors when I worked as a receptionist in college, and would literally feel my blood pressure rising. Like, turn around, go back to your car, and leave me the f**k alone! 🙄

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Re Gear
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Yeah, somehow I already know the people that wont get along with me in the first meet

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Brenda Owens
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

We customers see them and dread them as much as you. It has caused me to leave the store.

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Kar Red Roses
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

howabout when you’re having a good day at work and a pre-annoyed customer stomps in to purchase something? 😬 You work to fill their order while their grumpiness takes on the presence of an approaching thunderstorm; ☁️🌪🌩 Gotta finish & get them out before they start whinging and complaining about something (not under your control & not your fault) Big Smile… Thank You

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Sam URae
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Worked in thrift clothing once. Customers coming in with babies/little children, small dogs, large "shopping" bags, or 5 minutes before closing, right away you can tell they're going to be a problem...

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Timothy
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Every time I get that feeling from a person I just want to walk out of the room like "not today"

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Tash
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Im in work right now and my colleague & I have just had a ten minute chat about what we're going to say to a horrible customer who's due in at lunch time.

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Memere
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Oh, when I worked as a grocery cashier, there was one guy who was this exact person! He was so awful, all the employees right up to the manager detested him.

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Jazmine Conway
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Certain relatives and co-workers, I hear their voices from outside in the street or see their name on the same shift and am just like "F**k!!! Not you again!!!"

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The swede.
Community Member
2 years ago (edited) DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I get pre-annoyed every day about everyone. Every.Single.Human.

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Melissa Johnson
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Well...I went from retail, to preschool, to having four kids of my own, so...

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Joshua Selbitschka
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

any time a Consumer Cellular customer walks up to me. because it always involves tech support and they never accept that i am not trained in that.

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Metallicd3ath
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

My mom did tech and service support for cell phones a while back. I was doing tech and service support for consumer entertainment. When our contract ended, they wanted to put me on phone support, I said no thank you beggar of the stories my mom would tell me. I remember someone saying "everyone has a phone, including those who don't deserve to have a phone"

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Tweaked
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Especially when those customers are walking towards me 0.0001seconds before we close.

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Gaby Almodovar
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

When I was working on a cruise-ship, there were always a couple, regarding who the housekeeping were played paper-rock, who should clean their cabin.

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StormWolf
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I prefer to equate it to preheating the oven; it's gotta get heated anyway and if you start with a slow, steady burn, you save quite a bit of time ;)

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Bob D. Lin Quint
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Any old person with lottery tickets. They can't even work the f*****g card reader ffs

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Bob D. Lin Quint
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

"Oh yeah there's 10 people behind you and I'm the only one on register right now but please keep mumbling and rifling through your pockets for that $7 you should of had ready 5 minutes ago when you forced me to start this transaction that's just throwing that money away anyway."

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#21

Lmboo

Lmboo

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#23

Anyone Else Starting To Reach Their Emotional Limit?

Anyone Else Starting To Reach Their Emotional Limit?

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#24

Mcliving-Wage

Mcliving-Wage

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#25

How I Wish This Wasn't True

How I Wish This Wasn't True

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WilvanderHeijden
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Some Dutch shops have adopted this ridiculous rite of shouting "Welcome" when customers enter the store. I've heard many people yell back "Act normal!!!"

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#26

Cough Cough At My Entire Management

Cough Cough At My Entire Management

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WilvanderHeijden
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

What a bad attitude! Is that the thanks company gets for employing you and giving you a chance to become rich if you work hard and long enough? /S

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#27

Hits Home Doesn't It

Hits Home Doesn't It

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A B C
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Don't call them baboons. I'm pretty sure baboons would be better at following rules than these dumbfúcks.

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#28

Haha True

Haha True

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#31

I Never Related So Hard To A Meme Before

I Never Related So Hard To A Meme Before

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#32

Every. Single. Time

Every. Single. Time

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Truth Monster
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

I used to say, "Now its actually going to cost double, as I've now done double the work. But just because you're a SPECIAL VALUED customer, it'll be 100% off so its now only (regular price).

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#33

Customer: Is This Cash Only?

Customer: Is This Cash Only?

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Truth Monster
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Walmart circa 2015 made you click "I understand" when it said that it didn't accept cash/card. About 1 in 5 got to the end of the transaction and then were completely dumbfounded that it didn.t take cash/card. I used to joke that customers would agree to selling their kidneys on those self checkouts and never know.

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#34

My Boss Volunteered Me For A Golf Event That I Hated Every Second Of, So I Gave Her A Golf Themed Resignation Letter

My Boss Volunteered Me For A Golf Event That I Hated Every Second Of, So I Gave Her A Golf Themed Resignation Letter

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#36

Manager Put These Up 3 Days Ago Not Going So Well

Manager Put These Up 3 Days Ago Not Going So Well

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Steffen Rehm
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Maybe you should mention a Bonus for that time like, let´s say, tripple the salary for that time?

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#37

I’m... Concerned

I’m... Concerned

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Hannah Edwards
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

The people working to keep us in food and loo rolls during the pandemic are heroes!

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#38

It Do Be Like That, True Or Nah?

It Do Be Like That, True Or Nah?

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#39

I Clock On My Brain Clocks Off

I Clock On My Brain Clocks Off

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WilvanderHeijden
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

Because every customer is just another shadow in the long lines of shadows that they see passing by each day, with the exception of that one friendly and polite customer that stands out every 2 weeks or so.

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#40

I Have No Words...

I Have No Words...

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Jo Choto
Community Member
2 years ago DotsCreated by potrace 1.15, written by Peter Selinger 2001-2017

This looks bad, but in my head, I'm trying to see how you could possibly fit all those shoes on the little racks, and I'm thinking everything was so overcrowded that this result was pretty much inevitable.

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