Bosses Can’t Understand Why Sales Have Dropped, Workers Remind Them It’s Their Own Fault

If you’re anything like me, you would have done a fair amount of last-minute holiday shopping in your life. You might have also been greeted by some sad and empty shelves while trying to find the perfect gifts. It seems other people beat you to it. They managed to grab the last of those amazing promotions you spotted online. But that might not actually be the case, and here’s why…

A retail worker has spilled the beans on what really happens on some store shelves ahead of big holidays or occasions. Their intention wasn’t really to share trade secrets but rather to highlight some retail struggles, specifically between staff and management. The person revealed how they and their colleagues were told to follow a rather absurd rule, and how they finally got the bosses to see the light with a marvelous act of malicious compliance. Bored Panda got in touch with renowned Customer Service and Experience expert Shep Hyken to get his view.

“Jam-packed” is how many of us would like to find shelves when doing our holiday shopping

Staff in a small store surrounded by empty shelves and stocked wine bottles, highlighting empty shelf management challenges.

Image credits: mitchell nijman / Unsplash (not the actual photo)

But customers were greeted with empty space and air at one store, after staff followed management’s instructions with precision

Text excerpt about a manager telling staff not to fill empty shelves, leading to poor sales in retail.

Event shelves changing departments or themes every few weeks for holidays like Mother's Day or <a target=

Halloween.” />

Text excerpt explaining stock delivery and replacing old stock for events in a retail manager and staff context.

Warehouse worker in orange uniform handling large cardboard boxes near empty shelves inside storage facility

Image credits: Hatice Baran / Unsplash (not the actual photo)

Email from management instructing staff not to fill empty shelves, leading to no products being sold.

Text excerpt explaining a manager instructed staff not to fill empty shelves, wondering why nothing was sold.

Text showing a message about management instructing staff not to fill empty shelves, leading to sales issues.

Empty store shelves with no products, illustrating effects of manager decisions on staff and sales performance.

Image credits: Wesley Tingey / Unsplash (not the actual photo)

Text excerpt describing a manager instructing staff not to fill empty shelves, resulting in no sales during a three-week period.

Conference call between managers discussing zero sales after staff told not to fill empty shelves causing dropped sales.

Frustrated man in white shirt holding his head, representing manager told staff not to fill empty shelves and sales issues.

Image credits: Tima Miroshnichenko / Pexels (not the actual photo)

Text on white background stating a manager told staff not to fill empty shelves in a retail setting.

Image credits: MaddieGator

“I don’t believe in deception”: an award-winning customer service and experience expert weighs in

Millions of people work in retail in the United States alone. Many will tell you it’s not always easy. They walk a fine line keeping the customer happy while maintaining a strong focus on the bottom line. They’re following instructions from the big bosses, and sometimes these don’t always make sense.

In light of the dilemma faced by the retail worker above, Bored Panda was curious to dig a bit deeper into the world of retail and customer service. So we reached out to renowned customer service and experience expert Shep Hyken. We asked the award-winning keynote speaker and author what he thought of the staff’s act of malicious compliance.

As far as Hyken is concerned, the staff did what they had to. “The workers followed the instructions they were given. They informed store management, yet they had their hands tied due to upper management’s decisions,” Hyken told Bored Panda. “The issue isn’t with the general store employees, but with management. Perhaps the store manager could have pleaded the case, including potential consequences, to get upper management’s attention.”

The customer service expert points out that there are other ways to handle the situation. “Often, upper management and leadership are driven by results. In retail, that means sales and $,” explained Hyken.

“Rather than asking to fill the shelves with alternative products, specify the potential loss of revenue if no action is taken. What does it cost to have empty shelves? When upper management understands the financial consequences, they may react differently.”

Something that stood out for us in the store worker’s story was the instruction to leave the shelf empty so that it appears items have been sold out. We asked Hyken if this is common practice in retail…

“I don’t believe in deception,” he replied. “If there aren’t enough products (because something is missing from a delivery from the supplier or manufacturer), change the display to make it look good, rather than leaving an unattractive void on a shelf.”

Hyken says the offers in question are “limited time offers” (LTOs). They’re tied to events, seasons, etc. “It’s expected the store might run out of stock,” he added. “Done the right way, you can ‘train’ customers to be on the lookout for the upcoming specials. This will give them an opportunity to get in early on the sale. For the store, they will legitimately run out of stock.”

There are several holidays and occasions throughout the year. Each offers a unique opportunity to boost sales. But Hyken says this can only happen if stores provide a good customer experience.

“If a customer comes into a store to take advantage of advertised holiday or event promotions, only to find the store is constantly out of stock, it’s only a matter of time before the customer chooses another store that isn’t constantly out of stock,” he warned.

The store worker provided some more info in the comments

Reddit discussion about manager told staff not to fill empty shelves causing no sales and customer confusion in store.

“Best way to get rid of a dumb policy is to follow it”: people had lots to say

Screenshot of a Reddit comment reading "There's nothing sweeter than CYA compliance" with 2.3k points in a discussion about store management.

Customer service chat screenshot showing a message about poor management decisions affecting sales in retail.

Screenshot of a Reddit comment highlighting staff told not to fill empty shelves and the impact on sales.

Manager telling staff not to fill empty shelves while questioning why nothing was sold in a retail store setting.

Manager instructing staff not to fill empty shelves in a retail environment, leading to confusion about sales performance.

Text excerpt discussing managers telling staff not to fill empty shelves and questioning why nothing was sold.

Text comment from user gonesnake explaining a view on management and staff expectations about thinking while working.

Screenshot of a forum post explaining company policy not to fill empty shelves despite sales concerns.

Screenshot of an online comment discussing a policy about not filling empty shelves and its impact on sales.

Alt text: Comment saying staff followed manager's order not to fill empty shelves, highlighting sales issue and management problem.

Screenshot of an online comment discussing poor management decisions about empty shelves and sales issues.

Comment about retail work challenges posted on an online forum with username RudeOrSarcasticPt2, showing 8 points and 4 days ago.

Red shelves in a store left empty while manager told staff not to fill them, causing no sales to occur.

Comment from user explaining management told staff not to fill empty shelves, reflecting on company instructions.

Comment about a manager’s decision not to fill empty shelves, leading to no products being sold.

Comment about management telling staff not to fill empty shelves, highlighting poor decision making and sales impact.

Comment text on a white background about a manager instructing staff and the resulting lack of sales.

Comment praising management for learning from their mistake in a retail setting discussing empty shelves and sales issues.

Comment text expressing disbelief about management's decisions and questioning if they have clear thinking or planning.

Not filling empty lines seems to be a thing, many workers shared similar stories

Screenshot of a social media post discussing management instructing staff not to fill empty shelves affecting sales.

Manager told staff not to fill empty shelves, resulting in low sales and questions on store performance and compliance.

Staff told not to fill empty shelves at store, leading to confusion over why no products were sold or displayed properly.

Store manager instructs staff not to fill empty shelves, resulting in no product display and poor sales performance.

Alt text: Manager told staff not to fill empty shelves, leading to confusion about why products were not selling in the store.

Text post discussing retail management policies about not filling empty shelves, impacting sales and store presentation.

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