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This IG Account Is Posting Memes For Anyone Who’s Ever Worked Retail, And Here Are 35 Of The Most Hilarious Ones
Most professions include things that nobody else will understand except those who experience it firsthand, and retail is no different. It can be really tough work—entitled customers, poor management, erratic schedule, and lots of caffeine to get you through your shift. However, it’s all about finding the humor in the most ridiculous situations.
If you've ever had a job like this, you'll definitely relate to the hilarious memes that Retail Problems posts. This Instagram account with more than 65.3K followers is all about "the pains and struggles" that shop workers face every day.
We’re about to dive into the collection of some of the best memes posted by the account, so scroll down and upvote your favorite ones. Got similar stories to share with everyone? You can go into detail about them in the comment section below.
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#1
Eirik Johnsbråten 3 years ago
Yeah, because all the lazy employees were depending on you to do their job.
Usually, when people are straight out of college and looking for work, they choose customer service or retail jobs since it’s a great way to get some experience. Needless to say, being a retail associate definitely has its perks: company discounts, flexible hours, and a variety of different jobs available. Plus, often there’s no need to have some special qualifications and you get to meet all kinds of people along the way.
However, it’s definitely not an easy job. It’s truly demanding, both physically and mentally, and requires a lot of patience and knowledge of how to react in conflict situations. From straight-up unreasonable to plain difficult, retail workers meet some of the most nightmarish customers there are, and the pay does not reflect the amount of energy they put into their jobs.
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So having a place to turn to, like the Retail Problems account, can be a great relief. Letting out a few laughs with your co-workers can help you deal with the stress and anxiety that you might feel at work. Whether it’s trying to tell a story in between serving customers or coming back from the stock room and not remembering what the customer looks like, this account is full of share-worthy memes.
But even though the job is demanding and it might seem that there's no way for it to get better any time soon, there are a few things retailers can try. One of the problems is that the employees feel like they have no say in the decisions happening at their workplace.
Most often it’s their shifts that cause the biggest discomfort. Unstable scheduling thrives across the retail industry in order to get better profits, when in fact, such practices have hidden costs, researchers stated in Harvard Business Review.
#3
The online shopping business has grown immensely over the past few years and retail stores needed to find new ways to compete. Since traditional methods like convenience, assortment, and pricing were not enough, the one thing they can really offer is service: "Yet, research suggests that retailers tend to view store associates as an expense to be controlled rather than as a medium to provide better service for customers."
It turns out, customer service is the main thing that separates them from the online giants that steal their customers every day. Researchers did an experiment at Gap where they put retail associates on more stable schedules and studied the business results. When they began working with the American clothing retailer, most employees worked part-time and received their schedules often only three days before the beginning of the new week.
#6
Kishibe Angelo 3 years ago
they aren't raised i think they do fission like a cell they just split into another one
During the experiment, 28 stores were randomly assigned to control and intervention groups, and the latter ones had to try out a few changes: giving workers a stable schedule, standard start and end times for shifts, and eliminating "on-calls".
#8
MyOpinionHasBeenServed 3 years ago
I'll add - You not winning the jeep/suv in the roll up the rim.
#9
CrunChewy McSandybutt 3 years ago
I remember a lifetime ago I was working in a shoe store that closed at 5 pm on Christmas Eve. A lady walks in at 4:55 pm and asked If I could stay "a few minutes longer" while she shopped. I said no, and she lost her s**t. She just couldn't fathom that retail workers have families, too.
The results were incredible: sales increased by 7% and labor productivity by 5%. These are some impressive numbers for an industry that works really hard to increase sales by 1-2% and where "productivity grew by only 2.5% per year between 1987 and 2014." So shifting to a more stable schedule is a win-win for both the employers and their employees.
#10
kristina law 3 years ago
And then feeling so guilty all day serving customers because your boss made you come in anyway
#12
Sarcastic Cow 3 years ago (edited)
Hello from archive. Every damn story starts nearly ´In the beggining was the Word...´
Moreover, it seems that the pandemic has made such an impact on consumer behavior that makes it difficult for things to go back to "normal". Data shows that customers "are likely to keep the behaviors they’ve adopted amid stay-at-home orders, such as more online shopping and fewer mall visits", so in order to survive, retailers need to put more focus on their employees and take their customer experience to a whole new level.
#13
We all know that having a chuckle improves our mood, makes us more productive and generally happier. While there are still plenty of problems within this slowly declining industry, retail workers find different ways to laugh about the pains and struggles they face in their day-to-day jobs. So thanks to Retail Problems, the atmosphere for associates at work can become a little lighter, and stress levels a bit lower.
#17
Kathryn Baylis 3 years ago (edited)
Yes. I’ve also loved my job but hated my coworkers, and hated my job plus hated my coworkers. The job you love with coworkers you really like, that also pays you enough to live (they don’t all do)—-is a rare and beautiful thing. Hold on to it tight and cherish it.
#24
#26
Andy Acceber 3 years ago
Motivational boxes. A brilliant innovation in the world of product packaging.
#28
Andy Acceber 3 years ago
That's called being an introvert, and it's normal. Sometimes, you just need a break from peopling to refuel yourself.
#30
Andy Acceber 3 years ago
In the TV show, Superstore, the main character Amy intentionally wears nametags with other names because she doesn't want customers knowing her name. (It's a terrific show if you haven't seen it.)
#36
#40
Sheila Stamey 3 years ago
Yeah... It's not funny, but you really have better ammo after awhile.
#44
#47
#48
Sheila Stamey 3 years ago
And then realizing you were going to be required to request mask wearing. That was a horrifying thought to me and I haven't worked retail in years. I'm the anti-Karen. If I catch somebody unloading crap on some hapless working person, I use my super powers of older lady with a cane telling a stranger to f off and then I yell for help. I've told managers off, I've told screechy customers off, I love it!!!!
#49
BigOrangeTractor 3 years ago
It's almost as if it's normal for human beings to be able to interact with people of different ages.
#51
Miranda Mott 3 years ago
Really? Working retail, I learned that if it's out of stock, it's not in the back either beucase it's out of stock. Why would it not be restocked if we have it? Unless this post is being sarcastic, and the point of this is to point out how often customers think (as Demi Zwaan has so excellently demonstrated in the comments below) we're just too lazy to have restocked it and it's in the back. If it says "out of stock" it's out of stock.
#55
kath morgan 3 years ago
Lol my customers say this “haven’t you been outside today? But it’s so nice!” Do you not see me here working
#59
Luther von Wolfen 3 years ago
Oh, how I hated it when the closer the previous night left everything messed up and was me.
#61
Brandon Marlowe 3 years ago
"The hardest part of LIFE is being nice to stupid people." There. Fixed it for you.
#63
Andy Acceber 3 years ago
I actually hate this. My current job is a little different in that people usually don't need answers right away, but there are still difficult people. When someone is difficult and doesn't accept my answer for something that I am in fact in charge of, I don't like to continue to argue with them. Instead, I've given my email to difficult, argumentative before and told them to email "that person" for help. Then, I give them the same answer over email. I've done this a few times, and no one has caught on yet.
#67
Andy Acceber 3 years ago
Ooo, jealous of the one who gets two days off in a row. That's definitely the better schedule in retail. This is also why "breakfast friend dates" or "post-work, grocery shopping get-togethers" are a thing.
#75
Andy Acceber 3 years ago
Yup. 'Especially if you're subbing departments. You just spend the whole shift silently hoping that no one will speak to you.
#76
just_a_snake_in_a_hat 3 years ago
I told my boss 2 months in advance what days I'd be gone. She tried to guilt trip me into working thoses days (I'm going out of state) and doubled my schedule for the next week. I was doing way to many hours for a part-time worker. The cherry on top? She never got someone to cover my shift, so they closed early, and she blamed me. She didn't deserve my two week notice.
#79
King Joffrey 3 years ago
I'll take the graveyard shift anytime. The prospect of waking up at 5am to get to work for 7am is far scarier than a night shift...
#80
RedMarbles 3 years ago
So funny when birds run, even birds not known for their flying ability.
#88
Mewton’s Third Paw 3 years ago (edited)
Also when you own a business. Or if you’re in stocks it’s more like “fûck this weekend!” Weekends are trash. Everyone shouldn’t have the same days off, because then when you want to see a movie or grocery shop, every motherfuçker alive is out.
#90
MyOpinionHasBeenServed 3 years ago
I don't want to work more, I just want decent pay so I don't have to put in over time.
#91
kath morgan 3 years ago
Regularly lol. They’ll try the door when I have the sign propped against it. Sometimes they sneak in another entrance and start browsing while I’m clearly still setting up.
#95
Deceased Nemo 3 years ago (edited)
I do this because I dont want to be one of the people in r/I don't wok here lady"
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Jerry T 3 years ago
I just noticed my co-worker had been on the phone for a really long time with a customer. I could hear her getting frustrated and then she said, "I don't care who it's for. It could be for the Lord Jesus himself, you cannot get it by Thursday!"
Brandon Marlowe 3 years ago
I've worked in some form of retail for most of my life and yes, there are challenging customers every day. I identified with a lot of these posts. But, if you truly HATE what you do, please find another job. If not for your own sake, then for the people you serve, your family, and your co-workers. Life is short. Your job doesn't have to be wonderful all the time but it shouldn't be miserable either. You deserve better.
ZAPanda 3 years ago
There's very little choice for some people. A lot of jobs require degrees. Here, unless you have a degree you pretty much are going to be a driver, miner, tree feller, etc., or work in retail. All the jobs that DON'T require a degree generally require speaking to the customer (except mining, there you just have to speak to a foreman.).
Load More Replies...
Rens 3 years ago
I can't understand why people are so rude to anyone who works in retail hospitality or customer services. The whole wasps with vinegar and honey comes to mind....
ZAPanda 3 years ago
It's a sense of entitlement. Fortunately here it's mitigated by factors like (a) every shop has security guards so you'll probably have a bad time if you get uppity, and (b) if you act all entitled you might get misinterpreted as it being a racial incident if the customer and retailer are from different demographics, which they quite often are because of the huge diversity here.
Load More Replies... Summer Mason 3 years ago (edited)
In the town I live in its alot of locals that have lived here their whole life. You get alot of cashiers that have been on their job for 10+ years. They are a wonderful community. When I was down and out I took a job as a cashier at a local and very frequented gas station. A lady screamed at me because of the price of her cigs going up. A local customer before I had a chance to explain it to her, said "oh hell no lady, you don't yell at her like that, get out of here with all our nastiness. We don't treat people like that around here". I loved that little old lady. She was amazing and wonderful for sticking up for me. Even though I could handle it but still 💓
Nikki Sevven 3 years ago
People who believe that being rude to servers, bartenders, and clerks will garner them better service are completely deluded. It's not difficult to have a modicum of empathy and understand how difficult it is to serve an ungrateful public. Be nice. Tip well.
Chloe *Leah* Pheonix 3 years ago
Don't forget listening to all I want for Christmas is you on loop for your entire shift starting on September 1st.
Mewton’s Third Paw 3 years ago
Everyone is rude. Customers are super combative and have zero courtesy. But retail workers are people too, and they’re made up of the same bunch. Karen’s, assholes and jerks and entitled idiots. It’s very much a “both sides” thing with all the normal people also on both sides. Working retail isn’t that bad compared to working restaurants.
Jerry T 3 years ago
I just noticed my co-worker had been on the phone for a really long time with a customer. I could hear her getting frustrated and then she said, "I don't care who it's for. It could be for the Lord Jesus himself, you cannot get it by Thursday!"
Brandon Marlowe 3 years ago
I've worked in some form of retail for most of my life and yes, there are challenging customers every day. I identified with a lot of these posts. But, if you truly HATE what you do, please find another job. If not for your own sake, then for the people you serve, your family, and your co-workers. Life is short. Your job doesn't have to be wonderful all the time but it shouldn't be miserable either. You deserve better.
ZAPanda 3 years ago
There's very little choice for some people. A lot of jobs require degrees. Here, unless you have a degree you pretty much are going to be a driver, miner, tree feller, etc., or work in retail. All the jobs that DON'T require a degree generally require speaking to the customer (except mining, there you just have to speak to a foreman.).
Load More Replies... Rens 3 years ago
I can't understand why people are so rude to anyone who works in retail hospitality or customer services. The whole wasps with vinegar and honey comes to mind....
ZAPanda 3 years ago
It's a sense of entitlement. Fortunately here it's mitigated by factors like (a) every shop has security guards so you'll probably have a bad time if you get uppity, and (b) if you act all entitled you might get misinterpreted as it being a racial incident if the customer and retailer are from different demographics, which they quite often are because of the huge diversity here.
Load More Replies... Summer Mason 3 years ago (edited)
In the town I live in its alot of locals that have lived here their whole life. You get alot of cashiers that have been on their job for 10+ years. They are a wonderful community. When I was down and out I took a job as a cashier at a local and very frequented gas station. A lady screamed at me because of the price of her cigs going up. A local customer before I had a chance to explain it to her, said "oh hell no lady, you don't yell at her like that, get out of here with all our nastiness. We don't treat people like that around here". I loved that little old lady. She was amazing and wonderful for sticking up for me. Even though I could handle it but still 💓
Nikki Sevven 3 years ago
People who believe that being rude to servers, bartenders, and clerks will garner them better service are completely deluded. It's not difficult to have a modicum of empathy and understand how difficult it is to serve an ungrateful public. Be nice. Tip well.
Chloe *Leah* Pheonix 3 years ago
Don't forget listening to all I want for Christmas is you on loop for your entire shift starting on September 1st.
Mewton’s Third Paw 3 years ago
Everyone is rude. Customers are super combative and have zero courtesy. But retail workers are people too, and they’re made up of the same bunch. Karen’s, assholes and jerks and entitled idiots. It’s very much a “both sides” thing with all the normal people also on both sides. Working retail isn’t that bad compared to working restaurants.
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