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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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.
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.
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.
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".
I'll add - You not winning the jeep/suv in the roll up the rim.
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.
And then feeling so guilty all day serving customers because your boss made you come in anyway
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.
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.
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.
Motivational boxes. A brilliant innovation in the world of product packaging.
That's called being an introvert, and it's normal. Sometimes, you just need a break from peopling to refuel yourself.
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.)
Actually worked at a store that we had our nicknames cause it was an all female staff and creeps in the past started stalking the staff so the company made it possible to just go by a nickname instead. Amazballs.
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I must admit I do not get this one - what is wrong with calling somebody by their name, can someone explain, please? If I talk to the cashier in my supermarket and I can call her Mrs. XY it is more polite than "hey you!", isn't it??
It's really annoying when people use it: 1, to pretend they're your friend. ("Heeeey *looks at nametag* Andy. How about I get a better deal on this?") 2, to get your attention. (*Queue of 10 people, person in back says* "Excuse me! Excuse me! Excuuuuse me! Aaaaandy! Andy!") 3, to make some weirdly racist statement. (*To my coworker Sayid* "So Sayid... is that, like, foreign?"). Names are very personal things. Anyone who has ever worked customer service knows that customers can be demanding and cruel. It's nicer when that cruelty isn't directed at you by name. A lot of people in customer service have been verbally abused by name so many times, that honestly, I think a friendly "Hi there" or "excuse me" is nicer than assuming a worker's gender and calling them by their nametag.
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I have a friend who calls servers and retail workers by their name once she reads it on her name tag. And she will keep using their name every time. "Hey, John, can you refill my drink.", "John, can I get some more ranch?", "John?", "John....?", "JOHN?!", ::John looks over like WTF:: "Hey John, can I get the bill?". It's cringey to me.
I prefer not to wear a name tag if I can help it. When I had to wear one, I’d always position it so my name couldn’t be read, just the company’s. Not because I was a bad employee, but because once someone knows your name, they try to use it to turn you into their personal servant while they’re in the place you work.
I hate sharing my name at work because it's not an English name and invites so many people to ask me rude borderline raciat questions about my race and nationality
Well, it's probably because jtrisn1 is unusual and difficult to pronounce.
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damn, and here i thought i was being nice....guess i will take mine off then too
Ever go somewhere where the wear nametags on lanyards - the are all turned around! brilliant!
I once worked in same factory as my dad. Changing from lab coat to factory floor coat was so impractical I usually just grabbed one of my dads when i went to his area. Sweet kid from west Indies who worked with my dad still asks after me. 'how is your daughter Donald?' gave up trying to explain
I'm an antisocial curmudgeon and I have no problem with people calling me by my name. It is a quintessential part of the human experience.
Well s**t look at your name. Its not some freaking Frankenstein of a name that nobody has heard before🤣 I gladly renounce that part of "human experience".
Load More Replies... But if you can try and remember as many customers' names as possible, the regulars, they will appreciate that and seeing them might even be the highlight of your whole day!
That's not the point.....the point is customers decide to share their names and in retail you don't get to decide. It's just up there for anyone to read, so you feel quite exposed. I am so glad that here in Germany it's not obligatory to wear name tags. Makes me feel a lot more protected.
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Note: this post originally had 95 images. It’s been shortened to the top 35 images based on user votes.
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!"
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.
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.).
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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....
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... 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 💓
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.
Don't forget listening to all I want for Christmas is you on loop for your entire shift starting on September 1st.
[me entering pharmacy to pick up prescription] Boomer [yelling at pharmacy staff]: Why wasn't this done yesterday. I told you I wanted it yesterday. Pharmacist: Ma'am, we have almost 300 prescriptions that need filling right now. Boomer: That's YOUR problem. I should just go somewhere else. Me: [to Boomer] I think *everyone* would be happier if you went somewhere else. Boomer [to me]: Ah go to hell!! Me: You first.
I'm gonna start telling entitled people that anywhere they are is hell.
Load More Replies... 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.
I am with @2---it was absolute truth, but, better than when I (truly) picked cotton and worked in tobacco. When I filed insuran ce claims? I spat on the forms if no one could see me. Yep!! that was me..
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!"
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.
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... 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....
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... 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 💓
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.
Don't forget listening to all I want for Christmas is you on loop for your entire shift starting on September 1st.
[me entering pharmacy to pick up prescription] Boomer [yelling at pharmacy staff]: Why wasn't this done yesterday. I told you I wanted it yesterday. Pharmacist: Ma'am, we have almost 300 prescriptions that need filling right now. Boomer: That's YOUR problem. I should just go somewhere else. Me: [to Boomer] I think *everyone* would be happier if you went somewhere else. Boomer [to me]: Ah go to hell!! Me: You first.
I'm gonna start telling entitled people that anywhere they are is hell.
Load More Replies... 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.
I am with @2---it was absolute truth, but, better than when I (truly) picked cotton and worked in tobacco. When I filed insuran ce claims? I spat on the forms if no one could see me. Yep!! that was me..
