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.)
This is a hard one. If you're 19 then and older person could be 40? Or if you're 35 then an older person is say 75. So I guess every single person can be an assh0le.
Yep. I will always assume that the person I'm about to interact with is an a$$hole. That way, I'm not disappointed when they are and if it turns out that they're actually quite nice, Bonus!
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I am an older woman and I go out of my way to be nice to waitstaff and retail employees because I have done both jobs and know how hard and thankless they can be. It’s not an age thing - it’s a personality thing. It bums me out when people on Bored Panda generalize about Boomers and Americans (I am both). I’m not mean and I’m not ignorant/entitled and I speak up when other people are.
I'd say a generation that writes phrases such as "realyyy shows u" is pretty well up there in terms of ignorance.
Jodie, imagine if someone generalized and lumped all people of a specific race or gender or religion together and called them rude and ignorant. It is just as wrong to do that with age. People are individuals. Some are kind and thoughtful. Others are not. If you assess folks on their own merits instead of pre-judging (prejudice) them, you'll find your life a more enjoyable experience.
Judging people by their generation is no different than judging people by their gender, sexual preference, race, f****d up sexual hangups, or the fact that their life skills consist of video games and handing food out a window. Just saying, we should never judge people based on generalities...
Being an older person and watching TikTok reallyyy shows u that younger people are definitely the most ignorant generation ever
Most of them don't know their arses from apple butter.
Load More Replies... Sounds like there might be a bit of confirmation bias involved there. There's rude people in every generation.
This is very like older people stereotyping young ones as being entitled and whiny. This isn't necessarily true. I've seen astonishingly rude young AND old people, and equally nice young and old people. This is ageism, and I am not a fan.
Yep. And I've got more to add. When a colleague complained about a customer, I'd ask "old white man?". Corrrrrrect
That's my experience of retail customers in the UK. They're usually old white men
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So sorry but this old ass customer is super kind, grateful and courteous. And I tip well.
In my experience, older generations ages 50 and up, tend to live in this world of the customer always being right... which was never a thing to begin with. You are not always right and complaining does not make what you think truer and yelling doesn't automatically make someone change a policy for you. They have a hard time with this. In terms of rudeness, I find that when a customer doesn't understand something it's immediately wrong in their minds. This happens a lot with technology issues. If you can't figure out a computer or phone system, it must be the fault of the person who is trying to help you. They get frustrated and just want the problem magically fixed like a child having a tantrum. They won't even attempt to try the solutions you give them because they're overwhelmed.
Just adding that it's not to say that younger generations aren't as bad. They complain and are just as rude but they do it in a different way. I work at a bank and we are limited by how many fees we can reverse per year. And when i say no because it's not a bank error, younger people think that by swearing and pretending they don't understrand we'll just give in and do it. Playing dumb -ignorance- is not a reason to break policy and help you.
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Nah, being an A**hole afflicts everyone in every demographic group, we're just more tolerant of the people closer to our own age group.
It really depends. My last day at work, I was just over it with people not wearing masks and when I told a woman and she responded "Get over it" I yelled "If you don't want to wear a mask, then you can leave!" And an old man nearby said "Good for you, young man." It actually has happened a lot where older people have complimented me or my coworkers for diligently enforcing mask rules.
Age has nothing to do with manners. I have worked retail and the leisure industry. If you want a positive reaction, ask nicely. It doesn't hurt and it's free.
Old people were brought up to respect others all their lives and respect their elders, finally when they get old they feel entitled and rightfully so too, but the kids these days have no respect which is a disgusting disgrace. Shame on you all for posting on this and I'm only 28
Yeah, they're the generation who still believes "the customer is always right" and will LITERALLY SAY THIS TO YOUR FACE as they're trying to return a fucken $50 item that hasn't been sold in any store, let alone your store for 40 years, without a receipt, without a box and no way to confirm where it was from ... or when they're returning an item without a receipt, without a box (but it is from your store) and then get mad when that item is currently on sale and they're only being offered the current sale price because they DONT HAVE THE RECEIPT or even any indication that they even paid for it.. and then the accept.. and then flip another unit when you hand them a gift card instead of cash.. even though that's basically every store policy everywhere... no receipt=gift card not cash, not credit refund... either a gift card or equal exchange. But they'll still say "but the customer is always right!" Even though they know damn fucken well they're 100% in the wrong.
I'm not young or old really (depending on context I guess). I'm 49, and there are Karens of all ages out there.
Pensioners. They were so rude. They have all the time in the world and treat you like sh*t. No, Marjorie, it doesn't matter how much you scream at me, the stock we're out of won't arrive any faster from the supplier than Friday at 12 noon.
I'm 41 and I've managed two fine dining restaurants and one major retail store for 15 years. Many of my older clients were kind and wonderful. However, the worst experiences, the ones that stick with me, are also with older clients. The rudeness of boomers, imho, is how easily and quickly they will demean you for the kind of work you do. Example: I'm preparing my retail store for inventory and I apologize to two sixty something women for the mess and explain that we're prepping for inventory. They laugh and say, "Oh honey, now is when you quit these kinds of jobs!" Even many of the nice boomers subtly manage to treat you like the help. Imagine what they would have said if they were unhappy! Lastly, when I do encounter a rude young person, my first thought is that they must have learned that behavior from their parents!
And they call gen-z rude. At least 99% of us know how to say thank you.
Jodie, if one is lucky, everybody becomes the older generation. But, putting up with stupidity and incompetence gets you there faster.
All the boomers here like "How dare you insinuate my entitled generation is rude!"
Just wait until you're our age and those kind of things will be said about you. You don't think that will happen. It will. Give it time.
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no...sometimes the older person has just put up with so much stupidity from other retail staff/outlets they have just had a gut full and are totally worn out and exhausted
You better hurry up and find yourself a sugardaddy while you are still young and pretty.
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..
