30 Retail Employees Share The Things That Customers Do That They Can Never Forgive

We reached out to both subreddits' mods and the folks behind 'Target' were kind enough to reply. "[Our] community is great," they told Bored Panda. "It's like one big, giant, friendly breakroom where Team Members can feel the same relief they do when they enter the physical break room. The community is almost exclusively Target Team Members."

Because everyone is so tight-knit, they don't have to do much "policing" too. "All the mods on the team are volunteers and have lives, jobs, families, and other responsibilities. The automod BullseyeBot is helpful to keep some simple tasks complete," they explained. "The most common problem is spam or other trolling comments. We try to be pretty hands off but when comments are threatening, harassing, etc. we step in and remove them and potentially ban the user."

The mods of 'Target' think the biggest complaints the Team Members have about their job is low pay coupled with the high expectations of their work but there are other cyclical problems too.

"This time of year, you'll find complaints about not being given a day off or being scheduled too much, and then early in the calendar year, you'll see complaints about low hours," they said.

When asked about customers, the mods said that what really grinds employees' gears is when they put unwanted items back in random spots in the store and also when they leave trash in random places like on shelves or in carts.

According to its new survey, Mercer said 48 percent of retail and hospitality workers are looking to leave their jobs. And of those polled making less than $30,000 a year, 58 percent said they have their eyes on the door.

While some are considering career changes, many are stuck in low-paying jobs with few benefits or avenues to advance.

And while retail workers say their jobs keep them socially connected and mentally stimulated, researchers at Mercer noted that “the drawbacks outweigh the benefits for them right now. They find the work chaotic, overwhelming, and unfulfilling on a daily basis."

Aside from not feeling supported, valued, or heard, respondents said that "they are exhausted by repetitive and physically demanding jobs."

The researchers also highlighted that many retail and hospitality jobs "are customer-facing, and employees have to be always 'on' and cheerful, even while customers are increasingly negative and demanding, taking out their frustration over supply shortages, price increases, under-resourcing and/or dissatisfaction with health and safety policies."

Which we can clearly see in the subreddits' posts.

When those polled were asked what would best support their mental health and ease burnout, retail and hospitality employees prioritized a reduced workload and flexible work schedule.

According to the researchers, this “is a key area employers need to act on to improve retention — especially because they cannot financially afford a further change in pay."

To give the data more context, Mercer added that hospitality and retail workers "didn't get to stay home during the pandemic — some were laid off, and the rest went to work, wore masks, installed glass barriers, and kept the consumer economy afloat.”

Then, at the end of 2021, the industry was hit with supply chain issues and labor shortages, followed by the war in Ukraine and now, inflation.

And it's inflation that continues to take its huge toll. Mercer discovered that any money the workers had stashed away is now being used for food and rent as well as unplanned expenses. When asked about their top concerns, financial security was a prominent theme of those polled.

The report also stressed other concerns, which included better balancing of work and life; being able to retire, and maintaining emotional and mental health. Personal fulfillment, debt, and personal safety were other factors that made the list.

Action items that companies can do to mitigate some of these issues and maintain employee retention include offering competitive pay rates, offering wellness resources and working with employees on “designing a career” and other career development efforts.

Additionally, we, the customers, can do a lot better, too.