30 Retail Employees Share The Things That Customers Do That They Can Never Forgive
If you want to know your limit to the amount of nonsense you can tolerate, just get a job in retail. From intense and long shifts to poor management, it gives you plenty of reasons to sigh and roll your eyes. But it's probably the customers that generate the most fury.
The subreddits 'Target' and 'Trader Joe's' unite many of the chains' employees, providing a well-needed space for venting. But scroll through their content and you'll see that these people would be a lot happier if it weren't for us barbarians burdening them with our ignorance, pettiness, and nastiness.
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No Excuses
Old But Gold
*while the kids play the game of how high they can reach to pull everything off the shelves*
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."
Every Single Sign In The Store
Facts!
When the store would have been closed, the same person would ask: "Why don't y'all work on Holidays???"
Workers Have Spoken
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.
Gotta Love It
Got their free ticket to heaven, time to go make someone else’s life hell
Thought This Would Fit Here
Me Staring At The Customer Who Just Came Within 12 Inches Of Me With No Mask On To Ask If We Sell Covid Tests
Getting Into The Holiday Spirit
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."
Happens Almost Every Shift
The mask is a BLESSING! Now a days i feel insecure and paranoid and anxious without it. Imm keeping the mask on forever. Introvert paradise
An 8 Year Old Kid Can Destroy An Aisle With More Speed And Efficiency Than A Category 5 Hurricane
Every Time
Raise Your Hand If You “Ruined A Christmas” Because You Didn’t Have Some Popular Item In Stock The Day Before Christmas
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.
Absolutely Hate People That Abandon Carts With Food
It’s Called Etiquette
Target Employees Hate When You Think Your Tiny Car Can Fit The Biggest TV On Planet Earth
Ikea is a great place for watching this, when they buy a wardrobe, drawers, coffee table, bookcase and a TV stand and try to fit them in the back of a VW Golf/Rabbit while having brought their 3 children, usually Tarquin, Placenta and Quinoa
Ah Yes, Those Guests That Tell You Their Whole Life Story After You Told Them In What Aisle The Item They're Looking For Is At
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.
Coworker Found This Hidden In The Wine Section…. Yes Those Are Bite Marks
Actual Guest Interaction Today
Same Feeling When My Weekday Closing Lead Says “Have A Good Weekend Team” Over The Walkie On Friday Night
NOTHING spoils Friday as much as someone telling you it's Wednesday..
I'm Dead
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.
A Guest Decided To Have Breakfast In Our Paper Aisle. Worst Part Is They Used Chocolate Milk
Is It Me Or Are Guests, Target (Things In General), Getting Worse
How dare you close the store at closing time? Didn't you know I'll be arriving too late??
Yea Cus It’s Our Fault U Came In Less Than An Hour Before Closing
Stores like this always give multiple countdown warnings on how many minutes till the store is going to close. So with 45 minutes to shop and then presumably closing warnings at 15 minutes etc this guy and his wife just ignore and keep shopping? Then have the audacity to complain? What is wrong with people?
Not A Target Worker But I Thought This Will Make You Relate
There Should Be A Limit To How Many Items A Guest Can Order For Drive Up…
So, A Customer Tried Paying With This Today…
Every Time!
I think the customer shd have like sorted out what they wanna buy first *rolls eyes*
Every. Damn. Day
It is really annoying though, if the information on the website is incorrect and you travelled all the way to a specific store for that item. And I don't mean the last few items getting sold in the meantime, but if the information is just wrong and doesn't get corrected (if it says we still have 20 and days later it still says that even though in reality they have zero).
Why… Just Why?
Logan (if that is the drinkers name) should be hunted down and have that container inserted up his chuff without the aid of lubricant
Especially When I’m A Cashier
When It's Currently A Blizzard Outside
When You Think They Can Pinpoint The Exact Moment They Ran Out Of Chicken Tikka Masala
“I Got It Here Last Time. It’s Trader Joe’s Brand, It Comes In A Little Package Or Box. They’re Like These Little *does Unhelpful Hand Shape* Crunchy Snacks, I Got Them Here Just A Couple Weeks Ago. Idk What Flavor They Were But They Were So Good
This Happens Too Often
“I Want Everything In One Bag... But I Don’t Want The Bag To Be Heavy”
Had a regular customer who would berate us about our bagging abilities every single time, even when we were doing it exactly as she requested (paper bag inside double plastic bags, so much waste). She was so upset about it that she stopped coming to the store herself and sent her son and then when he was checking out she would call him to make sure we got the bags right. It was something. Also it sucked because quite a few of my full time baggers were folks with cognitive disabilities (my favorite coworker actually had Down syndrome) so she was just being extra awful.
When I Retrieve An Item From The Back For A Guest But They're Gone
*sideways In An Aisle*
In my area it’s older men of any race and Costco. I think they’re all about 30 seconds away from panic the entire time, so standing to one side of the aisle isn’t happening
Especially In Appliances
Them The Rules
Welp. It's been a while since i was last carded. I do however live in a country where pretty much anyone can buy alcohol anywhere at anytime. Which means: alcohol is not a big deal. Most ppl don't abuse it here.
Yeah Well You Just Watched Me Ring Someone Else Up And Then I Waved You Forward And Started Scanning S**t Out Your Cart Soooo Yeah I’m Open
In all fairness some are open and serving people but wait until a queue forms with items already on the conveyor, to then announce they're closing. Seen it happen countless times. Happened to me once with fresh and frozen groceries and I ended up just walking out. I absolutely hate wasting food, but my time is just as important. They could've at least announced they were closing beforehand, not wait until folks started to unload their goods ... So yeah, it might be a stupid question to the OP but I always make a point of asking if they're closing now 😃
Every Time
Thanks, You're So Helpful
Helpful tip as someone who does commissary combat, aka shopping, put all bags in a larger one and use a carbine to attach them to the side of the cart, do not worry about the small children you will wipe out. Eventually they will know to avoid you. Just kidding I hook it in the area below the handle. Just had a moment.
Coworker Made This Meme, Thought Any Employees Could Use The Chuckle Rn
No... Just No
😂😂
There's a lot of disabled, elderly and learning disabled folks out there that are physically unable to use - or struggle to use self checkouts 😔
God I Hate People So Much
Dear Customers, If You See An Employee Pushing A Cart That Looks Like This, Don’t Bother Them. They’re Being Timed To Pick Items
How much time does the CEO get to count its salary? How much time does its employee get to fulfill an order?
705 Pounds Of Soda, This Is One Order. Godspeed My Drive Up Homeboys
I hope this is a yard party for boys...or there should be a LOT more tp!
Good Morning To Everyone Except This Guest
UK click and collect will give you a time on the screen at which it will be ready. If late evening, it will be am the next morning. Ditto a large order. The above method seems somewhat weird and gives customers expectations that cannot be fulfilled. Grocery stores will give you a 2 hour window of your choice to pick it up, eg between 12 and 2pm the next day. Only Maccy D's is pretty instantaneous here.
They Also Hate When You Ignore Their Existence When It's Convenient To You
Every. Single. Time
This don't bother me cause I understand card machines can be difficult what bothers me is how the customer can be smart and try to walk off when they didn't pay for anything because idk it like they have no patiences.......and with some of these people it like a ticking time bomb there just waiting to blow up on someone.
When A Customer Is Standing Too Close While You're Bagging But Your Social Anxiety Prevents You From Saying Anything:
Don't Worry It Happens To Me Too
Guests
Trader Joe's Employees Hate When You Remember Your Bags At The Very Last Second
Oh You Didn’t Want To Talk? That’s Good Cus I Was Just Acting Anyway
An Actual Interaction I Had With A Guest Yesterday
Trader Joe's Employees Hate When You Think They Aren't A Pro At This Whole Bagging Thing
Every Single Time Today
Hah! We stop what we're doing and wait for them to get off the phone. I LOVE that i now work in a tiny shop where we matter as much as, if not more than, the customers!
Hot Wheel Collectors Are The Worst Change My Mind
I worked during the "games to life" craze with Skylanders. I had to hide all the new figures behind the boat/counter because the scalpers would come in day one and take every single figure to resell them.
Customers When They See A Locked Bathroom
Seeing a bathroom and then being unable to use it is a horrible feeling if you have a sensitive bladder or IBS.
New Jersey, Where The Crusty Custies Will Leave Their Dirty Bathing Suits In The Cart For You
Some Jerk Just Came In And Returned 14 Bottles Of Formula Because They “Have A Chip In Them” It Really Sucks We Have To Dump It Out Seeing How Sought Out It Is Smh
Well, why would you take those back in the first place? Retailers should not accommodate all the crazy
Suddenly The Ingredients List On Chocolates And Mints Are All So Fascinating 🤔
Gotta Love It, Especially When There’s A Line Lol
My Favorite Couple Archetype That Shops At Tj’s Is “Annoyed, Nervous Wife” Paired With “Bored, Horny Husband”
For Real
I had a customer at Books-A-Million call the corporate to complain because we wouldn't open 10 minutes early so he could buy his Sunday newspaper. On Sunday they would also come in a try to pay for their Sunday paper with a $100 bill (we only had that much in the register). I hate customers.
I Thought This Stuff Was A Fake Tiktok Trend Man
Anyone who harasses staff in retail should be made to work the shittiest jobs for a YEAR.
To all those who work in retail, please accept these sincere apologies on behalf of the entitled jerks of my species. Sincerely.
Question rather than a comment. When did customers start being referred to as guests and more importantly, why?
Probably the same people who call everyone working in a store a family, just because they get in their Range Rover and go off to their country house for the weekend. i.e if they're not customers then we can pretend this isn't a taudry exercise in capitalism.
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Anyone who harasses staff in retail should be made to work the shittiest jobs for a YEAR.
To all those who work in retail, please accept these sincere apologies on behalf of the entitled jerks of my species. Sincerely.
Question rather than a comment. When did customers start being referred to as guests and more importantly, why?
Probably the same people who call everyone working in a store a family, just because they get in their Range Rover and go off to their country house for the weekend. i.e if they're not customers then we can pretend this isn't a taudry exercise in capitalism.
Load More Replies...