You know how you enter the store to get some milk, only to see the shelf full of pinot grigio right in the way, staring at you with no place to hide? This moment of pure impromptu is basically the essence of the “decisions were made here” meme that shows the lonely product (one intended to buy) standing in the midst of the indulgence section, whether it’s beer or ice cream.
But no matter how funny it may be in the joke format, the reality is a tiny bit different. It turns out, it’s one of the most annoying things customers do while shopping, according to supermarket employees—not even mentioning taking a thing out of its package and leaving it lying out somewhere.
Below is the list of seriously annoying stuff we should all quit immediately if we ever want good shopping karma.
This post may include affiliate links.
Accurate
When People Stop In The Middle Of An Aisle And Act Like They're The Only Ones In The Store
"If You Let Your Kids Do This, [screw] You."
This is really annoying. What kind of parents are them? How do they educate those children?
Back in the 1950s and '60s, the vibe at supermarkets was totally different. According to author Blake Morgan, “brands treated customers like they didn’t have brain cells and used loud and obnoxious voices and obviously exaggerated print.”
It all changed with Ogilvy, the father of advertising who said that you gotta treat customers like you treat your family members. Because, essentially, they’re potential clients.
Then, the now-famous phrase “the customer is always right” was pioneered by successful retailers named Harry Gordon Selfridge, John Wanamaker, and Marshall Field. This approach stuck with us for many years to come, and it’s still in use today. But critics claim it doesn’t work in the current times.
If You Really Love Your Heros, Consider This
Yes, calling people 'heroes' for doing their jobs is a good way to pat them on the back, congratulate them and avoid thinking about work conditions and salaries.
Every time I see a sign outside of a business that says "Heros Work Here", I cringe.
Load More Replies...I’m 68. I’ve never met a cashier worth $20 per hour. Nor have I met a fast food worker worth $20 per hour. People can be horrible to work with. That being said, many, many trade skills don’t earn that much. And as valuable as cashiers or fast food workers might be, they aren’t more valuable than plumbers or welders. Sorry...just one old mans opinion.
"Adjusted for inflation, the federal minimum wage peaked in 1968." We are long overdue for a raise in the minimum wage. Source: https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2017/01/04/5-facts-about-the-minimum-wage/
Load More Replies...I'm genuinely asking : isn't 20 bucks an hour a lot for a cashier position ? In France we have a minimum wage at around 8 euros an hour so 1219 euros per month (35 hours a week) and a lot of jobs such as cashier are paid at that rate. I know cost of living is different everywhere but 20 seems like a lot to me.
It depends what state you live in. $20/hr doesn't go far in NYC, but it does in Cheyenne, Wyoming. It's important to remember that in the U.S., cashiers right now tend to be adults, without company healthcare, working less than 40 hours per week, during a pandemic. Here's a good article about purchasing power (and minimum wage) in the U.S.: https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2017/01/04/5-facts-about-the-minimum-wage/
Load More Replies...The supermarket my "step-son" (I say it in " because he's not that much younger than me lol, there's 19yrs between me and his dad, who's my partner lol) works in took ages getting them any kind of PPE. Even though other shops in our town had provided some to their staff. I was thinking of making them masks and doing something to try and help them out. But they finally put up plexiglass and gave them face shields. Because of the pandemic, retail staff have been thrust into the spotlight and they should be given proper wages to show our appreciation for them! They were having to work at first with no PPE, no protection, nothing! And having to deal with hordes of customers panic buying like it was an apocalypse!
My mom has worked at Burger King 17 years and just now makes $20, it takes time, you'll get there.
Some people don't have time to wait years for a living wage.
Load More Replies...Hahahahahahaha! What a bunch if BS. I'm a firefighter and don't make $20/hour. We work 24-hour shifts (sometimes72 hours on, 24 off and 72 hours on), take care of very sick patients in unfathomable situations, and put out fires. I've always said, "If you can't shoot it or arrest it, call the fire department." I love my job. Hearing someone who stands in a climate controlled environment bitch about how they want $20/hour is absurd.
Even at $20/hr you can't afford decent healthcare coverage especially if you have a family. High deductible plans have taken over and crippled access to decent healthcare even more. If the government won't raise the minimum wage, at least give these folks affordable healthcare.
How about you get a job that requires some basic skill level, invest in yourself and stop asking people to pay you 3 times what your labor is worth.
$20 and HOUR????? YOU GOT TO BE KIDDING ME!!!! Get an Electronics Degree and spend 50+ years in that business if you want that much money!!!
I use to charge five dollar a man under the bridge giving rubs. I usually made 30 an hour
When i get this my reply is "Dont tell me, tell my boss. I might get a pay rise" Although i do appreciate the feedback
Some stores know most employees love being praised...they work with a better attitude!!Hero? How?
I cannot think of a situation in which a cashier would be my "hero". Maybe if I collapsed and she/he gave me CPR or something. But not for handing me change. Good luck to them, hope they get a good salary, but not my "Hero".
Here's a sad truth: I worked in a grocery store in California in the late 1970s. In my third year as a cashier I earned $17.40/hour, medical and dental, and 11 paid vacation days I could take in any configuration with 14 days notice. REPUBLICANS have destroyed unions.
No representative in the US is gonna up your wage. They're working to hard to pull back the affordable health care.
I usually just say hi, bye, thank you , and stay safe. Covers the bases.
Telling a customer (who appreciates you enough to call you a hero) to call your company to tell them to give you a raise if they really appreciate you with an "I deserve it" attitude? I'll bet you do deserve it but appreciating a customer and thanking them for such a nice compliment will make a much better impression!
That’s a lot of money for a cashier. I work in childcare and make half that. I don’t think my work is worth half as much as that of a cashier, many of whom seem to be about 16 years old.
Most cashiers, like most minimum wage workers, are adults. You should get a raise and so should they. There are billionaires in our country and we're literally bickering over a few dollars. All of us low wage workers need to remember we're on the same side. Source: https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2017/01/04/5-facts-about-the-minimum-wage/
Load More Replies...Sorry, I don't support grocery store and fast food workers making those wages when there are skilled laborers and real heroes like medics that don't make $20 an hour.
And they should also get raises. When there are literal billionaires in the country, we shouldn't be pitting low wage earners against each other.
Load More Replies...Your husband pays himself a wage even though he owns the business? Either someone’s dumb or lying lol
Load More Replies...So- OK- $20/hour for the cashier.. $15/hr for the burger flipper. You don't honestly expect to then be able to purchase said burger and maybe your grocery's bag of chips for the price you are paying now do you? Do you REALLY believe any company is going to take a hit on profits? NO! So guess what? YOU will then be paying for that $15 burger and that $20 bag of chips. Good luck with that-
Most of us are aware that folks are underpaid and doing more than could be expected. But, honestly, we can't change their payscale - so, we try to let them know we appreciate them.
If I could reach through my screen and smack you I would.
Load More Replies..."Retail Workers Know What I Mean"
Getting Told The Same Joke
In the times of consumerism, customers are no longer the perfect beings worthy of praise. According to the author Alexander Kjerulf, sticking to the “customer is always right” mantra has multiple adverse effects.
It makes employees unhappy, it gives abrasive customers an unfair advantage, it results in worse customer service, and it ignores the fact that some customers are just plain wrong.
Even if being customer-centric is part of the customer experience, that doesn’t mean brands and companies have to follow it blindly. They should rather seek a smart balance in making both customers and their workers equally happy.
"Working In Retail Is A Special Type Of Hell"
When I was a kid, customers had to pay for stuff they dropped and destoyed. Doesn't seem a thing anymore.
This Is Accurate
Customers Who Don't Say Hi
I always say Hi and I'm very cheerful about it because I feel like they have taken the time to be nice
When They Act Like Masks Don't Apply To Them
Sounds About Right
All The Employees Have To Do Is Put Stuff Away...right?
"If you do this, f**k you."
When Customers Leave Stuff From Other Aisles In Places They Shouldn't Be
You don't have to work in a supermarket to hate this...I feel for you all.
"I Think We All Can Relate. Am I Right?"
When They Tell Employees Their Whole Life Story
Yup, I have heard about a women having a colonoscopy, a woman being a prostitute and that the fella with her was her pimp and bf, a guy with a big bandage telling me about his infection that was literally oozing pus etc. Some things we just don’t need or want to know.
"Any Season"
When Guests Forget The Entire Reason Employees Are In The Store
When They Walk In Just Before Closing
Just close the doors 5 to 10 minutes minutes before closing time and only let customers out. Common practice in the Netherlands.
When Customers Forget How A Store Works
When They Come .5 Seconds Before Closing Time
In my country it is mandatory by law to have 'online cash registers' everywhere, that works like sending all data directly to some tax office or anything. It means if a shop is officially open from like 9 to 18, they can't sell you stuff AFTER 18, because register will note the tax office that out of business hours this shop was doing business. Therefore, shops can legally tell people who come this late that sorry, if you can't make your purchase in the next ten seconds, we can't legally serve you.
"Black Friday As A Wal-Mart Employee."
When Customers Leave Their Dirty Trash In The Carts
Customers Are Relentless
"Well, let me think a bit about this generous offer you made... NO!"
Even Though Zebra Says 1 But Not Binned In Anywhere
You just go in the back, rest for 5 minutes and come back to tell him "No. We don't have it. I checked everywhere"
Things-Supermarket-Employees-Hate
And yet I did get charged twice at a bookstore once when this happened. Took forever to get my money back. I realize that's an exception, not the rule, but I am wary now.
"Why I Hate Working In Retail."
When Customers Disappear After Employees Go Into The Back To Get Something For Them
Reminds me the scene with Rowan Atkinson and Alan Rickman in the movie "Love Actually"
Cough Cough
I feel awful for my son. He spits when he talks because of a few reasons. He has a lateral lisp which causes excess saliva and he has low muscle tone in his mouth which causes him to still dribble and not have as much control as most people do. I worry how that will impact him as he gets older.
Those Coupons Though
*Beverly Goldberg (please tell me you guys watch that show).
When People Leave Food In A Cart
Carts need a sign, like, “Don’t complain about rising prices of food when you do this s**t!”
When People Take Something Out Of Its Package And Just Leave It There
I admit: I did that once or twice. The packaging had no information about the fabric on it, but I need that info for my decision. Afterwards I really really tried getting the stuff back in the packaging, but gave up after 5 to 10 minutes. If the damn manufacturer is not able to print the f*****g type of fabric on the packaging and I have no chance getting the stuff back in the packaging because it was packed under a vacuum... sorry. And yes. I asked staff about the type of fabric, and mostly the answer is a blank stare and an „I don’t know...“
When They Beckon An Employee Over Like They're A Trained Animal
Things Supermarket Employees Hate
Who Just Decided "No" On The TV?
I really don't understand how people can do things like this. It's so...
When They Don't Recognize The Difference Between In-Store And Online
"98% Of Customers Are Illiterate"
Sometimes this discount applies only to certain items and it isn't always clear which one
People Who Shop At The Absolute Last Minute
In a way I wish we had coupons like they do in the US but as a past checkout operator I am also glad we don’t. Takes up so much time.
Note: this post originally had 53 images. It’s been shortened to the top 40 images based on user votes.
Everyone should have to work in a service industry job for a month (at least). I'm pretty sure it would cut down on a lot of this sort of thing happening.
I wish I could up vote you 1000 times.
Load More Replies...I do not think this reflects normal customer behaviour. One respectless will outweighs 99 considerate ones. And most of the things shown here are likewise annoying to other customers than to staff.
It doesn't, 95% of people don't do any of this. But you don't hear about the boring normal customers.
Load More Replies...I think I could never work on retail. If I'd see any of the crap people pull I'd lose all filters and go off on them. I was taught to be respectful to other people and things I do not own. Clearly there are people that just don't have the mental capacity to understand that.
Those they don't need to work in retail. I will make sure my kids both have summer jobs in retail dealing with customers. It teaches patients and how to deal with uncomfortable situations.
Load More Replies...I've worked retail, both as a worker and a manager. Some customers are idiots and very entitled behaving. However, some retail workers are lazy, rude and disinterested in helping anyone. They can be rude, nasty and dishonest. So, yeah...nasty people on both sides. Saying this, there is NEVER any excuse for being rude, nasty, entitled or demeaning toward anyone, including someone who is this way toward you. If you are a customer and an employee is less than professional, find the manager and complain, but be honest, be polite and try not labeling someone for one bad day.
Here's two. 1. If an item is on sale, it tends to go pretty fast. Had a female customer who was looking for bread on sale but there was none on the shelf. I went in the back and couldn't find the bread I'm looking for. I go back to the store and explain that we're completely out. This then turns into this. Her: But it's on sale. It's even in the paper and since it's on sale it should be on the shelf. Me: Yes, Ma'am but sometimes when an item is on sale it tends to go rather quickly. Repeat conversation 5X before another employee comes up and watch as the explanation is repeated the same amount of times. 2. When you say an item is a certain price and I have to do a price check, if my price is different then your's and you insist on seeing the price for yourself, the price I'm pointing to is the actual price. It's not the price to the left of the item. It's not the price to the right of the item. It's not on the shelf above or below of item. The price is where I'm pointing. Period.
One thing to add to the HATE list: Instore Radio. If I hear "More Than Words" one more time or one more Maddona tune I'd like to take a hammer to the loudspeakers.!
Yeah,yeah I get it. All customers are assholes and retailers are poor downtrodden saints. In the interest of fairness how about posting things that retailers do that customers hate?
I’d like to see a list of things that decent, polite customers hate about rude, oblivious clerks.
This is something that annoys me not as a worker, but as a shopper. You're going for the next item on your shopping list and someone is standing in the exact spot where the item is located just staring at the shelves. You wait a few minutes before deciding to grab a few other items and come back later. You come back ten or fifteen minutes later and Mr. I Smoked Five Joints Before Coming To The Store is still standing there staring.
Reading this gave me an anyurism, because I am going to work in half an hour and I work in a grocery store
I worked retail for a few years, and I swore I would never do it again. Examples like these only make my conviction stronger.
Ahh even though I can relate to most of the these I still loved my job I spent 6 years work at a I guess u would call it a high end clothing store. I love the people I worked with and most of the customers. There were entitled rude ones but the good ones made up for it. And the pay and bonuses were really good.
They forgot the biggest pet peeve (at least for places with them): putting the carts in the corrals!!
Asking how much something is at The Dollar Store. It's the dollar store, not somewhere that it could be .50 or 2.50 or $5. It's the dollar store.
Some countries have mandatory military service for a year. The US should have mandatory retail service for a year.
So many of these have the words "old people" when in my experience as an "old" person who has worked in retail, it seems to me that the younger people who seem to feel entitled are a bigger problem.
So many comments about putting the money on the counter instead of in someone's hand. In large parts of the world it's common to put the money on the counter and it would be considered rude to hold out a hand for change. Hey BP, the world consists of more than just the US of Absurd you know? America might think it's great and the best at everything, but the rest of us really don't
Everyone should have to work in a service industry job for a month (at least). I'm pretty sure it would cut down on a lot of this sort of thing happening.
I wish I could up vote you 1000 times.
Load More Replies...I do not think this reflects normal customer behaviour. One respectless will outweighs 99 considerate ones. And most of the things shown here are likewise annoying to other customers than to staff.
It doesn't, 95% of people don't do any of this. But you don't hear about the boring normal customers.
Load More Replies...I think I could never work on retail. If I'd see any of the crap people pull I'd lose all filters and go off on them. I was taught to be respectful to other people and things I do not own. Clearly there are people that just don't have the mental capacity to understand that.
Those they don't need to work in retail. I will make sure my kids both have summer jobs in retail dealing with customers. It teaches patients and how to deal with uncomfortable situations.
Load More Replies...I've worked retail, both as a worker and a manager. Some customers are idiots and very entitled behaving. However, some retail workers are lazy, rude and disinterested in helping anyone. They can be rude, nasty and dishonest. So, yeah...nasty people on both sides. Saying this, there is NEVER any excuse for being rude, nasty, entitled or demeaning toward anyone, including someone who is this way toward you. If you are a customer and an employee is less than professional, find the manager and complain, but be honest, be polite and try not labeling someone for one bad day.
Here's two. 1. If an item is on sale, it tends to go pretty fast. Had a female customer who was looking for bread on sale but there was none on the shelf. I went in the back and couldn't find the bread I'm looking for. I go back to the store and explain that we're completely out. This then turns into this. Her: But it's on sale. It's even in the paper and since it's on sale it should be on the shelf. Me: Yes, Ma'am but sometimes when an item is on sale it tends to go rather quickly. Repeat conversation 5X before another employee comes up and watch as the explanation is repeated the same amount of times. 2. When you say an item is a certain price and I have to do a price check, if my price is different then your's and you insist on seeing the price for yourself, the price I'm pointing to is the actual price. It's not the price to the left of the item. It's not the price to the right of the item. It's not on the shelf above or below of item. The price is where I'm pointing. Period.
One thing to add to the HATE list: Instore Radio. If I hear "More Than Words" one more time or one more Maddona tune I'd like to take a hammer to the loudspeakers.!
Yeah,yeah I get it. All customers are assholes and retailers are poor downtrodden saints. In the interest of fairness how about posting things that retailers do that customers hate?
I’d like to see a list of things that decent, polite customers hate about rude, oblivious clerks.
This is something that annoys me not as a worker, but as a shopper. You're going for the next item on your shopping list and someone is standing in the exact spot where the item is located just staring at the shelves. You wait a few minutes before deciding to grab a few other items and come back later. You come back ten or fifteen minutes later and Mr. I Smoked Five Joints Before Coming To The Store is still standing there staring.
Reading this gave me an anyurism, because I am going to work in half an hour and I work in a grocery store
I worked retail for a few years, and I swore I would never do it again. Examples like these only make my conviction stronger.
Ahh even though I can relate to most of the these I still loved my job I spent 6 years work at a I guess u would call it a high end clothing store. I love the people I worked with and most of the customers. There were entitled rude ones but the good ones made up for it. And the pay and bonuses were really good.
They forgot the biggest pet peeve (at least for places with them): putting the carts in the corrals!!
Asking how much something is at The Dollar Store. It's the dollar store, not somewhere that it could be .50 or 2.50 or $5. It's the dollar store.
Some countries have mandatory military service for a year. The US should have mandatory retail service for a year.
So many of these have the words "old people" when in my experience as an "old" person who has worked in retail, it seems to me that the younger people who seem to feel entitled are a bigger problem.
So many comments about putting the money on the counter instead of in someone's hand. In large parts of the world it's common to put the money on the counter and it would be considered rude to hold out a hand for change. Hey BP, the world consists of more than just the US of Absurd you know? America might think it's great and the best at everything, but the rest of us really don't