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.
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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."
!["If You Let Your Kids Do This, [screw] You."](https://static.boredpanda.com/blog/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/5f92a01806dc0_YOx7EgQ__700.jpg "\"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.
"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
Many years ago I worked in a popular fried chicken restaurant here in the States. We closed at 11PM, which is super late for any restaurant. Inevitably, I would have some schmuck knocking on the locked door and exclaiming, "What, you're closed ALREADY?" Sir, it's almost midnight. Take your drunk ass to the Waffle House.
God yes. The door is locked, the sign says closed, but there's a light on, so rattle the door and tap on the glass, cos you must be open really.
The amount of times we've argued with customers over what time we close just because your watch doesn't say 8pm doesn't mean we can't shut.
This is my favorite. I tell everyone how true it is. SpongeBob working is pretty true to life in a restaurant.
I love when they call and you answer the phone then they ask are you open. No I answer the phone on my time off idiot
Every customer ever at the fitting room where no less than 6 large signs say the fitting rooms are closed until further notice - customer “I wanna try these on.” Me: sorry the fitting rooms are close. Customer: (pissed off) well you should post a sign!
happens all the time or they say I just need 1 thing 20 items if they lucky ,be great to have a sign WE ARE CLOSED IF YOU CAN"T READ THE BIG SING THEN WE ARE CLOSED
Working at a grocery store, we were closing down for the night. The sign clearly said "7am to 11pm," most of the lights were off, the automatic doors were shut off, one of the entrances was blocked with carts, and we were cleaning the registers. Some guy comes in at 11:30, pushes the (normally) automatic doors open, sees everything shut down, and asks "Hey, you guys closed?"
Lol, OK but to this point, a shop in my home town is open until 10pm, and a couple of times I needed to get something I'd forgot to get earlier and would go to the shop at 9.45pm and it'd be closed! When I shouted in to them why they were closed early, they'd reply "oh, because we finish at 10pm and we need to tidy up and clean the floors, etc"! I understand that they were only paid until 10pm and that they needed to tidy up and whatnot but the bloody shops official closing time was supposed to be 10pm ffs! Annoying when what I needed was a bag of sugar or something silly like that lol!
I used to work in a small, independent restaurant- one time, the restaurant was obviously closed- sign out the front, lights off- but some customers who had turned up over an hour late for their booking still tried to get in...
Stupid is more viral and contagious than COVID and Bubonic Plague combined!
Or they come in 5 minutes before you close to buy a giant cart full of groceries!
And I feel terribly bad going into a store or get fastfood half an hour before closing time
Just walk away guys. You don't have to deal with this particular annoyance.
Or like when a sign says "29.99" and the customer asks. "HEY! You're scamming me out of my money, the price was 19.99!" I seen this happen once lol.
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.
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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
