I hate snooty customers, that think they are all that

[bethany]

So we ***** about sales associates all the time...for those who have worked in retail, what was the worst customer you have ever had?
One time this guy tried to return a pair of shoes that he was WEARING RIGHT THEN. He didn't have a receipt or anything and I was explaining our policy to him and he snapped 'can you get a manager'. I started to explain that our manager wasn't there right then and I picked up the phone to call a supervisor from somewhere else. and he literally screamed at me to get a manager (people across the department were staring). so I said 'don't yell at me' and he yelled again. I just pointed to the fact that I was holding the phone and he looked so pissed. later I smiled grimly at him while an ignorant brand new supervisor gave him a pair of clearance shoes in exchange for his used ones.

I cried later though, I was so pissed off. If I ever see that man again I know I'll lose my job by shoving a yardstick up his ass. There is absolutely no reason EVER to raise your voice to a salesperson (unless they physically attack you I suppose), it makes you look like an idiot.

I hate old women who are so bossy. They tend to demand things - 'BRING ME THIS' and 'BRING ME THAT' and then complain, but never say thank you. I hate people who bring their extended family shopping, its incredibly rude to bring 6 children under the age of 4, all screaming, into a store and to expect attentive service. Crying kids disturb all the other customers. I know I'd leave a store if a woman was just taking her time and browsing while her child screamed its head off. And most of all, I hate people who shop when the store is about to close, and waste our time by staying in the store when we're closed. I have finally begun to shut our registers down at the stroke of closing hour. We are not open for business just because there are customers in the store - we are open for business during our business hours!

 

[pursemama]

Bethany, I feel for you...I use to work retail when I was young, I could tell you stories where I was actually fired a few times because I couldn't take it! Luckily, I had a savings I could live off of, while I looked for another job. Now, that I'm older and on the otherside, I always treat an SA like I would want to be treated, with respect and dignity. When I see people mistreat an SA, (sometimes I just can't stand it, because I can see the SA is trying to do their best) I'll come to their defense if I can, otherwise I'll just try to sympathize with them when the rude customer is gone. That all said, I have also seen the otherside of the coin too, SOME SAs can be rude too, so if the SA pushes me I will definitely push back harder. I don't why people just can't be nice to one another and not take out their frustrates on innocent people!

 

[pursegalsf]

I used to work in retail as well and some customers are really snooty. Yes, SA's are paid to keep their customers happy but to a certain extent. This discussion can go on and on... but bottom line, SA's and customers should just get along.

 

[melisande]

I've been there, bethany! I used to work Cash in a major grocery store.
Even in other jobs, that also involve dealing with members of the public, you meet these same people and they are just as horrible. I know! I'm still meeting them nowadays. (Thankfully not all of the time, though!)

 

[peacocky]

I work for Mercedes-Benz, I think i see the snootiest customers that are so fake it's not even funny. Most of them are C-class and ML owners who believe they are living the high life because they have Mercedes......when in reality there are Saturn's that cost more than the C-class and the ML's . Anyways, I had one customer who bought a USED C230 coupe (hatch back) who said she was paying my salary:suspiciou (that's what I get for trying to help her but little did she know I could see her file)

 

[Melissa71]

I've been there, too, Bethany. I'm always polite and kind to the people who help me. From the people at the drive through window to the checkout clerk at the grocery store. I always give them a smile and talk to them with the respect everyone deserves. It's the only way to be as far as I'm concerned. You can actually see someone become happier when you do something as simple as saying a sincere thankyou with a smile. And one thing I never,ever do,it really bothered me when I cashiered, is set money/change, my id on the counter for the sales person to pick up. I hated that! My hand would be extended, and yet some people would go out of their way to put it on the counter. Yet want their change set in their hand. Takes all kinds...

 

[SuLi]

Bethany - I'm sorry about that horrible customer. The worst are regular "returners". When I worked at Anthropologie a few years back, we had a regular customer who would wear the clothes, and then return them. How could we tell? There was always a ring of body powder in the items that she returned (like she wore foundation ALL OVER her body) and some tags that were usually detached. Unfortunately, we would have to damage out everything she returned which sucked. The sad thing, the manager did not have the nerve to tell her not to come again because I saw this woman a few weeks ago doing what she does best. I actually warned the SAs there about her and made them check the clothing she returned. Sure enough, telltale ring of powder in every item she returned.

 

[Dani]

Customers can be AWFUL. I work in retail now, but in all honesty, the worst people I've had to deal with were when I worked the front desk at a YMCA. I used to get REALLY pissed off phone calls from parents trying to get there kids into swimming classes. If they couldn't get into the right day/time they would just start yelling at me. Once I got a phone call from a man literally screaming at me about it- and I was like "sir, I'd be glad to help you out- but I would appreciate you not yelling at me." He was SO taken aback. Then I think he felt pretty ashamed of himself because he started apologizing.

Hmmm, I've had some very bad experiences with pervy male customers. I work at bath and body works, and once this older guy came in and aske dme about shower gels. He wanted to know alll about the "sensual" shower gel- and then he started to ask me which ones I USED! Then he's like..."mmhmm, so how do you use that on you in the shower?" and lots ot creepy questions like that. I gave him a quick getaway line and hid in the back room untill he left. Oh. and once I had some guy come into the store, ask me some lame question- and THEN admit that he only came into the store to hit on me. and he's all like "so am I cute enough to go out with?" or some stupid line like that. He def. wasn't and it was soooo icky. Seriously, sometimes I hate guys. :-P

I'm sure I can dig up some really bad stories, but I'm off to class- I'll add more laterrrrrrrrr

 

[amanda]

working retail makes me hate the elderly. many of them are demanding, want a special deal on everything, never went to deal with regular SAs and always ask for managers, think they know everything about what they're looking at, and always assume that we're lying to them. seriously, i dont know what it is with old people.

and people always want a discount. we're not a yardsale, folks. if you want second-hand cheap-o crap, go to a thrift store. particularly if you're buying the cheapest item in the category you're looking for and won't even listen to our schpiels about service or accessories (people don't want to believe me that ranges and dryers don't come with cords attached - they DON'T. you have to buy them. they just think i'm trying to get an extra $20 out of them). there is no way in hell we're giving you a discount because we don't make any money on the cheap stuff - the margin is super low, the store hardly turns a profit off of it, particularly if it's on sale. there's literally no room for us to discount a lot of stuff, if we did, we'd be selling it for less than what we paid for it wholesale.

we're not lying to you, we're not trying to steal your money, we don't make commission, we're just doing our low-paying, thankless jobs. so get off our backs or we'll say really cruel things about you as soon as you turn your back and are out of earshot.

 

[amanda]

Customers can be AWFUL. I work in retail now, but in all honesty, the worst people I've had to deal with were when I worked the front desk at a YMCA. I used to get REALLY pissed off phone calls from parents trying to get there kids into swimming classes. If they couldn't get into the right day/time they would just start yelling at me. Once I got a phone call from a man literally screaming at me about it- and I was like "sir, I'd be glad to help you out- but I would appreciate you not yelling at me." He was SO taken aback. Then I think he felt pretty ashamed of himself because he started apologizing.

Hmmm, I've had some very bad experiences with pervy male customers. I work at bath and body works, and once this older guy came in and aske dme about shower gels. He wanted to know alll about the "sensual" shower gel- and then he started to ask me which ones I USED! Then he's like..."mmhmm, so how do you use that on you in the shower?" and lots ot creepy questions like that. I gave him a quick getaway line and hid in the back room untill he left. Oh. and once I had some guy come into the store, ask me some lame question- and THEN admit that he only came into the store to hit on me. and he's all like "so am I cute enough to go out with?" or some stupid line like that. He def. wasn't and it was soooo icky. Seriously, sometimes I hate guys. :-P

I'm sure I can dig up some really bad stories, but I'm off to class- I'll add more laterrrrrrrrr

lol i had forgotten all about the pervy male customers. there aren't many girls on the sales floor at best buy (since we're mainly consumer electronics) and we call the guys that come in looking for specific female SAs Best Buy Stalkers. the males that work there know who they are and who they're looking for and will call back to us if they see them come in so we can go hide in the warehouse until they leave. i had to go chill back there with the inventory guys for like 2 hours one time because this guy that would not let me out of the conversation even after my bosses tried to intervene would not leave the store.

 

[IntlSet]

I work for Mercedes-Benz, I think i see the snootiest customers that are so fake it's not even funny. Most of them are C-class and ML owners who believe they are living the high life because they have Mercedes......when in reality there are Saturn's that cost more than the C-class and the ML's . Anyways, I had one customer who bought a USED C230 coupe (hatch back) who said she was paying my salary:suspiciou (that's what I get for trying to help her but little did she know I could see her file)

 

[IntlSet]

working retail makes me hate the elderly.

OMG, Amanda, you're hilarious.

 

[Cristina]

I worked a lot of different retail jobs while in college. I was at CompUSA for a year and a half, and once this lady called me an a**hole because I wouldn't let her return something, all while she was breast feeding her baby :blink: We also had a few customers we had to call the police on, one who became so red-faced while screaming how much he hated our store that I thought he'd have a heart attack right there.

I also started strongly disliking the elderly after working at Sally Beauty Supply. It was in a neighborhood that had a lot of Snowbirds, older people who spend the summers up North, and the winters down here in Florida. They loved to come in and haggle with you over the price of a $3.99 bottle of silver-blue haircolor. One lady spilled haircolor all over the floor, then just walked out of the store, didn't even tell anyone. Another lady dropped some shampoo on the floor, then when she bent over to pick up the bottle, let out a huge, loud fart My co-workers and I about died of laughter.

Haha, I remember one woman who came in on New Year's Eve to return a blowdryer. We had a 90-day return policy, and the thing was around 6 months old. I told her no, my manager told her no, and she left, cussing and screaming. We look outside, and she's standing by her car, pulls out the blowdryer from the box, and proceeds to smash it into pieces It was hilarious! Then she gets in her car and drives away like a maniac.

I have huge respect for retail workers who put up with silly customers, I'm the nicest shopper, since I know what they're going through

 

[darelgirl]

"I hate people who bring their extended family shopping, its incredibly rude to bring 6 children under the age of 4, all screaming, into a store and to expect attentive service. Crying kids disturb all the other customers. I know I'd leave a store if a woman was just taking her time and browsing while her child screamed its head off. "

I think a mum who has many children or even just one has the right on a shopping trip with them! Why should she leave them home? Just because the SA can't stand them? I know little or many children can give you a very hard time but there is no reason to think in that way about it!
Maybe the mother has no one to look after her children! Or they are out on a "family-shopping-trip"

(I don't have children, but i really love them )

Anyway, just wanted to point out how i feel about that! And i can perfectly understand you that working in retail is hard!!!

So be strong and don't let the customers drive you nuts!

 

[amanda]

"I hate people who bring their extended family shopping, its incredibly rude to bring 6 children under the age of 4, all screaming, into a store and to expect attentive service. Crying kids disturb all the other customers. I know I'd leave a store if a woman was just taking her time and browsing while her child screamed its head off. "

I think a mum who has many children or even just one has the right on a shopping trip with them! Why should she leave them home? Just because the SA can't stand them? I know little or many children can give you a very hard time but there is no reason to think in that way about it!
Maybe the mother has no one to look after her children! Or they are out on a "family-shopping-trip"

(I don't have children, but i really love them )

Anyway, just wanted to point out how i feel about that! And i can perfectly understand you that working in retail is hard!!!

So be strong and don't let the customers drive you nuts!

there is no reason that a woman with a bunch of unruly children that she can't control should subject the general public to them. they have no more right to be there than anyone else, and parents have a responsibility to make sure that their children act reasonably and respectfully in public, just as would be expected of everyone in the store. if she wants to get the same level of service as people that aren't creating a scene, then she should hire a babysitter, teach the children to behave in public, or not take them out until they've learned. this is what my parents did, and you better bet we never did half the things that i see parents let their children get away with on a daily basis.

sorry, this (along with the elderly) is another pet peeve. parents HAVE to take responsibility for the actions of their children, the "oh, they're just kids!" excuse is not a reasonable one when your children are ruining everyone else's experience. children have no inherent or intrinsic 'right' to be taken into a private business, just like a private business can refuse service to any adult. if you have more children than you can control, that's your fault, not the fault of everyone else everywhere you take them.

i know there are a lot of moms here, and i'm by no means talking about the majority of children or parents (just like the original poster wasn't), just the moms that choose to ignore their six screaming children that are knocking things over and running in to unsuspecting shoppers.