If you work retail, sorry is a word you say often. Sorry, I cant do that. Sorry, We are out of that. Sorry, Are you out of your mind (mostly thought, not spoken).
You have to, don't you? If i'm out of an item, i say sorry. Even if i'm really thinking it's no big deal. But we have to provide good customer service don't we?
I ONLY say I'm Sorry if a co-worker does something wrong to upset them or if I accidentally run in to them. I'm pretty ok with customers personally, so I usually dont apologize
No, because it's too easily taken as a weakness to abuse you with. I would at least affect a solomn look of empathy, as I would slowly nod along with their whiny mini-rant
I've been trying not to say sorry as much as I do unless it's something serious, like almost colliding with carts or what have you. I am a HUGE "sorry" person-- I'll literally say sorry to someone for bumping into me. But lately, I've been feeling like too many people have been taking advantage of me when I do this and I just let them, so it's become a goal to change my actions.
I used to apologize for being in the space a customer is trying to get to, but now I say "Hey, how are you?" and I'll move or they will initiate the "excuse me--" or "could you pass me--" interaction. It's almost always a decent interaction and I've actually had more conversations with customers than I did when I just moved and apologized immediately.
If we're out of a product: "I'm afraid we don't have that item in stock right now" or "I know it doesn't help you for today, but our truck comes in tomorrow." And they're still pissed (I mean, you can't get around that), but I no longer feel guilty or that I need to do anything extra for them.
TBH I've found that by not using "sorry," but still being apologetic in a way, customers are less likely to demand things from me. I don't know if that makes any sense, and maybe this is a stupid or selfish way to act, but it's really helped me gain more confidence and sanity at work.
When I say sorry it's a total lie. 100% of the time. Ever act? It's the same basic principle. You're just saying what people want to hear then spin on the conversation and finish what they want to hear.