Must be something wrong with me working in retail and hating customers. But they suck. They are lazy and stupid.
Who the hell goes to a grocery store looking for a box fan? Get the whole store riled up and then, "oh, those 20 inch fans are too big. I'm going to home depot".
And how about, "Uh, excuse me sir, I'm looking for (blah blah product nobody sells)....".... let me find out for you.... "oh, no that's ok..." ... OKAY??? GEE IT WAS SUPER IMPORTANT 10 SECONDS AGO, since I failed to know the answer instantly, it's just too much waiting for you now, so 'eff it, I'm going to Wal-Mart'.... good. Wait in that line. Hope it was worth it.
"Where's the loaves of bread?" Gee... you just walked passed that big overhead sign that says 'breads' and had bread all over it.... could that have been it? You fail at life.
Every weekend it's elbow to elbow on each isle... how the hell can we be friendly fresh when we can't get through the first interruption to get to the second? We don't have the staff. We're all working our butts off stocking and aren't supposed to be working so we can be more friendly fresh.... This sucks. The training video even asked, "who would you rather speak to as a customer" and the correct answer is the guy not working with his arms open (and probably about to get fired for not working).
I've worked in retail for about 14 years, and over that time I've watched grown, supposedly intelligent people turn into childish, petulant, tantrum throwing two legged pigs. Plus, retail in general has become a kind of new social addiction: people are thronging into these stores in ever increasing numbers, and there is an almost palpable hysteria to them. Oh, and over nights, which used to be a haven for stockers and thin shopping crowds alike, is now seeing this explosion as well.
Add into all this an industry wide insistence on cutting pay roll more...and more.... and MORE. Corporate America/One Percenters absolutely do not want to pay anybody anything for ANYTHING; they truly expect 100% profit/zero loss.
Wish I had some words of comfort, but fk the whole retail industry, and double fk the two legged pig customers, too.
You are NEVER a better person from interacting with the public; there is nothing to gain from the public, they will only take from you if you allow them.
You need to develop some skills.
Like: "Hi. I don't care. Thanks."
__________________
"Resistance is futile...you will be assimilated" - The Krog
Must be something wrong with me working in retail and hating customers. But they suck. They are lazy and stupid.
Who the hell goes to a grocery store looking for a box fan? Get the whole store riled up and then, "oh, those 20 inch fans are too big. I'm going to home depot".
And how about, "Uh, excuse me sir, I'm looking for (blah blah product nobody sells)....".... let me find out for you.... "oh, no that's ok..." ... OKAY??? GEE IT WAS SUPER IMPORTANT 10 SECONDS AGO, since I failed to know the answer instantly, it's just too much waiting for you now, so 'eff it, I'm going to Wal-Mart'.... good. Wait in that line. Hope it was worth it.
"Where's the loaves of bread?" Gee... you just walked passed that big overhead sign that says 'breads' and had bread all over it.... could that have been it? You fail at life.
Every weekend it's elbow to elbow on each isle... how the hell can we be friendly fresh when we can't get through the first interruption to get to the second? We don't have the staff. We're all working our butts off stocking and aren't supposed to be working so we can be more friendly fresh.... This sucks. The training video even asked, "who would you rather speak to as a customer" and the correct answer is the guy not working with his arms open (and probably about to get fired for not working).
Relax, enjoy the ride! Think positive like: My favorite customer is the one that comes around the corner and asks where such and such is. I get to say, "You are standing right next to it!"
"**A HIGHLY SATISFIED CUSTOMER MADE THIS PAYCHECK POSSIBLE**"
Must be something wrong with me working in retail and hating customers. But they suck. They are lazy and stupid.
Who the hell goes to a grocery store looking for a box fan? Get the whole store riled up and then, "oh, those 20 inch fans are too big. I'm going to home depot".
And how about, "Uh, excuse me sir, I'm looking for (blah blah product nobody sells)....".... let me find out for you.... "oh, no that's ok..." ... OKAY??? GEE IT WAS SUPER IMPORTANT 10 SECONDS AGO, since I failed to know the answer instantly, it's just too much waiting for you now, so 'eff it, I'm going to Wal-Mart'.... good. Wait in that line. Hope it was worth it.
"Where's the loaves of bread?" Gee... you just walked passed that big overhead sign that says 'breads' and had bread all over it.... could that have been it? You fail at life.
Every weekend it's elbow to elbow on each isle... how the hell can we be friendly fresh when we can't get through the first interruption to get to the second? We don't have the staff. We're all working our butts off stocking and aren't supposed to be working so we can be more friendly fresh.... This sucks. The training video even asked, "who would you rather speak to as a customer" and the correct answer is the guy not working with his arms open (and probably about to get fired for not working).
Courtesy Clerk. Atlanta market.
How many times have I seen a customer just abandon their shopping cart in the lobby of one of our two entrances? I literally could not tell you, but probably more than 100 at this point.
How many times have I been asked 'do you work here' while wearing a name tag and uniform? Oddly enough, only once so far.
How many times have I nearly been run over in the parking lot during "lot duty?" Twice.
How many times have I had closer calls where I haven't been nearly run over, but the idiot just kept going anyway? Four.
How long does it take me to undo the damage of an average corral on busy days? About ten minutes, depending on how ignorant and uncaring our customers have been that day.
And, finally, how many times have I found one item somewhere else that it doesn't belong? Like the time someone found ice cream in the SHAMPOO AISLE? Probably more than 1,000 by now.
Our customers are dumbasses. Make no mistake. But you can't let that thought go public if you want to keep your job.
I hate the customers who come through the checkout and decide not to buy items and just throw them up on the gum rack. Lunchmeat, bloody meat, yogurt, diapers, you name it. How hard is it to hand it to the cashier and say "I've changed my mind"?
I have always hated retail, which is one of the reasons I am going back to school. I can't stand the idea of working in retail for the next 35+ years. I hate people and it takes every ounce of control I possess to be polite to them when they are acting exceptionally stupid. I just don't have the tolerance to deal with stupid, careless people.
Their laziness definitely shows when it comes to carts. They're HORRIBLE at my store about leaving carts wherever they damn well please. They can't even be bothered to push carts into the corral or into the lines of carts inside, they just leave them in the general vicinity. NOT GOOD ENOUGH, PEOPLE. And they're blind as well as stupid, because even when I manage to straighten up the corrals and neatly separate the big and small carts, there's ALWAYS at least one moron who puts the cart in the wrong side. It's enough to make me want to slam a cart into their car.
Thank God I only have five weeks left. Definitely will not be coming back to this ****hole next summer.
Ha ha ha... I was just blowing some steam to keep from punching a hole in the wall next time I go to stock.
You reminded me of some other things though... the CONSTANT laziness and lack of regard for others. So much effort is wasted on putting things back where they belong. You can go to any shelf that has a cheap Kroger brand and see where someone swapped the pricier item out to save 10 cents and didn't give enough of a crap to put it back. Or kids playing with toys in the store just to toss them in the middle of the baking isles. And, yes, the carts. 'Ugh, it's too hot/cold/rainy/partly cloudy/far to walk, so I'll just throw this cart sideways into a tree.
Actually, I don't even hate customers. Just laziness. And this friendly fresh thing is finally grating my nerves because I *know* that half the people in the store don't want to hear us yammering while they shop. They're in groups talking, on cell phones, listening to iPods, controlling their kids, or just plain in a hurry. The few people that need us can't seem to find us, or they don't want to wait for you to page another department if you don't know the answer to their questions. Friendly fresh just blows.
Does anybody notice at places like Best Buy or Home Depot that once you get to a more expensive department the employees start flocking? It's irritating to me. I don't like it. I don't like people bugging me when I shop.
I feel you. And while customers can and will be lazy, ignorant know it all jerks, they do provide us our paychecks so we can keep putting bread on the table. Why do they do this? Because they can and will. It's their right. Not saying it's right to do that to someone, just saying it's a fact. Not all customers are like that, some are pretty cool.
I can't tell you how many times a customer will literally bitch and argue with me about a set price, location of an item, or if we have that item in stock. Some of the even use to toss product in my basket while I was working on it as a cc. Didn't say anything??? Not if I wanted to continue working....
What im trying to say is just ignore them, help them out if requested, and don't let their stupidity get you down.
Now now, it's not customers you hate. It's people.
Humanity.
They're like this everywhere.
Oh sure, 99% of the customers we encounter are alright. But if only 1% are lazy, inconsiderate, rude, annoying, dishonest zombies, that winds up being dozens of them you'll encounter during a typical day. And of course, it's probably more than 1%. After a while, you get used to it. Perishable items, left in random places? Typical. Opened products that someone stuffed down their mouth-hole and then jammed on the shelf, for you to find? Typical. Big cart full of groceries, most of it perishable, abandoned for who knows how long? Typical. Trash and garbage left in the shopping carts, and the shopping carts left just wherever? Very typical. Customers walking along in a horde, very slowly, and all spread out across the aisle so nobody can pass them? Typical. Customers bringing their children along? The running, shouting, screaming, crying brats? Typical! Customers asking you where an item is - no greeting, no "excuse me, but do you know where..." they just bark out the name of the item at you and you're supposed to respond like some sort of iPad app? Typical. Cleaning up a mess, and one says "Missed a spot!" Typical. Trying to clean up a big mess, with broken glass and liquid, and people ignore both you and the floor cones and just stroll on through, trailing it everywhere with the cart? Typical. Careless, possibly drunk customers knocking over bottles of liquor or whole cases of wine? Typical.
And then there's the restrooms. Listening to customers berate you, for the mess that customers made in the restrooms, even while you're trying to clean them? Typical. Listening to customers berate you for the mess in the restrooms, but there isn't one, it just didn't meet their weirdly extraordinary standards of sanitation somehow? Typical. Empty, stolen beer and mini wine bottles in the trash? Typical. Used, nasty smelling feminine hygiene products, diapers, or even toilet paper on the floor? Typical. Feces splatter? Typical. Feces smeared on the walls? Typical! Thanks for shopping at Kroger.
Then these people go back out into the world, drive cars on the roads, breed, vote for politicians, commit crimes and petty acts of inconsiderate sloppy idiocy, and help shape the world of tomorrow.
I'm not being cynical when I say I think the human race, or at least human civilization, is doomed. I'm being optimistic.
Now now, it's not customers you hate. It's people.
Humanity.
They're like this everywhere.
Oh sure, 99% of the customers we encounter are alright. But if only 1% are lazy, inconsiderate, rude, annoying, dishonest zombies, that winds up being dozens of them you'll encounter during a typical day. And of course, it's probably more than 1%. After a while, you get used to it. Perishable items, left in random places? Typical. Opened products that someone stuffed down their mouth-hole and then jammed on the shelf, for you to find? Typical. Big cart full of groceries, most of it perishable, abandoned for who knows how long? Typical. Trash and garbage left in the shopping carts, and the shopping carts left just wherever? Very typical. Customers walking along in a horde, very slowly, and all spread out across the aisle so nobody can pass them? Typical. Customers bringing their children along? The running, shouting, screaming, crying brats? Typical! Customers asking you where an item is - no greeting, no "excuse me, but do you know where..." they just bark out the name of the item at you and you're supposed to respond like some sort of iPad app? Typical. Cleaning up a mess, and one says "Missed a spot!" Typical. Trying to clean up a big mess, with broken glass and liquid, and people ignore both you and the floor cones and just stroll on through, trailing it everywhere with the cart? Typical. Careless, possibly drunk customers knocking over bottles of liquor or whole cases of wine? Typical.
And then there's the restrooms. Listening to customers berate you, for the mess that customers made in the restrooms, even while you're trying to clean them? Typical. Listening to customers berate you for the mess in the restrooms, but there isn't one, it just didn't meet their weirdly extraordinary standards of sanitation somehow? Typical. Empty, stolen beer and mini wine bottles in the trash? Typical. Used, nasty smelling feminine hygiene products, diapers, or even toilet paper on the floor? Typical. Feces splatter? Typical. Feces smeared on the walls? Typical! Thanks for shopping at Kroger.
Then these people go back out into the world, drive cars on the roads, breed, vote for politicians, commit crimes and petty acts of inconsiderate sloppy idiocy, and help shape the world of tomorrow.
I'm not being cynical when I say I think the human race, or at least human civilization, is doomed. I'm being optimistic.
I once told a co-worker that this job makes me hate the human race.
I can not believe how ignorant, sloppy and lazy the customers can be when I am out on 'lot duty' and find all kinds of crap.
Have I ever written on this forum about how I found A ****ING DEAD CHICKEN IN A BAG once?
As in, used to be alive and clucking but now dead complete with all feathers, maybe not even dead that long?
How in the HELL someone got it to Kroger I don't know. I don't want to know.
If I haven't written about that incident it may be because I am still trying to suppress it in my memory.
But that day was the day I lost all faith in humanity and our customers.
So now I have lost all faith in our customers and all faith in my management to care about me as an employee.
Yea. This is a job I want to work at for the rest of my life.
/never did find out about that chicken
/don't ever want to find out
/just stuffed it as far down into the trash can (chicken body was in a bag) as I could and walked away.
It can be a good thing to detach yourself if possible and not get too "riled" up over customers. I will help customer but i dont get drawn into there rants/raving, there having a bad day, need to tell me there life story. Like many here we usually have our hands full of stuff to do and dont need there additional drama if needed.
Customers make my world go round. They make my life complete. They give me what I need.....A FREAKIN JOB!!!! I still want to donkey punch the majority of them though.
As entertaining as it is for me (and for you too, possibly?) to rant about typical customer behavior that winds up being annoying - really, I try to let that crap go. I meditate, is what I do. Mornings, nights, and on lunches if I'm scheduled a long lunch. Nothing spiritual, just focusing on breathing, and it helps me realize (afterward) what does or does not matter. In the end, crazy customers don't matter. They make my job interesting, and provide me fuel for all kinds of rants, which is something I like. But if I get lost in hating them, I'll wind up pre-judging everybody I meet and become a bitter, joyless jerk.
Which I am.
But it gets worse if I obsess over it. Honestly, that half naked man who **** on the floor of the restroom and who I had to chase out? God bless him. Otherwise, I wouldn't remember that day at all. Just one more flat, empty, meaningless day lost to the void of time, forgotten, giving me nothing except a few dollars to go to my many bills which have already been superceded by other dollars, and other bills. Now I have a fun story to enchant dates with. It's totally romantic conversation material, it is.
As entertaining as it is for me (and for you too, possibly?) to rant about typical customer behavior that winds up being annoying - really, I try to let that crap go. I meditate, is what I do. Mornings, nights, and on lunches if I'm scheduled a long lunch. Nothing spiritual, just focusing on breathing, and it helps me realize (afterward) what does or does not matter. In the end, crazy customers don't matter. They make my job interesting, and provide me fuel for all kinds of rants, which is something I like. But if I get lost in hating them, I'll wind up pre-judging everybody I meet and become a bitter, joyless jerk.
Which I am.
But it gets worse if I obsess over it. Honestly, that half naked man who **** on the floor of the restroom and who I had to chase out? God bless him. Otherwise, I wouldn't remember that day at all. Just one more flat, empty, meaningless day lost to the void of time, forgotten, giving me nothing except a few dollars to go to my many bills which have already been superceded by other dollars, and other bills. Now I have a fun story to enchant dates with. It's totally romantic conversation material, it is.
I would never date anyone who worked at Kroger! LOL
Customers make my world go round. They make my life complete. They give me what I need.....A FREAKIN JOB!!!! I still want to donkey punch the majority of them though.
Oooohhhh sometimes I want to do more than donkey-punch the ignorant folks who shop at our store.
Especially when I find carts that have all kinds of crap in them. We must have some of the sloppiest, most disgusting, dirtiest shoppers in the state.
I always find at least a plastic cup or a Starbucks cup or one of the bacterial wipes or SOMETHING in those carts.
