Ever wondered why you've just walk into a clothes shop to be greeted by the grumpiest person ever? Here's why.....
8) Customers who ask stupid questions.
Yes you may well have a sensible question to ask, but mostly us shop assistants get the stupid ones. One example I’d like to bring to your attention (please note this has happened more than once!). One day I was standing behind the till waiting for the next customer to serve. A customer approaches the till and asks, ‘Excuse me could you tell me where the nearest till is?’ Really?! I think. ‘It’s right in front of you’ I reply. The customer then gets an angry look on their face which soon switches to ‘hahaha oh yes of course, silly me’. Yes sir/madam you’re an idiot.
7) Customers who demand your attention.
Many a time I have been standing at the till serving customers, when someone comes marching forward demanding that I find them whatever product they want RIGHT NOW OR I’M GOING TO HAVE A HISSY FIT. My obvious response is, ‘yes sir/madam, I’ll help you after I’ve finished with this customer’. But no, some customers can’t wait the 30 seconds that they need to and therefore hurl abuse at you before storming off whilst you raise your eyebrows and carry on regardless.
6) Customers who don’t hang clothes up properly.
The bain of the fitting room is lazy customers who don’t seem to have the ability to hang a t-shirt or a pair of trousers up properly. Yes you may think we need ‘something to do’, but let me tell you we already have several things that need doing and we don’t need you adding to the list! I’ve had it all from trousers hung on top hangers, to items hung up inside out, to items not hung up at all. The rudest of all are the customers who say ‘oh yes I’ve left the clothes in the fitting room, you can go an get them’. Sorry when did I become your slave? Most of the time you’ll go round to find the clothes on the floor, inside out and just all in a general mess. Bringing them back round with a huge sigh of stress you’ll be greeted with another customer handing you yet another messy pile. So next time your in the fitting room, please pay more respect to whoever is working in there and hang your clothes up nicely!
5) Customers who don’t understand that you don’t know the answer to
everything.
There’s a good reason why a shop assistant might not know something, usually they haven’t been told by their manager or whoever owns the company. For example recently I was asked whether we’d be getting more sizes of an item in soon. My response was ‘I can’t say for certain I’m afraid. We get a delivery everyday but we only find out what being delivered when we open up the container’. ‘Well you must know what’s coming in’, was the customers response. Again I explained what I already had before, but he wouldn’t take no for an answer and once again the hurl of abuse starts. I don’t know so GET OVER IT!
4) Customers who disappear.
There’s many a customer who will often ask a member of staff to go and find out something for them. Which is fine we are perfectly happy to go and do that! However when one returns to find the customer has gone, *POOF* disappeared, one tends to think, ‘oh, well what a waste of time that was’. So come on be a tad more patient and wait for us!
3) Customers who don’t understand that we’re all muggles.
Some customers I swear, expect you to have a magic wand in your pocket and be able to wizz up some kind of spell, so that they can get what they want. One example I often face is customers moaning at me because there’s only one fitting room on the floor I work on. ‘Is this the only fitting room on this floor?’ ‘Yes.’ ‘Well I think you should have another one down at the other end as it’s a long way to walk’. Sorry did you just have to climb Mount Everest or swim the Nile? No! You just completed a walk I probably do about 50 times a day, running after people like you. Anyway I can’t change that, what do expect me to do? Wave a magic wand and make another fitting room appear at the other end of the store? Well that’s not possible, plus you’d have to repeat that ‘horrendous’ walk you’ve just done, so it’s all pretty pointless isn’t it?
2) Customers who get in the way.
Picture the scene, I’m walking down the middle of the store with a heavy metal rail of clothes, trying to keep in a straight line, despite the wonky wheels, and instead of stepping to the side to allow me to do so, customers like to keep walking towards me, so I have to steer this heavy rail around them. Sorry I didn’t realise you wanted a head on collision with a huge lump of metal! Come on customers, pay us a bit of respect and step to the side for us yeah? It’s a lot less effort for you trust me!
And then there’s those who like to block up the aisles by standing in the way having a conversation, oblivious to the many people around them trying to get past. No matter how loud or often you shout ‘EXCUSE ME!’ they’ll continue to stand there. When they do realise however, they’ll give you the nastiest glare.
1) Customers who mess up the store.
So once again I’ve been asked to tidy up the folded t-shirts or the folded jeans table because the customers have left it in such a mess. So I go and start the task, folding away, making everything neat and straight. However whilst I’m doing this a customer will often come and have a browse. I’ll smile as they examine the item and they’ll smile back. Often they’ll decide they don’t want it and will throw it back on the table, making what I just tidied a total mess again. SORRY DID YOU NOT SEE THAT I WAS TRYING TO TIDY THIS TABLE UP? Thank you for your help lazy customer.
Then there’s those who pick an item up, later decide they don’t want it and abandon it in a random place. I’m forever finding tops in the shoe department. Either hand it to a member of staff who can put it back neatly or do that yourself!
PHEW! and breathe!
Okay rant over but please be more considerate next time you’re out shopping.
You can guess why shop assistants can be grumpy now yes?
But surely people don’t act like this? You ask. Oh they surely do!
If you didn’t relate to any of these points then that means you’re probably a pretty perfect customer already, and we love people like you!
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