Are you a messy shopper? Or another shop worker disgusted by the rudeness?

[missjef]

I work in a clothes shop & am disgusted frequently at the rudeness of customers & especially children & teenagers. I would like to know if any of you out there are one of many of the messy shoppers we get? Some people just seem not to care that someone else will have to pick up the top that they dumped inamongst the shoes.. or the jumpers left in a screwed up mess on the floor.
Also the amount of parents that seem to let their children run loose round the shop too, especially in the fitting rooms.
If you drop something on the floor by accident do you pick it up or walk off not noticing?

The rudeness of some people is unbelievable usually on a saturday in the fitting room, once i have had a lady say "oh i just left the clothes in the fitting room for you"!

Do you work in a shop and encounter rudeness?

[druiaghtagh]

My wife works for a national diy store and its awful the amount of swaering, arguing etc she has to put up with. She has even been physically assaulted by a man after his card was declined while trying to make a very expensive purchase as it was reported as stolen by the bank when she phoned fpr authorisation, he was never caught.

[shaneystar2]

I worked in retail and catering all my working life and there are two sides to it. When I first started out in retail we were lined up of a morning and given the once over by the manageress,clean shoes,fingernails , no missing buttons or laddered tights etc!
It was impressed upon us that the customer was always right no matter what we used to think..And some of them were rights pains in the proverbial.
I think standards have slipped generally.I wouldn't dream of being rude to anyone in a shop even if I have a complaint or wish to exchange something etc. having been on the receiving end of some of it myself.
Some of these clothes shops jam so much on the rails it's no wonder stuff gets pulled about and dropped on the floor but that's no excuse not to pick it up and put it back somewhere.And lets be fair shop work doesn't exactly pay mega money unless you are in management so it's no wonder some shop assistants have a take it or leave it attitude.
I worked in a little bakers shop for a few years and the amount of people who got shirty because I refused to let them press the bread to see if it was fresh really used to annoy me .I felt like smackin 'em round the earhole with a stale french stick at times !

[shazzabell]

I've worked in 'probably' one of the messiest clothes shops in the UK for over 5 years. I plan to leave shortly as I think I'll go insane if I spend another Christmas there.

We've found all sorts of 'used items' in the fitting rooms. Dirty underwear, etc. Plus the cubicles have been used as a toilet with the curtain being wiped on!

As well as younger people I find 'snobby' people can be the real messiest and definitely the rudest.

AAArgh I hate working in a shop!

[Pippa68]

Having worked in retail for quite a few years, I can vouch for the fact that both staff and customers can be incredibly rude.

I was a manager for a long while, and spent a lot of my time either telling my teenage assistants that the store wasn't a social club or gritting my teeth whilst picking up clothes that had been deliberately stepped on or shoved under a display unit. Christmas & sale times were the worst, and have to say I wasn't upset to wave that job goodbye.

Retail is incredibly hard work ~ it is a pity that most companies like to employ the minimum wage students on a part time basis without providing adequate time for training ~ the managers have quite a lot to deal with regarding other aspects of the work, so some extra time for training would be nice :o)

As for the public, they have the same view as nox ~ we are there to serve & pick up..it is our job! however nobody should have to accept rudeness, regardless of the job they do.

[Pippa68]

Forgot to add that I am amongst the most polite members of the public whilst shopping. Maybe everyone should have a spell working with the public in retail...it might just make them more pleasant to deal with ;o)

[maggie01]

If I unfold a jumper etc in a shop, I always make sure I fold it back the way it was. In a supermarket, if I pick up something I later decide I don't want, then I walk back to where I got it from a put it back. Perfect shopper me.

[joko]

sometimes the firm - perhaps even stern - tone used when complaining or returning an item is adopted simply because you know, if you go in all apologetic and smiling you may be fobbed off and not get a refund or exchange or whatever, so you have to start off looking like you mean business and will not be fobbed in order to get fair treatment.

however, there is a difference between being firm and being rude.
I would always be polite first off and would only get irate if i felt they were taking the pish.

i think the problem lies with how people are brought up rather than the way they view your status in life.
they have never been taught to be polite and it has never become a habit and an automatic way to behave.

people are nice if they want something from you.
if there is nothing in it for them, they don't care about you.

shop staff and customers are as bad as each other.

[missjef]

Maggie & Pippa you sound like perfect customers come shop in my shop!! lol.

Today the shop was completely trashed which is to be expected, some people were rude or just ignorant like teenage girl dropping hats they'd tried on just onto the floor and jsut walking off right in front of me as im tidying that stand!! Also people bringing back clothes in the fitting room that they dont want just scrunched in a ball without the hangers - theyd just left them in the changing room, which i wouldn't dare do if i was out shopping!

I think your right Pippa, i think that if everyone did a small stint in retail they might think differently when out shopping!

[ermintrude35]

...I have worked in retail for just over 5 years now , and my personal policy is to treat each customer how I would wish to be treated, I have just moved companies, ( I now work for an american owned company and their customer service standards are very strict and a high priority to them, so I will have to wait and see when we open how the customers react)...

... some of the things I found in my previous job were unbelievable, 2 five year old girls unacompanied for over half an hour removed all of their clothes bar their pants and proceeded to try on all the dressing up costumes on display, dumped them on the floor...infact I was so worried that some pervert could come along that I just stood nearby while they wreked my display, the mums came eventually and just smirked at me , they kicked most of the clothing under a low shelf....!!???

...ditto about the shoes many a time I've seen unacompanied kids and adults too, try on several pairs and then just kick them off their feet in any old direction, I came back from lunch once ( in august ) and there were 50 pairs of shoes on the floor!!!...

...things I have found on the shoopfloor include... a half eaten sausage roll shoved into a shoe on a shelf .... a used condom in the ladies tights section!!!!.... icecreams and lollies left to melt on shelves among products...and dont get me started on chewing gum... a huuuuge streak of snot on a pair of socks!! ( ffs use your sleeve!)....

[ermintrude35]

...customer rudness include a lady throwing a cd case at a colleague's head because she attempted to jump the queue and was told to join the back of it.... swearing shouting ranting and raving because they think this will help them get a refund , when infact the policy in most places are to refund anyway.... oh yes the 70 year old who came in on a daily basis to pinch colleague's bottoms....people who think it's my own responsability we're out of stock on a certain something... people who stop me in the street on my day off/ lunch hour to ask if it's in stock, and how much it costs (ffs my head is not a database of stock on hand) ...

...still I love my job, I'm a happy old soul and that's probably why my new job will be on the customer service desk.... all those lovely complaints and irate customers ...I can hardly wait until monday when we open....I'm a sucker for punishment...

[Pippa68]

LOL ermintrude ~ you have to deal with the 'I know my rights' brigade ;o)

I could spot one of those a mile off..and when they quoted that at me I would politely ask them to tell me what those rights were. Then take pleasure in telling them they were wrong...

missjef ~ I do feel for you. Some people have been brought up with no respect for other peoples property which essentially is what shop stock is..unfortunately we have no control over other peoples parenting skills!

[maggie01]

I worked in retail for 8 yrs so maybe that's why I am like I am. Never occured to me before.