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Pet peeves about customers
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ily_em
This man came in the other morning and bought 30 belgian buns! We were severely depleted for the rest of the day.
This man came in the other morning and bought 30 belgian buns! We were severely depleted for the rest of the day.
To be honest, I never minded it at all if customers came in and bought half the cake counter in one go, especially if I was the one serving, because it meant that my average customer spend was put right up! If it was baguettes then we just made more, and they'd sell as well, meaning that the overall amount of money we'd make that day would be high.
I work in Somerfield.
We have a self-serve coffee machine, which most people are able to use fine, however we get customers who will come in, fill the cups with hot water, and think it's fine to just take them without paying, and they say 'you're going to charge me for hot water' and our reply is 'each cup cost us 28p' I even had a lady yesterday fill one with milk and didn't want to pay for it. Nothing is free!!
I hate it when I pack for someone, and then they take it all out and re-pack it!!
Last week we had a drunk tramp sit on our paper stand outside the door, take his trousers down and wee on it. It was so disgusting, we had to get the police over to remove him as he refused to move.
We also have this regular customer who comes in every evening, he's about 90 and will always find something to complain about. Normally it's about how we keep increasing the price of cigarettes, and how they're 5p cheaper in so and so shop. We've just learned to either ignore him or ask him to speak to the government as they're the ones that set the prices, not us!!
And the smelly people are awful, you can smell them from the other end of the shop, no-one wants to serve them, and we all just try and avoid them.
Another customer favourite is seeing some reduced bread for example, picking up a loave without a reduced sticker on and taking it to the checkouts. I scan it in, it comes up at full price. They say 'oh no, they're reduced to 37p' No, they're not, only the ones that actually have a reduced sticker on are, you cant pick and choose, they're reduced because they run out soon!! Grr...
We have a self-serve coffee machine, which most people are able to use fine, however we get customers who will come in, fill the cups with hot water, and think it's fine to just take them without paying, and they say 'you're going to charge me for hot water' and our reply is 'each cup cost us 28p' I even had a lady yesterday fill one with milk and didn't want to pay for it. Nothing is free!!
I hate it when I pack for someone, and then they take it all out and re-pack it!!
Last week we had a drunk tramp sit on our paper stand outside the door, take his trousers down and wee on it. It was so disgusting, we had to get the police over to remove him as he refused to move.
We also have this regular customer who comes in every evening, he's about 90 and will always find something to complain about. Normally it's about how we keep increasing the price of cigarettes, and how they're 5p cheaper in so and so shop. We've just learned to either ignore him or ask him to speak to the government as they're the ones that set the prices, not us!!
And the smelly people are awful, you can smell them from the other end of the shop, no-one wants to serve them, and we all just try and avoid them.
Another customer favourite is seeing some reduced bread for example, picking up a loave without a reduced sticker on and taking it to the checkouts. I scan it in, it comes up at full price. They say 'oh no, they're reduced to 37p' No, they're not, only the ones that actually have a reduced sticker on are, you cant pick and choose, they're reduced because they run out soon!! Grr...
ily_em
People who moan when the savory stuff is cold (this isn't aimed at the customers really, I would expect my pie to be hot too.) It's just our shop doesn't have heaters in the counter so especially in the morning when the stuff has been out a while it goes cold. So it's the management's fault really, why did they design our shop that way?
People who moan when the savory stuff is cold (this isn't aimed at the customers really, I would expect my pie to be hot too.) It's just our shop doesn't have heaters in the counter so especially in the morning when the stuff has been out a while it goes cold. So it's the management's fault really, why did they design our shop that way?
Our shop didn't have heated cabinets either, and I hated it when people brought back savouries and complained that they were 'freezing', when I could feel the warmth coming through the bag when I took it. I temperature probed one once and it was 50 degrees!
It's not the shop management's fault though, we have no say over whether we get heated cabinets or not! I wished to goodness I could have, because if I had had any influence in the matter I would certainly have got our shop one! Plus, you're not supposed to sell savouries if they've been in an unheated cabinet for more than either 2 or 4 hours (I forget which, sorry - it's over a year since I left.) Management are urged to bake savouries 'little and often' in any case, because it means they are all more likely to sell before they get cold in the first place.
hippieglitter
So for those who work in retail what really annoys you about some of your customers?
For me its
Anybody else?
For me its
•
When they act like they know what they are talking about when they don't. I'm the advisor i give the advice!
When the till squeaks and they look at you as if or say you've done something wrong when you haven't.
When they complain to you or about you when they really don't understand that you have been there for 7 hours and don't understand or appreciate how hard you work.
When they deliberately get in the way and don't move or even acknowledge you no matter how politely you might say excuse me.
When what we sell is a darn sight cheaper than everywhere else and they still complain about the price.
When they question a discount, what does it matter, you're paying less than you expected.
Anybody else?
It annoys me when somebody gets a job in retail and then spends so much time complaining about the customers.
FormerlyHistoryStudent
To be fair, there's a reason why you shouldn't eat from cans which are dented - increased risk of food poisoning!
That's not really a major problem these days thanks to better technology etc. My friends get this a lot with older customers when the advice never to buy a dented can was ingrained into their minds by their parents when severe chemical reactions could occur between the food and the metal. This isn't really the case anymore, and you only really have a problem if the seal or the can has been punctured, letting air in.
If it hisses when you open a can with a tin opener, you will have no problem, it's only when the can is severely dented that there could be a chance of a pinhole sized hole. If conditions were right, Clostridium botulinum and/or other harmful bacteria might be able to enter the can through the pin holes. Clostridium botulinum is a bacteria that is found everywhere, but it grows and makes its deadly toxin only when there is no air is present (we call this an anaerobic condition).
It is possible that even with pin holes in a can which let in a tiny amount of air, an airless condition could be found in the food in that can. If this happened, Clostridium botulinum that got into the can could grow and make its toxin; the toxin is what causes the neurological disease called botulism. Botulism can be fatal, but usually is not if modern medical treatment is sought quickly.
"We say it is 'remotely possible' to get botulism from food from a severely dented can because all the right conditions have to be present for this to happen, and many times they are not. So, this foodborne illness would not happen very often, but it could happen sometimes; the challenge is that we don't know if the bacteria is present and if the condition are right in the can or not, so we have to assume the worst and discard severely dented cans of food.
(Some of the above is ripped off from a few online sources, before anyone accuses me of taking credit for the work of others)
Christian_j
That's not really a major problem these days thanks to better technology etc. My friends get this a lot with older customers when the advice never to buy a dented can was ingrained into their minds by their parents when severe chemical reactions could occur between the food and the metal. This isn't really the case anymore, and you only really have a problem if the seal or the can has been punctured, letting air in.
If it hisses when you open a can with a tin opener, you will have no problem, it's only when the can is severely dented that there could be a chance of a pinhole sized hole. If conditions were right, Clostridium botulinum and/or other harmful bacteria might be able to enter the can through the pin holes. Clostridium botulinum is a bacteria that is found everywhere, but it grows and makes its deadly toxin only when there is no air is present (we call this an anaerobic condition).
It is possible that even with pin holes in a can which let in a tiny amount of air, an airless condition could be found in the food in that can. If this happened, Clostridium botulinum that got into the can could grow and make its toxin; the toxin is what causes the neurological disease called botulism. Botulism can be fatal, but usually is not if modern medical treatment is sought quickly.
"We say it is 'remotely possible' to get botulism from food from a severely dented can because all the right conditions have to be present for this to happen, and many times they are not. So, this foodborne illness would not happen very often, but it could happen sometimes; the challenge is that we don't know if the bacteria is present and if the condition are right in the can or not, so we have to assume the worst and discard severely dented cans of food.
(Some of the above is ripped off from a few online sources, before anyone accuses me of taking credit for the work of others)
If it hisses when you open a can with a tin opener, you will have no problem, it's only when the can is severely dented that there could be a chance of a pinhole sized hole. If conditions were right, Clostridium botulinum and/or other harmful bacteria might be able to enter the can through the pin holes. Clostridium botulinum is a bacteria that is found everywhere, but it grows and makes its deadly toxin only when there is no air is present (we call this an anaerobic condition).
It is possible that even with pin holes in a can which let in a tiny amount of air, an airless condition could be found in the food in that can. If this happened, Clostridium botulinum that got into the can could grow and make its toxin; the toxin is what causes the neurological disease called botulism. Botulism can be fatal, but usually is not if modern medical treatment is sought quickly.
"We say it is 'remotely possible' to get botulism from food from a severely dented can because all the right conditions have to be present for this to happen, and many times they are not. So, this foodborne illness would not happen very often, but it could happen sometimes; the challenge is that we don't know if the bacteria is present and if the condition are right in the can or not, so we have to assume the worst and discard severely dented cans of food.
(Some of the above is ripped off from a few online sources, before anyone accuses me of taking credit for the work of others)
I know it's pretty rare to actually get food poisoning from dented cans, but there's always a risk. I just mentioned it because the poster who originally made the comment about customers and dented cans didn't seem to know that you can get food poisoning from them - they seemed to think that customers were just being petty about the aesthetic look of the can. (Which granted, some may have been, but most of them probably weren't.)
FormerlyHistoryStudent
I know it's pretty rare to actually get food poisoning from dented cans, but there's always a risk. I just mentioned it because the poster who originally made the comment about customers and dented cans didn't seem to know that you can get food poisoning from them - they seemed to think that customers were just being petty about the aesthetic look of the can. (Which granted, some may have been, but most of them probably weren't.)
Ah, yeah, I see what you mean, just thought I'd throw some info in for anyone who's interested - as I said, my friends who work in supermarkets have customers who go crazy about even the smallest dent in their can, just wanted to show that it was pointless worrying too much about it
when you're in an area tidying up and they come and mess it up- or they drop something and expect you to pick it up!
hippieglitter
So for those who work in retail what really annoys you about some of your customers?
For me its
Anybody else?
For me its
•
When they act like they know what they are talking about when they don't. I'm the advisor i give the advice!
When the till squeaks and they look at you as if or say you've done something wrong when you haven't.
When they complain to you or about you when they really don't understand that you have been there for 7 hours and don't understand or appreciate how hard you work.
When they deliberately get in the way and don't move or even acknowledge you no matter how politely you might say excuse me.
When what we sell is a darn sight cheaper than everywhere else and they still complain about the price.
When they question a discount, what does it matter, you're paying less than you expected.
Anybody else?
When silly little undergrad students treat me like i'm an idiot. Presumably because they dont realise I already have a degree and i'm doing a PG.
When ppl put money on the counter not in my hand
SleepyGrad
When there's a really long, busy queue, there's alway some silly idiot who carefully packs up all their shopping and when you ask for money they stare in amazement as if they thought it all came for free.
And then take ten minutes finding a card/cash.
And then take ten minutes finding a card/cash.
Then don't work in a shop? What else is the customer supposed to bloody do, scoop everything up in their arms and run out the doors just to save you some time?
See, I used to work in Tesco and I think you're being unfair. If the customer has to pack all their things up after they pay you, by then you're dealing with the next customer and putting their stuff through and the customer you've just served feels pressured to pack up and **** off. Surely you can wait a couple of seconds while they put some milk in a carrier bag?
I have so much respect for shop assistants after being one myself for a year.
I work in a call centre now which is a hell of a lot better but I still have my hates.
The ones that ring at 2 mins to closing.
The customers that when you say, "Is there anything else I can help with?' say 'Not unless you can give me the lottery numbers' Seriously, they think they're being so original that you have to politely laugh, If I really did have the winning numbers would I really share them with you?
Some of the staff that transfer calls to you that have nothing to do with us. I'm sitting 3 rows away from you, I can see your head over the computer screen, you are quite clearly aware what department we are in so why are you sending me calls that have nothing to do with us?
The ones that complain about how long they've been in the queue, we can only answer one at a time.
I used to hate wearing a name tag when I worked in a shop.
The ones that interrupt when you're trying to tell them the answer to the question they've just asked.
Those that can't speak English properly and so I have to say "WHAT IS YOUR NAME?" about 27 times and they still don't understand.
Those that claim they should be getting more than they are, and it's a disgrace because they've worked all their life - I don't care.
I work in a call centre now which is a hell of a lot better but I still have my hates.
The ones that ring at 2 mins to closing.
The customers that when you say, "Is there anything else I can help with?' say 'Not unless you can give me the lottery numbers' Seriously, they think they're being so original that you have to politely laugh, If I really did have the winning numbers would I really share them with you?
Some of the staff that transfer calls to you that have nothing to do with us. I'm sitting 3 rows away from you, I can see your head over the computer screen, you are quite clearly aware what department we are in so why are you sending me calls that have nothing to do with us?
The ones that complain about how long they've been in the queue, we can only answer one at a time.
I used to hate wearing a name tag when I worked in a shop.
The ones that interrupt when you're trying to tell them the answer to the question they've just asked.
Those that can't speak English properly and so I have to say "WHAT IS YOUR NAME?" about 27 times and they still don't understand.
Those that claim they should be getting more than they are, and it's a disgrace because they've worked all their life - I don't care.
The customers that ask for a bag, when they have brought a drink?! WHY!!!
The ones that come in at 2 minutes to close then ignore the customer announcements that the store is closed, then after 15 minutes of walking around, dont even buy anything!
Customers that dont understand SUNDAY TRADING HOURS!! we open at 10.30 for browsing - which is very clearly signed throughout the store, and the tills open at 11, yet every week i get a customer shouting abuse at me telling me what a rubbish idea it is and how stupid i am because I have done this to them?! - I DIDNT INFORCE THE LAW!
Customers who come to the checkout with a trolly full of clothes, food, sports equipment etc and want to know the price of everything that goes through then spend 5 minutes deciding whether they want them or not at that price, then dont want most of it! - Im sorry but thats what we have labels and signs for - to tell you the price before you pick it up!!
Also, when you welcome a customer and ask how they are etc, and they flat out ignore you like your not even there or give you a dirty look, no hello, no goodbye... Its just mean!
The ones that come in at 2 minutes to close then ignore the customer announcements that the store is closed, then after 15 minutes of walking around, dont even buy anything!
Customers that dont understand SUNDAY TRADING HOURS!! we open at 10.30 for browsing - which is very clearly signed throughout the store, and the tills open at 11, yet every week i get a customer shouting abuse at me telling me what a rubbish idea it is and how stupid i am because I have done this to them?! - I DIDNT INFORCE THE LAW!
Customers who come to the checkout with a trolly full of clothes, food, sports equipment etc and want to know the price of everything that goes through then spend 5 minutes deciding whether they want them or not at that price, then dont want most of it! - Im sorry but thats what we have labels and signs for - to tell you the price before you pick it up!!
Also, when you welcome a customer and ask how they are etc, and they flat out ignore you like your not even there or give you a dirty look, no hello, no goodbye... Its just mean!
AdviceSeeker09
I work in Mcdonalds too 
I'm starting to dislike the customers quite badly though..
I'm starting to dislike the customers quite badly though..
The only issue I have with customers is that sometimes it's hard to get them to come to your till when you have a hold order as the other customer is quite often in front of your till, or only ever slightly to the side. Making it appear you're still serving them.
Sometimes you have to use arm movements and literally shout at them to get them to walk to your till rather than stare at you blankly.
But I blame that on our crappy que system, or lack of. Not the customers themselves.
Night_Hawk
Well Said
I will + REP you tomorrow
Well
I will + REP you tomorrow
Well
Thanks.
CasinoBrawl
Then don't work in a shop? What else is the customer supposed to bloody do, scoop everything up in their arms and run out the doors just to save you some time? See, I used to work in Tesco and I think you're being unfair. If the customer has to pack all their things up after they pay you, by then you're dealing with the next customer and putting their stuff through and the customer you've just served feels pressured to pack up and **** off. Surely you can wait a couple of seconds while they put some milk in a carrier bag?
See, I used to work in Tesco and I think you're being unfair. If the customer has to pack all their things up after they pay you, by then you're dealing with the next customer and putting their stuff through and the customer you've just served feels pressured to pack up and **** off. Surely you can wait a couple of seconds while they put some milk in a carrier bag?I wasn't the person who posted before, but IMO, I don't mind how long people take to pack, I'll happily be patient for the customer - but surely you expect to pay in a supermarket?! Don't be surprised when I ask for money. And, I dunno, I always have my purse out and ready to pay, it just seems strange that people do seem to forget that they're getting the food in exchange for money
Juno
So why, after the first time, didn't you explain straight away you had no Halloween costumes left? You could have avoided a lot of the awkwardness by being more helpful.
I told them straight away we had no Halloween costumes left! They didn't originally specify that was what they wanted.
I remembered another one
*When i'm working on the tills (which is customer services anyway) and the customer puts the items of clothing on the desk expecting you to guess what they want. I mean i'm thinking do you want to buy them or are you returning them. And when you ask if they are returning them they give you a funny look or think you're stupid. What am i a mind reader, usually only returns are delt with on customer services.
*When i'm working on the tills (which is customer services anyway) and the customer puts the items of clothing on the desk expecting you to guess what they want. I mean i'm thinking do you want to buy them or are you returning them. And when you ask if they are returning them they give you a funny look or think you're stupid. What am i a mind reader, usually only returns are delt with on customer services.
I work in a supermarket.
"Why is this yoghurt in the wrong place?"
"I....don't know."
"Why is this yoghurt in the wrong place?"
"I....don't know."
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