![[info]](http://l-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif){kind=small}
Retail gripes...
mood: 
aggravated
aggravatedcan't express it, you can't let a glimmer of it show. You have to stand there and keep a smile
plastered on your face and murmur politely, "Have a nice day," while inside you're seething and
wanting to scream at the IDIOTS you are dealing with.
This is not meant as a gripe against any one store or company in particular, just retail customers
in general. I have seen the behaviors I'm about to describe too many times in different stores, so I
I've had to come to the conclusion that this is some sort of universal thing. Or at least,
commonplace. Though I can't help but wonder why. I've shopped myself and I'd *never* think of
doing any of the things listed here.
1. The store does get busy. We employees do the best we can, and we *will* take care of you. But
PLEASE be PATIENT. If there are long lines, we apologize, but do not hassle the cashiers--who are
busy enough as it is--with demands that they open another line. Most of them don't have the authority
to do that anyway. Do not demand that they call a manager. The managers are very busy too. Just
wait quietly and we will get to you as soon as we can.
2. Many stores have a policy that hangers must be removed from clothing and placed on racks or bars
at or near the cashier's station. IF this is the case in the store, PLEASE ACCEPT IT, and don't even
ASK for the hanger. WE CANNOT GIVE IT TO YOU. THAT IS COMPANY POLICY. All you're doing is
wasting your time and the cashier's. And as a further to this item, don't ask to speak to a manager
about this, either.
2b. An addenda to 2. If you that's reading this *are* a retail manager, and a customer has asked
you in regard to the above, PLEASE support your cashier AND THE COMPANY POLICY by explaining
to the customer that NO< they can NOT take the hangers out of the store. Doing anything else
only makes your cashier look bad and reinforces poor behavior from the customers.
ALL CLOTHING IS TO BE FOLDED AND PLACED I
3. Please make sure that your items have store price tickets on them BEFORE you come to the
register. This avoids us having to call for price checks, and making you and everyone else in
line wait for some other employee to come and do that check.
3b. As a corollary to 3. In the event that you *have* gotten a price check, and someone has come
and said how much the item is, DON"T QUESTION IT. Don't say, "Oh, no, that can't be right, I
saw it on such and such rack..." etc etc. Our price checkers know their jobs, so if they say an
item is, for example, $19.99, then it *is* $19.99.
4. If your total bill comes to, for example, $17.50, and you have a $20 bill, please just give us that,
and don't take the extra time to search through your purse for 50 cents. We CAN make change.
5. Some stores, I will admit, don't supply bags to the customers, However, most do, and when in
a store that does, it's part of the cashier's job to bag your items. If you have heavy or fragile items,
we may need to use multiple bags to malke sure you get them home safely. Please let us do
this and don't say things like, "oh, I don't need a bag," or "please don't use that many bags."
We'll make that decision based on the size and nature of the item.
6. Another thing about clothes hangers. As stated in #2, if in a store where the cashier is
supposed to take the hangers, please let them do it. All you have to do is place your clothes
items on the register and the cashier will take care of it. You don't need to pull the hangers
off yourself; that only means the cashier will have to pick up the empty hangers off the
counter top.
7. In stores that have fitting rooms, you are only allowed to bring in the items you are trying on,
and only a certain number of *those*. The exact number varies with the particular store's rules.
Some allow only 3 at a time, some 5, some as much as 8. Please do not ask the fitting room
attendant to let you bring in more than that maximum number, or other merchandise. That is
AGAINST THE STORE POLICY. Why is that so hard to understand for some people?
8. If you are looking through items on racks or shelves in a store, and something is dropped or
knocked off, please pick it up. Don't just leave clothing or other merchandise lying about on the
floor for someone else maybe to trip over.
9. Those of you shopping with small children. PLEASE do NOT allow a child to bring a toy, book,
etc etc, into the store. Particularly not if the store happens to sell similar items. It causes concerns
and possibly embarrassing questions when you're on your way out. If the child cries because he
or she cannot carry Binky, too bad. They have to learn they cannot always get what they want,
and the sooner you start that the better.
10. Most stores these days use machines to run the debit or credit cards. However, from time to
time these machines will malfunction. We're sorry, but when that happens the cashier CANNOT
take debit cards. Please do not yell at them if you get up to the cashier after standing in line and
then she tells you no debit. It's not their fault. Just go quietly to another line if you have to.
11. And on the subject of switching lines. If you're in a situation as described above, or you came
in to return an item and ended up in a purchase-only checkout line, please simply go to the proper
line when requested. Don't demand that the cashier or a manager physically escort you to another
line and allow you to cut in front of other customers who may already be in that line.
12. This last is aimed more at managers, than customers. IF you assign an employee to carry out
a project, such as putting away returns, or straightening up an area, please allow the employee to
FINISH doing that. Don't send them out to do whatever it is, then five miutes later--before they've
had a chance to do much--be calling them to do something else. Tasks don't get finished that way.
curious
naughty
pensive
weird
worried
impressed