Retail workers.. Has a customer ever made you cry?

[NotProudOfMyself]

One did today. I'm not proud of myself. But they were one in a long line of customers today who decided to tell me how rubbish I am at my job (I'm not BTW, and I wasn't doing anything wrong )...and it just got to me. And I hate myself for that.

I wish people could remember that just because we wear a uniform and serve you doesn't make us less than human, or mean that we don't have feelings too.

We do. And we need kindness and understanding as much as you do. Trust me.

Yes I was 21. Super paranoid about my weight, very insecure in general. I'd recently returned to a store I'd worked in previously after a year away and my confidence was at a low. An elderly man came in, who remembered me from my time there before. Decided to tell me how much fatter he thought I looked. I sobbed my eyes out! Horrible bastard. Funny enough though, 16 years later, I'd either laugh or tell him to fuck off.

I'm sorry for all of this. It's so sad that we seem to be losing our patience and kindness.

I remember working so hard on a matter for one of my clients and because the rest of the people in our chain weren't ready to move, he tore strips off me. I was ready, but absolutely hamstrung by what the rest of the chain was ready for - nothing I could do. On this occasion I'd managed to do everything so quickly, keep him informed all the way through, manage his expectations... but once he got a date in his head that was it.

I was dirt on his shoe.

On this one occasion I was party to his downfall - he was sacked, publicly, for being a stoned, gropey bully and shamed throughly. He's now selling the house I helped him buy in double quick time and his wife had left him.

Recently, things are hard at work. I'm struggling.

Sorry OP, I recall now this was about retail. I miss and love you guys x