To ask you all to abide these rules when shopping

[Ladyofthehousespeaking]

I've namechanged as my boss is a mumsnetter-

I work in retail at a large pharmacy/beauty shop and I'm disgusted at the manners of mostly female customers. So if everyone could justfollow these I would be very grateful!

1. Please don't throw your credit card down on the counter - you know how to use a chip and pin machine
   

1. Don't call me a bitch because you don't have enough points on your loyalty card to pay for your disgusting perfume - I do not make the prices.
   

3.please acknowledge my presence as a human being - a simple nod will suffice although I am willing to wave this for busy mums with screaming kids and those on their lunch hour

4.do not accuse me of stealing £3.50 of your gift card, it is physically impossible for me to do so.

5.please and thankyou are expected.

1. Please do not answer calls in the middle of my serving you ad completely stop what we are doing and immediately ignore me. You're decision of wholewheat linguine or organic canneloni can wait.
   

I love my job but all of these examples are from 30-40 year old well dressed women. It's baffling and demeaning.

[ProfYaffle]

bellasmama - I'm quite comforted to know I'm not the only one Sodding water was only £2.50, I was expecting her to charge me about £50 the way she was going on. Do I really look like I haven't got £2.50 to my name?

[Ladyofthehousespeaking]

Sorry everyone- had to go out!
Of course most people don't need these rules- it's just some people dot even know how offensive their behaviour is- my mum never used to acknowledge shop workers until I started working in one and she was horrified that she had been so rude!

I've never had to clean up a used tamponthough!!
Jesus!

[Ladyofthehousespeaking]

Oh and I never talk to other staff when serving a customer-hate that!!

[mrsjuan]

Am at some of these - absolutely incredulous that people would do that.

Mind you DH worked as a lifeguard at university and said that one of his jobs was go round every night and remove the tampons that people had hung on the hooks in the changing rooms. 'Twas a very regular occurrence apparently.

[lennythelion]

I used to work in an Off Licence and couldn't stand it when people would give me a folded up £5/10/20 note. Why couldn't they open it out then hand it over??

OTOH, if there's a queue of people waiting to be served, cashier, please do not have a long-winded conversation with the customer, and then carry on chatting even when they have paid and packed their shopping. The staff at my local Tesco Express seem to delight in doing this

[InGodWeTrust]

Hey..I'm a nightmare for shop people, I'm not so much rude as more, I don't want to spend my entire day smiling and nodding at people a) I won't see again b) I don't really care about.

1)I will answer my phone whenever the hell I like, I won't be dictated to, I'm not slowing down the process of you putting paracetamol in a bag and me giving you money.

2)Don't answer the work phone half way through serving me-that slows EVERYONE down.

3) Don't give me coin change on top of a note and a receipt, that's just annoying.

[InGodWeTrust]

I'd also like to add, while I don't really care if someone works in a shop or not...I think the worker needs to remember that. Especially those in the likes of Whistles/White Company etc...it's then I want to remind them they are ONLY cashiers.

[LifeForRent]

.

[JarethThePomBearKing]

lennythelion I think we must use the same Tesco Express

[Ladyofthehousespeaking]

That's not very Christian of you ingodwetrust.

[readywithwellies]

Ex Fast food restaurant:

Not only have I retrieved a poo from a urinal, a catheter tube from a toilet, a partially blown up balloon from a toilet and so many pairs of dirty underwear I lost count.

Also, may I add the rules:

If you are in such a rush to be served, when you get to the front, tell me what you want rather than complaining you are in a rush.

If you are ordering for others, ask them what they want before/during the queuing process, rather than wait until you are at the front.

And lastly, if you are frustrated/drunk/had an argument with the missus, try not to punch, kick or slam doors at me with such force that they shatter.

Give me retail any day!

[NinkyNonker]

As a customer I would like the change put in my hand as well, that works both ways. I've managed whole lengthy transactions in numerous shops with not a word being uttered by the person on the other side of the till. If I'm feeling particularly creative I'll just hold the conversation with myself.

[plasticface]

I used to work in a very large stationery/card shop in central London. People were so rude, if they were listening to an ipod and therefore could not hear me I would repeat the same question over and over "would you like a bag, would you like a bag" etc, then not give them one as they had not answered me. They would then ask me for a bag. You have to take enjoyment from these small things when you work in retail.

I also once got asked "How strong are these magnets?" I said, "I am not good enough as Physics to be able to answer that question".

And, "How long will this pen last?" I replied that "It depends how often you use it"

My collegue was asked why she could not have a different red coloured envelope "mixed" for her as it was not the red that she wanted.

I realise that these questions are not "rude", the post just reminded me of the silly questions customers ask!

[plasticface]

At physics, not "as"!

[Kaloki]

"3) Don't give me coin change on top of a note and a receipt, that's just annoying."

You can't win with this one. Some customers will throw a fit if you hand them change on top of a note, some will throw a fit if you don't. It is, quite frankly, a stupid thing to get upset at.

Hmm, let's see.. horror stories from working in retail..

• if you are trying on an item of clothing and it has a security tag in it, it is safe to presume that the staff will not remove said tag so you can go and try it on in the privacy of the changing rooms. You know, the area where most thefts occur in a clothes shop? And when the staff politely point this out to you, it is not acceptable to physically push them out of the way so you can go behind the till and remove the tag yourself.
  

• if it get's to closing time and a staff member says "we are closing now, can I help you with anything?" the correct response is not, "no, I'm just browsing"
  

• if you have asked a member of staff if you can use their bathroom and they've said no, it is not on to go into the changing rooms and shit on the floor
  

• for male customers being served by a female shop assistant, grabbing the arse of said assistant is not acceptable
  

• in a technology store, if you are approached by a female member of staff asking if you need help, do not say "I'd like to speak to someone who knows what they are doing, are any of the men free?" will result in you waiting for a long long time.
  

• coming to a store at closing time and responding to "sorry we are shut" with "do you know who I am??" will only ever get you the response "no"
  

• if you wear lots of orange dark foundation, do not, for god's sake, try on the skin tight white t-shirts - it takes forever to de-tango them.
  

• if you think leaning over counters and screaming at staff will get you any freebies better treatment, then think again
  

• in addition, turning to customers behind you and rolling your eyes in a theatrical manner is a well known trick by people who know they are wrong but think they can manipulate the situation by trying to draw spectators. But you know, your choice..
  

• when you are told that your camera will take 3-6 weeks to repair, that's what it takes. Turning up every day for 3-6 weeks is not going to achieve anything (I'm talking to you Timmy Mallett)
  

• if the machine says "self service" then there's a clue in the title, the staff will help you if they can, but if there is a queue stretching back from the tills to the door, then guess where there priorities have to be.
  

• if you are putting your photos in to be printed and the lab technician is elbow deep in the lab machinery (visible from where you are stood) and surrounded by bits of machinery, don't be surprised or offended when you are told the 1 hour service is off. And definitely do not push through to the lab to tell the lab technician that they must stop what they are doing in order to print your photos
  

• also, if you are putting through risque photos, please think of the lab technician. There are things they just don't need to see!

[plasticface]

Oh and when I was working in a cafe whilst looking for a full time job, a woman moaned to me about how crap the sandwiches were (before trying them) for about 5 mins (literally), whilst I was polite and trying to recommend something she would like. She just argued with me about the fillings and the type of bread when I finally got fed up and told her she might as well have lunch somewhere else then, she looked really shocked and said nothing! I wasn't reported.

[Bumperlicious]

I must admit I agree with ingodwetrust wrt mobile phones. Sometimes I am on the phone but I always make eye contact.

In fact I am a very good customer. 3 times in the last few months I have received good customer service, I have then emailed the company with their name to compliment them.

[hmc]

I am always polite to shop assistants, hotel receptionists, and others in customer facing industries but frankly plastic face after reading this:

:I also once got asked "How strong are these magnets?" I said, "I am not good enough as Physics to be able to answer that question".

And, "How long will this pen last?" I replied that "It depends how often you use it"

I might make an exception for you. Why so unpleasantly sarcastic - are you in the wrong job?

[MrsChemist]

I've been handed a screwed up note by some fucking twat, who thought it was hilarious. It wasn't as hilarious when I threw it at him and said I wasn't taking it like that.

I worked in a pub though, and you don't have to put up with as much bullshit as you do in retail. I hated retail.

I think, because pubs are so regulated, it's seen as less of a right to buy beer, and more of a privilege. As a result, the staff don't have to take all the crap people throw at them.

If someone was on the phone, I'd refuse to serve them until they spoke to me properly.

If someone called me a bitch (or anything else for that matter) they were thrown out.

I have so many stories of rude customers it would fill many many pages.

One of the best ones was an older gentleman who kept saying, apropos of nothing, that we were all racist English bastards (he was Irish)
The manager said he had to leave if he was going to insult staff, his reply was "I'm not insulting staff, you bastard."

He was great actually

[DoodlingPomBear]

If you work in the retail shop that is large and online too with a cafe, please please know where the toilets are! When you have a small child and you ask where they are don't respond with "errr I don't know........." and look blank. Otherwise there might be an accident that I can't help! (dd not me )

[LifeForRent]

Who said ingodwetrust is a christian? Yes, well, ask stupid questions, you will get stupid answers...like I say-they're not going to know the strength of magnets, if they were physicians they wouldn't be working in Staples.

[aDarkStarWithStrangeWays]

ProfYaffle when I worked at a well-known London concert and trade show venue, I frequently used to warn people about the cost of the orange juice. BUT this was only after several months of being greeted with incredulous faces and cries of outrage when I didn't warn them.

It was a fucking rip off, tbf. Just as well they didn't know about all the other shit that went on behind the serving counters.

[ProfYaffle]

Bet you didn't sneer though! Sneering's not really in the lexicon of customer service imho.

[NormalityBites]

"for male customers being served by a female shop assistant, grabbing the arse of said assistant is not acceptable"

Well no it isn't, but it really hasn't got a lot to do with the gender of the people involved, has it?

If you are making the briefest of acquaintances with someone in a formulaic setting, I think it's safe to say you don't grab hold of any of their private body parts full stop - whatever gender they or you happen to be.

[MsSparkle]

"I will answer my phone whenever the hell I like, I won't be dictated to, I'm not slowing down the process of you putting paracetamol in a bag and me giving you money"

Well ingodwetrust if you did that in my dps shop, you wouldn't be served until you were off your phone. If you then choose to walk out - your choice. It's rude, rude, rude. Especially when the assistant is asking you a question and you look at them like they are being rude for interupting your conversation.