To be annoyed at greedy people

[Pickledonion24]

Work in a shop we have tissue for wrapping delicate items and paper for any pictures. We also provide nice paper bags for free. These cost a bit being a small shop and having small Order quantities and no where to store a bigger order. I always wrap things well but I’m getting fed up of people asking for the price to be taken off each item then wrapped in tissue and separate bags as there gifts. If someone buys a big expensive item it’s never an issue they usally just ask for a bag I normally insist on wrapping it if I have time. But with the cheaper plastic gifts wooden ones tea towels anything under a fiver really. people then start demanding it to be wrapped well and individually bagged. Last week someone wrapped it themselves taking sheets and sheets of the paper while I was using the till to give her some change she didn’t ask either or give me time to do it myself. They normally say can you wrap it well it’s a gift or it’s traveling a long way home after my holiday. Isn’t that what wrapping paper is for and if traveling back to Scotland or Australia you would of thought of a way to provide its protection we are very generous with our packing using a good few sheets bubble wrap and paper but people always expect more. I will continue to grumble about it but will never stop them having extra bags and wrap due as I believe in good customer services. On a dead day if someone comes in for a last minute present and dosnt ask I will often wrap it really neatly take the price of and put it in a nice brown bag. As soon as I say the bags here are free they suddenly go from using there one in the bag or carrying it to wanting a million bags

Items over ten pound free wrapping ?

I wonder if this is what the Chinese takeaway says about me when I take a couple of free sachets of soy sauce

And I have known small gift shops offer to wrap for free cheap stuff, I always assume they include the cost in their prices, so if it is a present, I say yes.

Pretty much disagree with everything

1. You have to give them a bag, they’re gifty wifty items - they expect it

1. If you charge for extra bags it’s a weird conversation and pisses people off (even though they’re twats and want shit for free you want them to not slag you off)

1. If you charge for ‘wrapping’ and it’s not pristine people are weirdly hostile

The ONLY option you have in my opinion is to build it into your costs of the item so you can give freely without resentment

Yes true Laurie I assume gift shops that do give bags for all presents do this.

We wrap all delicate items we make sure no items can break. We legally can’t charge for bags I guess because we have under the amount of staff I guess shops can charge for gift bags. An example of what I’m
On about is someone buying five tea towels normally I wrap them all in tissue and place in one bag this lady wanted them each wrapped indavidually 3 sheets for each towel and bag for each towel. We then had a woman who brought some wooden hearts she asked if she could take some paper with her to wrap them at home herself she took a whole load huge pile

Hang on, did you really say you can't charge for it as the wrapping paper isn't that great and neither are your wrapping skills?
Oh, and they may want to transport the gift to Scotland?
Ahhhhahaaaaaa

Put a notice up saying that extra wrapping will cost, say, 5p per sheet of tissue paper, 10p extra sheet of bubble wrap and 50p per extra bag. Note, the charges are for extra, not for what you would normally do anyway.

I had the opposite problem lately. Went to a naice shop and wanted to buy two different scarves, both from the same designer.

Shopkeeper: Are these a gift?
Me: No, just for me
Her: Well, I'll wrap them up nicely for you
Me: Thank you

So she takes the first scarf, removes the price label, folds it, wraps it in tissue, places a sticker on the tissue to keep it closed, pops it into a (lovely!) bag, adds more tissue that gets pouffed up, ties the bag with a ribbon, and puts it aside.

At this stage, she takes the second scarf, removes the price label, folds it, wraps it in tissue, places a sticker on the tissue to keep it closed, and reaches for a second beribboned bag.

I say "oh, no need to two bags. It's fine to pop it in with the other scarf". She looked at me like I had two heads and brusquely responds "I can't do that- the packaging is part of the philosophy of the brand".

I felt like Alan Rickman at the jewellery counter in Love Actually.

Your shop sounds great. If only I was a local person. [sad}

If you only wrap expensive and/or delicate items why were you wrapping tea towels?

We legally can’t charge for bags I guess because we have under the amount of staff I guess shops can charge for gift bags

People do though. I worked in a very small business where I was expected to charge for bags, it was embarrassing. Sometimes I used to "forget".

just

We wrap clothes in our shop...only basic wrapping

There are a fair few customers who admire your technique or who (like me) think that its well posh

I always tell them i feel like Rowan Atkinson in Love actually

There is only tissue and sweets for us in the tissue drawer though

MiddleClassProblem this is how it happens customer pays I place item in bag or wrap it up depending on item. Then they ask for them to be wrapped individually I say yes because customer service is key

There are so many things customers do that annoy you in retail but you can’t do anything about with out loosing customers. If you came in and asked to carry all your stuff wrap each item have A million bags I would say yes

Where I shop, all the bags are out of sight and the tissue paper is behind the till so no one can get at it but staff.

When the plastic bag thing started i gave a few customers bags for the stuff they had bought elsewhere

Our paper bags are surprisingly (to me) expensive

@rufus I get that we use standard cheap seethrough tissue and brown paper I feel like rowan Atkinson to

We give free toothpaste samples out at work but due to some people taking handfuls we either put a few out or only hand them out to people should they ask
People are just grabby

If I bought a tea towel and a mug, I'd completely understand your wrapping up the mug but not the tea towel - but you make it sound like you are offering gift wrapping which will attract people to take advantage if it's free!

If I walked into a small shop and asked for more bags -for things I had not bought there- I would not be offended to be told no or asked to pay!

heather they are grabby

Not everyone obviously

But the behaviour of some people is dreadful...and not necessarily how you think it would be

So one shop in a 'rough' city, doesnt give refunds at all....member of staff never had a problem

Same member of staff transferred to naice town where refunds are given under the usual conditions ....naice customers being very abusive, yelling and 'i know my rights'

Sorry nothing to do with toothpaste

Wrap things as you think appropriate.

If they ask for something outlandish say 'of course, no problem at all, there's a small charge of 50p per additional bag and 10p per sheet of tissue paper (or whatever)'.

I think it's reasonable to say no to cheeky people, as long as it's done nicely. I heard a customer asking for the nice wooden hangers in a shop yesterday, but the assistant said there'd be a charge. Some people have a 'if you don't ask, you don't get' mentality.

I prefer that idea to whacking 50p on everything you sell so that reasonable people end up paying over the odds for their single unwrapped item.

We keep the tissue and nice bags under the counter. We had someone build shelves to fit them.

We only offer to wrap the obviously "gift-like" items.

If some customer was helping herself, that's because you've got it on view!

The problem comes because the wrapping materials cost a lot (tissue paper is not cheap, even in bulk!) and cheeky fuckers are everywhere.

I used to work in habitat, and we had tissue to wrap all crockery and glassware, to protect from breakages. Fine, but the number of people that wanted tea towels or wooden spoons wrapping "for protection" (but with prices removed ).
Still, it helped me identify wankers and skinflints...

Just have a sign saying "In quieter times we are happy to gift wrap non-delicate purchases for a small fee of £1". You don't have to get better paper - just point out when they ask which paper it is.