Retail workers- Whays the rudest thing a customer has done or said to you ?

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I work in retail and provide good customer service and always help customers.

Last week I had one go in to a full blown rage as we did not have any hand sanitizer and it was apparently all my fault. So I said dont speak to me in that manner and turned around and walked away from her.

Therr are many other moments I could mention but we would be here all day
So what is the rudest thing a customer has done or said to you?

I had someone do this whilst I was a night shift manager at a well known fast food place as a manager. I pointed out to her that the hours were flexible and that most of my staff either had, or were studying for, higher degrees, masters, pgce etc. Whilst working part time to pay for uni.

When I was 19, I was working in a convenience store to help save up whilst i was studying at university.

I had this older lady come in who was obviously quite posh and she queried something about the price, I explained and she said "well, what would YOU know- you're JUST a sales assistant". It made me laugh because it was my first job- its not like everyone's first job is CEO of a company - we all have to start somewhere. Now I actually am a CEO of a company so she can shove her attitude up her puckerbutt arse!

I work in a shop where customers can buy items on a walk-in basis. Some customers have a standing order each month and some get the same thing each month but don't pre-order if that makes sense.

We are a small outlet and have limited space, one day we had several walk-in orders for a particular item and our stock depleted. Customer came in twenty minutes before closing time and kicked off when we told her we couldnt fulfill her order until the next morning when we got our delivery. She was pointing her finger right in my face and threatening me that she wasn't going to leave until we "made up" her items. She even went as far as to bring her anxiety issues into it and accused me of making these worse for not fulfilling her request. I did almost point out to her that I also have anxiety and having someone be physically and verbally aggressive towards me wasn't helpful either. No amount of explaining or offers of solutions would placate her.

In the end she snatched her order form out of my hand and stormed out. My manager had my back and banned her from re-entering the store.

Driving test centres and the like bring out the worst in these people.

No phones, no earphones, no earbuds, no watches, no hoodies (with the hood up, naturally) and no hats or headcoverings unless for religious reasons means exactly that.

Bring x ID means bring your ID. It also means that the staff need to check it, saying it's in your pocket/the car/on the kitchen table at home is not sufficient evidence of identity.

Your test time is exactly that. It doesn't mean come in 94 minutes later and shout the odds because you are too late for the test, especially if you've turned up fifteen minutes before the test centre closes.

And no, you have not failed your test because the woman at the desk was 'rude' in asking to see your ID before letting you in to take the test, you've failed because you don't know your Highway Code.

Moreover, don't then go away and arrange for your husband, adult son, boyfriend or Mum to come in and shout at staff and then make an official complaint making up stories about them in an attempt to get a retest the same day for free and the person who dared to question your unassailable sense of self importance fired.

I worked in a call centre for Sky at 19 and a man called in wanting his Sky switched back on. It turned out he's not paid his bill for two months. When I told him that I most certainly would once I'd taken payment for the £160 outstanding bill, he told me to "drop dead".

Just as he hung up, the clock struck 8pm and it was the end of my shift. I left perfectly on time because of his strop 😁

Someone threatened to jump over the counter and knock me out because he thought that I'd been rude to his GF.

I was browsing Debenhams on my lunch break so I was dressed in a suit. A woman came up to me and demanded to know where something was, so I said "sorry I don't know." She said "are you going to help me find it?" and I said no and walked away.

She came right up in my face screaming and yelling about how much of a disgrace I was to the store and how she was going to contact my manager and get me fired as I didn't deserve to work for Debenhams. So I just calmly pointed out I'm also a customer and don't work for Debenhams. I'm 99% sure I saw steam actually come out of her ears as she told me I was a fucking useless waste of space and walked off.

When I was 16 I worked in a late night food take away. A drunk man used to come on each evening, stand as close as he could to me at the counter and whisper repeatedly "you fucking dirty/filthy cunt". When I said "excuse me?" he'd reply that he hasn't said anything.

I reported it to the bosses who didn't give a shit and I was told to ignore him. This went on for months,. I dreaded him calling in and having to stand there while he said it was degrading.

One night I snapped told him I wasn't serving him because he was a dirty old man and could fuck right off. He scarpered with his tail between his legs. I thought I was going to get sacked but the boss just shrugged it off. My only regret was I didn't tell him to do one sooner .

When my husband worked in retail years ago a customer came in and paid by card. However the card didn't go through. Customer started yelling what the fuck are you going to do about it? Your till is shit, sort it out. My husband told him to try the cars again. He refused still shouting the odds. Security came and escorted him out, while he tried to grab his items. Some customers are rude and stupid.

I had a fella tell me he was going to buy a bag of salad but wouldn't after seeing the way I was squashing them in. He was right but he didn't know how much pressure I was under and how much I had to do that night. I just ignored him. I didn't really care. I haven't had anything other than that. I usually get along with the customers really well.

I worked for a well known catalogue showroom, an item was out of stock and because I had a smile on my face, she reported me to head office saying I was being smug.
Another time I again was reported to the managing director for not providing a carrier bag for an ironing board as she didn't want everyone to know what she had purchased.

One day I was putting something in the display cabinet, a man came behind me and put his hand up my skirt saying he wanted to know if he should buy me.
By this time I had a tough skin, my goodness you should of been there when I turned around shouted at him and said I'm calling the police, other customers stopped him from leaving until the police came. My manager was very supportive.

I have had rants to my face and over the phone about the fact I am not British and there are Brits that are unemployed and should have my job instead. I have gone as far as to make a polite comment about "sorry they didn't bother to apply".

The worst though was years back working in a supermarket in a uni town and had an entitled undergrad come to the til with an open tub of ice cream that she was eating with her fingers. She was laughing to her friends about the ignorant individuals who were too stupid to get a better job than work in a shop and then tried to dab my nose with the ice cream. I stepped back and while I rang the alarm for the manager and commented that it was a shame that some infants were never taught any manners. The look on her face was priceless.

I had a short haircut and worked in a pub around 20 years ago. One pissed up customer shouted out 'Are you a boy or a girl?'. I advised him to 'suck my dick and you'll find out'.

I dont work in retail but I've witnessed some appalling behaviour by other customers and been gobsmacked. Most recent was a couple of weekends ago. Busy specialist shop with a long queue at the two tills, the lady being served at the till in front of me was asked if she had a loyalty card and then really laid in to the cashier about loyalty cards being an invasion of privacy. The poor cashier was trying to be polite and end the conversation and take payment but this woman wouldn't let it go. By this time I was being served on the till alongside, the ladies husband (embarrassed and ashamed had walked off) and I had to step in. I wish I had a quick or witty reply, but all that came out of my mouth was "ok there is no need for all that", I just got an icy stare back and she walked away with her shopping. Still at the till putting my card details through and the next customer for the berated cashier slams a product on the desk and goes "that's gone up 5p and the ticket has wrong price" in an aggressive tone, I looked at cashier who had tears in her eyes. I couldn't do it, retail, open all ours, customers, poor pay, but I take my hat of to all that do, I'd be sacked on the first day.

My first job was with Sainsbury's as a teenager. A central branch. Lots of stories, especially of people kicking off because you won't (actually can't) refund a 10p bag of baked goods any further, or explaining that the store is shut and everyone going home in 5 minutes when they're wandering around 30 minutes after closing time still.

And the creepy older blokes. Being told that they've just been to a fetish bar and I'd look great in all rubber at 16 was not fun. More so, because when I told my supervisor I was told that I had to serve them if they came in again and just smile - because the customer is always right.

Ergh. 20 years ago now, still makes my skin crawl.

Not me personally but I was on the changing rooms.
Woman came in with kid to try on a skirt and few other bits.
Woman left and had hung all her bits back on the rail as I was busy with another customer.
I could get this smell in the area of the changing rooms.

She had cleaned her child's backside with the brown skirt and hung it back up.
It had to go straight in the bin.
The smell was just horrendous.

Moneypenny007 that is rank- people are foul.
I know someone who worked in a place that had a kids play area, nothing fancy, but finding poo in there was a regular occurrence.

I once had a customer berate me for having a lip piercing. All I did was serve him politely! But he thought that gave him permission to comment on my appearance. The customer after him told me to ignore him, but I've never forgotten it, 15 years later!

I work alone in a foreign exchange bureau...we do a 9.5 hour shift in a tiny box and we are entitled by law to have a break....i take a 30 min break and put a clock up to advise when i will re open....nearly every shift i come back after my break to a customer kicking off...demanding to see a manager etc....people never cease to amaze me with their sense of entitlement.

I work in a bookies, and the amount of verbal and even physical abuse is unreal. We have to be 100% on top form when it comes to I.D'ing people, so on one particular occasion, a young girl came in, and the amount of young girls coming into bookies is so very rare where I am based, so I went over to her and quietly asked if I could see some form of ID please....and then the doors of Hell opened, "who the F do I think I am, asking her for ID, "I've got a 4 year old son and look" (pulls up sleeve to show a bad tattoo on her arm) I've got a tattoo, that proves I'm over 18. I don't think she liked it when pointed out that my friend had a tattoo at 15 and you can have kids when you're 12 she told me I'm s**t at my job, clearly don't know what I'm doing, I'm thick, she'd be making complaints about me, etc etc, after years of this, I can't care less anymore, I told her I wouldn't be making the mistake of asking for her ID again as she was barred from the shop, now get out x

Not in retail anymore but I used to work in a Men's shoe department. One lovely gentleman arsehole decided that the best way to get my attention was to click at me. Needless to say, I took an overly long time with the customer I was dealing with at the time

Thank fuck that day’s manager was the tough one... who gave her a proper dressing down to a crowd, “so she’s offered to give up an hour of her time unpaid to do this for you - OK, got that - not sure what your complaint is?”

This is what should happen, all this rubbush about 'the customer is always right' just encourages the most gross.

A plus size friend was taking a young lad's money at the till, he said "oh give me a KitKat Chunky" she reached for one and he said "no, a regular KitKat, I was calling you chunky".
Years ago I worked in an estate agents, I was very well endowed then, three guys walked in wanting property details and I just endured so much abuse and disgusting remarks about my breasts, from "f.ing hell, look at the size of those " "you don't get many of those to the pound" It was relentless and outrageous "look she's blushing now".
They eventually left jeering and sneering, I wanted to cry.

Every retail outlet shpould hang a sign 'The customer is not always right'.

It happens anywhere one has to meet people face to face. As a teacher I had a father walk off during a parent/teacher meeting to take a phone call. He then expected me to repeat what I'd told his wife and complained to the Head that I was rude in refusing to do so, the call had been very important. As I was able to confirm the date and the tee-off time for the golf game he's arranged it clearly wasn't!